Electric Blue and Catnip - 4. Chapter 4

Four

His fingers moved delicately over the black and white keys on the black baby grand that stood in the living room. Eyes closed, Alexi allowed the notes to flow over him like sparkling liquid, soothing his aching head. He’d tried sleeping, but it was too lovely a day to spend in bed. After his visit to the doctor with Lily, he’d insisted on going for the staff meeting at the studio. The meeting had gone on longer than expected, and was probably the reason why the headache persisted.

He’d come home expecting to catch a nap, but that hadn’t worked. Instead, he ended up going out in search of a fresh fish market in town. Staring out the windows, he watched the sun sliding down in the horizon, ending a strange Saturday for him. His melody was full of nostalgia as his thoughts filled with the memory of electric blue eyes.

It was strange but those eyes reminded him of the summer he’d turned ten. He’d gone with his mother to visit his aunt and uncle in Tokyo. He remembered being unhappy about the situation because Phillip had stayed behind for a soccer tournament. It had all seemed so unfair to be visiting relatives alone while his brother had all the fun back at home.

A week of smiling and playing nice with his bullying older cousins had taken a toll on him and by the time they were leaving Tokyo, he had vowed never to visit any place with his mother again. It didn’t help that every time he called Phillip all he heard about was how much fun his brother was having at the soccer tournament in Osaka.

Standing beside his mother at the train station, he had put his foot down and declared his unhappiness. His mother had smiled, given him a long hug and urged him into the train. Once they arrived back in Osaka, instead of going home she had driven to his favorite ice cream parlor at six o’clock in the evening. The store had already closed but somehow; his mother had found a way to convince the manager to let them in after hours.

Once inside, she put him on a high chair at the counter and gotten him a bowl of his favorite ice cream. It had been blue and tasted of berries. He had called it electric blue because it reminded him of, storm from X-men, his favorite super hero. That day, his ice cream had been extra tasty. His mother had called it their special moment, his reward for tolerating the visit to Tokyo.

Joshua’s eyes reminded him of that ice cream. The store had closed down a couple of years later, and he’d yet to find one that offered the same exact flavor. Sadly, he doubted he’d ever find the ice cream, but he certainly had found the color. Smiling, he shook his head at the silliness of his thoughts before he changed the nostalgic melody into a Minuet in G major.

A few minutes into it, Adrian joined him on the bench, sitting quietly watching him play. The scene so familiar, his heart ached with memories he’d caged a year ago. Taking in a deep breath, Adrian’s scent, a delicious familiar mix of sunshine and mint, filled him. The melody ended and he dropped his hands to his lap. All thoughts of Joshua disappeared as he turned to look at Adrian, to ask a question that had been burning inside him all day.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m right here.” Adrian answered dismissively, his tone gentle as if answering a child. He reached up to touch Alexi’s left temple with a frown. His fingers were cool against Alexi’s skin. “You’re going to be purple for a while. We should find you something to hide it.”

Shrugging the state of his bruises away, he met Adrian’s green eyes with anger. Adrian was handling him and it was pissing him off. He wanted answers and he was going to get them.

“I want to know why, Adrian. I know you, and the amount of time you are spending at work is unnatural. Are you dating someone else? Is that it? Because you can just tell me, I don’t have any illusions left about us.”

“There is no one.” Adrian dropped his hand and looked away. His little retreat hurt more than it should. “How can you even say that?”

“I don’t know what else to think.”

Alexi got off the bench and went to the full-length windows. Bracing his hands against the glass, he wondered where this frustration was coming from. He wished he could stop it, but thinking of Adrian with someone else drove him insane. Which was stupid since they weren’t together, when was his heart ever going to get that?

“Tell me why you’ve been so busy these last two months? We have barely spent time together. I’m not so busy at the studio that I don’t have time for lunch if you wanted. Did I do something to you?”

“You need to concentrate on your work with the studio. You know that. Stop stressing about this. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Don’t tell me that. I need my best friend back. I don’t want another person telling me what to do. I have enough of those around me.” Pushing off the window, he turned to look at Adrian who still sat on the comfortable piano bench. “Is it really impossible for you to spend time with me? Do you hate me, Adrian?”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” Adrian got off the bench and shook his head clearly conflicted. It made Alexi uneasy, but he refused to think he could abandon their friendship. He didn’t think he could stand a world without Adrian as his friend. “I’m trying to do what is best-,”

“For who, you, or me,” Alexi cut him off.

“For you, Alexi,” Adrian said quietly. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“Well, you’re hurting me by staying away like this.” Closing the distance between them, Alexi grabbed Adrian’s right hand and squeezed. Meeting unreadable green eyes, he wished he could just figure out what was going through that stubborn head. “I came here to be with you. I know it’s insane. Especially after all the things that have happened between us but I don’t want to-,”

Adrian leaned down and silenced him with a hard kiss. Eyes wide, he stood still as Adrian’s firm lips moved over his. His brain felt frozen, he tried to hang on to reason, but then Adrian started to pull back and all reason disappeared. He reached up and pulled Adrian’s head down. His lips fusing to firm ones that turned pliant when he ran his tongue over them. It felt so good. He moved closer, eager. It had been so long. So long, his blood heated and his traitorous body reacted accordingly.

Reaching up, he wound his arms around Adrian’s neck and pressed into his body. Adrian wrapped his arms around his waist pulling him closer. They kissed hungrily, Alexi felt like he might lose his sanity if Adrian stopped.

The sound of the elevator doors opening sprang them apart. Breathing in gasps, Alexi pressed a hand to his lips, lost in a haze of arousal as he stared at Adrian. He fought for control as the sound of Lily’s heels came toward them.

“Hey guys.” She dropped onto the couch and proceeded to pull of her heels. “My feet are killing me. Peter sent me on an errand at NYU and I’m exhausted. Do you know how hard it is to find a dean?”

She leaned back on the couch and blew out a sigh. Alexi watched Adrian run fingers through his hair before he cleared his throat. Looking into green eyes, he bit his lip at the unbridled lust so clearly visible. Adrian looked away and told Lily. “I gotta go. I have some people I need to meet.”

“Adrian.” Alexi started toward him but Adrian shook his head and stepped back. Lily had her eyes closed and her feet resting on the coffee table, she didn’t see Adrian’s hasty retreat. Giving her an irritated glance for interrupting them, Alexi turned to find Adrian already leaving.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Don’t wait up,” Adrian said.

Adrian rushed out of the penthouse leaving him in a state of confusion. That kiss, what did it mean? Did it mean they could be together again? Had he misinterpreted their parting a year ago? Was he being an idiot?

Sighing in defeat, he moved to sit beside Lily. Propping his feet up on the coffee table beside hers, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

“Did he kiss you?” Lily asked. When he didn’t answer, she used her left hand to poke his ribs. “I have spidey sense and it’s telling me I just walked in on something. Tell me.”

“Well, if you knew that, you should have gone to the kitchen.” His body was still recovering from the riotous sensations Adrian had aroused. He was going to be thinking about that kiss until the next time he saw Adrian. Damn it, he wished he could be as blasé as Adrian. What did walking out solve? “Do you want to go out later?”

“Yeah, sure,” she answered lazily. Lily opened her eyes and turned to look at him. “Should I start worrying?”

He didn’t know if he should be worrying. Shrugging, he got off the couch. “Let’s just go out tonight. I don’t want to talk about it.”

*****

At ten o’clock the next morning, he dragged Lily out of bed so that they could go grocery shopping. After a night spent club hopping and meeting old friends from Julliard, he’d decided not to think too seriously about the kiss.

Lily let out a long loud yawn beside him, stretching her arms above her head like a relaxing cat. She adjusted the cap on her head and sipped cappuccino from the designer to-go cup in her hand. In jeans and a white fitting t-shirt, she could easily be mistaken for a co-ed. Alexi pushed the shopping cart through the aisles headed for the veggie section.

“What are you cooking?” Lily asked, reaching out to touch oranges when he stopped by the fruits. “I found fish in the fridge last night from a place called Dorian’s. Are you making friends without my knowledge?”

Alexi smiled at her question. Moving the cart out of the way, he started his search for the perfect pineapple. “It’s a seafood place, my dear. I ordered some salmon from them. Which answers your first question; I’m making grilled salmon tonight.”

“How come I’ve never known you can cook?” Lily picked up a kiwi fruit and smelled it. She put it back and took up a pineapple, scowling at it when the skin pricked her skin. She handed it to him for inspection.

“I haven’t had much time to do it.” He returned her pineapple since it wasn’t fully ripe and decided on one he’d picked up first. Placing it carefully in the cart, he pushed the cart away from the fruits. Lily pulled out the list he’d made before they left the house. “What’s next?”

“Potatoes and a bunch of herbs, Alexi, are you sure you know how to use them?” He would have retorted to that, but when he looked at her, he found her smiling at him. She sipped her coffee. “I like you like this.”

Taking the list from her, he read it and led her to the fresh herbs. “Like how?” he asked.

“Relaxed, cooking,” Lily said, leaning on the cart pushing it slowly with her foot while he made his selection, “you are outside without dark glasses and a hat covering your face.”

She was right, he thought as he gauged the state of the parsley stalks he was holding. How strange, in Japan, walking into a supermarket would have meant a dozen security guards and a getaway car in less than five minutes. He was a victim of his own success, he thought ruefully. Glancing around the moderately quiet supermarket, he thanked the gods that no one here cared who he was.

“Let’s just enjoy it while it lasts. Which reminds me, summer is around the corner, do you think we can take some time off and travel around?”

“We can go to Vegas.” Lily declared her expression a bit too eager. He could only imagine her at the slots.

“Why can’t we go to California, or even Florida, to the beach?”

“You need fun, Alexi. That means Vegas baby, like the movies.” Lily ruffled his hair as he picked up a carton of strawberries. “I’ll even give you a weekend pass. You can misbehave all you want and I won’t tell Peter.”

He laughed because he knew exactly what she meant by misbehave. He was deciding whether to pick the strawberries when his phone beeped. Since he was holding packets of strawberries, he turned so that Lily could pull out the phone from the front pocket of his tight jeans. She answered the call and held it to his ear after a quick glance at the caller ID.

“Yeah,” he answered his gaze on the strawberries. He hated when the top ones looked good, only to find out when he was at home that the bottom ones were smashed and gooey.

“It’s me.” Alexi paused at the sound of Adrian’s tone. His heart slammed against his chest and he bit his lower lip to keep from sounding too eager. He opted for friendly and easy going.

“Are you at the house? We’re shopping for groceries, do you want anything?”

“No, I’m not at the house.” Adrian’s tone was quiet. He put the strawberries back on the shelf and took the phone from Lily. Refusing to meet her questioning gaze, he walked away from her and the cart full of vegetables. Adrian sighed on the other end. “I don’t think I can make it to dinner later. I thought I should call and let you know so that-

“What’s going on Adrian?” He rubbed his forehead, looking down the vegetable aisle with a frown. He’d been hoping that may be, just may be-, “Where are you?”

“I’m busy with something right now. I’ll be headed to L.A later and I-.”

“Spare me.” Hanging up on Adrian, he curbed the urge to throw the cell phone down the aisle and bit his lip to keep from screaming. Why couldn’t Adrian just commit for once? Shaking his head, he shoved the phone into his pocket.

What now, he wondered.

He had a cart full of vegetables, salmon steak at home in the cooler, this dinner had been for Adrian.

“Alexi?” Lily came up to him pushing the cart. She’d chosen two packs of strawberries.

“Adrian is not coming.”

She blinked at him and when she shrugged at his declaration, he lost it. Anger so hot flushed through him and he shook his fist at her.

“Do you know why he’s acting like this? Do I have the plague? I was just going to cook dinner for him, for god’s sake. What is wrong with that? What did I do?”

He breathed out fire and ran frustrated fingers through his hair. Kicking the cart with his flip-flops, he winced when his poor toes stung from the abuse.

“Now that you’re done screaming down the supermarket, we need to hit up the alcoholic beverages aisle. I think that might be the only remedy here.”

He pulled the cart away from her and pushed it to the side. “There is no dinner, don’t bother. We should just go home. I’m going to sleep through the day.”

“Honey, have you forgotten you invited Mister Knight-in-shining-armor to dinner?” Lily moved to take back the cart. “I don’t think you can cancel dinner. There is a slab of fish in the fridge and am not looking at it.”

“Give it to him and tell him it’s a gift.” Walking away from her, he went to the alcoholic beverages aisle, chose a bottle of white wine, and headed to the checkout line.

*****

Is our Dinner in danger? Wonder what will happen to the salmon.
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