Road To Happiness ✔

TWENTY-THREE

Stefan opened the door to the shop with a wide grin. "Hi, Hugo," he said when he saw him standing at the counter. Robert stood next to him, flicking through the forms of the people that had come into the shop that day. He glanced up at him for a brief moment but didn't say a word.

"Hi," Hugo replied with a shy smile. He'd been looking forward to seeing him all day. It was just a movie marathon, nothing special, but it would still be fun. "Give me five minutes to get my stuff."

His bag had been packed half an hour ago and had been sitting on his desk since then, waiting for Stefan to come along and whisk him away. He liked his job, but it was tiring. So many people were coming in with broken laptops because they'd forgotten about them until classes started back up again and they desperately needed them. It tired both him and Robert out.

"Hugo!" Robert called as he walked towards the door. "I'm going to need you in an hour earlier tomorrow. We have a lot of stuff to do. I know you've got plans, but I'm going to need help."

"Of course," Hugo replied with a nod. "I'll see you tomorrow." With one final smile, he followed Stefan out the door and to his car.

They didn't talk much on the way to Stefan's apartment because there was no way he could drive and watch Hugo's hands at the same time. Instead, Stefan let him put on his music. He'd confided in him once that the classical music helped him relax, so whenever they were alone in the car, Stefan would let him put in on.

He hummed along with it, letting the sounds of the cello and violin wash over him. They were his favourite instruments. They never failed to relax him. Stefan made a noise at some point but shook his head when Hugo gave him a questioning look.

"Did you want takeout for dinner, or did you want me to cook something?" Stefan asked when they pulled up outside the apartment building.

Hugo shrugged. "I don't really mind, whatever works for you," he answered. Although in reality, he wanted more of Stefan's cooking. He was an amazing cook and Hugo couldn't get enough of the meals he made.

"I think I have enough stuff to cook up something. I need to go shopping," Stefan said and got out of the car, gesturing for Hugo to follow. Hugo mentally celebrated, excited for a decent home-cooked meal. He hadn't had one since he moved out. His cooking wasn't awful most of the time, but it definitely wasn't the nicest thing he'd eaten.

He tapped the other man on the shoulder to get his attention. "Think you can teach me some stuff?" he asked. "You've seen my cooking. We had to get a whole new frying pan."

Stefan laughed, the joyful sound shaking his entire body. "I think all you need to know is to not look away from the stove," he said.

"What about flavour? My stuff is so bland."

"I can teach you a thing or two about that, I guess," Stefan said with a shrug as he unlocked the door to his apartment. It was as messy as it always was, but Hugo was slowly getting used to it. Maybe one day they would give him permission to clean it.

Stefan went straight for the kitchen, moving things around the cupboards until he found what he was after. All he had was the ingredients for pasta, but Hugo didn't mind. Usually, anything Stefan cooked tasted amazing, even if it was all he'd been eating for the last couple of days.

"I should have some herbs and spices in one of the other cupboards," Stefan said, gesturing vaguely around him. "Could you grab them?" Hugo had no idea which ones he would need, but he nodded anyway and sifted through the cupboards while Stefan sorted out the pots and pans.

Stefan guided him through the meal with gentle words. He taught him which herbs to use and how much of them to use. He got him to stir the sauce while he made sure the pasta didn't stick together. Occasionally, it would spit as it simmered and burn his hand. He dropped the wooden spoon into the pan at least twice, causing Stefan to laugh at him and fish it out with a fork.