40 – Cypress Mosaic

After ​scanning ​the ​state ​of the hall, ​Lina ​shouted ​toward ​the ​kitchen behind her.

“Matteo, is ​the ​dessert for table ​7 still not ​ready?”

“It’s ​done! ​Just ​one ​more ​minute!”

“You said one ​minute ​five ​minutes ago!”

A soft ​smile played on Elian’s ​lips as ​he listened ​to their ​petty bickering. ​Though ​it ​had only been ​one night, ​it finally felt like ​he had returned home. ​The guest rooms at ​the Lockhart ​estate ​were far more pleasant and comfortable ​than his own room ​here, ​but ​they ​weren’t ​his ‘home.’

Elian took ​a memo ​pad ​and pen from ​his ​apron pocket and headed toward ​table 3, ​as ​Lina had mentioned.

It ​was ​the ​farthest ​corner ​seat by ​the ​window, overlooking ​the Manhattan skyline.

A middle-aged man with neatly ​combed, salt-and-pepper gray ​hair and silver-rimmed ​glasses sat alone. Judging ​by his ​unfamiliar face, he ​didn’t ​seem to be ​a local.

“Hello. Would ​you like ​to ​order?”

“Ah… everything ​looks ​so delicious ​that ​it’s hard ​to ​decide.”

The ​man, who had ​been ​scanning [unauthorized copy]the ​menu, ​looked ​up ​at [Read on Read BL Novels]Elian with a troubled smile.

“May I help you?”

“Would you?”

“Is this your first time at our restaurant?”

“Yes. I came to scout some apartments and realized I was hungry.”

“I see you’re planning to move nearby.”

“It’s one of my candidates. Looking around, it seems like a lovely neighborhood. I like this restaurant, too.”

Behind his lenses, his gentle, rounded eyes scanned the interior of the restaurant with a fresh sense of curiosity. Elian gave a light smile at the compliment. The man’s gaze returned to Elian.

“By the way, I’ve been thinking this since I walked in, but you are quite the handsome young man.”

“Haha… thank you.”

“No, really. I’m not just saying it; I was genuinely surprised. These days, doesn’t word spread quickly when someone this handsome is working?”

Having nothing particular to say in return, Elian only laughed awkwardly.

The man continued to chatter.

“I have children who are college students. That age group shares this kind of news very quickly.”

“I’m just helping out for a short while.”

“Ah… as I thought.”

The man nodded several times as if he had finally found an explanation and added,

“If you worked here regularly, there’s no way word wouldn’t have gotten out. I thought it was strange.”

As he always did when hearing such things, Elian responded with an awkward smile. It was an indirect way of expressing that he found such conversations somewhat uncomfortable. Most people noticed that Elian wasn’t particularly interested in being praised for his looks and would naturally change the subject.

“I’ve been rambling too much. It’s just that I’ve never seen such a handsome man before.”

“Not at all. Thank you for the compliment.”

“But truly, you are remarkably handsome. You must face many difficulties.”

“……”

“Like someone persistently chasing after you.”

It wasn’t as if such things had never happened. During unauthorized copyhis student days, at least unauthorized copyone person Read on Read BL Novelsevery year would persistently linger around Elian.

If they simply kept their distance and watched without taking any special action, Elian didn’t particularly react. However, if they caught Vincent’s eye, they were not safe. It was also true that thanks to Vincent—who was famous in the area for his fiery temper, massive build, and skill as a linebacker—Elian had been able to finish his school days in relative peace.

“Fortunately, I don’t recall any difficulties to that extent.”

“Many people think that having great looks only brings good things, but nothing in this world comes with only advantages.”

The man added with a light shrug and scanned the menu once more.

“Ah… I really am hungry now. What’s the best menu item?”

It seemed the conversation about looks had finally ended.

“Our chef’s recommendation is the truffle cream pasta. Other than that, the lasagna made with homemade sausage, the mushroom risotto, and the oven-baked Margherita pizza are also very popular. If you like spicy food, the pepperoncino oil pasta would be a good choice.”

“What would be good for a starter?”

“The bruschetta and Caprese salad are frequently ordered.”

Having finally made up his mind, the man pointed to a spot on the menu, looked up at Elian, and grinned.

“Then I’ll go with this. Truffle cream pasta. Since it’s my first visit, I should try the chef’s recommendation. And the bruschetta for the starter.”

“Understood. Would you like something to drink?”

“I’d like a glass of white wine. Since I’m alone…”

“Yes, we have a few types of glass wine available. Shall I bring you a glass of Chardonnay?”

“That sounds good.”

“Thank you. I’ll prepare the wine first.”

Collecting the menu, Elian returned to the bar counter. He passed the order written on the memo to Matteo in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Vincent, who had finished tidying the dishes in the kitchen, walked out while drying his hands with a towel.

“What took you so long to take one order?”

“He said it was his first time at our shop.”

“Ah. I thought it was some guy trying to hit on you. Hey, let’s head up.”

Vincent, who had already taken off his apron, spoke to Lina inside the counter.

“The crowd has thinned out a bit, so can we head up now?”

Elian looked around the room. There were still three or four tables left. He grabbed the arm of Vincent, who was about to leave the bar.

“Let’s help a little more.”

Lina shook her head instead.

“Eli, there’s no need. Most of the remaining tables are just eating dessert anyway. They’re mostly regulars. They’ll probably just merge tables and drink more wine. Go on up.”

“Will you be alright?”

The one who answered Elian’s reluctant question was Matteo from inside the kitchen.

“Once the order for table 3 goes out, the kitchen is done too! There’s no reason to stay, so go on up!”

At his shout, Elian finally untied the knot of his apron.

“You came home after so long and I just made you work. I feel so bad.”

“Moving around makes me feel energetic and good. I’ve been staying indoors almost all the time lately.”

“I’ll prepare plenty of things you like for breakfast tomorrow, so you have to eat a lot, okay?”

Lina, giving Elian a tender smile, suggested to her son.

“Vince, why don’t you grab some beer from the fridge?”

“I was obviously planning to.”

Vincent brought out a pack of beer from the kitchen refrigerator, along with a large bag of potato chips. With his arm draped over Elian’s shoulder, he looked excited at the prospect of drinking his fill under the pretext of his friend’s visit.

Just before leaving the shop, Elian’s eyes met with the man at table 3.

The man, who had been waiting for his food, gave a slight nod when their gazes overlapped. Elian responded with a short smile.

His first impression had been that of a gentle, pleasant neighbor, but looking at him now, there was something vaguely unsettling about his smiling face.

However, it was merely a fleeting thought.

The two of them ran up the stairs, playfully pushing each other.

As soon as they entered Elian’s room, Vincent dove onto the bed as usual.

“Ah, freedom!”

Using the single bed as a sofa, Vincent skillfully opened a beer bottle using the edge of the desk. The guy could even pop a bottle cap with his belt buckle.

The two shared their recent news while drinking beer.

“How’s the stock market doing lately?”

“Election season is coming up. There’s volatility, but I tend to buy more during times [Read on Read BL Novels]like this, so Read on Read BL NovelsI [visit our site]don’t worry too much.”

Although he helped with the work at ‘Abrazo,’ Vincent’s real profession was a stock trader. Having started trading in high school, he had quite a good intuition. Though he didn’t tell Matteo and Lina, he was already making profits that far exceeded the starting salary of a Wall Street recruit.

“How about you? Tell me about the Lockhart estate. Do you spend all day there with the youngest of that house?”

Having heard Elian’s monotonous daily schedule as a residential consultant, Vincent asked while munching on potato chips.

“What about Lorenz Lockhart? Does he even deal with the consultant directly?”

Lorenz Lockhart.

At the mention of that name, Elian’s Adam’s apple hitched for a moment as he swallowed his beer.

“The first impression… wasn’t great.”

“Why, what was he like?”

“The feeling that common sense doesn’t apply to him?”

Vincent burst into a cheerful laugh, as if he had expected that.

“Well, of course it would.”

“What do you mean, ‘of course’?”

“Common sense is a set of rules and sensibilities shared among most people. But that guy is a Lockhart. Wasn’t the wealth he inherited at birth already tens of millions of dollars? He’s probably never mixed with ordinary people in his life. A Lockhart would have grown up learning ‘Lockhart-style’ common sense.”

“Certainly… it did feel like that.”

Elian agreed.

Taking another sip of beer, Vincent reached for the potato chips.

“But saying the first impression was ‘not great’ implies that it’s gotten a bit better, right?”