Addicted to your taste

Some kind of magic

The surroundings are elegant, the lighting provided by chandeliers is warm, the food is delicious and the service at Indigo is phenomenal. That’s why Graham Larson would have never thought that he’d feel uncomfortable while being here.

When he was a kid, this restaurant felt like his safe place. Not because of all the positive qualities described previously, but because his parents would only act like a family when they came to this luxurious place.

He was way too young to comprehend that Myrtle and Salvatore only wanted to portray the image of a perfect family. *As a kid, Graham really thought that Indigo had some kind of magic that could bring love to someone’s life in an instant. Now, however, he knows that it’s just an expensive restaurant like any other in the city, and that not even magic could ever spark love in his parents’ hearts.

“So, what movies do you like?” Sarah Swanson asks, trying to bring the conversation back to life after a few seconds of silence.

“I actually don’t really like movies in general. I don’t have time for that.”

“Oh, really? I’ve recently watched one called ‘Angel Eyes’ and I think it’s phenomenal. I fell in love with the main character’s personality…”

As Sarah continues ranting about the movie, a waitress walks near their table to place the dishes they had previously ordered.

“Thank you”, Graham whispers in order to not interrupt his companion’s comments about the brave decisions made by the male lead of the movie.

Even though he’d love to just end the conversation and eat the steak he ordered in silence, he patiently waits for Sarah to finish expressing her thoughts.

“I know it may be hard for you to make some time, but you should watch it.”

“Well, you’ve already summed it up for me, so there’s no need to watch it”, he states with a smile, thinking it was a funnier comment than it actually was.

Sarah pouts with annoyance. She has shared her achievements, dreams and hobbies to a man she felt instantly attracted to. Him, instead of showing even a little bit of interest in her, has just been passively listening.

It’s frustrating to say the least. Graham doesn’t even notice how bothered his date felt with what he said. He seems to be more worried about finishing the bottle of wine that’s been sitting on the table since they arrived.

“Would you like more wine?”

Sarah refuses the offer, thinking of new ways of getting his attention.

After filling his own glass for the fourth time, the brown-haired man fixes his tie and takes the silver cutlery next to his plate.

Graham didn’t really expect much of the beef and mushroom sauce he ordered, which may be the reason why he seems paralyzed when taking the first bite.

“Does it taste bad? Are you allergic?” Sarah is quick to assume, showing his worry for the male in front of her.

He shakes his head slightly, trying his best to calm her down before they get unwanted attention from a waiter. Unfortunately, it’s already too late for that.

“Do you need anything, sir?”

Since she doesn’t know how to respond, Sarah remains silent while staring at Graham with worry.

He takes his time to reply, savoring the flavor left in his mouth.

“Pardon us, everything is fine.”

The waiter frowns his eyebrows, doubtful about the client’s response. However, he walks away without further questioning.

“I heard there’s a new chef working here. Maybe that’s why the food is bad. We can go to any other restaurant”, Sarah suggests in a quiet tone while pushing his plate away from her.

Graham leans his head to the side, knowing that this misunderstanding could be the best way to end the date early.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but if you don't like the meal, you can go to another restaurant. I’m really enjoying mine, so I’ll stay to finish it”, he replies with courtesy, taking his phone out to check his agenda for tomorrow.

Sarah opens his mouth with surprise. No man had ever made her feel like she wasn’t welcomed in the room. While she regrets accepting his father’s offer to date Graham Larson, she knows deep down that he may never be interested in anything other than his job.

That’s why she prefers to keep the dignity she still has, leaving him to eat on his own.

“Graham, I really hope you can find a woman to marry”, she states with honesty and a little bit of pity.

He sighs while putting down his phone.

“Thanks for understanding, Sarah. And I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“It wasn’t a waste. Knowing you was a pleasure.” She smiles and gets up from the chair to take her purse and coat.

Graham watches his date leave through the door and feels slightly ashamed of how he treated her. However, he would have felt even worse if he had pretended to have any interest in her.

Now that he’s alone, Graham takes his time to finish his food, order another bottle of red wine and take out his tablet to work on a document he has to send tomorrow.

It doesn’t matter if a very important person walked through the door, or if a historical event was happening in the restaurant, he wouldn’t look away from his tablet. If there’s something he is glad to have learnt from his dad is the discipline and love for their job. Although, unlike Salvatore, Graham knows that his work is not his number one priority in life, unless it’s the only thing that could make him entirely happy.

The people around him come and go. No one really pays attention to him until the restaurant is about to close. A pair of waiters discuss in the background about who should be the one to tell Mr. Larson to leave. Just as one of them was chosen by losing a round of rock, paper, scissors, Graham’s phone rings in the almost empty space.

The brown-haired man looks at the screen and feels annoyed just by reading his father’s name. He knows he’s calling to scold him for treating Sarah so badly and he doesn’t have time nor energy for that. Unfortunately, Salvatore will probably find many other ways to have that conversation with his son. Thus, Graham prefers having it now.

“Dad?”

“You didn’t like Miss Swanson, did you?”

Graham rubs his temple while drinking a sip of wine.

“She’s pretty, but too talkative for me.”

“Too talkative”, Salvatore says in a reflective manner. “Well, maybe if you had read the list, you wouldn’t be wasting time.”

“I’ve already told you that I want to know them for who they are, not for who they claim to be on a piece of paper.” Graham’s tone gets a little louder without him noticing, which makes most of the staff leave to ask the sous chef for assistance.

“I hope you remember our deal.”

“It was an imposition, not a deal. But yes, I remember.”

“Then choose a worthy wife soon.”

“Sure. I have to go, dad. See you tomorrow.”

Without letting him reply, Graham ends the call and puts his phone on the table. Then, he reaches for his glass to take a sip, not really noticing how much he’s already drunk.

He’s about to drink the last glass of wine of the third bottle when a voice catches his attention.

“Excuse me, Mr. Larson. I’m here to give you the bill. We’re about to close.”

Graham looks around him and notices that there are no other people in the establishment apart from him and the person standing next to his table.

“Oh, I’m sorry”, he says with embarrassment while looking at his watch. “I was writing an important document and really wanted to finish it before going home.”

“Don’t worry then. My coworkers will leave soon, but I can wait till you’re done with it if you don’t take too long.”

Graham looks up at him, wondering if that offer was made just because of who he is and the power his family holds. Sadly, glancing at the red-haired man doesn’t answer that question. Instead, when his brown eyes meet with a pair of green orbits, he forgets for an instant about the rest of his world.

They remain like that for a few seconds before Graham breaks eye contact and starts saving his belongings in his briefcase, trying to pretend that his heart wasn’t stolen just then.

“I can finish at home, thank you.”

“As you wish. By the way, my name is Aiden Millers. I’m the new sous chef here at Indigo. I heard that your date tonight didn’t like her meal, but I couldn’t come to talk to you earlier. I’m sorry if that caused you any trouble”, the tall man introduces himself with an apologetic smile.

“There was no trouble caused. She was just a friend. Plus, the food was delicious. I used to come to this restaurant when I was a kid and I don’t remember tasting something as good as what you prepared for us tonight”, Graham states once he’s done saving his devices.

Aiden’s smile widens with that compliment as he gently places the leather folder with the bill on the table.

“Thank you, sir. I’m honored to hear that.”

Graham checks the bill and places the money in the folder before giving it back. Aiden receives it, barely brushing his fingers against Graham’s.

Although their touch was minimal and brief, Graham felt a spark inside of him. He watched Aiden as he walked away, noticing his confident walk and bright aura around him. It was as if his red hair styled in a ponytail left a vermilion trace behind him that made his heart burn.

*Just now, he’s starting to believe again that Indigo does have some kind of magic that can bring love to someone’s life in an instant.

After dismissing the rest of the employees, the chef comes back with Graham’s change. He has an idea of what is going on in Graham’s mind because he’s having very similar thoughts about him. However, he’s better at hiding his emotions and doesn’t let the touch of their fingers faze him as he gives him the money back.

“Thanks for coming, hope you had a lovely night”, Aiden says, noticing that Graham is far from being sober but thinking he can manage to walk through the door on his own.

Not knowing how to respond, the businessman simply takes his money and gets up from his chair. He’s so drunk, however, that his movement is clumsier than usual, which makes his glass of wine fall from the table.

Aiden tries catching the glass, but its content has already ruined Larson’s shirt and coat.

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t let you go in this state”, the chef states when he realizes his assumption was mistaken.

“No, I’m ok. I just stumbled a little”, Graham justifies while looking down at his wet clothes. “I’ll just take off my coat and my tie.”

Aiden goes to the kitchen for a towel, but Larson has already taken said pieces of clothing off when he returns to the dining area.

“Here, let me help.” Without giving it any thought, he starts rubbing the towel against Graham’s chest as if that could easily make the stain disappear.

The brown-haired man doesn’t know how to react to the indirect touch. He simply stands there, staring at Aiden’s hand as if it was a clock controlled by a hypnotist.

“They say that pouring white wine can remove these”, the chef suggests before giving up on his impossible task.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that too.” Graham replies in a quiet tone, dragging his words even more noticeably than before.

“Are you ok?”

Aiden can barely finish that question before his companion’s legs weaken. He’s quick to catch him in his arms, keeping him from falling.

“You didn’t look like the strong type.” Is the last thing Graham says before falling asleep.

While he feels flustered with that comment, Aiden keeps his hold firm around Graham’s body until he’s safely resting on his chair.

Then, he steps back to analyze the state his companion is in.

He doesn’t think that sending Graham home in a taxi is a good idea. He knows how dangerous the city could be this late in the night. Plus, Larson’s family is recognized as one of the most successful in the city. It could damage his image if the media or anyone found out Graham got intoxicated this badly. Pretty much anyone could take advantage of him in this state.

Lucky him that Aiden isn’t just anyone.

Instead of taking the chance of stealing or blackmailing, he believes that he must take Graham into the safety of his house. Thus, he finishes his pending tasks before deciding to search the keys of Graham’s car in his stained coat.