There was more to the story of Matthew, Javier was certain. Desmond had already told him a surprising amount about their history, but instinct told Javier there was heaps more.
More that he would save for another day, because in that moment, he wanted to make Desmond forget about the past and focus on good things.
“What made you want to create this little paradise in a humble sunroom? Was this here when you bought the place or did you add it later?” he asked with the purposeful intent of getting Desmond to talk about the things that lit him up.
“I had it built shortly after moving in. I’ve always loved gardens,” Desmond said, clearly understanding what Javier was after and happily going along with it. “This is probably terribly cliché of me as a gay man, but my mum was an avid gardener as well, and I used to love spending time with her when I was a boy, digging around in the dirt and going to flower shows with her.”
Javier laughed. “For a man that could easily pass as straight, what with his high-powered finance job, his corner office, and his serious face, you really do tick a lot of the typical gay boxes.”
“Cooking, Gardening, Decorating, Mum’s favorite, crippling self-esteem issues that cause me to make dubious choices,” Desmond said as if he were reading out a grocery list.
Javier laughed harder, his heart swelling. “That about covers it,” he said. “And then you’ve got me. Loves fashion and wearing make-up, campy as fuck, even when the situation doesn’t call for it, and constantly searching for approval from my father that I’m never going to get.”
“We make the perfect pair, don’t we,” Desmond said with a smirk.
Their eyes met, and suddenly the joke wasn’t as much of a joke as it could have been. The prickly, exciting feeling that Javier had stumbled onto something amazing raced through him, seeming to grow bigger with every heartbeat. He even found himself fighting the urge to pull Desmond into his arms so he could kiss the breath right out of him.
“I can show you how to fertilize the plants and check for dead leaves, if you’d like,” Desmond said in a rough, quiet voice, breaking the spell that had encompassed him.
“Mmm, talk dirty to me, baby,” Javier said. He knew when to fling himself headlong into his feelings and when to hold back.
Desmond glanced down, his face pinking. “It’s boring, I know.”
“No, it’s fabulous.” Javier couldn’t stop himself from smiling, to the point where he felt like his heart might lift right out of his body. “Every good boyfriend should know how to keep the plants fresh and happy.”
Desmond laughed and stepped away, grabbing a pair of pruning shears from a small cabinet under the window into the kitchen.
The intensity of the moment ebbed, and Javier slipped easily into domesticity once again. He’d never considered taking care of plants particularly interesting, but Desmond dove into the job with endearing enthusiasm. Somehow, they spent the rest of the morning working with the plants, watering, trimming, and feeding Desmond’s paradise.
And Javier didn’t mind. It was like he’d stepped into some alternative world where just he and Desmond existed. All the cares and stresses of his agency melted away and he could be regular guy Javier, not struggling business owner Javier, again. He missed that guy.
There was so much to see and do in Desmond’s world, too. Not just the plants, but the rest of the house. After lunch, Javier was perfectly content to help Desmond do laundry and dust the seldom-used dining room. They decided to make bread from scratch to eat with their Italian supper that night, so a huge chunk of the afternoon was spent in the kitchen.
They could have gone out for a walk, since the sun came out in the afternoon, bathing London in cheer and light, but that would have burst the bubble.
Javier loved the bubble.
It was restful and cozy. It was worlds apart from reality, and he was fairly certain that for Desmond, it was an escape from his stressful job and Matthew’s hounding. And maybe a few other things he had yet to find out about the adorable, intriguing man.
By the time supper rolled around, which they decided to eat in the sunroom with candles lit all around, giving the space a romantic glow, Javier realized that neither he nor Desmond had checked their phones all day. They’d been fully engaged with each other, and even though there was definitely a wealth of attraction there between the two of them, Javier had been fine with just letting it simmer for the time being.
“If today has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us one thing,” he said as they finished up their supper and drank the last of their expensive wine.
“And what is that?” Desmond asked as he held his wine glass and stared at Javier with soft eyes.
Javier grinned. “It’s that if you ever lose your posh finance job, you could easily get a job as a chef. Or a gardener.”
Desmond laughed, lowering his face slightly. The way he looked so sweet and vulnerable had Javier heating up. “And if you ever get the sack at your modeling agency, you would make a brilliant one of those home organizer people who rearranges cabinets.” He laughed and blushed even harder, then said, “Oh dear. I can’t even put together a proper sentence this evening.”
“And why is that?” Javier asked, sliding his hand across the table to where one of Desmond’s rested.
Desmond glanced up at him with pure hunger in his eyes. “I haven’t the faintest idea,” he said, shifting his hand to take Javier’s.
They sat there for a moment, making eyes at each other. Javier knew what he wanted, and he was absolutely certain Desmond wanted the same thing. He still didn’t want to rush into things, though. The moment they were in, the flirtation and anticipation, was a huge turn-on. If he was honest, he’d known where their day would end, but he’d also enjoyed every second of the slow dance to get them there.
“Shall we go upstairs?” Desmond asked with devastatingly beautiful vulnerability.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Javier replied with the same level of muted desire.
