A Business Pleasure

Chapter 9: Smile

Dec blinked at the bright sunlight coming through his open window and groaned, turning over, intending to wrap an arm around the warm body that normally slept next to him. When his arm came in contact with an empty bed, he bolted upright, all the memories of the previous night flooding back into his mind. He jumped out of bed, pausing only to pull a pair of pants over his boxers before racing out of his room, down to the dining room. Cat hadn't gotten up yet, so no one was seated at the table, but he could hear clanking and clanging of pots and pans in the kitchen and peered inside to see Ant bent over the stove, flipping an omelette.

"Anth?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to startle him.

"Dec!" Ant turned with a smile, "your breakfast is nearly ready! I was just going to call you."

"Uh, yeah," Dec blinked and absently wondered who this Ant was and what had he done with the man sobbing in his arms the night before.

"I can't believe Cat's still sleeping! She's normally the first one here!" Ant carried on, not noticing Dec's confusion, "Think I should wake her up?"

"Hm? No, I think she'll wake up in her own time," Dec answered automatically, "Uh, Ant?"

"Yeah?"

"Are....are you okay?"

Ant turned to him with genuine confusion on his face, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I just thought that after last night-"

"What about last night?" Ant's voice turned from confused to tight and Dec could literally see his muscles tense.

"About Jared-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Ant snapped, eyes flashing, "And I'd prefer if you didn't mention it at all."

"You can't just forget about it!" Dec protested, feeling slightly unsettled at having Ant's anger directed at him.

"Watch me!" Ant growled, "now just drop it! And let me do what you are paying for me to do." Dec felt a flash of hurt.

"No," The smaller Geordie said firmly, moving across the table towards him, "I want you to talk to me!"

"I don't want to!" Ant tried to get past him, but Dec grabbed his wrist tightly.

"This isn't something that you should keep to yourself!" he insisted.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it!" Ant tried to tug his wrist out of Dec's surprisingly strong grip.

"Well, you're gonna!" Dec growled, tugging him forward and Ant let out a small whimper as the smaller man's hold tightened from uncomfortable to painful. That sound brought Dec out of his haze and he felt like he had been socked in the stomach when he saw actual fear in Ant's eyes. He dropped Ant's wrist like it had burnt him and Ant backed away from him before turning and running back to his room, slamming the door shut. Dec slumped down into a chair and buried his face into his hands, cursing himself for losing his temper that easily.

"Dec?"

He looked up to see Cat staring at him in concern from where she was crouching in front of his chair. He let out a sigh and broke eye contact, not wanting to tell Cat exactly what had happened but knowing that she would pester him until he did.

"I lost my temper with Ant," he blurted.

"Why?" Cat asked, her voice completely neutral.

"I woke up this morning and found him gone so, naturally, I panicked. I mean, who wouldn't after that night, right?" Cat nodded and he continued, "I found him downstairs making breakfast.....and he was acting like last night never happened. When I insisted on talking about it, he started to get angry, then I got angry and I don't know why but I grabbed his wrist tight enough to hurt him...."