Forbidden (BoyxBoy)

Chapter X: Breakfast

Jason.

"Oh là là, Jason," Elise greeted me the next morning, opening the door of Dean's house with a broad smile on her face. Her familiar, witchy scent of smoke and chamomile enveloped me as she kissed each of my cheeks. "You look handsome today, I hope that it is not only for ons." 

Sarah and Elise had invited Frankie and I to have breakfast with them and Dean before school today. Judging by the truck parked on the drive, Frankie was already here.

 It was true that I'd made a little more of an effort today, swapping my usual sneakers for boots, and my sweatshirts for a dark grey fisherman's sweater. Elise had clearly noticed. 

"Well, I couldn't exactly wear a sweatshirt into a frenchwoman's house, could I?" I teased, flashing her a warm smile. Elise laughed and placed a playful third kiss on my cheek before leading me into the house. 

The kitchen and dining room was right at the back of the building, and was built like a long, narrow conservatory, with the back wall made entirely of windows and the roof of skylights. The panoramic view looked out onto the stream and the pine forest that edged the property. Dean and Frankie were seated at the long table to the left of the room, which could seat eight but was only set for five.

Dean wore half of his shoulder-length hair down today, and had adopted for a slightly smarter hoodie under his leather jacket, as this one did not have any holes. Elise had always hated his dishevelled, effortlessly bad-boy look. Sarah saw nothing wrong with it, but then Sarah rarely deviated from her uniform of blue jeans and hand-knitted sweaters. Frankie looked good, as usual, dressed in a burgundy turtleneck dress that hugged her body and a pair of knee-high boots. Bronze bangles dangled from her wrists. 

"S'il te plaît, have a seat Jason." Elise cooed, gesturing to the table. I sat beside Dean, who was looking at me with narrowed eyes. 

"I swear to god that I'm going to hear all about how nicely you two were dressed for the next month." Dean groaned, reaching for the coffee pot. He poured himself some, and then some for Frankie, who looked at coffee the way an addict would look at a dose lying on the table. When he reached for my cup I put my hand up to stop him. 

"I'm good, thanks man." I declined, instead reaching for the smaller pot, which contained the herbal tea Elise made herself. 

"Elise, can I have some of your tea, s'il vous plaît?" I asked. Elise was arranging something on a platter in the kitchen. She lifted her head as I spoke to her, a few tendrils of dark hair falling from her french braid. Sarah paused what she was doing to tuck the loose strands back into her wife's braid, biting her lip in concentration.

"Of course, mon petit, help yourself." Elise agreed with an easy smile. Satisfied with her wife's hair, Sarah moved to the table, carrying a plate of croissants, jam, ham and cheese. 

Sitting down beside Frankie, she poured herself a coffee and drank it black and bitter. This morning her eyes were brighter and calmer than they had been yesterday, her mop of red hair less frizzy. She handed me the sugar as I poured myself some tea, knowing that I drank everything sweet. 

"Since when do you turn down coffee?" Dean interrogated me, placing two croissants on his plate before spreading some jam on them. Frankie was arranging ham and cheese on her croissants methodically.

"I don't know, I just feel like tea today." I shrugged. That was a lie. Today I was nervous, I had woken up that way. My adrenaline already fired up, and my arrangements with Alaric looming ahead in the day, the last thing I needed was to add caffeine to my situation. Frankie and Dean, of course, didn't need to know that.