our love blooms (like flowers in the spring)

my lord!

As soon as Christina's carriage was out of sight, Jack was handed a candleholder and some biscuits—as requested—and he made a beeline to Zach's quarters. His legs could not move fast enough. He needed his presence. Jack could not spend another second without him.

He knocks on his door, and suddenly, he becomes impatient. Jack hears his footsteps approaching and fixes his suit.

The door opens, revealing Zach.

"My lord." He bows. "I see you have returned for some more tea." He smiles. "You are lucky; I have started to make some already." Zach steps aside to let him in.

Jack enters his quarters, and the sweet scent of violets invades his nostrils. He inhales and exhales. "Fantastic." He mumbles.

He looks at his beloved gardener. "I have brought some biscuits for us." He hands him it.

Zach thanks him and quickly prepares a platter. "How was your dinner, my lord? I believe you had a guest."

"Disastrous." He sighs as he pulls on a chair to sit down. He takes off his coat and sets it on the chair. "My mother's husband will make me go mad. He chews with his mouth open. It is incredibly obnoxious." He sits down.

Zach chuckles quietly. "I adore the way you call him." He sets a plate of biscuits on the table. "I understand your turmoil, my lord. It is quite obnoxious."

Jack grabs a biscuit. "Then my mother called him my father." He sighs. "I hate it when she does that. He could never replace him."

Zach sets a careful hand over his shoulder. The Viscount freezes. His heart starts racing. He is touching him. Zach is touching his shirt. It was warm. He could feel it through the fabric separating them. Jack needs to keep touching him.

"I see a lot of the old Viscount in you, my lord." He confesses. "However, there is something else about you that is..." He hums, trying to find the right word. "...different, I am yet to realise what it is."

Jack smiles. It is the fact that I am smitten by you. "You remind me of him, too— kind and caring."

Zach lets go of his shoulder, and Jack feels empty. Is this the kind of effect he has on him? He truly holds too much power over the Viscount. Zach brings the water to the table to prepare the tea for them.

"My lord, may I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Do you consider us to be friends?"

Jack nods. I consider you to be the love of my life. "Do you not consider us friends?"

Zach smiles softly. "I was merely surprised to have been introduced as a friend to your sister, my lord."

The Viscount smiles. "Even if it were the king, I would still introduce you as my friend." He thanks him quietly for the tea.

"I appreciate it, my lord." The two prepare their tea in silence.

Zach looks at his hands and at Jack's. The Viscount's hand is fair. His nails are trimmed to perfection, and they are not calloused. There is a ring that rests handsomely on his pinky. It is fitting for a Viscount. His are the complete opposite. Tan, broken and horrifying. He must do something about them.

They drink their tea whilst making small, casual conversation. Zach could not look away from Jack's hands. They were beautiful, and they seemed soft to the touch.

Zach cleans the table, with the Viscount's help, despite insisting he should not move a muscle, given the fact that he is a guest. His lord dismissed him effortlessly and helped him.