My Million Dollar Boyfriend

Chapter 2

"Hey, Claude! You're still down for dinner this evening, right?" Raoul asked.

Claude took his phone from his ear and raised his eyebrow at the caller ID. "I've told you already that I made plans with someone," he replied as he looked around for Lore.

"With who? Are you really leaving me for some bitch?" Raoul sighed dramatically. "Wow, I thought we were homies."

"This shit is important Raoul. I didn't want to tell you yet, but there's a high chance that I can stay with someone for the time being," he explained.

Raoul kept silent. "Damn, that's good. But with who?"

Claude glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost 4. "I'll tell you later. Bye."

"Wait! Can I still come later? You'd need help with packing, right?"

"Sure," he sighed. "Just text me, alright? Bye."

He ended the call and put his phone in his pocket as he kept scanning the area for a girl with a blue cap. He spotted a person a few meters away from him who had a cap on with their head down. "Must be her. She looks taller than I imagined."

As he walked up to her, Claude began to feel a little nervous about the outcome of their meeting. He exhaled slowly and tapped the person's shoulder. "Are you Lore by any chance?"

"SkyHigh?" The person looked up at him and furrowed their eyebrows when they recognized Claude's face. "Aren't you..."

Claude's eyes widened. "Florence?" he whispered.

"How do you know my name?"

Claude smiled at him. "You have quite the reputation on campus," he said. "And it seems you live up to it." He stuck his hand out, his smile turning into a smirk. "The name's Claude. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," he said, shaking his hand. Florence looked up at Claude, taking in his features. "Why does he resemble Kaia a little?"

"Well, what are you in the mood for? The Mexican cuisine, the Italian cuisine? Oh, have you ever had soul food?" he asked while wrapping his arm around Florence's shoulder.

Florence shook his head as they went into the grocery store. "What is soul food? Does... does it have to do with putting a part of your soul in the food?"

Claude was taken aback by his question and tried not to chuckle at his genuinely curious expression. "He really isn't any different in real life." He let go of Florence and flicked his cap. "I'll explain it to you later, alright?" he smiled and grabbed a grocery basket.

Florence pushed his cap down. "...Okay," he replied and followed Claude around, hoping he doesn't get noticed by some college students who frequently visit the store. He glanced at Claude who was in deep thought. "He's totally different from what I expected. Much more flirty..."

Claude snapped his fingers in front of Florence's face to grab his attention and asked him what kind of dishes he was used to.

Florence thought back to the days when he was still living with his parents and the food of their personal chef. But for some reason, he only could remember the one night they ate escargots, which wasn't one of his favorite memories.

He cleared his throat. "Nothing serious, just the normal things, you know?" he said, chuckling awkwardly.

"If you say so," Claude said, slightly narrowing his eyes at the spices. "Say, how much spice can you handle?"

After buying the necessary ingredients Claude needed, they went back to Florence's apartment while talking about their food preferences.

"Oh, we're here," Florence announced as he looked up the tall building.

For a second, Claude was stunned because of the high prices the place offers. "Angela did mention that he was a model." They walked to the elevator which the doors opened quickly. Florence pressed the top floor and the door closed slowly. "How rich is he?!" Claude cleared his throat. "Florence?"

"Yes?"

"Not to sound rude, but how rich are you?" he asked and regretted asking the question once it left his mouth.

Florence caught a glimpse of Claude's curious face and tilted his head. "How rich I am?" he repeated to himself. "Well, that depends on how much money you find rich..." Florence shrugged. "Let's just say that I could live comfortably with how much I earn," he smiled, his smile not meeting his eyes.

"Why so cold? Did my question press the wrong spot?" Claude asked as he suppressed his smug tone.

The elevator doors opened and Florence waved him off with a small smile. "It's nothing," he said and got out of the elevator. "Come on, we're almost there."

"Of course~" Claude smiled and followed Florence to his apartment.

Florence stopped at the second door on the left side and unlocked it. He pushed the door open and told Claude to take his shoes off before they went to the kitchen.

"It's so big," Claude commented as he looked around the place, observing every inch of it. He turned to Florence and saw that he disappeared behind him. "Florence?"

Scratching his head, Claude put the grocery bag on the kitchen island and sat on the chair. "Where did he suddenly disappear to?" he wondered as he waited for Florence to show up again.

Not even a few seconds later, Florence showed up again in baggy clothes. "Sorry, I was in a hurry to change my clothes," he said and sat next to him at the island.

"Don't worry about it," Claude chuckled and watched Florence tapping away in his phone.

"When are you planning to join me?" Florence asked, not taking his attention from the game. When Claude didn't respond, he glanced at him and saw Claude smiling at him. "What?"

"Well, I thought that I should cook first, shouldn't I? I still have my things to pack, so I can't say that we'll leave much time if I don't start." Claude's smile turned into a small smirk as he stood up. "You don't want that to happen, right?"

Claude laughed softly at Florence who was shaking his head. "Then show me where everything is," he grinned as he patted his head. He paused when he caught himself petting Florence's head and took his hand from it. "Sorry, I have three younger siblings so I'm used to this kind of behavior."

"Oh," Florence muttered as his hand went to his head. He looked up at Claude's embarrassed smile and averted his eyes from him. "I... don't mind."

"Phew," he sighed. "Tell me if something I do or say is bothering, okay? I don't want to make things awkward between us."

Florence closed the game and got off his chair as he wondered if he knew how the stove works. "I understand." He opened the cabinets, which were mostly empty except for some basic things like coffee and sugar. He found the pans and pots and placed them on the island. "What else do you need?"

Claude stood next to him and smiled. "Well, if you could lend a hand that'd be great," he replied.

"I'm not skilled enough to do that, so no," Florence said quickly and tried to slip away.

Claude grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, forcing his chin up. "I'll be the judge of that," he whispered into his ear.

A/N mmmmyes Claude. Aside from my simping, I've drawn Florence as a cat boy in a maid outfit. I got a red eye and a headache from it, but it was worth it. I've been more determined to draw after I finished with the line art of Florence and sometimes post sketches of my characters on my Twitter (it's linked in my bio if you're curious). Well, I'll see you guys next week and don't kill mice

-Jerry Da Mouse