Chartreuse (9 page)

    
There were a lot of things he was seeming to do too quickly though.  For
instance, the way he felt being around Kasen. 
He’s not even gay, you
idiot.  Yet here you are, getting your hopes up.  Have you learned nothing?
 
Again, he was ignoring the thoughts in his mind as he picked up a menu to
glance over it before brown eyes lifted to glance at Kasen.  Those azure hues
were busy moving over his own menu as he smiled a little.

    
I wonder what he’s smiling about…
  Rowan wondered to himself.  Could it
be from happiness of being out of Chartreuse?  Or maybe it was happiness of
spending time with
him?
  Wishful thinking.  He rolled his eyes, clearing
his throat as he decided that a large root beer and helping of jambalaya would
do the trick for him.

    
“Do you see anything you want?”  He asked lowly.

    
When Kasen’s eyes suddenly snapped up to meet his, Rowan’s heart may have
stopped altogether.

    
“I think I want a foot long hot dog,” Kasen said excitedly, his smile growing
once again.  “With some fries and a large root beer float.  That sounds really
good, huh?”

    
Rowan couldn’t help but to smile as he nodded, “Yeah, that sounds fantastic.
Get whatever you want, Kasen, it’s on me,” But then he noticed Kasen’s frown
and his brows furrowed.  “What is it?”

    
“I appreciate you wantin’ to be so nice to me and all, Rowan,” Kasen said, “But
I feel bad that you’re spending your money on me.  Honestly, I just appreciate
your company.  I promise I can afford my own meal.”

    
Rowan smiled gently, and then he shook his head, “Hey. This was my idea.  And
you’re my guest.  So it’s my treat okay?  And don’t worry about the money.  I
can afford the food,” Though he stopped talking when he saw the expression on
Kasen’s face.  It was one of..shock?

    
He glanced down, and saw why.  He wasn’t sure when he’d done it, but his hand
was resting over Kasen’s on the table. 
Shit.
  He quickly pulled his
hand away, face flushing, “I-I’m sorry,” He stammered. 

    
It was painfully silent for a few moments.  But then Kasen finally spoke up,
“It’s okay,” He said quietly.

     
Rowan knew better than that.  How in the hell was it supposed to be okay?  He’d
practically been holding his hand.  Kasen wasn’t going to want to hang out with
him anymore.  He really need to get his emotions in check. He couldn’t be doing
stuff like this.  Not in Alabama, and definitely not with Kasen.  Maybe he was
beginning to like him
too
much.

Chapter
Ten

    
Kasen sat there quietly for a few more seconds afterwards.  He
really
didn’t want things to get awkward between them.  Had Rowan not wanted to do
that?  Had it just been an accident?  Kasen was confused, and so many emotions
were running through him as he moved his hands to his lap, deciding to try to
move on from it.  It would do him no good to worry over it now.  They were
having such a nice time. The zoo, and now this place; this amazing little café
where they could get to know one another. 

    
Maybe Kasen was silly to feel butterflies around Rowan.  Maybe he was just
overthinking all of this in general, and he needed to stop
hoping
that
this was more than just two guys hanging out as friends.

    
So he just chewed at his lower lip, waiting for the waitress to come and take
their order.  Rowan ordered his meal for him, as well as getting himself a
cheeseburger, no onion, with some fries and a large root beer.  So much for
jambalaya

    
Several more long moments passed by as they sat there in silence, and Kasen was
wondering if he’d messed up their day.  Though he was surprised when he heard
Rowan clearing his throat before speaking.

    
“So, your family lives around here?”  He asked curiously.

    
Kasen blinked, blue eyes moving up to meet those chocolate ones before he
nodded.  “My mom does,” He replied.  “I’ve never really been around my dad.”

    
Rowan frowned a bit, but nodded to him.

   
 “He left when I was just a kid,” Kasen explained.  “I don’t really remember
him at all.  I mean, I remember some things.  But not much.  I remember his
laugh,” He smiled faintly.  “It was such a happy laugh,” He chewed on his lip,
glancing up when their drinks arrived.

    
“Thank ya,” Kasen said, taking the spoon out of the glass to scoop up some of
the vanilla ice cream that floated above the root beer.

 
   “I didn’t know my dad either,” Rowan admitted.  “He lives in San Diego,” He
shrugged.  “He left my mom when I was five.  He was having an affair with his
secretary.  Needless to say, my mom wasn’t happy.  I don’t blame her for that,”
He shrugged.  “I can imagine she used to actually be a semi-nice person.  I
suppose I should thank my father for that.”

    
He ran his fingers through his dark hair, and Kasen watched as the locks fell
right back into his face again. 

    
“Not on good terms with your mama?”  Kasen asked quietly.

    
Rowan shook his head a bit, “We’re not really on any terms,” He replied.  “I
think she only tolerated me until I turned eighteen.  Then after I moved out
for college,  I’m pretty sure I became non-existent to her.” 

    
“I’m sorry,” Kasen said quietly with a small frown.  “But if it makes you feel
any better, I sometimes wish I was non-existent to my mother.  She calls almost
constantly.  And she’s a bit crazy at times.”

    
He smiled a bit when Rowan chuckled and then he echoed his laughter as he
relaxed.  Maybe their day could be salvaged after all.

    
It wasn’t long until their food arrived, and it was delicious.  Kasen ate in silence,
though he occasionally glanced up to see that Rowan was enjoying his burger. 
He wondered if Boston had food like this.  The south was all about grease and
fatty foods. 

    
As he plucked up his last French fry, Kasen felt a light nudge against his foot
and he glanced up.  Rowan seemed to be busy with finishing off his burger. 
Kasen lifted a brow, feeling the nudge again as he chewed his fry quietly.  Maybe
his foot was slipping or something.  Right? Stuff like that happened sometimes,
didn’t it?

    
Kasen licked his lips again, taking another sip of his root beer as he kept his
blue eyes on the table.  It was so much more interesting at the moment. 
Stop
being ridiculous.
  Was the exact statement going through his mind.  Who was
he to jump to conclusions that Rowan was trying to flirt with him?  He bit his
lip, releasing a breath as he began to gather his trash and put it back onto
the bright green tray before he offered to gather Rowan’s garbage, too.

    
He reached out for his empty fry boat, which Rowan decided to do at the same
time.  Their fingers touched and Kasen felt his face grow hotter than the sun
as his eyes met Rowan’s.  Rowan gave him a small smile.  It was warm and
friendly, and that made Kasen’s stomach feel funny again. 

    
“Sorry,” Kasen said, a bit embarrassed.  He slowly pulled his hand away,
watching as Rowan finished putting his trash onto the tray before he stood up
and took it over to the garbage can to dispose of it.  Kasen waited patiently
while Rowan went to the restroom, and when he returned, Kasen got up to follow
him back out to the car.

    
It was quiet again as they headed back out onto the main road.  He wasn’t sure
where they were going to go now.  Or perhaps Rowan was ready to go back home. 
Either way,  Kasen was grateful for the time they’d spent together.  He had
enjoyed himself-something he didn’t seem to do that much anymore.  He glanced
up at the sky and frowned.  Was it going to rain?  It sure looked like it.

    
He glanced over to see Rowan tinkering with the heat.  He had a very nice side
profile.  Rowan was a handsome guy. 
You need to stop checking him out.
 
Kasen scolded himself mentally as he settled back into his seat again.

    
“So, where to now?”  Rowan asked curiously.

    
Kasen blinked in surprise before he gave a small shrug, “I..I really don’t
know,” He laughed.

    
“Well, we’ve still got a few hours of daylight to burn.  We can go anywhere you
want to.  Or if you want to head back to Chartreuse, we can do that, too.”

    
Kasen wasn’t really ready for their day to end.  He was looking forward to
spending as much time with Rowan as possible.  Was that insane? To want to
spend more time with a guy he barely knew? 

    
“Well,” Kasen finally said.  “If we do go back to Chartreuse, maybe you’d like
to come back to mine for a bit?”  Was that too bold?

    
He glanced nervously up at Rowan again, who kept one hand on the wheel before
turning his head to glance at Kasen with a small grin.  “Yeah,” He nodded. 
“That would be great.  We can do that.”

-----------------------

    
Arriving back to Chartreuse hadn’t seemed as bad as it had two hours prior. 
Kasen had invited him back to his place, and Rowan couldn’t help but to feel a
little nervous over the entire thing.  He felt like a school boy who had a
massive crush on a fellow school mate.  He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t
help it.

   
He honestly couldn’t help but to feel that there could be potential here; with
Kasen.  Earlier, their hands had touched.  His foot had hit Kasen’s, albeit by
accident, but Kasen hadn’t complained.  Surely if it had been unwanted contact,
he would have said so, right?

    
Or maybe Rowan was looking too much into this.  He tended to do that a lot.  Tiny
splashes of water  began hitting against the windshield, pulling him from his
thoughts as he turned on the wipers.  He slowed down a bit, always such a safe
driver.  He couldn’t help it.  He turned his lights on as an extra precaution. 

    
He really hadn’t expected there to be this much rain today.  But it seemed to
be a surprise that snuck up on him when he was excited, especially when he
forgot to check the weather channel before leaving home.  Or, he could simply
blame it on the fact he’d had a surprise visit from someone who needed ‘urgent’
medical attention for his hunting dog.

    
The thought made Rowan chuckle lightly as he continued through the somewhat
ghost town.  It was only six thirty.  How in the hell did a town close up this
early?  It seemed everything was already closed except for the diner on Main
street.  Ugh…no.  He didn’t need to think about food again already.

    
It was only when they came by the dog park that he finally slowed, and then
pulled over.  He heard the surprise in Kasen’s voice. 

    
“What’s wrong?”  Kasen asked.

    
Rowan simply grinned at him before he put the car into park.  He shrugged out
of his jacket, leaving him only in a simple button up shirt as he opened his
door and got out.  He closed the door before he tilted his head back, allowing
the rain to splash against his face as he laughed, quite happily. 

    
For the briefest of moments,  Rowan could remember his childhood; before
everything became complicated; back when things were simple, and fun.  Before
he’d ever made a decision on what he was going to be.  A time in which he could
be whatever he wanted to be, if even just a pirate. 

    
His smile grew bigger as he became soaked from the rain, dark strands clinging
to his cheeks and forehead as he let out another laugh.  It was the best
feeling he’d had in a very long time.  Completely content, a sense of
belonging…..just right here in this very moment. 

    
He heard as Kasen’s door closed, and then the gentle tone of the other’s voice
reached his ears, pleasantly disrupting his thoughts.

    
“Are you okay?”  Kasen asked.

    
Rowan finally opened his eyes, looking down at him as rain dripped from the tip
of his nose.  He gave him that same smile again as he nodded, “I’ve never been
better, actually,” He promised.

--------------------

    
Kasen hadn’t been too sure of what was happening a few minutes ago.  They were
on their way back to
his
apartment, when Rowan pulled over.  He watched
in concern and confusion as the older male exited the vehicle, apparently
oblivious of the rain that was pouring down all around them.

    
Kasen quickly took off his own jacket before getting out of the car.  Moving
around the car until he could see Rowan.  The other man seemed to be just fine-happy,
in fact.  That smile was enough to warm Kasen’s cold skin as he returned it.  He
just couldn’t help himself.  There was just something so kind and warm about
the other’s smile.

    
“I’m glad to hear it,” Kasen finally said over the sound of rain as it
plummeted to the earth.  He licked his lips, squinting his eyes to keep rain
from getting into them as he watched Rowan’s head tilt back again.  It was as
if he had never taken a moment to appreciate the rain.  Or maybe it just really
did make him that happy.

    
It was a surprisingly warm rain, despite the temperature.  Kasen felt his
cheeks heating up again.  He hugged his arms around himself, shaking his head
as he let out a small laugh, “This is a bit crazy, isn’t it?” He asked.

    
He glanced up, watching as Rowan’s eyes found his.  “Is it?”  Rowan asked him,
turning to face him.  “What’s life without a bit of craziness, Kasey?” 

    
Kasen blinked, biting his bottom lip before he gave a small shrug, “You’re
probably right about that.  It would be a very boring life.” 

    
“Exactly,” Rowan nodded.  Then he reached out, his hand touching Kasen’s
shoulder as Kasen looked at him with a quirked brow. 

    
“You’re it,” Rowan said with a boyish grin.  Then he took off running over the
grass. 

    
Kasen shook his head, laughing again.  Was he supposed to chase him?  It did
seem to be a game of tag all the sudden…..in the rain. 
Why the hell not?
 
He asked himself.

    
So he took off after him, carefully stepping around puddles where he could as
he steadily gained on the other.  Rowan was pretty fast.  Kasen laughed again,
trying to see through the rain as it turned into an absolute down pour.  There
was going to be a flood if the rain didn’t let up soon.

    
“Come on, slow poke!”  Rowan called out to him, and Kasen laughed again as he
watched Rowan dart around a tree.  He skidded to a halt, reaching out to press
his palm against the tree as he poked his head about, trying to catch a glimpse
of Rowan.

    
“We’re getting soaked!”  Kasen said, stating the obvious.

    
“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of rain,” Rowan replied, poking his head out
around the other side.  He then quickly maneuvered himself around it, tapping
at Kasen’s shoulder until the younger male turned around. 

   
“Ah ha!”  Kasen said, but as he reached out for him, Rowan was gone again.

    
The chase went on like that for a good five minutes before Rowan slid on some
mud, falling down an embankment with Kasen following in suit.  They rolled all
the way down, and then Kasen landed beside of him.  With both men on their
backs, muddy and soaked, they couldn’t help but to burst out in laughter.

    
The rain was finally easing up, a light sprinkle pelting against the drenched
ground as Rowan slowly moved onto his side and glanced down at the other. 

    
Kasen was breathing heavily, cheeks red and hair clinging to his face.  Mud
covered his back, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all.

    
Rowan listened to the boy’s laughter as he reached his hand up suddenly,
resting it against Kasen’s cheek. As his thumb stroked over the smooth skin,
there was a trail of mud left in its wake.  Kasen’s laughter died quickly as
his blue eyes opened to gaze into those same warm brown ones once again.