Impress Me Not: The Architect

Chapter 40

"I need someone to talk to," he said over the phone. All Casimir could hear in the background was the roar of his engine. "Please, tell me you don't have any plans."

It was supposed to be their night away from each other. Casimir had actually made some plans to go and see a play that night. It was one of his favorites, and it actually wasn't tainted by any of his previous relationships. He didn't have anyone to come with him, but that didn't stop him from looking forward to it. He had gone to plays by himself plenty times before he started dating his ex. He had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed it.

But he would do anything for that desperate voice that begged him over the phone. Valentino sounded so upset, like something had really gone wrong. And there was no way he could say no when it sounded like an emergency.

He also wanted to get him off the road. There was no telling how fast he was speeding with how loud that engine roared in the background. Valentino's car matched his mood easily. Casimir had learned that early on in their relationship.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing out of the man's mouth when Casimir opened the door. "I just needed somewhere to go for a bit to cool off."

He looked just as upset as he sounded over the phone. There was a restless look that he had on that handsome face as Casimir let him inside. He didn't even take off his boots. He just went over to Casimir's living room and immediately started pacing.

It alarmed him, because Valentino hadn't really been in a bad mood for a long while. Things had been going really well, actually. They had a lot of fun times just before this, and Casimir was enjoying seeing the more laid-back side of the man, the kind that would laugh while telling a story that he thought was really funny, or get embarrassed easily when Casimir stole a kiss in the middle of a store or restaurant. It made him happy to see Valentino cheery for once.

All that was thrown away tonight, though. Now he just looked like he had just lost his job or something. Casimir really hoped that wasn't the case. He moved so fast that Casimir couldn't really get a good look at his face, but he knew that he looked lost.

"What happened?" Casimir asked.

It had been a while since Valentino had been to his place. Usually, they preferred the house because it was bigger, and Valentino's bed was much more comfortable than Casimir's. While his apartment was smaller than a house, it was still cozier than the sharp winds blowing outside. He had made it look more homely with some decorating. That was another thing that he liked to do in his free time. Every season he would change things up, just to have some fun with it. This time, with the holidays right around the bend, he had gone with a theme of soft white and crimson.

"I'm pissed," he quickened his pace in the small living room that Casimir had. "I can't believe that he would come back, and around this time of year, too!"

He had no clue what he was talking about, all he knew was that those lovely boots that went all the way up to Valentino's thighs were going back and forth on his rug. As much as he loved the man, he really didn't want anything to get ruined.

"Darling," Casimir grabbed him, trying to trap him in a tight embrace. "Why don't you sit down?"

"I can't," Valentino pushed him away. He put his hands to his head like he was going to pull that beautiful brown hair out. "This whole night-no, this whole Christmas is ruined!"

"What happened?" he asked again. He should have known better than to try and hold him while he was this angry. Usually, Casimir could calm him down with a hug if he was grumpy or simply stressed from a long day of work. He didn't realize just how angry he was until he pushed him away. It didn't bother him too much. All it did was surprise him that the man had enough strength to push him back like that. With how skinny he was, that wasn't something he was expecting at all.