Stay away from my cousin!

Chapter 7

"You're kidding. You're kidding right?"
"I wish I was..."
Vince asked Rody to be his waiter at a small gathering he is having.
"I'm coming with you. No buts."
"But-"
"I said no buts!"
"Ok ok!"

"Hello Rody and... Rayna"
"You needed a waiter, now you got 2."
Rody dressed as nicely as he could.
"Where is the food chef?"
"In the kitchen" Ray looks around the house, a bit impressed by the place
"You take a plate and drinks, I'll take the 2 plates."
"Ok" Rayna can hold multiple glasses at once
Vince has his eyes on Rody at all time as he serves the guests. Rayna would glare at him a lot.
"Rody your neck" she whispers
Rody yelps in silence. He can't be seen with his neck full of hickeys. He puts the plates down immediately, rushes to the bathroom to cover his neck. He applies cold water on the hickeys, but it makes the itch worse.
"Dang it" he softly scratches them, but the more he scratches them the worse the itch it, making him think about all the times Vince bit him, causing him a shiver in the spine
A soft moan escapes his mouth as his heart is beating in his ears "What is up with me? Why am I like this...?" seems like both his heart and body want his cold looking boss "I must hurry before somebody else comes here."
The bathroom door opens. Vince was expecting Rody to be here.
"Sorry Vince, I'll get out immediately." he fixes his collar
"Rody"
"What is it?"
Vince touches his forehead.
"You seem a bit warm. Are you getting a fever?"
"I don't think so. I'm fine." "Please stop touching me."
His hand moves to his cheek.
"Your cheeks are pink. What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing in particular" "Why haven't I felt like this when I was with Manon?"
"Did that guy upset you? He seemed to recognize you."
"Oh, he's just a former classmate from medical school."
"I will kick him out if he says anything offensive."
"It's ok! He didn't." "Why do you care? You shouldn't care!"
"Mon coeur..." Rody flinches "Why are you not honest with me?"
"I am"
"You're not. You're like an open book."
"Just treat me like a poor waiter. That's what I am." "I guess it's because I'm an open minded person."
Vince hugs Rody by his waist "Rody, I don't appreciate it if you don't tell me what's on your mind."
"...Can I really be honest with you?"
"Yes. About anything." Rody inhales
"After your gathering then. I have too much to pour out."
"We got all night for that."

Rody once again had to hold Rayna as she was yelling at his former friend.
"Say that again about Rody! Come on! I dare you!"
The guy has his hands in defence.
"Alright, party is over. Everyone out."
Vince drives the guests away "You two remain" he serves Rayna a glass of red wine "I have to talk to Rody if you can be patient enough to wait."
"Fine" she sips on her wine

Rody tells Vince everything inside his bedroom. From dropping out, cooking school, Manon, his friends, everything that was weighting on him. Vince has his eyes and ears on him. It's a lot, too much for an average person to take in but Vince is not orginary.
"I'm barely a good waiter. Why would my parents think I'd be a good doctor or surgeon?"
"You're a bright waiter. I am getting a lot more customers since you came in. I told you I don't have what you have. So don't compare yourself to me."
"But-"
"No buts. Come here."
Rody moves closer to Vince. His hands reach Rody's cheeks, inching closer to his face.
"Vince..."
"Shh" he places a kiss on his nose, on his forehead, closed eyes, cheeks, lips. He left the lips for last. Slow, soft, full of love "What you went through is a lot more than I imagined. It's horrible I must say. You tricked me with your smile and such. Deep inside you were hurt, weren't you."
"...Mhm"
"And you had no one to talk to?"
"In general? Ray. Somebody who lives in Paris? No."
"And your parents?"
"Why would I tell my parents? I'm all grown up. I should face my problems alone, not whine to them."
Rody gets pinned to the bed.
"You think way too low about yourself Rody. Way too low."
"I..."
"Shh" he leans close to his ear "Do me a favor. Stop thinking about her. Stop wasting your tears on her. I'm getting annoyed when I remember when you were always talking about her."
Rody's ear turned red from his voice.
"V-Vince, don't whisper into my ear."
"Why?"
"W-Well your voice is..."
"My voice is what?"
"...Deep and hot" Vince's brows raised, then he laughs
"What a naughty waiter I have. I don't know wether to tease you or just have you right here and now."
"Have me?" he gets redder and redder on the face
"But your cousin is here. You won't be lucky next time."
Rody almost faints. He runs out of the bedroom to the living room.
"Ray let's go home please!"
"Finally"
He doesn't know that Ray listened in. She sobbed in the living room instead of next to the bedroom. She regrets it. She regrets not being by his side when he needed it the most.

They went to sleep in the living room on the floor of their apartment.
"Hey Ray?"
"Yeah?"
"Why aren't you annoyed with me?"
"Don't start. The real question is why aren't you tired of me. I got a very bad temper when I hear crap about you."
"Because you care about me. And I'm very thankful for that."
Rayna grabs his hand and squeezes it. Rody squeezes her hand back.
"If we weren't related, I'd have taken you as my husband."
He laughs "You're the best Rayna."
"No. You're the best Rody."
When they were kids, they'd sleep on the same bed. Now in a sleeping bag, they're closer than ever.
"He is a psycho, yet he claims he loves me. I shouldn't give him a chance yet I did. I lost my mind." Rody blushes and closes his green eyes

Vince is humming a song while he is cleaning his knives. His black eyes are on the knife's reflection. He got one of the best news: Manon chose to never return in Paris, she went back to her hometown, a city far from the capital
"With her away, he won't think about her anymore." he smirks "Rody... my sweet dear waiter..." he puts the knife down "Just a little longer. I'll be your one and only." he touches his own lips with two of his fingers "Nobody... will ever tear us apart. I'll make sure of it."