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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: In a Week or Two Chapter 16 [Final]
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Ficiton
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,204
Summary: Andrej sticks to his promise and cooks dinner for Carter.
Author’s Note: This is the end! I hope you’ve been enjoying this story. As much as I love the trio, I do like the idea of Andrej and Zayne together as well. Back to the real world here soon, stay tuned.
“Do you think Carter will be pissed when he finds me here,” Zayne asked, taking the plates from Andrej.
“No,” Andrej said, “because I have been very upfront with him since… everything that has happened this past week. He was more understanding than I had expected and is even excited to get to know you better.”
“Huh,” Zayne said. “Maybe the gingerbread was right and there’s something wrong with this dude. I mean, he wants to get to know me?”
Shrugging, Andrej waved Zayne towards the dining room. “Go set the table.”
“Yes, sir,” Zayne teased, leaving the kitchen for the dining room.
Andrej rolled his eyes, smiling at Zayne’s cheekiness. Things had gotten intense between them since their torrid little entanglement the previous weekend, but they were starting to find their way to a happy medium. It was going to take some time before Zayne was ready for all that this relationship could offer, and neither of them were in a rush to get there. He’d been relieved to hear Zayne say as much, too. It had been a nice surprise to hear him say he was willing to wait and take his time for once.
The conversation he’d had with Carter the following Sunday had been awkward at first. Then, unexpectedly, Carter burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. Reassured, Andrej had agreed to be friends. He secretly wondered if Carter thought that he and Zayne were going to crash and burn, but he didn’t give his speculations much thought. Whatever happened, happened.
“Did you invite the girls,” Zayne asked, returning for the flatware.
“Heavens no,” Andrej laughed. “I want Carter to remain my friend. He is not ready for either of them yet, both together would be too much.”
“If you’re talking about Maxwell and Rollins, I agree,” James said appearing by the breakfast bar. “Damn, whatever you’re cooking smells good, Andy.”
Andrej stood with his mouth open, stunned by James’ presences in his house. Of all the things that could have happened, this he had not planned for.
“Oh, and this guy was on your doorstep, so I brought him in with me,” James added. “You’re that architect Andy’s been seeing, right?”
Carter smiled. “Not any longer,” he said. “Judging by the look of horror on Andrej’s face, you have to be James. Nice to meet you.” He held his hand out in greeting.
“Yeah, I am,” James said, giving Carter’s hand a firm shake. “But what do you mean by ‘not any longer’? Did you two split up already?” He looked at Andrej, baffled by the situation. “And if you did, why is he here?”
“Better question is why are you here, gingerbread,” Zayne asked. He scooted by the group forming at the kitchen’s entrance and began putting knives and forks where they belonged.
“I’m so confused,” James laughed. He slid a chair back from the table and took a seat. “You have time to explain what’s up or is dinner imminent?”
“Dinner is ready,” Andrej said, looking at James. “However, if it is okay with Zayne and Carter, you may join us.”
“It’s fine with me,” Carter said. “I’d like to know more about you, honestly. Part of the reason Zayne is here is so that I can get to know him, too.” He gestured in James’ direction. “Stands to reason that I could learn a lot about him by getting to know you.”
“Interesting,” James said. “Reyes?”
“Well, since you seem to keep popping up, narco, you might as well stay,” Zayne drawled.
“Zayne, behave,” Andrej scolded from inside the kitchen. “And come get this soup, te rog.”
“Uh-oh,” Zayne grinned. “All this Romanian food has caused Zek to regress. Venind, dragă.”
“Oh shit,” James laughed. “Reyes is learning Romanian. We’re all doomed.”
“It has the same Latin base as Spanish, French, and Italian,” Carter pointed out. “It’ll probably be pretty easy for him to pick up.”
“I can only spit out a few offensive things so far,” Zayne offered. “Although I’m working on the less offensive now.” He set the soup on the trivet on the table and made a face. “He told me this was sour soup and I’m afraid.”
“Looks like it has meatballs in it, cowboy, you ought to be fine,” James replied. “Smells good though.”
“It does,” Carter agreed. “I know nothing about Romanian food but got curious after talking to Andrej. I offered to take us to a restaurant, but he insisted on cooking for me.”
“Of course, he did,” James said fondly. “it’s what he does when he likes someone. Ask Reyes there, he’ll tell you.”
Zayne flipped James off and Andrej called out from the kitchen. “I saw that, Zayne. Behave or go home.”
“How the hell did you see that,” he asked, going into the kitchen. “You weren’t even looking this way.”
“Because I know you and I know how much Jay likes to get your goat,” Andrej said with a chuckle. “Take these potholders and carry that dish to the table. It is very hot, so be careful.”
Zayne lifted the pot and carried it out to the table and set it where Andrej had instructed. Andrej followed behind him with the last part of their meal.
“Okay, this is a small selection of my favorite foods from home. They are also some of the more popular things you’ll find if you ever visit. To start, we have sour meatball soup. It is full of vegetables, a tomato broth, and meatballs. You top it with a bit of sour cream, if you wish.” He looked at Zayne. “I have diced some hot peppers for you since you cannot eat food like a normal person.” He turned to Carter and said, “He has to add hot sauce or jalapenos to everything.”
“Um, thank you,” Zayne said, sounding like he was both pleased and embarrassed. “And no, I do not,” he protested. “But I do like both.”
“Next,” he said, ignoring Zayne, “we have cabbage rolls which are stuffed full of meat, vegetables, and rice. They are baked in tomato juice and are probably my favorite thing. This is actually my mama’s recipe so if you hate it, please do not tell me. Lastly, we have mămăligă , which is similar to polenta. It is a staple back home and is often served with cabbage rolls.”
James lifted the lid off the pot of mămăligă and asked, “Did you make enough of this. Holy crap.”
“He’ll eat it for breakfast for the next week,” Zayne said, helping himself to the soup. “I’ve seen him do it before.”
Andrej shrugged. “It is no different than grits, Zayne.”
“Nah, not even close, but this shit’s still good,” he said, winking at Andrej.
Carter opened a bottle of wine that he’d brought with him, filling glasses for everyone at the table. They passed the dishes, loading up their plates, before digging in. Andrej watched their faces as they tried the different foods, worried that someone wasn’t going to like something. He’d been conservative when he’d chosen the menu because, like all cuisines, there were some things from his homeland that wouldn’t have set well with the Americans around his table. Heaven only knew, there were more than a few things Americans loved that he wasn’t eager to try.
“Weirdly, I kind of like this soup, Andy,” James said. “Just acidic enough to wake up your tastebuds.”
“Agreed,” Carter said. “And generally speaking, I don’t care much for cooked cabbage, but I am digging these cabbage rolls.”
“They’re made with pickled cabbage or something, right,” Zayne said, surprising Andrej.
“Sour cabbage leaves,” he corrected. “But you are not too far off either. I am glad you are enjoying your meal.”
“You know I’ll eat anything you feed me,” Zayne said. “But this is especially good.”
“So, now that dinner’s on the table and we’re all stuffing our faces,” James said, taking his napkin and wiping his face. “Will you tell me what happened between you two? It’s obviously not a sore subject if he’s here in your house.”
Andrej made a face. How on earth did he explain this to James? “It is not so much that something happened between Carter and me.”
“Something happened between me and Zek,” Zayne said, cutting Andrej off. He looked at James, unwavering. “We’re kind of seeing each other now.”
James dropped his fork, and it made a loud clang when it hit his plate. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
“We are not,” Andrej assured him.
James looked at Carter. “You’re okay with this?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I mean, I can’t blame Andrej. Have you looked at this guy? He is pretty cute.”
James snorted. “You only say that because you don’t know him yet.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “I am seriously astounded right now.”
“I cannot even begin to tell you how surprised I was, Jay,” Andrej said. “I had hoped that maybe you would change your mind, but you never did. So, here we are.”
“Here we are,” Carter laughed, raising his glass of wine.
“Here the fuck we are,” Zayne agreed, touching the side of his glass to Carter’s. “God help us all.”
“Amen to that, cowboy,” James said, raising his own glass.
“On the bright side,” Zayne said, winking at Carter. “You two won’t be splitting another bottle by yourselves. You get help tonight.”
“I brought two bottles,” Carter laughed. “Just in case this all turned out badly.”
Zayne cackled. “Now I see why you like him so much, Zek.”
“I think I might drain that second bottle by myself,” James groaned.
“I’m rather surprised by the choice of apple pie for dessert, Andrej,” Carter said, cutting through a thick slice with his fork.
“That’s because he asked me to bring something,” Zayne said. “It’s one of his favorites, so it was an easy decision to make.”
“Excellent taste as always,” Carter said, approvingly. “It’s one of my favorites, too.”
“Same,” Zayne said. “It’s not very Romanian, but it’s still a classic.”
“I should probably go after this,” James said. “I hadn’t meant to crash your party. Honestly, I figured it’d be you and Reyes eating pizza or something. I should have called.”
“You are fine,” Andrej said. “And you do not have to leave yet either.”
“Stay a bit,” Carter said. “It’s always more fun with a group, right?”
“I am curious why you came, Rosewood,” Zayne said, stuffing a big forkful of pie into his mouth.
“Ugh,” James said, setting his half-eaten pie aside. He relaxed back into the chair and made a face. “I came to tell Andy that you were right. Wait, don’t get too excited there, Reyes.”
“Aw, you know how rare it is that you ever tell me I’m right, gingerbread?” Zayne threw a flirty wink at the redhead.
“Shut up,” James laughed, blushing a touch. “But I took our conversation to heart, talking to Hansen about it a lot. I never thought I was afraid to commit, especially not to you.” He looked at Andrej and gave him a sad smile. “I like you a lot, love you even, but the more things moved towards something permanent, the more freaked out I became.”
“Is that why you insisted on starting fights with Zayne,” Andrej asked.
“No, that’s because he makes me crazy,” James admitted. “That mouth of his is enough to drive anyone nuts. Anyway, I kept telling myself that we were cool, that I could do this, and then I’d panic. Jake told me that I needed to see someone, ASAP, and work this shit out before I lost you. I figured I was fine, that I didn’t need a therapist or any of that crap, and that I’d get it together. Tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever.”
“And then you dumped him,” Zayne said, lifting his now empty pie plate in James’ direction.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I did. I blamed it on you and the girls, but it was really me. I’m an asshole, but it’s the truth. I’m sorry, Andy. I don’t know why I’m so damn afraid.”
“It’s never just one thing,” Carter said. “It’s probably something from your childhood combined with something in your adult life, compounded by all the stresses, expectations, and craziness of your day to day life.” He ate a bite of pie and chewed. “Are you seeing someone now?”
“I am,” James said. “He’s an attorney and he’s a good guy. He’s not Andy by any means, but I like him.”
Carter nodded. “That’s good. Maybe all this will help you make a better life with a more stable relationship.”
“Yeah, maybe,” James said. “Either way, thank you for dinner, Andy, and the pie, Reyes.”
“We have more wine,” Andrej said. “While Carter and I seem to be more than capable of doing away with it all, especially if Zayne helps, you have no reason to run out on us.”
“You’re not angry with me?” He looked at Zayne who frowned. “I know I really did a number on you and I’m sorry.”
“I am moving past it all,” he said, sticking to his promise not to excuse James’ treatment of him since their breakup. “But I still care about you and would love to have you in my life. Especially if Jake is going to continue dating Hilary.”
“Fucker,” Zayne muttered.
“She’s not your girlfriend anymore, cowboy,” James laughed. “I’d be more sympathetic, but well, you’ve got Andy now.”
“And since you’re still here,” Zayne said, turning to Carter with a grin, “that means you’re stuck with all of us.”
“I am sorry, Carter,” Andrej deadpanned. “I never meant to inflict all of this up on you.” He waved his wine glass in the direction of James and Zayne. “Although, you still need to be introduced to Hilary and Trish. They are dying to meet you.”
“And that right there will decide whether you’re cut out to be a part of this group or not,” James said. “They’re one amazing pair of detectives, but damn, they’re scary as hell.”
“I can’t wait,” Carter said, sounding like he even meant it.
“No more dishes,” Zayne said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I double checked the table and the living room, too. All clean.”
“Thank you,” Andrej said, smiling at Zayne over his shoulder. “For your help cleaning up, but also for helping me pull all of this together.”
“You did the hard part by cooking and shopping,” Zayne said. He took the platter Zeklos held out and put it back in the glass fronted cabinet where all his good dishes were. “This is the easy part.”
“I am proud of you for not ripping Jay’s throat out,” he added, drying his hands on a towel.
“Yeah, well, there were witnesses,” Zayne said. “Plus, he seemed sincere.”
“He did,” Andrej agreed. He came closer, pressed his lips to Zayne’s briefly before moving away. “I am glad he seems to have let go of whatever was driving him to act so oddly before.”
“Me, too,” Zayne agreed. “Although, I think once the truth of our new relationship hits him, he might flip out again.”
“That would be understandable at least,” Andrej said with a laugh. “I am thinking I might do the same when it finally sinks in for me, too.”
Zayne grinned and shook his head. “This is why I like you so much,” he said. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking away. “I probably should go, it’s getting late.”
“You do not want to stay,” Zek asked, frowning.
“Of course, I want to stay,” he said. “But I wasn’t sure what kind of emotional state you’d be in once the narco showed up, so I didn’t want to push myself on you.”
Zeklos stepped forward and smoothed the front of Zayne’s shirt with his hands. “You are always welcome in my home, Zayne. Stay if you like, but if you’re more comfortable going home, I will not be angry with you either.”
Zayne tugged Zeklos closer and kissed him. “I think I’ll stay then; see what kind of shenanigans we can get up to since Carter so kindly left the last half of that bottle of wine.”
Chuckling, Zek kissed him back. “Why don’t you go change and I’ll finish up in here.”
“What’s left to do?” Zayne looked around at Zek’s spotless kitchen wondering what the hell he could have missed.
“Not much,” he said, patting Zayne on the chest. “I just want to wipe down the counters and toss the tablecloth into the washer.”
Zayne watched him for a moment. “You want five minutes to yourself, don’t you?”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “I’ll meet you back in the bedroom in a few minutes, I promise.”
“You take too long, and I’ll come find you,” Zayne teased. “See you in a few.”
He left Andrej in the kitchen, wiping down an already clean counter, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it. Zek had his quirks and this was one of them. Even though the night had gone well, he still needed a few minutes to decompress. If it kept him happy, Zayne was good with letting him have his time.
The narco had surprised him, not just because he showed up, but because he’d manned up and admitted to his screwups. Rosewood was a good guy, but unwilling to admit fault, no matter how small. Which is something Zayne was familiar with himself, but not to the same degree. He’d embraced the fact that he was a hot ass mess at the best of times. Rosewood, however, never would.
Carter, on the other hand, was an absolute delight. It was easy to see why Zeklos had become so fond of him so quickly. The dude was smart and funny, with a wit quick enough to keep even Rollins at bay. It was going to be a lot of fun when he got to meet the girls for the first time. Zayne made a mental note to ask Zek if they could have a more official dinner party in a couple weeks.
“Do you not have any clean pajama pants, Zayne,” Zeklos asked from the bedroom door.
“Oh, yeah, I do,” he said, standing sheepishly in his underwear. “I was thinking about earlier and forgot I was supposed to be changing. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser Zeklos had put in the bedroom he kept there and found his favorite pair. “All ready.”
“Good,” Zeklos said. “I have never been more ready for bed than I am tonight.”
“Mm,” Zayne murmured. “That sounds like an invitation to some mischief if I ever heard it.”
Zeklos laughed, the sound lifting Zayne’s heart. “You are awful. But I will not say no either. Come along before I change my mind.”
“Yes, sir,” Zayne said, following his new boyfriend down the hall towards his bedroom. Where they were headed after that, he had no idea, but he was looking forward to finding out. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, but he was sure it’d be worth it.
--
End note: I’m going to miss Carter. LOL
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Ficiton
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,204
Summary: Andrej sticks to his promise and cooks dinner for Carter.
Author’s Note: This is the end! I hope you’ve been enjoying this story. As much as I love the trio, I do like the idea of Andrej and Zayne together as well. Back to the real world here soon, stay tuned.
“Do you think Carter will be pissed when he finds me here,” Zayne asked, taking the plates from Andrej.
“No,” Andrej said, “because I have been very upfront with him since… everything that has happened this past week. He was more understanding than I had expected and is even excited to get to know you better.”
“Huh,” Zayne said. “Maybe the gingerbread was right and there’s something wrong with this dude. I mean, he wants to get to know me?”
Shrugging, Andrej waved Zayne towards the dining room. “Go set the table.”
“Yes, sir,” Zayne teased, leaving the kitchen for the dining room.
Andrej rolled his eyes, smiling at Zayne’s cheekiness. Things had gotten intense between them since their torrid little entanglement the previous weekend, but they were starting to find their way to a happy medium. It was going to take some time before Zayne was ready for all that this relationship could offer, and neither of them were in a rush to get there. He’d been relieved to hear Zayne say as much, too. It had been a nice surprise to hear him say he was willing to wait and take his time for once.
The conversation he’d had with Carter the following Sunday had been awkward at first. Then, unexpectedly, Carter burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. Reassured, Andrej had agreed to be friends. He secretly wondered if Carter thought that he and Zayne were going to crash and burn, but he didn’t give his speculations much thought. Whatever happened, happened.
“Did you invite the girls,” Zayne asked, returning for the flatware.
“Heavens no,” Andrej laughed. “I want Carter to remain my friend. He is not ready for either of them yet, both together would be too much.”
“If you’re talking about Maxwell and Rollins, I agree,” James said appearing by the breakfast bar. “Damn, whatever you’re cooking smells good, Andy.”
Andrej stood with his mouth open, stunned by James’ presences in his house. Of all the things that could have happened, this he had not planned for.
“Oh, and this guy was on your doorstep, so I brought him in with me,” James added. “You’re that architect Andy’s been seeing, right?”
Carter smiled. “Not any longer,” he said. “Judging by the look of horror on Andrej’s face, you have to be James. Nice to meet you.” He held his hand out in greeting.
“Yeah, I am,” James said, giving Carter’s hand a firm shake. “But what do you mean by ‘not any longer’? Did you two split up already?” He looked at Andrej, baffled by the situation. “And if you did, why is he here?”
“Better question is why are you here, gingerbread,” Zayne asked. He scooted by the group forming at the kitchen’s entrance and began putting knives and forks where they belonged.
“I’m so confused,” James laughed. He slid a chair back from the table and took a seat. “You have time to explain what’s up or is dinner imminent?”
“Dinner is ready,” Andrej said, looking at James. “However, if it is okay with Zayne and Carter, you may join us.”
“It’s fine with me,” Carter said. “I’d like to know more about you, honestly. Part of the reason Zayne is here is so that I can get to know him, too.” He gestured in James’ direction. “Stands to reason that I could learn a lot about him by getting to know you.”
“Interesting,” James said. “Reyes?”
“Well, since you seem to keep popping up, narco, you might as well stay,” Zayne drawled.
“Zayne, behave,” Andrej scolded from inside the kitchen. “And come get this soup, te rog.”
“Uh-oh,” Zayne grinned. “All this Romanian food has caused Zek to regress. Venind, dragă.”
“Oh shit,” James laughed. “Reyes is learning Romanian. We’re all doomed.”
“It has the same Latin base as Spanish, French, and Italian,” Carter pointed out. “It’ll probably be pretty easy for him to pick up.”
“I can only spit out a few offensive things so far,” Zayne offered. “Although I’m working on the less offensive now.” He set the soup on the trivet on the table and made a face. “He told me this was sour soup and I’m afraid.”
“Looks like it has meatballs in it, cowboy, you ought to be fine,” James replied. “Smells good though.”
“It does,” Carter agreed. “I know nothing about Romanian food but got curious after talking to Andrej. I offered to take us to a restaurant, but he insisted on cooking for me.”
“Of course, he did,” James said fondly. “it’s what he does when he likes someone. Ask Reyes there, he’ll tell you.”
Zayne flipped James off and Andrej called out from the kitchen. “I saw that, Zayne. Behave or go home.”
“How the hell did you see that,” he asked, going into the kitchen. “You weren’t even looking this way.”
“Because I know you and I know how much Jay likes to get your goat,” Andrej said with a chuckle. “Take these potholders and carry that dish to the table. It is very hot, so be careful.”
Zayne lifted the pot and carried it out to the table and set it where Andrej had instructed. Andrej followed behind him with the last part of their meal.
“Okay, this is a small selection of my favorite foods from home. They are also some of the more popular things you’ll find if you ever visit. To start, we have sour meatball soup. It is full of vegetables, a tomato broth, and meatballs. You top it with a bit of sour cream, if you wish.” He looked at Zayne. “I have diced some hot peppers for you since you cannot eat food like a normal person.” He turned to Carter and said, “He has to add hot sauce or jalapenos to everything.”
“Um, thank you,” Zayne said, sounding like he was both pleased and embarrassed. “And no, I do not,” he protested. “But I do like both.”
“Next,” he said, ignoring Zayne, “we have cabbage rolls which are stuffed full of meat, vegetables, and rice. They are baked in tomato juice and are probably my favorite thing. This is actually my mama’s recipe so if you hate it, please do not tell me. Lastly, we have mămăligă , which is similar to polenta. It is a staple back home and is often served with cabbage rolls.”
James lifted the lid off the pot of mămăligă and asked, “Did you make enough of this. Holy crap.”
“He’ll eat it for breakfast for the next week,” Zayne said, helping himself to the soup. “I’ve seen him do it before.”
Andrej shrugged. “It is no different than grits, Zayne.”
“Nah, not even close, but this shit’s still good,” he said, winking at Andrej.
Carter opened a bottle of wine that he’d brought with him, filling glasses for everyone at the table. They passed the dishes, loading up their plates, before digging in. Andrej watched their faces as they tried the different foods, worried that someone wasn’t going to like something. He’d been conservative when he’d chosen the menu because, like all cuisines, there were some things from his homeland that wouldn’t have set well with the Americans around his table. Heaven only knew, there were more than a few things Americans loved that he wasn’t eager to try.
“Weirdly, I kind of like this soup, Andy,” James said. “Just acidic enough to wake up your tastebuds.”
“Agreed,” Carter said. “And generally speaking, I don’t care much for cooked cabbage, but I am digging these cabbage rolls.”
“They’re made with pickled cabbage or something, right,” Zayne said, surprising Andrej.
“Sour cabbage leaves,” he corrected. “But you are not too far off either. I am glad you are enjoying your meal.”
“You know I’ll eat anything you feed me,” Zayne said. “But this is especially good.”
“So, now that dinner’s on the table and we’re all stuffing our faces,” James said, taking his napkin and wiping his face. “Will you tell me what happened between you two? It’s obviously not a sore subject if he’s here in your house.”
Andrej made a face. How on earth did he explain this to James? “It is not so much that something happened between Carter and me.”
“Something happened between me and Zek,” Zayne said, cutting Andrej off. He looked at James, unwavering. “We’re kind of seeing each other now.”
James dropped his fork, and it made a loud clang when it hit his plate. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
“We are not,” Andrej assured him.
James looked at Carter. “You’re okay with this?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “I mean, I can’t blame Andrej. Have you looked at this guy? He is pretty cute.”
James snorted. “You only say that because you don’t know him yet.” He rubbed a hand across his face. “I am seriously astounded right now.”
“I cannot even begin to tell you how surprised I was, Jay,” Andrej said. “I had hoped that maybe you would change your mind, but you never did. So, here we are.”
“Here we are,” Carter laughed, raising his glass of wine.
“Here the fuck we are,” Zayne agreed, touching the side of his glass to Carter’s. “God help us all.”
“Amen to that, cowboy,” James said, raising his own glass.
“On the bright side,” Zayne said, winking at Carter. “You two won’t be splitting another bottle by yourselves. You get help tonight.”
“I brought two bottles,” Carter laughed. “Just in case this all turned out badly.”
Zayne cackled. “Now I see why you like him so much, Zek.”
“I think I might drain that second bottle by myself,” James groaned.
“I’m rather surprised by the choice of apple pie for dessert, Andrej,” Carter said, cutting through a thick slice with his fork.
“That’s because he asked me to bring something,” Zayne said. “It’s one of his favorites, so it was an easy decision to make.”
“Excellent taste as always,” Carter said, approvingly. “It’s one of my favorites, too.”
“Same,” Zayne said. “It’s not very Romanian, but it’s still a classic.”
“I should probably go after this,” James said. “I hadn’t meant to crash your party. Honestly, I figured it’d be you and Reyes eating pizza or something. I should have called.”
“You are fine,” Andrej said. “And you do not have to leave yet either.”
“Stay a bit,” Carter said. “It’s always more fun with a group, right?”
“I am curious why you came, Rosewood,” Zayne said, stuffing a big forkful of pie into his mouth.
“Ugh,” James said, setting his half-eaten pie aside. He relaxed back into the chair and made a face. “I came to tell Andy that you were right. Wait, don’t get too excited there, Reyes.”
“Aw, you know how rare it is that you ever tell me I’m right, gingerbread?” Zayne threw a flirty wink at the redhead.
“Shut up,” James laughed, blushing a touch. “But I took our conversation to heart, talking to Hansen about it a lot. I never thought I was afraid to commit, especially not to you.” He looked at Andrej and gave him a sad smile. “I like you a lot, love you even, but the more things moved towards something permanent, the more freaked out I became.”
“Is that why you insisted on starting fights with Zayne,” Andrej asked.
“No, that’s because he makes me crazy,” James admitted. “That mouth of his is enough to drive anyone nuts. Anyway, I kept telling myself that we were cool, that I could do this, and then I’d panic. Jake told me that I needed to see someone, ASAP, and work this shit out before I lost you. I figured I was fine, that I didn’t need a therapist or any of that crap, and that I’d get it together. Tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever.”
“And then you dumped him,” Zayne said, lifting his now empty pie plate in James’ direction.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I did. I blamed it on you and the girls, but it was really me. I’m an asshole, but it’s the truth. I’m sorry, Andy. I don’t know why I’m so damn afraid.”
“It’s never just one thing,” Carter said. “It’s probably something from your childhood combined with something in your adult life, compounded by all the stresses, expectations, and craziness of your day to day life.” He ate a bite of pie and chewed. “Are you seeing someone now?”
“I am,” James said. “He’s an attorney and he’s a good guy. He’s not Andy by any means, but I like him.”
Carter nodded. “That’s good. Maybe all this will help you make a better life with a more stable relationship.”
“Yeah, maybe,” James said. “Either way, thank you for dinner, Andy, and the pie, Reyes.”
“We have more wine,” Andrej said. “While Carter and I seem to be more than capable of doing away with it all, especially if Zayne helps, you have no reason to run out on us.”
“You’re not angry with me?” He looked at Zayne who frowned. “I know I really did a number on you and I’m sorry.”
“I am moving past it all,” he said, sticking to his promise not to excuse James’ treatment of him since their breakup. “But I still care about you and would love to have you in my life. Especially if Jake is going to continue dating Hilary.”
“Fucker,” Zayne muttered.
“She’s not your girlfriend anymore, cowboy,” James laughed. “I’d be more sympathetic, but well, you’ve got Andy now.”
“And since you’re still here,” Zayne said, turning to Carter with a grin, “that means you’re stuck with all of us.”
“I am sorry, Carter,” Andrej deadpanned. “I never meant to inflict all of this up on you.” He waved his wine glass in the direction of James and Zayne. “Although, you still need to be introduced to Hilary and Trish. They are dying to meet you.”
“And that right there will decide whether you’re cut out to be a part of this group or not,” James said. “They’re one amazing pair of detectives, but damn, they’re scary as hell.”
“I can’t wait,” Carter said, sounding like he even meant it.
“No more dishes,” Zayne said, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I double checked the table and the living room, too. All clean.”
“Thank you,” Andrej said, smiling at Zayne over his shoulder. “For your help cleaning up, but also for helping me pull all of this together.”
“You did the hard part by cooking and shopping,” Zayne said. He took the platter Zeklos held out and put it back in the glass fronted cabinet where all his good dishes were. “This is the easy part.”
“I am proud of you for not ripping Jay’s throat out,” he added, drying his hands on a towel.
“Yeah, well, there were witnesses,” Zayne said. “Plus, he seemed sincere.”
“He did,” Andrej agreed. He came closer, pressed his lips to Zayne’s briefly before moving away. “I am glad he seems to have let go of whatever was driving him to act so oddly before.”
“Me, too,” Zayne agreed. “Although, I think once the truth of our new relationship hits him, he might flip out again.”
“That would be understandable at least,” Andrej said with a laugh. “I am thinking I might do the same when it finally sinks in for me, too.”
Zayne grinned and shook his head. “This is why I like you so much,” he said. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking away. “I probably should go, it’s getting late.”
“You do not want to stay,” Zek asked, frowning.
“Of course, I want to stay,” he said. “But I wasn’t sure what kind of emotional state you’d be in once the narco showed up, so I didn’t want to push myself on you.”
Zeklos stepped forward and smoothed the front of Zayne’s shirt with his hands. “You are always welcome in my home, Zayne. Stay if you like, but if you’re more comfortable going home, I will not be angry with you either.”
Zayne tugged Zeklos closer and kissed him. “I think I’ll stay then; see what kind of shenanigans we can get up to since Carter so kindly left the last half of that bottle of wine.”
Chuckling, Zek kissed him back. “Why don’t you go change and I’ll finish up in here.”
“What’s left to do?” Zayne looked around at Zek’s spotless kitchen wondering what the hell he could have missed.
“Not much,” he said, patting Zayne on the chest. “I just want to wipe down the counters and toss the tablecloth into the washer.”
Zayne watched him for a moment. “You want five minutes to yourself, don’t you?”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “I’ll meet you back in the bedroom in a few minutes, I promise.”
“You take too long, and I’ll come find you,” Zayne teased. “See you in a few.”
He left Andrej in the kitchen, wiping down an already clean counter, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it. Zek had his quirks and this was one of them. Even though the night had gone well, he still needed a few minutes to decompress. If it kept him happy, Zayne was good with letting him have his time.
The narco had surprised him, not just because he showed up, but because he’d manned up and admitted to his screwups. Rosewood was a good guy, but unwilling to admit fault, no matter how small. Which is something Zayne was familiar with himself, but not to the same degree. He’d embraced the fact that he was a hot ass mess at the best of times. Rosewood, however, never would.
Carter, on the other hand, was an absolute delight. It was easy to see why Zeklos had become so fond of him so quickly. The dude was smart and funny, with a wit quick enough to keep even Rollins at bay. It was going to be a lot of fun when he got to meet the girls for the first time. Zayne made a mental note to ask Zek if they could have a more official dinner party in a couple weeks.
“Do you not have any clean pajama pants, Zayne,” Zeklos asked from the bedroom door.
“Oh, yeah, I do,” he said, standing sheepishly in his underwear. “I was thinking about earlier and forgot I was supposed to be changing. He pulled open the top drawer of the dresser Zeklos had put in the bedroom he kept there and found his favorite pair. “All ready.”
“Good,” Zeklos said. “I have never been more ready for bed than I am tonight.”
“Mm,” Zayne murmured. “That sounds like an invitation to some mischief if I ever heard it.”
Zeklos laughed, the sound lifting Zayne’s heart. “You are awful. But I will not say no either. Come along before I change my mind.”
“Yes, sir,” Zayne said, following his new boyfriend down the hall towards his bedroom. Where they were headed after that, he had no idea, but he was looking forward to finding out. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, but he was sure it’d be worth it.
--
End note: I’m going to miss Carter. LOL
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Date: 2020-11-05 09:32 pm (UTC)Glad Jay got his act together.
Carter is cute. He needs to come around more.
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Date: 2020-11-05 09:52 pm (UTC)I am, too. I was worried I was going to have to beat some sense into him soon.
He was a lot of fun, I thought. Will have to find a way to work him into whatever comes next.
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Date: 2020-11-05 10:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-05 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-08 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-08 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-11-13 02:50 am (UTC)I think my OTP for this series is Zayne and Andrej so there's that.
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Date: 2020-11-13 08:49 pm (UTC)