Warnings and disclaimers in first part.
By eight o’clock, Duo was sweating. He took a few minutes of moving around stock to get a bottle of water from the break room, standing in the doorway to survey the work going on while he drank it. Inevitably, his eyes found Trowa and stopped, the sight of the tall man stripped down to a thin tank top making his stomach clench.
After fighting back the strong surge of lust, Duo had to smile as he saw the way Trowa’s head was bent close to Sylvia’s, by far the shiest and most soft spoken of the greenhouse employees, and also one of the smartest. He had hoped the quiet high-school student would respond favorably to Trowa’s calm and quiet demeanor; it appeared he had been right as the girl nodded her head emphatically in response something the tall man said.
“Time to call a break, boss?”
Turning his focus to the man striding toward him, Duo nodded in reply, “Go ahead and tell everyone to take fifteen, Devon. It’s hot in here today.”
Snatching the water bottle from Duo’s hand, the other man took a gulp before grinning, dimples at the corners of his mouth making an appearance under the blue eyes that were shining with mischief, “It’s hot in here, but not unbearable. You sure it’s the heat that has you on the verge of a meltdown or is it the new guy?”
Giving a mild glare, Duo retrieved his water, “He’s not a new guy,; he’s my roommate. He wanted to come and see some of what we do here.”
“I don’t think he’s interested in what we do, Duo. He’s interested in what you do, not us.”
Quickly realizing what the blonde former surfer was implying, Duo calmly kicked Devon in the shin, snickering when the other man cursed, “You shouldn’t think too hard, Dev. It’ll put frowns and wrinkles on that pretty face of yours.”
“I’m more worried about a black eye at the moment,” Devon muttered, looking past Duo. “It’ll go great with my bruised shin.”
Following Devon’s gaze, the long-haired man swallowed hard as he realized Trowa was watching them, his hands balled into fists and the muscles in his jaw clenched. Clearing his throat, Duo shook his head and gave his attention to Devon again, “Order breakfast for everyone and then call break. Have the food delivered in an hour and we’ll take a late breakfast.”
“Can I use the phone in your office? It’s hard to hear out here,” Devon jerked his thumb at the noise in the greenhouse, several voices calling out from one end of the building to another.
“You know what everyone wants?”
Devon rolled his eyes, “The same thing everyone always gets. If you can tell me what he wants, I can call now.”
Not surprised to find out the blonde knew what everyone wanted, Duo led the way to his office. “Get Trowa a bacon and egg biscuit with no cheese and an orange juice,” he instructed as he sat at his desk, opening a file to read over the orders for next week and making note of any changes.
Devon had just finished calling in the order to a nearby deli when the office door burst open. Duo only had a second to wonder about the anger in Trowa’s eyes before the blonde hung up the phone. “I’ll go tell everyone to take a quick break now,” he said abruptly as he edged past Trowa, who closed the door after Devon’s departure.
Duo swallowed hard, “Umm, you okay?”
“What were you doing?”
Frowning at the demand, Duo gestured at the computer, “Making sure we have what we need to cover our orders for next week.”
“You needed his help for that?”
“Devon was ordering breakfast for everyone. It’s a Saturday tradition if we’re working, kind of a reward for the people that come in on what’s supposed to be their day off.”
Trowa’s anger disappeared abruptly as he muttered a soft, “Oh.”
“What did you think I was doing?”
Duo’s eyes widened when Trowa’s face turned red, “I thought you were…the two of you seem very friendly, Duo.”
Comprehending what Trowa had assumed, the American dropped his pen, “I don’t date my employees, Trowa. I try to be as good as I can to them, up to a point. It’s a line I’ve never crossed.”
“You’ve never considered it?”
“Not really. It might have crossed my mind briefly when I was at my loneliest, right after opening, but never seriously and never with anyone specific.”
Trowa wore a look of intense thought, as if he was trying to figure something out, as he sat on the edge of Duo’s desk, “I thought Zechs kept you company most of the time, gave you someone to talk to.”
“He does now, but not right after we broke up. It was awkward between us for a few months before we were able to be friends and nothing else,” Duo explained.
“You said the breakup was mutual. If it was, why were things awkward?”
Realizing Trowa had a knack for picking up little details, Duo frowned. He didn’t want to tell the tall man he had mistakenly called out Trowa’s name one night during sex, causing Zechs to be hurt. “There were other factors, but it was mutual. Zechs and I both decided it was best not to be together anymore. The transition from lovers to friends would have been awkward no matter the situation.” Seeing a shadow at the bottom of his door, he lowered his voice, “Is there a reason we’re having this conversation here instead of at home?”
“Will you talk to me at home?”
“I’d rather talk there than here; these walls are thin. I have some very nosy employees that aren’t going to get a bonus this year if they don’t get to work. By my clock, break is over,” he added in a louder tone. His statement was met by some startled gasps and several pairs of shuffling footsteps. Meeting Trowa’s eyes, he offered a suggestion, “If you don’t have any plans for tonight, we could stay home and have dinner. I’ll answer any questions you have then.”
“That sounds reasonable, but we’ll have to order something to eat. I can’t cook very well,” the tall man winced.
The admission made Duo laugh, “I can cook, Trowa. We can stop at the store on the way home.”
Hours later, Duo was in the cultivation house, bent over to press seeds into the rich soil. Although he felt that he was being watched, he didn’t look up until after he was done with the two hundred plus seeds, straightening and rubbing his back as he angled his head toward the door. The smile that came when he saw Trowa leaning against the closed door was unwarranted considering the other man was staring at him with an intense expression.
Instead of trying to decipher that look, he grabbed a hose and misted the newly planted seeds before using the water to rinse off his hands. “Do you need some help in the main building?”
The intense scrutiny faded as Trowa moved down the aisle toward him, “Everyone’s already gone for the day, Duo. I was told I would have to come and get you if I ever wanted to leave.”
Duo glanced at his watch, stunned to see it was nearing three o’clock. “Sorry about that; I tend to lose track of time in here. This watch was a Christmas present from everyone that works here so I would be more time oriented, but I tend to forget to look at it.”
“It proves how much you love doing this.”
Duo’s laugh faded away when Trowa stepped closer, a hand lifted to the smaller man’s cheek. “What are you doing?” he asked with wide eyes.
Trowa looked very pleased with the reaction as he lifted an eyebrow, “You have dirt on your face, Duo.” A split second later, the sensation of Trowa’s thumb rubbing over his skin made the braided man jerk, startled by the way his body reacted violently.
As soon as Trowa’s hand fell away, Duo stepped back, “Thanks. I’m usually a mess by the end of the day. You ready to go? We still have to stop at the store on the way home. Remind me to get some aspirin for body aches, will you? My back’s been hurting a lot lately and…” Trowa’s chuckling had him sucking in a deep breath before demanding, “What’s so funny?”
“You’re nervous. It’s the only time you talk so fast.”
Instantly defensive, Duo crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m not nervous. What’s here for me to be nervous about?”
The tall man’s smile was wicked, “That’s a really good question, isn’t it?”