"Just relax, I've sorted it."
😁
"Somebody saw us?" Roshan repeats, hurriedly sitting up from the bed. "You mean when we...y'know, in the classroom?"
"I'm not sure, I think so but I don't know for sure." Clark replies, biting a little on his thumbnail with nerves.
This doesn't calm Roshan's fretful nerves in the slightest. He grabs Clark by the collar of his shirt. "What do you mean you don't know? I could lose my job!"
"Ok, ok, calm down!" Clark removes Roshan's hands which are grabbing his clothes and takes them in his. "Has anything been said to you directly by the faculty?" Roshan momentarily looks away. No one had said anything to him. He shakes his head. "So right now, it's just gossip. We can deny it if needed."
"But you don't understand." Roshan says, with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "If I can't teach, if I can't cook, I can't do anything else."
"Don't think like that." Clark replies instantly, cupping Roshan's jaw with the palm of his hand. "I thought I couldn't cook, but now I can just about fry an egg. There's more food in my fridge than there was a few weeks ago and you have saved me money. My takeout bill is significantly reduced."
This makes Roshan smile. "And your steak was pretty good too...well, apart from it nearly ending my life."
"Don't exaggerate. That will teach you to stuff your face." Clark laughs before adding, "Was it enough to win the coupon?"
"Well..." Roshan suddenly stands up. "The steaks! I need to sample the steaks."
Clark stands and rests his hands on Roshan's shoulders. "Just relax. I've sorted it."
The words coming from Clark 'I've sorted it' didn't really make him relax all that much. "How Clark. How have you sorted it?"
"Ben is testing them." Clark says with a smile.
"WHAT?" Clark is instantly pushed to one side as Roshan hurries back to his classroom. The door bursts open and to his horror, his worst fear is being realised.
"Bring up the next one please." There, at the front of the class at Roshan's table, sat Ben. Steak knife in one hand, a fork in the other, with a napkin tucked into his t-shirt. Already there was a pile of dirty stacked up plates of half eaten steaks.
"Ben, stop right there!" Roshan shouts across the room, making the whole class go silent and turn to see the chef standing by the door.
"It's ok chef. I'm being fair, I promise." Ben replies, sounding much more in control than the one in charge.
"How?" Roshan questions as he now makes his way to the table to stand opposite Ben, who was still sitting. "What do you know about steaks?"
"Well..." Ben begins. "This steak was really juicy and tender, with that perfect dash of pink inside, whereas that one was a little dry. That one was far too fatty, but this one here was super lean."
"Oh!" Roshan seemed a little lost for words as Ben actually did know his steaks pretty well. "Well I guess I stand corrected." He finds himself relaxing a little.
"So are you all better now chef? Do you want to take over?" Ben begins to pull the napkin from his t-shirt.
"No, you carry on. Maybe I should sit this one out." Roshan subconsciously grasps at the skin of his neck with his hand.
Ben nods as he resumes his position. "Next steak please." He calls out as the tasting continues.
Twenty minutes pass as Ben tries the final steak, he unpops the button of his jeans in the process.
The room gets filled with whispers as Ben and Roshan deliberate who should take away the coupon. "Ok, we have reached a decision.
A young man steps away from his table and heads to the front. "Congratulations, your steak was lean, tender and juicy. Well done!" The vouchers are received with grace as the room fills with claps.
Roshan breathes out a sigh of relief at the more than eventful lesson. He looks over at Clark and is once again reminded of the consequences of his actions. He waits until the class is empty before approaching, with Clark guessing he would as he naturally stays behind. He places a hand on top of Clark's, getting in close to his ear. "I'm scared." He utters, before pulling away and catching Clark's gaze.
"Hey, try not to worry, ok. We can deny it like I've already said."
"But it happened." Roshan replies back. "Me denying it is like me saying I didn't want it, like I regretted it and Clark I don't regret a thing. I just hope the rumours stay just rumours."
"But your job..." He begins.
"I don't want to lose my job. Teaching and cooking are my world. What's done is done Clark. We were reckless. Maybe we should distance ourselves for a bit."
"Oh." Clark steps back a little hurt. "Ok."
Roshan could instantly see the effect of his words written all over Clark's face. "I'm sorry."
"No. I get it." Clark forces a smile.
"Hey, we can still catch up for coffee away from here." Roshan calls as Clark walks away.
"Sure." He replies, but Clark just wanted to get as far away from Roshan as quick as possoble. This sudden feeling of plummeting to the ground from within consuming him. It scared him a little, the feeling. What did it mean?
YOU ARE READING
Capture The Moment (boyxboy)
RomansaROMANCE. In a cozy corner of the city, Clark, an eclectic bookstore owner with a love for the unexpected, decides to enroll in night classes to brush up on his Spanish. He hopes this new skill will open up a world of possibilities for him. Unbeknow...