The Green Thorne Bed and Breakfast

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Patrick was slightly surprised at how quickly Rich seemed to be at home, despite only having been there a matter of hours. He hadn't seen Rich at dinner, after all, or they would not have been introduced so late at night. But here he was, moving around the kitchen and making hot chocolate for the three of them as if he did it all the time. Maybe Rich was a regular.

He took a sip of his hot chocolate just before Rich grabbed a bag of marshmallows and put them on the table. Took a few. Sipped again. "Why do I ever try to drink hot chocolate without marshmallows? Should never be done." He grinned at Rich. "Thanks."

Patrick took another sip to hide his frown when Lotte started talking to him. Yeah, she really did start frightening me… But it's not true, anyway. "Trying to scare me, huh?" he said instead. "Definitely too much has gone on to tell each other more scary stories, though. I mean, that girl covered in blood…" Patrick shuddered.

As Lotte went on, Patrick put down his cup and stared at her in shock. He looked at Rich briefly to see if he, too, couldn't believe it, then looked back and forth between the two of them while silence descended on the table.

"Lotte, you can't just give up." Patrick reached out to put his hand on her wrist. "It's still your honeymoon, and it can still be romantic. Maybe you should still go out on those things. With someone else, so you're not reminded all the time. I'd go with you, I mean who doesn't love a little rock climbing? And, you know…. we'll be right down the hall from you. If you need anything…" He trailed off. This was just getting awkward.

Patrick looked again at Rich. "I guess we're rooming together. You don' t snore, do you?"
 
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The morning was filled with birdsong. Sunlight trickled across Joshua's face, forcing him from his sleep at least long enough to leave his bed and close the curtains. But once he was up and on his feet, there was no sense in crawling back into bed. No, work had to be done and this house was a bed and breakfast. It would be silly to skip that second half of the name just because the previous day had been long and confusing. With a quiet little sigh, he shuffled back and forth between his room and the bathroom, washing his face and getting some clothes on before he silently made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

Patrick was the first to rise, and Joshua offered him a gentle smile as the man settled at the table. "What would you like to eat?" the cook inquired and when he got no answer after a few seconds, he listed off a few breakfast foods he was quite capable of making. Still, there came no reply.

Was he being ignored? He wasn't aware of a time when he'd possibly upset Patrick... Shrugging it off, thinking to himself that maybe the man was just deep in thought, Joshua returned to mixing pancake batter. The sweet smell mixed wonderfully with the scent of bacon frying. And soon, the other guests joined Patrick at the table, though none of them seemed to take notice of the cook.

Something was...off.

Frowning a little, he cleared his throat in an attempt to catch their attention. The result was a total failure. Feeling just a little insulted, he turned back to his task, but the next time he glanced up at the guests, he was so startled that he dropped the mixing spoon in his hand.

Batter splattered his feet as much as the floor, the wooden spoon making a loud clatter. And still, their heads did not turn. They simply sat around the table, directing their mournful expressions down to the tabletop. There lay a bed of flowers atop the polished surface, upon which slept a young woman. She was garbed in a simple white dress, her long black hair carefully groomed and placed around her shoulders and arms, hands folded and meeting peacefully across her waist. Just by the texture of her skin and the paleness of her lips, it was evident that her sleep was an eternal one.

But Joshua didn't have to investigate any of this, for once he saw her form laying there, he knew exactly who it was. As the shock wore off, it was replaced with fear and a strong urge to vomit. He bit back the bile rising in his throat as tears overflowed down his cheeks and pooled at his chin for a moment before splashing onto his shirt.

Not her... Not this again!

How long would he have to repent for that mistake?

Joshua snapped awake, gasping as he sat up in bed. A cold sweat had nestled up to his skin but the chills that shook him were emotional ones. As it steadily became clearer that he'd simply been dreaming and that roughly only a half an hour had passed since he'd gone to bed, his eyes began to adjust.

Sitting there, trembling, he stared intently at the wall that the foot of his bed faced, trying to ignore the feeling of being watched. It was hard to do so when this one specific shadow kept shifting in the corner of his vision. The vague silhouette of a head and shoulder jutted from the natural blurry shadow of a corner in a dark room, sliding the distance of a foot to one side as if someone had leaned forward in a chair.

His heart leapt up into his throat.

Throwing back the blankets, Joshua made a B-line for Noah's bedroom. He didn't stop to consider his actions or how the man would react. At that point he felt like a terrified child climbing into his parents' bed to be safe from the monster in the closet. How embarrassing that he needed to be comforted like this...

Despite how warm it was, he curled up against Noah's back and closed his eyes as he continued to tremble ever so lightly.
 
"Goodnight, cousin."

Rich somehow became proud of his in-depth knowledge of hot water and cocoa. He became so proud that Pat and Lotte was given a lighthearted, brotherly nod to give a wordless "you are welcome". The following sip was somehow a sag way to watch what Lotte was doing, and a rather well worn robe. He had no noticed before, that she was more then an alluring, naked body. Watch her and Pat exchange, Rich felt it his place to add himself in.

"Patrick is right, though. Those tickets should be used. I would not mind being the interim groom. I am sure that with your charming looks and personality and my ability to have rhythm we can do just about anything." he said sipping his heated chocolate.

"Of course, if you need someone to serenade you to sleep...feel free to come knocking." Rich added, with a dimpled smile.

He turned to his head slightly and shook it. His blue-eyed gaze starting to lock on the woman. A vibe of brewing competition swirled in his head. It seems that his new friend and him had a growing crush on her. This was going to be interesting...

"If there is anything else....feel free to come to me, as well."
 
Lotte, for her own part, was slightly confused. She hadn't really meant to run on like that, but the stress of the day had weighed heavily on her. She looked down into her chocolate, sucking on her inner cheek while considering. It had been a while since she had been available. She still hurt from her day, and was far from thinking about dating or anything again, but they were just being friendly. It wouldn't matter if she allowed herself to have some fun, right?

She scolded herself for giving into the habit of pulling her cheeks in. Her mother had often chided her for such things, and now she recalled the words of a woman who had been strict and demanding when it came to beauty and stopped sucking on her cheek, forced herself to sit up straight, and shook her hair back. She gave each of the men a smile of thanks before sipping at her hot chocolate again. They weren't bad looking, and neither of them had been inappropriate with her yet. In fact, they both seemed nearly gentlemanly.

"Alright," she spoke, one finger tracing the table's edge as she considered. "I suppose it would do me good to have some company while I am here. You both seem kind enough." This was accompanied with a nervous laugh. "Provided that no more nightmares wake me, I should be up around eight in the morning. We can figure out what to do then..." She finished the last sip of her drink, taking the cup to the sink and placing it in the basin. Was she doing the right thing? Was there a right thing in this instance? Her mother would surely not approve, but then, what the older woman didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and mummy dearest was three counties away right now, on a trip of her own.

Lotte gave a wave of her hand to the men, spoke a soft "goodnight", and headed out of the kitchen and up the steps to her room. The candle was still upon the floor, but she left it for now, using the faint light from the hallway to get her bed ready before shutting the door, shucking the robe, and curling up under the covers. All too soon, morning would be there. She found herself looking forward to the light that would banish the monsters and birdsong that would hold scary things at bay.

In a momentary childish urge, she crawled out from beneath the blanket, knelt at the side of her bed, and began to say her prayers. It had been years since she'd last done this, considering herself too mature and cosmopolitan to give in to superstition and religion, but with the nightmare she'd had and the sight of the bloody girl, with the storm and the loss of the groom, and with the first stars peeking out as the clouds began to part near the horizon, she gave in, praying that new, better days would come, that God would keep her safe, and that her heart would heal. She remembered to give thanks for all the things she did have, and this act set her at ease once more, reminding her that her life was, indeed, a good one and that she had many blessings. If nothing else, prayer was a good reminder that she was not as isolated and forgotten as she had been beginning to think.
 
Noah didn't even feel the other man sneak into his bed. His breathing didn't even change as he slept soundly from his exhaustion. No, he didn't even realize that in his sleep his body reacted to the other in his bed and with a happy sleep murmur he had turned himself around and snuggled Joshua up to him, wrapping his arms around him and entwining their legs. He had no idea that in his sleep his fingers would brush and stroke Joshua's hair soothingly or that he'd smile in his sleep.

If Noah dreamed, it was happy dreams. Calm and peaceful and full of a certain dark haired man. Happy dreams that washed away the stressful evening and the urge to give in and call his friend for help...

Morning came with all the birdsong and sunlight a summer seeker could ask for. The air was muggy and thick from last night's rain but it wasn't too unpleasant. Blossoms and other storm debris littered the damp grass around the house. It was still picture perfect even with things a bit muss, perhaps it lent to the old world charm that the house had.

It was the bird's fault really that Noah started to wake up. He stirred, stretching and yawning in his bed. There was something in his bed with him, he quickly realized as his hands felt warm flesh. At first he wasn't sure what to think, afraid to open his eyes. Afraid to see what was in bed with him. His curiosity got the better of him though and he opened his eyes and blinked rapidly. It was Joshua, in his bed.

He briefly wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. Gay heaven.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and smiled down at his cook, curious when the man had crawled into bed with him. He didn't want to wake him though and tried, carefully to untangle his body from the other man's.

Noah did though, untangle himself as best he could from Joshua. It used to be that he'd have to untangle himself from people he didn't exactly want to be in bed with. That might encourage them to stay after all. This time was different though, he wanted to stay in bed with Joshua and watch him wake up. But no, Noah had morning things to attend to...

Besides; he thought as he pulled on a tee shirt and tugged off his sleeping pants, hoping that Joshua was asleep while he wiggled his toned ass into a pair of jeans, he could make Joshua breakfast.

So with a dance in his step, Noah made his way down the stairs and into his kitchen and started up breakfast.
 
Dear Mother,

I will be spending the remainder of my honeymoon at the bed and breakfast. I

Lotte wadded up the Green Thorne B&B stationary and lobbed it at the pretty pink waste basket. She was sitting there, once more wrapped in the old robe and trying to find a way to write her mother a polite letter without seeming cold or, worse, defiant. She would have just called, but when she'd tried that morning, she couldn't make herself tap the call button. Instead, she'd sat and tried to compose this damnable letter since six am. It was impossible, and she was tiring of trying to be what her mother expected. She tried once more.

Dear Mom,

I'm going to stay at the bed and breakfast for my vacation. I might as well try to enj

That wasn't right, either. Screw it, she thought, taking out her phone again.
"Staying here til I come home. Send more clothes. xoxo," was quickly input and texted to her mother. As an after thought, she also sent "especially my blue nightgown with the turtles."

That chore out of the way, she rose to her feet and shucked her night clothes, bathing and then pulling on underwear, bra, and a pair of snug jeans. She debated for a long moment before pulling on a faded yellow t-shirt with the words "If music soothes the savage beast, why do we have war chants?" printed across the front. The ensemble was completed by a pair of socks and hiking boots. Quickly, she ran a brush through her hair and styled it. She really should get a walk in this morning before everyone was up and breakfast was served. That would have to be quick, she decided as she suddenly caught the scent of breakfast cooking. Her stomach gave an irritated growl and she headed down the stairs and out the front door.

The grounds were not as pristine as the day before. Lotte forced herself to do a few stretches before setting out on a short walk that soon became a jog and then a flat out run. She reveled in the feeling of pushing her body, making it do her bidding. Her breath came easy, so she pressed harder until her pulse raced and her breath came in short inhalations. Remembering her training, she made herself breathe correctly and kept going. She was running along the edge of the manicured lawn and the morning sun trickling through the leaves gave her a feeling of being, not in a haunted forest, but in an enchanted wonderland. She kept running, even as sweat started to pour down her trim form. Her hair had gotten tousled by the slight breeze of her movement, now framing her forehead and eyes like a wild lion's mane. She pushed herself harder, to the limit of her abilities for the final sprint back up onto the porch and into the bed and breakfast. There, she paused, stretching again before jogging lightly into the kitchen.

"Good morning!" she said, the run having produced enough endorphins that she was actually feeling rather cheerful. She looked around, before pointing first to the dining room, then to the kitchen table and then to the veranda. "Where should I go to get out of your way and, second question that should have come first, can I get a glass of water?" She finally stopped moving and rested a hip against the table in question while crossing one arm under her breasts and pushing her hair out of her face. The kitchen certainly looked more cheerful in the morning, and she found herself looking around for something to rest her eyes on, finally settling on a creamer bowl. It was nice, like everything here, and she chided herself for thinking that all bed and breakfasts had to have those little cow creamer jars that went "moo" when you tipped them.
 
Mmm... Someone, whomever this was, had a very comforting embrace. So much that Joshua didn't want to open his eyes for fear that this was just another dream. But the more he tried to fall back asleep, the more difficult it became and the more aware of his surroundings he became. The soft bed sheets on his bare upper half, the faint smell of an all too familiar cologne. These things tingled his senses awake, made him remember just whose bed he'd crawled into last night. He considered opening his eyes, apologizing to Noah for rudely inviting himself into his bed. But embarrassment and guilty pleasure held him in place, even when the other man stirred from his sleep.

Joshua kept his eyes closed, just barely managing to keep his breathing even as he knew Noah was leaning over him, looking at him. But with what look on his face? Annoyance? Or... No, no. Not that. Couldn't be. And now their legs were being carefully unraveled like knotted yarn and that incredibly peaceful embrace was abandoning him. For a few seconds, Joshua listened to Noah's movements, heart pounding in his chest with indecision about whether or not to let the man know he was actually awake. And finally when he forced his eyes open, it was to the wonderful sight of a perfect set of buns disappearing into a pair of jeans.

Sweet mercy, was he having a heart attack?! Or maybe his brain was about to explode, unable to handle what he'd just seen? Either way, he lay paralyzed for a moment and more than long enough for Noah to disappear downstairs.

Once he regain his common sense, Joshua rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow. "Nnn... Smells like him..." he mumbled into the fabric, though most of his words were probably lost. It wasn't like he was expecting anyone to hear him. Well, except-- "Good morning, Gandolf," he said after lifting his face, turning it to gaze sideways at the bird in his cage. The bird squawked back in greeting and rustled his feathers, making the cook smile a little.

After feeding Gandolf and washing his face, the cook changed into a pair of cream colored khaki shorts and a red t-shirt with black and white deco. Then he hurried downstairs to help Noah with breakfast. When he entered the kitchen area, he found Charlotte already awake and immediately offered her a gentle smile in greeting before turning his attention to the boss.

"I'm sorry... I'm supposed to be the one cooking," he mumbled, lowering his head a little in apology, gaze shifting to the side out of discomfort. It wasn't like they'd done anything last night except share a bed but still Joshua couldn't quite meet Noah's gaze. He supposed his worries and embarrassment could be cleared up by simply talking to Noah but, well, the boss already knew his cook wasn't exactly the talkative type. So instead, he moved into the kitchen, taking over one or two of the tasks from Noah.
 
Noah was prodding at his scrambled eggs as Lotte came. He flashed a grin, he hadn't shaved but then again Noah didn't shave too much obviously. "Morning to you too, Miss Charlotte. Did you enjoy your time outside?" he gave her a friendly wink and checked on his toast. "Ah! Good Morning Joshua." Noah was a little nervous at seeing the cook, his heart leaping into his throat at the sight of man.

"Ah don't worry about getting out of the way, Charlotte. Just sit down at the table, with Joshua's capable hands on the matter breakfast might be done sometime before next year." He gave them both an apologetic smile and moved over to let Joshua take over breakfast should he wish and instead got into the fridge and found Charlotte the cold water and filled her a tall glass. "Here you are." He sat it down on the table, knowing that she'd come and get it eventually.

Noah stretched, his tight tee shirt rising up and showing his well formed and angular hips, his defined pelvic muscles and from the back, the top of his athletically toned ass. It didn't help that his ripped up jeans hugged it and his thighs both, being straight legged there wasn't too much wiggle room in them.

"Once we get breakfast, I believe Joshua and I are going to work on the yard. Maybe Rich too, if he's up for it. Though I don't want to impose on my cousin." Another stretch as he stared out the back window at the storm's carnage. "Did you have plans to go out today, Charlotte? The countryside is beautiful and the town is really nice too." He gave her another smile, the first showing of fine wrinkles around his eyes. He was clearly in an excellent mood.

He wasn't sure how he got back over to Joshua but he did. Nor did he know how his hand got on the small of Joshua's back as he peered over the man's shoulder at breakfast. "I still don't know how I've been feeding myself all these years..." He murmured softly.
 
Lotte was perfectly willing to sit down with her glass of water, sipping slowly from it. She wished she could just gulp it down, but that would probably just cause pain and unpleasant reactions. She blinked, staring at Noah as he stretched and trying to hide the look by taking a quick swig of water. She nearly choked, making a strange sputtering noise. However, as she saw the touch from one man to the other, she smiled softly, rising to her feet once more.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing today. I have a lot of prepaid activities I could cash in on in neighboring towns." She hesitated, for a moment considering to offer to help with the yardwork. She couldn't imagine the fit her mother would have at that. A slow smirk replaced the gentler smile. "I thought I would see what Rich and Patrick had in mind or if either of them wanted to go into town with me, but if you need them for yardwork, I can probably just see about going shopping in town. I'm sure there are a few boutiques there that would suit." She turned her back to the two, allowing them some slight privacy as she continued to talk.

"My rental car is supposed to be delivered here today, anyway. I told them around ten, so..." Suddenly, she remembered her current state, covered in sweat. She should probably get showered off before either of the male guests saw her like this. It was only proper and right and--

Lotte pushed the words of her mother out of her head. She was NOT her mother. She'd taken every bit of advice the woman had given her and all it had gotten her was left at the altar. She resisted the urge to spin around triumphantly and instead picked out a bit of the wall to stare at. Finishing her water, she set the glass on the table behind her before speaking.

"Come to think of it, if you need help with the yard, I could lend a hand. It might be fun to get my hands dirty for once."
 
While Noah and Charlotte chatted about their plans, Joshua was more than happy to retreat away from having to be social, putting all of his focus on cooking. It was why he loved being in the kitchen, really. Cooking was his escape, the one thing that could take his mind off of anything that was bothering or distracting him.

Or well, most of the time, anyway.

Not even scrambled eggs could keep his curiosity from getting the better of him. Having seen movement in the corner of his eye, he'd turned to look, expecting to finally see one of those moving shadows head-on. Instead he got delicious Noah hips.

Joshua bit his tongue to keep from whimpering and he thought maybe he'd tasted blood, quickly turning back to the food if only to hide his red, red face. Oh dear, this day wasn't going so well. He wasn't so sure that he was going to make it to lunch...

Still marinating in his own dirty thoughts, he jolted a little at the sudden and unexpected touch. A pleasant shiver ran up his spine as a result, gaze flicking up to Charlotte to see the last expression he'd ever want to see on a guest: a look of knowing. But she continued to talk as if she'd seen nothing. And Joshua did his best to act the same way, muttering out, "Your cooking is fine," in reply to Noah's little comment, though he wasn't so sure about how calm his tone was this time around. That hand on his back, the closeness of his love interest, the soft caress of that murmur...

Nightmares were forgotten. All that remained were thoughts of what a cook and his boss could do once the house was empty. And this cook was selfishly hoping Charlotte would take both Patrick and Rich along with her into town.
 
Noah laughed from his place beside Joshua, he certainly wasn't letting go of his cook just yet. He wanted an excuse, needed one to keep touching Joshua. "Don't worry, Charlotte. You can certainly take the boys with you." He gave her a cheeky smile. "After last night, I bet both of them could use something fun to do and the town is great. You should take a tube ride down the river, it's nice and cool and the water is great right now. It'll be best in the hot afternoon though." He thought for a moment, "if your car arrives at ten, you'll want to shower soon and probably wake up Rich and Patrick too so they can get ready to go." No, of course Noah wasn't angling for a reason to get his house empty for a few hours...

For a moment he turned his attention back to Joshua, his mind trailing along after the others as he smoothed his thumb over the cook's backbone. It was nice, the feeling of Joshua through his shirt. He noticed that the other man's cheeks were red though and Noah knew that they hadn't spent that much time outside. A thought hit him and he chuckled softly. "Did you feed Gandolf for me? Because otherwise I have a very unhappy parrot." He said, removing his hand from Joshua's back, readying himself to go feed the most bratty parrot in a hundred miles.

Still though... All he wanted to do was touch Joshua. Guest or no guest. Of course the question that always ran through his mind was, did Joshua want to be touched? Sometimes Noah was uncertain. The cook had been in his bed... Still, that wasn't really a clear indicator. Not with the house being as it were...
 
Charlotte didn't wait long, her consideration of the situation bringing her to an inevitable conclusion. Noah wanted to be alone with the cook. Charlotte was happy enough to oblige, turning to take her glass to the sink and smiling at the two. They looked adorable, and she hope that they had a wonderful day. She'd see to it that the others went with her, if she possibly could.

"I'll be on my way, then." It was nice to see someone in love, though her heart hurt slightly with the realization that she had no one to caress her in that manner, to make her blush. Still, she shook it off and, without a further word, climbed the steps to her room. Once again, clothing was discarded. The shower was warm, bordering on hot, and she let it wash away the dried sweat and the few spiderwebs she'd accidentally encountered on her run. As she showered, she let herself slip into thought, superficial at first but deepening.

A ride down the river certainly sounded pleasant, and she had her bathing suit with her. Then again, she had so much her fiance had already paid for... Unfortunately, most of those were couples tickets, which meant leaving one of the men behind. If she wanted to give the owner and cook some alone time, she'd need to do something that would allow both of the male guests to come with her. It wouldn't be hard to convince them. She wasn't a fool and had already sensed a burgeoning competition between the two for her affections. For the first time in her life, it felt strange. It wasn't exactly unwanted, but it felt oddly out of place. Still, she could certainly entertain affections casually.

By the time the shower was finished, she'd settled on just taking them into town and finding out what to do from there. She dried off and wrapped her towel around herself, securing it beneath her arm before picking up her phone and checking that her bank account was filled with enough funds to last her trip. Satisfied that she could have all the fun she wanted even without the tickets, she put the phone back down and started picking through her clothes. If she really wanted to convince the guys to go with her, she should certainly dress the part of the interested party. She chose a blue dress with tiny diagonal white and grey stripes and a white bow on each hip, the white trim connecting them giving the top have of the dress an almost bodicelike appearance. Strappy sandals adorned her feet once more, and her bathingsuit and a pair of shorts were tossed into a brightly colored bag that would be at home on the beach or on a stroll through town. The phone and her purse were added to the bag along with her room key before she quickly did her hair and put a smudge of perfume behind her ears and on her wrists. Then it was time to head to the men's room.

She felt nearly nervous as she made her way to their room. What if she had misread? She paused at the door for a long moment, then lifted her hand, moving to knock lightly. Well, it was now or never.
 
The soft knock had caught the musician's attention. It didn't disturb him, as he was already awake and his arms were folded. Rich had a restful night. No dreams were had but not having nightmares was always welcome. Good sleep can smooth over most things, such as a stormy night with screams and ambulances.

Either way, someone had to answer the door. Rich couldn't quite see Patrick but it looked like he was still in bed. It was probably just Noah anyways. Throwing off the blankets, he playfully trotted to the door and quickly swung it open.

"Hey N--"

The lovely dress was a dead giveaway that this wasn't Noah. Nope. The womanly form and hair was good clue...but it was mostly the dress. Blue and bows seemed to just work. Lotte looked so great that a smile seem to be his instinct reaction to such a alluring visitor. Then he realized what he looked like. His style consisted of bed head and a pair of tight, plaid boxer-briefs. His face froze for a second, as the quick shock sunk in. Not that he had anything to hide, but Lotte might not be use to it. Leaning on the frame, Rich thought it was too late to do anything else.

"Hey there, Lotte. Wow, you make that dress look like goddesses would buy it. What's up?" he said, after a moment.
 
Vaguely aware of the knock on the door, Patrick rolled over on the bed and buried his head in the pillow. He'd had nightmares... lost his car in the middle of a forest... shadows and beautiful women screaming... He knew if he kept sleeping it would all go away. Then he heard voices coming from the doorway. "Nggrhh," Patrick moaned and pulled the pillow over his head. Wait. Pillow. Voices. Where was he again? Wasn't he just sleeping in the car?

He shot out of the bed.

Staring at the wall for a moment, Patrick pulled himself together. Slept in his clothes, check. In a bed, check. In a really nice room, check. The events of the last night... not a nightmare. Actual reality. And standing in the doorway talking, Rich, his current roommate at the bed and breakfast, and a female voice. He hesitated, then turned around to look at the doorway, brushing his fingers through his hair. Oh, great. Lotte. The last person he wanted to see him such a mess... and she looked stunning. Patrick's jaw hung loosely as his brain scrambled to interpret what was going on. It was just too early for this, honestly.

"Lotte," he finally stammered. "You look like you're planning something fun today."
 
This wasn't good... No, this wasn't good at all! Joshua had a strong feeling that Noah had somehow read his mind and was now just teasing him. The cook blushed further, body tensing and shying away from Noah's touch. Wow, his face felt like it was sunburnt...

He decided it was best just to put his full concentration on cooking and he ended up missing most of what the boss had said to him. Something about Gandolf? "Hmm? Uh... I'm not sure?" He offered a small apologetic smile, quickly turning back to the food. "If you're heading upstairs, please remind those three that breakfast is almost ready?"

Scrambled eggs, little pancakes, bacon, fruit salad, juice and coffee. It seemed like a good breakfast to him, a balanced one at the very least. Joshua placed a pitcher of orange juice on the table, the clack and tink of ice cubes bouncing against the glass putting a smile on his lips. The pancakes would need some maple syrup and butter, so he quickly fished those items from the fridge along with some creamer, milk, and sugar from the cupboard for the coffee. Then it was back to the stove to flip pancakes and place bacon on papertowl while eggs sat in their pan, keeping warm.

There was fruit left over from the pizza yesterday, so Joshua tackled that next, chopping up kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, and even some cantaloupe. Of course he ended up snacking on some while he waited.
 
Noah had nodded at Joshua and set off up the stairs. At least his heart wasn't pounding anymore and he didn't feel like he had zero control over himself. If Joshua had any idea how he made him feel... Noah shook his head and stopped at the second landing on the stairs and called out into the hallway.

"Joshua made you all breakfast. You should eat before you hit the town." He gave them a smile from the stairs. "I wouldn't keep the cook waiting, breakfast will get cold and we don't want that do we?" Noah took in the scene though he could only see Charlotte from the stairs and see parts of Rich near the door. He hoped his cousin was behaving himself. He had his doubts though.

Noah let his feet carry him onwards to the bedroom and to his parrot who apparently had already been fed. Noah checked the food bowl and the water bowl and found them refreshed and full. So instead he spent a little time coddling the spoiled parrot. "Good morning Gandolf, did Joshua feed you?" he asked, scritching the bird on his crest.

"Joshua! Joshua! Morning Morning Morning, gooooooood Morning!" He squawked at Noah, ruffling his feathers and rubbing his head against Noah's fingers. Noah loved his bird, Gandolf had been his companion for years. He reluctantly put the bird back into it's large corner bird cage. The cage was taller than Noah and took up a fair amount of space.

"I'll see you later Gandolf."

"seeya!"

Noah hit the bathroom first, cleaning himself up a little and actually running a comb through his hair instead of his fingers. Out came the razor and he trimmed his neat little beard up. He'd do the rest of his grooming later after the yard work and snagged a pair of socks from the top of his drawer on the way out.

The night seemed so far away now.

But Abaijah was still on speed dial ready to go and Noah had a small leather bag of rock salt and herbs tucked into his pocket. Once the guests were gone and he could get Joshua doing something else...
 
Lotte did her best not to react, let alone laugh, at Rich's attempt to turn an awkward moment into something resembling coolness. She'd seen it all before, after all: the attempts of the scruffy, the nerdy, the unkempt and overworked to try and look impressive. She'd learned all the ways to keep them eating out of her hand. Unfortunately, laughing at them usually destroyed any chance of her being on their good side. Besides, Rich seemed so sweet. He was like a little puppy dog and she couldn't hurt his feelings if she could help it.

Patrick's sudden movement saved her any more struggle to keep from giggling, and she looked over Rich's shoulder to see the other man, clothing slept in and wrinkled. Oh dear. This wouldn't do at all. As kind as she was trying to be, appearing in town with someone who'd neither bathed nor changed clothes in the past two days, perhaps longer, was something she just couldn't do. She vaguely registered Noah's voice from somewhere in the hall, but her mind was now set on finding a solution to this dilemma. Until then...

"Good morning, gentlemen. It seems you had a restful night, yes? I was thinking that, after breakfast, the two of you might accompany me into town for some light shopping, maybe to visit the tourist attractions? My treat, of course." She touched the top of her sternum with her fingertips as she spoke the last part. A bright smile was perfectly measured: not too eager, not too bored. "We could even go for a swim or something, so be sure to pack your suits. You do have swim trunks, right?"

If nothing else, she would make this trip fun. She's always enjoyed attention, and when it was from handsome men, all the better. A pang hit her, reminding her that this was just a vacation. At the end, they would part ways. She would have no time to grow attached, but perhaps that was the best. Her smile slipped the tiniest bit.
 
If those three took any longer, they'd have to reheat their food, Joshua thought to himself as he lazily assembled the meal onto two plates. He'd made breakfast for Noah more than enough times to know just how much the man ate and what he did and didn't like. Over to the table the cook brought the steaming food and as he set the plates down next to each other, he paused to breathe in the scent. There was just something so wonderful about the arouma of pancakes and fruit swirling together. It was so sweet and addicting, not unlike how the boss treated him.

Blinking back to reality, Joshua quickly glanced around to see just how long he'd been standing there with a dopey look on his face and if anyone had snuck up on him. His heartbeat slowed once he realized he was still alone, the blush fading from his cheeks as he sank down into his seat. Obviously he was still feeling the effects of Noah's teasing.

His brain certainly still felt like mush.

"Chill out, Josh," he mumbled to himself, rubbing his face and gently patting his cheeks as if that would correct his as-of-late weird behaviour. To help, he began composing a list in his head of the chores he'd do today, the yardwork being at the top of that list thanks to last night's storm.

With a little sigh, he poured himself some orange juice, took a sip, then started on his breakfast. He couldn't help but pour maybe just a little too much syrup on his pancakes.

He really loved sweet things.
 
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