Roasted Sweet

Untitled Part 1

Melodic humming filtered throughout the rustic kitchen as weathered hands rolled dough back and forth. He'd been home the entire day but only now did Jamie truly feel at ease. 

Even managing his restaurants from home had proved to be too much for the chef. His anxiety had become evident to those around him and had inevitably started to affect his work. Jamie heaved a deep sigh. A week off was good for him, he tried to remind himself. Looking down, he soon realised how long he had been lost in his thoughts.

"Dammit" he muttered under his breath, scooping up the flattened dough and dropping it unceremoniously into the bin.

Perhaps some TV would help. Feeling aged beyond his years, Jamie forced himself up and towards the lounge. He stopped briefly to gaze over the framed photos in the dim hallway. His eyes ran over the visual memories, two men stood closely together on a smooth plain of sand, a moody-looking camel in the background. Another of just one of the men, sat in front of an impressive cake, the man looking excited at the situation, smiling warmly at the person behind the camera. A warmth spread through his chest as he looked at the familiar face. Blond hair and a cheeky smirk, appearing younger than when in the public view. The living room was dimly lit, the scent of ginger and lavender creating a peaceful atmosphere.

"Ironic" Jamie scoffed, his own feelings unable to match his surroundings.

He soon found himself wrapped up in an episode of 'Hell's Kitchen', laughing despite himself. The show itself wasn't known for its humour but seeing Gordon acting so aggressive was somehow hilarious to Jamie. The older man was never like that at home, always treating his lover as something precious. Something to be handled with care and cherished. And the feeling was definitely reciprocated. Jamie found himself drifting into a romantic paradise within his own head. He wasn't one for clichés, avoiding cheesy couple activities and hating anything valentines related, and yet he still found himself blushing like a teenager whenever Gordon was involved.

Distantly, he heard the front door close followed by familiar footsteps. The jingle of a bell and stumbling of feet made Jamie chuckle. He could vividly imagine a tired and disoriented Gordon tripping over one of their two highland terriers. The view wasn't exactly uncommon. After a brief scuffle and a hushed human to canine apology, he felt large warm hands gently wrap themselves around his waist. A chin coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Hey"

"Hi"

Both men took a minute to appreciate the warmth of the embrace, simply breathing each other in. A calm settled over them as they set to rearranging themselves on the small sofa. They should really get a bigger one, Jamie noted. They ended up within the piled mass of blankets, Gordon holding a clingy Jamie to his chest. Legs entwined, Gordon finally pulled his attention from his lover and towards the muted television across the room. Upon seeing himself on their TV, he connected the dots and realised that Jamie had been watching him while he was out. It was admittedly very sweet but also made his lover seem like one of Gordon's stalker-like fans. The thought of the middle-aged man wearing one of those 'Make me Mrs Ramsey' T-shirts his fans seemed to make, flashed through his mind. He tried his best but in the end he couldn't hold in the laughter bubbling up his throat. It burst out loudly a barked shout, leading to a surprised squawk and a dull thud.

"S-sorry darling-" Gordon failed to hold in his laughter and sound apologetic at the same time.

"Hmmf-"

Jamie stubbornly started to roll away in his blanket cocoon on the floor. A strange time for his missing motivation to come back, but he wasn't complaining. Before he could get very far in his escape he felt the floor disappear. He belatedly realised that he was being lifted. Upon this realisation he started to squirm, maybe this wasn't the best plan of action he thought as the two went tumbling back onto the sofa.

"Bloody hell" Gordon deadpanned.

Laughter echoed through out the room, this time from both men.

Sure, their sofa was small and too cramped for two fully grown men. But as Jamie snuggled closer to his lover, giddy with this feeling of closeness, he thought that maybe the sofa was fine. Yeah, everything was just fine.