Music recommendation: SLOW DANCING by V.
"Then… if that was the reason… would you agree to be my boyfriend so I can keep working with Miss Garnett?" Berry asked.
"Not a chance Berry! If you refuse to work with my sister, I would just have to hire another chef for her. In the end, you would be the one losing out!" Stuart said with an indifferent shrug that only made Berry's smile widen.
"And what exactly would I be losing? A day's contract? Or a partnership with Miss Garnett?"
Stuart mulled over what Berry said and he realised how wrong he was. If anyone would be losing anything, it would be Marie who would be losing. Berry had nothing to lose and refusing to work with Marie would not affect him.
"Just so you know, I didn't stop working with Miss Garnett because of you, I'm not so petty. I ended it because she was unprofessional. Our very first meeting and she was not present. I don't know how you see it, but I find that very unprofessional. In fact, if I had not been brought to you, I would have left the company the minute I heard that she wasn't present."
Again, Stuart thought about what Berry said and realised that Berry was right to end their deal. Even he would have done the same thing if put in Berry's position. With a resigned sigh, he spoke, unintentionally switching to work mode.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Mr Yates, but I assure you, Marie has learnt her lesson and would apologize if you give her a chance". Stuart apologised professionally but Berry would have none of that.
"If she has learnt her lesson, why isn't she here in your place?" He asked, his tone taking a professional route just like Stuart's.
Stuart subconsciously bit his lower lip knowing that it would be difficult to persuade Berry now. Although the man was a pervert, he could be serious and professional when he wanted. Before he could say anything that would probably lead to his doom, he heard Berry's laughter again and he looked at the man with confusion, wondering why he was laughing.
"I only refused to work with your sister and you look like you are about to cry. Is this your way of persuading me, Mr Garnett?" Berry asked jokingly while narrowing his eyes.
Stuart rolled his eyes and pursed his lips in dissatisfaction. How was it that Berry would always find something to laugh at while he was left feeling flustered and extremely uncomfortable? To Stuart, it was extremely unfair!
"Awwww… look at you… so cute".. Berry cooed and even stood up from his seat and leaned over the table to cup Stuart's face.
Stuart slapped his hand away and threw him a glare which was ineffective as his lips were still in a pout.
Berry's light laugh echoed in the room again before he waved his hand and shook his head, "Fine… fine! I will continue to work with your sister. Happy now?"
Stuart was relieved to hear that but he wasn't happy as of yet. He stood up and made his way to the door with the sole intention of leaving. After all, his work here was done, but Berry's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"I feel so used right now", he stated, voice tinged with sadness that Stuart could not resist. He turned around and looked at Berry, noticing that the man looked genuinely sad. "I just did you a favour, the least you could do is have a few drinks with me?" Berry's voice was light and gave away no form of pressure. It seemed to Stuart that Berry was giving him the option to refuse and leave.
But Stuart found himself walking back to the table and sitting down back in his position. Don't blame him, he just didn't like the feeling of someone being sad because of him.
He picked a glass from the open cabinet just next to their table and poured himself wine from Berry's bottle. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Berry smiling but didn't bother putting much thought into it and ignored Berry.
What he didn't know was that Berry was fine with being treated like air. All that mattered was that Stuart was here and having a few glasses with him.
The private room was silent, save for the low music that was playing in the background. The two of them basked in silence and the soothing music, just drinking the wine like water.
Stuart was completely lost in his thoughts. His mind drifted back to the photos he saw earlier and he subconsciously looked at Berry's side profile. His heart raced, the fear of being caught overwhelming him but that didn't make him retract his gaze. He kept staring and he didn't know how long he stared before Berry's voice came to his ears.
"...maybe we… could be… slow dancing…" That was Berry singing along to the song playing in the background. Stuart was awed by his slightly deep, yet soothing voice. His eyes roamed to Berry's lips which were moving as he sang the lines of the song fluently like he had known the song for a long time.
As he stared at the soft red lips that were stained with wine, Stuart felt himself drifting into the land of no return. He wondered what Berry's lips would taste like. The last time he kissed Berry, he was drunk and aside from the memory that he had kissed a stranger, he couldn't remember the taste of Berry's lips but he knew that their taste would be something close to divine.
Stuart regretted it deeply, he should have at least been sober when he kissed such enticing lips and now, he didn't even know if he would ever get a chance. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system that was making him think this way, but Stuart wanted to kiss Berry. Just a brush against his lips would do. That would be enough for Stuart.