wine stains

a prologue of what's to come

Zach stands up from his desk and is nearly hit by a bouquet of pink roses. "Ready for our date?" Jonah asks. He was wearing a turtleneck, too. He clearly went home to purposely match with him.

That pulls on his heartstrings. Jonah seems to like him so much, but Zach could not look past the aggression he went through to be on this date.

He makes a mental note to take pictures of his hips in case he ends up suing him. Zach thanks Jonah and accepts the bouquet. "Where are you going?" He asks.

"The lilypad. It's a new restaurant, I know the chef." Jonah smirks. That should definitely impress him. He thinks.

Zach grabs his things and puts on his coat. It was getting chillier. The two walk out the door side by side. Not once did Jonah compliment him.

They get in Jonah's car, and Zach shoots a quick text to Jack. "So...how was work?" Jonah asks.

The brunet puts his phone in his pocket. "We're coworkers. You were there with me." His whole body tenses when Jonah lays his hand on his knee.

"Still, you view the world through a different lense. It might've been fun for me, but crappy for you." He explains himself, turning his head to look at Zach for a few seconds before looking at the road again.

Jonah swiftly parks the car in front of the restaurant and makes sure to open the door for him. The brunet thanks him. Jonah rests his hand on his lower back and guides him towards the restaurant. Zach tenses up once more.

They quickly get seated, and Zach sends his location to the blond.

zach:
hurry

jack:
on the way

"Is everything okay?" Jonah asks.

Zach looks up and feels a pang of guilt. "Sorry, Dani was texting me... you know how he is." He smiles softly, hoping he buys the lie.

"Uhm... I've been thinking about firing him." The brunet looks at him in shock. "He hasn't been attracting a lot of viewers -"

"But he's a good journalist. He is clear with his words and translates everything really fast." Zach straightens his back and closes his fists. "You won't find someone who interprets as fast and as clearly as he does." He tries to salvage his...friend.

He looks up and sees that Jonah isn't even looking at him. Zach feels a
hand on his shoulder. He looks up and sees Jack perching over him. Like a vulture, ready to attack his prey. He is still in his suit, a couple more rings on his fingers. A trench-coat over his shoulders that hides how well lit the room was.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Jonah asks, crossing his arms. "We're in the middle of something." He grits out.

Jack hands the brunet a single blood red rose. So dark and bold, a perfect contrast of his pale skin. He faces him. "You didn't tell him, darling?" His eyes seemed so innocent yet filled with a certain satisfaction.

Zach blushes heavily at the nickname as he twirls the rose in his fingers. "Zach, what is this supposed to mean?" One could clearly see the vein that popped in his forehead.

The brunet feels the tension rise. The sheer confidence Jack is emitting makes Jonah boil with anger. Then, a humourless chuckle breaks the silence. "Isn't it obvious?" Jack asks.