~ Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken so long, but I have finally gotten round to writing the next chapter of Alex and Jason's lives. This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones, but there is also less action. However, I think it's a necessary step for the story to develop. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, feedback is appreciated! Please note that absolutely everything is fictional, and all my own work. Sapphire ~
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As dawn broke the next day, Jason had never been happier to see the sun rise. He'd spent the entire night tossing and turning, his emotions swinging between fury and despair. He hated Alex for using him like he had and yet...and yet. Maybe Alex was scared, or didn't have a choice about his sexual preferences because he was royalty. Whenever Jason found himself thinking along these lines, he banished the thoughts from his head. He hated Alex, and it would not do to feel any other way about him. So the cycle had gone all night, and Jason had watched the hours tick by on his alarm clock. At 6am, he got out of bed and went for a long run, hoping that the exercise would numb his mind and help him express his anger in a way that didn't involve punching Alex.
He didn't particularly want to go to work, and would have called in sick if it hadn't been the day of the feast. As it was, Mrs Hughes would need all the help she could get and if he didn't go in, she might just have a heart attack. The up-side was that he was playing waiter today. The feast would officially start with a drinks reception at 2pm, where Jason would have to carry round trays of champagne and canapés which cost far more than he probably had in his bank account. Then, after a short speech, guests would be seated inside the grand hall for the main meal, a BBQ which was expected to last at least 3 hours and would see most of the guests getting thoroughly drunk. Then there would be outdoor mingling and dancing, with a buffet of desserts into the late hours of the night. All in all, it sounded like the perfect recipe for avoiding Alex.
As Jason walked into the kitchen, ready to start the day's work, he bumped into Sam.
"Shit man," exclaimed Sam as he stared at Jason. "What happened to you?" Jason sighed. The sleepless night was clearly showing.
"It's the hot weather, can't sleep," he lied. Sam nodded in agreement.
"Ask one of the maids for some foundation!" he laughed, and dashed off before Jason could catch him. Smiling for the first time that day, Jason pulled down his list of duties from the board and set to work. There were over 100 places to be set at the table in the grand hall, and each one had to be identical to the next. Jason had thought that Mrs Hughes was joking when she'd mentioned using a ruler to measure the spaces, but she wasn't. To make things worse, specific orders arrived from the Prince to change some of the seating arrangements - apparently, there had been a few tiffs since the guests' arrivals, and strategic seating was of utmost importance. Jason snorted as he read the note, and then shifted the names as requested. He noticed that Alex had been placed right next to his father - no doubt the Duke would be wanting to keep a close eye on his wayward son.
At 1.45pm sharp, the waiters all presented themselves for inspection. After straightening a few jackets and brushing off invisible specks of dust, Mrs Hughes pronounced them ready to serve. Jason collected his first tray of champagne from the kitchen and made his way to the reception area where the guests were slowly gathering. Classical music drifted in the air -- none of the recorded stuff mind, the palace's own musicians had been practicing for months for this day. Jason carefully wove his way through the crowd, remembering to maintain a formal, polite air but not 'grinning like a chimpanzee' as Mrs Hughes had put it.
He marvelled at how invisible he was to these royalties. As Jason appeared at their side, they would pluck a flute off the tray without so much as a glance at him, barely pausing in their conversation. Jason also noticed that no one ever beckoned him -- they simply waited for him to approach them. He began to play a game to see how many people's eyes he could catch, before they quickly looked away -- embarrassed to have been caught looking at a waiter. The younger girls were easy targets, and he could feel their admiring eyes following him around the room. Besides making the dull work slightly more interesting, it also distracted Jason from constantly looking around for a certain person.
That certain person was not to be avoided, however. After his tray was emptied, Jason began to make his way back to the kitchen for a refill, checking his texts as he did so. Phones weren't really allowed on duty but his friends were planning a final get-together before they all went their separate ways for university in September, and God only knew how desperately Jason needed a night out. So engrossed was he in reading his messages that he didn't hear or see Alex hurtling down the stairs at breakneck speed. Apparently, Alex didn't see him either because next thing Jason knew, his tray was knocked out of his hands as they collided and sprawled onto the marble floor of the hallway. Jason suddenly found his breath taken away from the fall -- or it could have been because of the piercing blue eyes which were gazing into his.
Both Alex and Jason were silent for a moment. Alex had conveniently managed to land right on top of Jason, and he now shifted his weight slightly, making it possible for Jason to breathe again, but made no attempt to stand up. Jason was acutely aware of Alex's muscular body on top of his, and as good as it felt, he knew someone would have heard the clatter of his tray and would be coming to investigate.
"Hmm, I thought you'd prefer to bottom," he commented sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. His words had the desired effect and Alex jumped up as though he'd been electrocuted.
"Sorry!" he exclaimed. "I was late to the reception thing so I was running down the stairs and I wasn't watching where I was going and --"
"Clearly," said Jason curtly, cutting off Alex's babble as he also got to his feet. He retrieved his tray and then glanced at Alex, and immediately wished he hadn't. Alex was blushing slightly, and his hair was ruffled from the fall, making him look incredibly boyish and sexy.
"Look, man..." Alex began.
"You should go into the hall, your father's probably looking for you. And you might want to straighten your tie," Jason said quietly.
Alex turned even redder at this, as both boys remembered the last time Alex had worn a bow tie. For a moment, they gazed at each other, neither sure of what to say or do. Eventually, Jason looked away.
"I have to get back to my duties," he said.
"Yeah...me too," replied Alex in a heavy voice. "See you later."
Jason nodded and headed off towards the kitchen. He could feel Alex watching him as he walked away, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to turn round and lose himself in those blue eyes again.
The kitchen was in complete chaos as final touches were added to the dishes for the main meal. Jason didn't really see the point of a barbeque which was served indoors but he couldn't deny that the dishes did look impressive. Grilled scallops, marinated stake, seafood skewers and spice-rubbed pork chops were only a few of the main dishes, complemented by rice salad, grilled vegetables, soba in cashew butter sauce and what seemed like one hundred different condiments. Of course, nothing was simply called its name -- everything seemed to have an alternative name in a foreign language, which waiters were expected to know.
"Dude, what the hell is stroganoff?" muttered Sam at Jason's shoulder as they both stared at the tables laden with food.
"It's the steak," replied Jason. Sam looked at him, and then back at the table.
"Err...none of that looks like the steak I eat."
"That's because one is not cultured and refined, unlike one's guests seated in the grand dining room above us," replied Jason in a high-pitched voice.
