Chartreuse (5 page)

Chapter
Six

      Later
that night, Rowan made the trip home while listening to Cool Kasey bringing the
best of music to his ears once again.  He let Napoleon play in the small
backyard while he showered and then began to prepare dinner.  Though, it was
beginning to get lonesome as he prepared dinner for just one.  He often wished
he had someone else to cook for.  Perhaps not even romantically, but just a
friend he could chat with while enjoying some beef stew.

    
“It’s almost time to take on requests for the next hour,” Kasey said, his voice
low and somewhat huskier tonight.  Rowan had noticed that immediately.  Maybe
he was getting a cold?  “So call in and let me know what you want to hear.  I’m
here all night long,” And then another song was put on as Rowan gazed
thoughtfully at his phone.

     He
was trying to think of a song he wanted to hear.  Then he finally decided that
a great song for tonight’s meal preparation would be The Proclaimers.  So he
immediately picked up the phone, dialing the number he now knew by heart as he
pulled out a pot to boil some water in.  Much to his disappointment, the line
was busy.  So he simply hung up and then redialed the number, waiting as
patiently as he could to get through to Kasey.

     It
was still silly to be doing this, wasn’t it?  After all, even today in the
park, he’d met a fairly nice young fellow that he was certain was studying him
just as much as he studied him.  Or maybe that’s what his mind was wanting him
to think.  Or worse, maybe it was his heart.

    
“Cool Kasey on the line, playing only the coolest tunes; now what is it you
want to hear?”

    
Rowan blinked, almost forgetting he was even on the phone, “Uh. Yeah. Hi,
Kasey,” He said, biting his lip.

    
“Hi,” There was that laugh again.  “What can I play for you?”

     “I
was hoping that I could hear Five Hundred Miles by the Proclaimers.  I’m making
some mashed potatoes tonight, with gravy and I may even decide on adding in
some sort of meat.”

    
There was silence on the other end for a moment, and Rowan wondered if he’d
been disconnected.

      “..Is
this Pasta Salad?”

    
Rowan smiled a little.  He remembered him?  “Yes,” He finally said, feeling
heat rushing to his face, and an odd quiver in his chest.  He wasn’t sure what
that was, but it was definitely something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

    
“I’m glad you called again,” Kasey said.

     He
wanted to ask him why, but Rowan refrained.  He bit his lip, smiling to
himself. 

     “Well,
what can I say?  You play the best music around and I’ve quickly become a loyal
listener.”

     He
heard a small chuckle before Kasey spoke again, “Well, anything for a loyal listener. 
I’ll have it on next.”

    
“Cool. Thank you,” Rowan said.

    
“You’re welcome,” Kasey replied.  “And I hope you have a nice dinner.  Eat some
for me.  I’m starving.”

    
Rowan laughed a little, “Do you want me to bring you some?”  No. God. That was
stupid! Why had he said that?

    
“Really?”  Kasey asked.  “I wouldn’t want you to go through any trouble for
me.”

     So
Kasey was open to that idea? He didn’t find it creepy that someone wanted to
bring him food?  Part of him was screaming to do it, but the other part was
begging him to be careful.

      “It’s
no trouble,” Rowan finally said.  “I should have everything ready within about
an hour.  Where should I bring it to?”

     “Do
you know where Parker Hill Road is?”

    
“Uh, no. I’m sorry, I don’t. I’m not familiar with the area.  But I could
surely put the address into my GPS and find you pretty easily,” He offered. 
Why was he suddenly so nervous?

    
“Yeah, that would be cool.  The address is one eighty two, Parker Hill Road. 
Just come around to the back and come inside.  That door’s never locked.  I
appreciate the offer, I really do.  Money’s tight until payday again.”

    
“It’s no problem, Kasey. I’d be happy to do it.  I’ll uh, I’ll see you soon?”

    
“Yeah, apparently so,” Kasey chuckled.  “But I have more requests to take now. 
So I’ll see you in a bit.  Bye.”

    
“Bye,” Rowan said.  And then he hung up.  He stared at the receiver for a long
time.  What the hell had he just done?  What in the hell had he been thinking? 
He put the phone back on the base, wiping his palm down the length of his face
as he sighed.  Sweet God, he was an idiot.

    
But, he had some cooking to do.  Right when his song came on, he got down to
business.

-----------------------

   What
the hell had he just done?  As he stared at the playlist before him, Kasen
shook his head.  Sure, he’d ordered pizzas from time to time, but that was
different.  He hadn’t invited a complete stranger to bring him food.  He chewed
his bottom lip.  This was absolutely reckless.  How in the hell had he gotten
in this mess?  And what exactly was he thinking?

    
Only earlier that evening, he had been fantasizing over Rowan, the guy from the
dog park.  And now, here he was, eagerly awaiting the arrival of food from
‘Pasta Salad’.  Christ, he was horrible!

     He
tapped his fingers against the table as he sighed, closing his eyes.  It was
going to be the longest hour of his life now.  Because, really, what was he
supposed to do if this Pasta Salad guy turned out to be a serial killer?
Perfect.  He would die at work.  He would die without ever having a first
kiss.  He would die without ever being in love.  That was just freaking
fantastic.  Then again, he was never surprised by the stupid choices he made in
life.

     So
while he was mentally counting down the minutes until his death, he continued
playing one track after another.  His listeners may have been confused by the
random inclusion of Oasis, but Kasen had his reasons. 

     He
glanced up at the clock, finally, and realized that it had nearly been an
hour.  He felt his stomach knotting up.  It was mostly from his nerves.  He
gulped, reaching down for his pack of cigarettes; another perk of working at
the radio station.  He lit the tip and inhaled deeply, glancing out the window
to see that there was a silver vehicle parked in the parking lot.

    
“Shit,” He said, eyes widening slightly as he jumped up from his seat.  And
right then, there was a knock against the glass window and he turned around to
see Pasta Salad; his potential killer.

     He
was taken by surprise when he realized he recognized the man.

     It
was Rowan.

------------------------

    
Rowan had honestly been cursing at himself the entire drive over.  Why in the
hell was he doing this?  He had done many random, stupid things in his day; but
nothing could possibly compare to this.  Even before he actually got out of his
vehicle, he set there for a few moments weighing out his options.

     The
pros were that he could possibly make a new friend; and perhaps something a
little more.  But his cons were that it would be someone who would take the
food and slam the door in his face.  Not only would he be insulted; but he’d
never work up the gumption to trust anybody in this town.  It was too late now.
There was no turning back.  So he picked up the hot plate covered in aluminum
foil before he exited his car.

     He
was a jumble of nerves as he entered the backdoor, and then he wandered down
the hallway until he saw the studio.  Cool Kasey was there.  Only a simple piece
of glass separated them.  Kasey had his back to him, so all Rowan could see was
a head full of brown hair with headphones atop; though he could see the smoke
rising into the air from an obvious cigarette.

     He
let out a low breath, trying to calm himself as he lifted his free hand,
knuckles hitting against the glass twice.  This was it.  Either he was going to
make it or break it.  But he hoped that all would go well, even if he was
interpreting things wrong and Cool Kasey hadn’t actually been flirting with
him.

     But
when the other turned around, he was very surprised to see a familiar, yet
handsome face.  His lips parted slightly, but then they broke out into a broad
smile as he gave him a small wave.  It was Kasen.  Kasen from the dog part,
owner of Houston.  So that’s who Cool Kasey was.  It made sense.  Kasen,
Kasey.  Kasey, Kasen.  How had he overlooked that possibility in the first
place?

     He
watched as Kasen hurried over to open the door, allowing him to enter as he
offered the plate to him. 

    
“Wow. I honestly had no idea,” Rowan admitted as he glanced at Kasen.

    
“You and me both,” Kasen nodded with a smile.  He took the plate and then bit
his bottom lip, eyes slowly lifting up to Rowan’s again.

    
Rowan saw those blue hues gazing into his own, and he quickly cleared his
throat.  “Well, I hope you enjoy the food.  I’m glad that I could help you
out.  I know how rough it can be to work alone with no option for lunch,”  He
watched as Kasen nodded sheepishly as he peeled back the aluminum foil to see
the mashed potatoes and gravy, with a piece of grilled chicken on the side.  He
nodded in approval.  “This smells fantastic, Rowan.  Thank you so much.”

    
“Not a problem,” Rowan said with a nod.  “I just like to cook.”

    
Kasen moved back over to sit down in his little work area, plate of food in
front of him as he began to shovel it into his mouth.  Man, he really was
hungry. 

    
“Sho good,” Kasen nodded. 

    
Rowan bit his lip, grinning a little towards him,  “Well, I’m glad you think so,”
He glanced towards the window.  “I uh, guess I should let you get back to work,
huh?  Maybe I’ll see you at the dog park tomorrow?”

    
Kasen turned around suddenly, glancing up at Rowan.  Rowan was certain he saw
the hint of a blush on his cheeks, “You can stay if you want to.”

----------------------

       There
was no way this was entirely coincidental.  There had to be that one moment in
life where the stars aligned perfectly and destiny was put in to motion.  Kasen
was positive that this was the moment.  He was trying his very best to keep his
cool, but that was proving difficult as he took another bite of the mashed
potatoes and realized that Rowan had made this especially for him.  But wait. 
Rowan hadn’t known he was Cool Kasey.  What if he was disappointed?  He
swallowed the food before his blue hues moved back up to see that Rowan’s brown
eyes were already staring at him.

    
“Sure. I could stay.  I’ve always wondered what the inside of a radio studio
was like anyway,” Rowan said as he leaned against the table across from Kasen.

    
Dear God.  He was going to stay.  Kasen tried to focus on the delicious food
that had been provided for him, but he was finding it incredibly hard not to
glance over at Rowan.

    
You
idiot.
  He thought to himself. 
Just because he brought you food doesn’t
mean anything. 
That was true.  It didn’t.  But what if it
did
?
He
swallowed the last bite of the mashed potatoes before he began to dig into the
chicken.  It was probably the best chicken he’d ever tasted. 

     He
could remember his mother’s cooking.  There had never been a time when she’d
made something decent. Always burnt or not done enough.

Then
again, there were also nights where he didn’t eat at all.  He didn’t like to
think about that though; how negligent his mother had been towards him….not to
mention how he’d grown up wondering if he was even loved. That probably wasn’t
a healthy life style for any kid.

     “So
how long have you worked here?”  Rowan’s voice pulled him from his own thoughts. 
He blinked, looking up at him.

      “A
little over eight months now,” Kasen replied as he took another bite of the
chicken before reaching over for his bottle of cherry cola.  He took a large
gulp, swallowing it down before he licked his lips.

     “And
you like it a lot?”  Rowan continued.

     “Yeah,”
Kasen nodded.  “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.  I enjoy it very
much.  It’s better than flipping burgers on a grill somewhere.”

    
Rowan nodded before he gave that same warm smile that Kasen was discovering he
liked, very much.  “I think everyone should do what they enjoy.  We don’t live
long enough to do sucky jobs,” He gazed at Kasen, still leaning against the
table as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.  “That’s why I’m
doing what I love, too.”

    
“What do you do?”  Kasen asked, finding that he very much wanted to know more
about Rowan.  Anything he’d tell him, really.

    
“I’m a vet,” Rowan replied, his brown eyes moving back to Kasen’s blue.  “I
love animals.  I find that animals are more pleasant to be around than humans most
of the time.”

    
Kasen couldn’t help but grin.  He understood that entirely.  That’s why he
liked being a radio DJ so much.  He didn’t have to be face to face with
people.  If need be, he had the option to hang up on them.  So it seemed they
had that in common.