Strictly Business - 6. Two Teachers

This chapter is a bit shorter, but I think you'll enjoy it

Brian woke up early on Friday morning. As he got out of bed, the first thing he did was go to the kitchen to make some coffee. On the dining table, everything was still there as they left it last night – the remains of the first evening he spent together with Sam.

He was still thinking about last night and got all excited for tomorrow. His second date with Sam in just three days. Could he call it a date? They didn’t kiss, they never mentioned anything about dating or romance. On the surface, it was strictly business. However, he knew it was more than that. They both knew it.

As he drank his coffee and started slowly preparing for work, he hoped it would be a busy day because he needed a distraction, otherwise he’d be thinking about Sam the whole day.

The distraction came after work, when he got home and his sister called him on Skype. He didn’t hear from Sophie since he went to visit her in Madrid and was happy she called. They were always happy to talk to each other, at least via Skype or phone. It turns out, she had good news that she wanted to share – she would be coming home next month for a few weeks, and would come to visit him.

“That’s great! You have to come here and stay with me for a while, at least for a few days. You know I have a spare bedroom,” he was surprised and happy to hear the news.

“I hope I will. If nothing else, I’ll at least stay for one or two days.”

“You better! I can’t wait to see you.”

Sophie was curious about what Brian told her last time they saw each other, about Sam. She was wondering whether he took her advice or not, but didn’t want to wait till she got there to find out.

“Hey, did anything ever happen with that guy you mentioned?” she asked casually. She wanted her big brother to be happy and knew that he deserved to find a guy who would treat him well.

“I was gonna mention it to you… I took a risk, we’ll see if it pays off, but I’ve got a good feeling about it,” he smiled.

“Really?! I’m so glad to hear that! What is he like?”

“He is really kind, smart and funny… And too cute!” Brian smiled and nodded.

“I hope I get to meet him.”

“I hope so too.”

That was the first time he officially acknowledged that there might be something between Sam and him. That’s it, it was out in the open now. It felt more real now that he’s shared it with someone else. It felt a bit scary, but mostly empowering and exciting. He liked it. Sam was giving him courage. When it comes to relationships, that was something he hasn’t felt in a long time.

Yep, he could get used to that feeling.

--

There was nothing usual about that Saturday morning for Sam. Instead of sleeping in and relaxing, as he always did during the weekend, he got up early and was starting to feel a little stressed out. He was also very happy and excited, no doubt about it, the evening with Brian was still on his mind. However, now he had to bake a cake and prepare everything for today’s visit. After Brian went through so much trouble to create such a wonderful evening for him, the least he could do was return the favor.

He decided to make an ice cream cake. Everyone he knew loved it. Also, he’s made it plenty of times before, he could do it with his eyes closed. And Brian wouldn’t be there until 3, so he had more than enough time to prepare it.

As he was cleaning his apartment and mentally going through the list of ingredients, his phone rang. He was glad to see Clara’s name on the screen since he missed her and wanted to call her.

“Hey, it’s like you read my mind!” he greeted his best friend.

“Hey! As if you were thinking about me…”

“Ok, maybe not right now, but I did want to call you.”

“Well, here I am! So, wanna meet up today? Maybe grab a pizza?”

“Sorry, I can’t make it today, kinda busy,” Sam said, checking his recipe.

“No worries, another time. So what are you doing?”

“Baking a cake.”

“Really? And I can’t come? I won’t forget this!” Clara teased. “What’s the occasion?”

“Are you gonna be passing by around here by any chance? If yes, could you buy me some whipped cream, I don’t think I’ll have enough?” Sam ignored her last question.

“Sure, I need to go to my mom’s anyway, so I’ll be in the neighborhood. So, what kind of guests do you have when you need to bake a cake?”

“Just a guy from work. Nooo, it’s nothing official yet, don’t get too excited.”

“Ooooh really? Do I know him?” And there she was, already starting to get excited.

“I don’t think so, his name is Brian.”

“Nope, I don’t think you mentioned him. Hopefully you’ll introduce us.”

“Ummm maybe… So we have a deal on the whipped cream?”

“Sure. Do I dare ask is it gonna be used on the cake?”

“Not if I’m lucky,” Sam smirked.

--

The cake was done and Sam put it in the fridge to be nice and cold for when Brian arrives. All that was left was to put some whipped cream on top and voila!

Sam’s phone rang and it was Clara, again.

“Hey, I’m close to your place, wanna come down and get the cream?”

“On my way!” Sam replied, putting his shoes on. In just a minute, he was out in the street, in front of his building. Clara had already arrived, smiling at him. He knew why she was so happy.

“So, all set for the big day?” she grinned.

“Yes, all set. And it’s not a big day, chill out.” Her happiness was infectious and he couldn’t help but smile with her.

“When is he coming? Do I get to meet him? I need to see if I approve, you know.”

“Any minute now. At this point, you have no choice but to approve.”

“Oh, is that so? He must be good, huh?” Clara teased a lot, but she wanted to see Sam happy with a guy. It was so rare for him to talk to her about guys in general, let alone one specific guy, so she knew Brian must be special.

When she saw Sam’s eyes light up and a big smile appear on his face, she looked in the direction he was facing, and there he was. The special guy was approaching and waving at Sam. He was wearing jeans and a tight, light blue shirt. Sam was already fantasizing about ripping it off.

“Ooh, I definitely approve,” she nudged Sam with her elbow.

“Told ya,” he replied, his eyes still fixed on Brian.

“Hey! I’m a little early, hope that’s ok,” Brian said.

“Of course!” Sam replied, giving him a hug. “This is my best friend, Clara. Clara, my colleague Brian.”

The two shook hands and greeted each other.

“Well, we better get going,” Sam said, moving to say goodbye to Clara.

“Yeah, ready for our Spanish lesson?” Brian asked.

“Oh, Sam’s teaching you Spanish? He’s very good, you know. Not just saying that because he’s my friend,” Clara said. “He also used to give lessons to my little brother a few years ago.”

Sam froze in shock, hoping the ground would open beneath his feet and swallow him.

“Well, have fun guys, see ya!” Clara waved and went on her way, unaware of what she just did.

Brian stood there, baffled and curious at the same time. He looked at Sam, then Clara, then back at Sam.

“So, shall we?” he finally asked when he saw that Sam was not moving.

“Ummm yeah,” Sam recovered and led the way into the building and his apartment. Neither of them said a word during the elevator ride. Sam’s mind was racing, he was thinking of all the excuses he could give to Brian, but realized that not even a 10 year old kid would believe it. He knew he had to tell the truth.

As they entered the apartment, Sam closed the door and headed straight to the kitchen.

“So, can I get you anything to drink?” he started to ask, but Brian stood in front of him, blocking his way to the kitchen. Sam looked him in the eyes, embarrassed and afraid, but also turned on by the handsome man standing mere inches from him.

Brian stood there, looking partly amused and partly puzzled. He raised his eyebrows and with a faint smile said: “OK, so who’s teaching whom now?”

“Ok, I’ll explain everything… Can I just ask you one thing? Please don’t make this more embarrassing for me than it already is,” Sam replied.

“I promise,” Brian said. He couldn’t help but smile, guessing what the explanation is going to be.

“Yeah, I speak Spanish very well, as you probably guessed from what Clara said (I’m gonna kill her.)” Sam started explaining.

“So why did you pretend you didn’t?”

“Because… I needed an excuse to be alone with you. I wanted to spend time with you, because I like you... A lot.” Sam had never been so nervous in his entire life, but it all disappeared after a second when the biggest smile ever appeared on Brian’s face.

“Sam, why do you think I offered you these lessons in the first place?” he said as he gently took Sam’s hands in his own and took one step closer to him. “Because I like you too.”

“Really?” Sam returned the smile.

“Yeah… A lot,” Brian replied, leaning in for a kiss. Sam thought his heart had stopped beating as he slowly closed his eyes and leaned in, his lips gently touching Brian’s for the first time.

There it is, it's finally all out in the open. Now it's time for the guys to have some fun! As always, thank you all for reading, commenting, liking, etc.