Chapter Text
The room laid before Link was incredible. The clean, white and blue furniture and compliment art was basked in the same natural light that greeted the rest of the house, but, the way in which the light entered was what truly impressed him. The two far walls had been knocked down and replaced with an accordian style glass door, already opened to greet him with a balcony overlooking the ocean. He stepped into the room, dropping his backpack onto the floor near the desk and turned his body to look at Josh, who had been watching his reaction to the area closely. He smiled at Link, entering the room and rolling the suitcase along with him.
“I knew you’d like it.”
“I love it. Holy shit, Josh, it’s like I’m in some sort of crazy fantasy. Are you sure I’m not dreaming.”
“Nah, because then I’d probably be wearing nothing but a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron.” They both laughed as Link smacked his arm playfully, “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it before!”
“I haven’t.”
“If you say so. We’re grilling a few things in a couple of hours, so take your time getting ready for dinner. But, if you don’t feel like joining us and want to rest instead, text me and I’ll bring a plate up to you.”
Josh closed the door as he exited, and Link fell back onto the bed, stretching, but not getting too comfortable. He sat up, leaning over to pull off his shoes, rub his sore feet, and go over his personal things to do: Take a shower, unpack, go eat. Wait, no. Unpack, take a shower, get dressed, eat. With the others or alone? With the others. It would be rude to eat up here. With a sigh, he stood, reaching for and pulling his suitcase and backpack close to his person, following through with his plan. He turned on the water in the very large shower and undressed while it reached the temperature he was comfortable with. There were two other doors in the bathroom, one, he found, was for towels, the other locked. He figured it was none of his business and brushed it off, continuing on.
He found the others outside once he returned downstairs. Tall, metal torches lined the perimeter of the deck, all lit and illuminating their particular section. Josh stood in front of a large grill at one end, Chase nursing a beer and entertaining him, both basked beneath a light that covered their area and a set dinner table and chairs, an assortment of sides and desserts laid out. using tongs to clasp onto and turn over whatever he was cooking. The other two that he had previously met, Jen and Alex, sat on an L-shaped couch around a burning fire pit at the other end of the deck, close to a staircase that led to the beach, chatting and laughing. Link couldn’t truly get over the fact that every single item in and around the house looked as though it was worth more than he was, or how it was all placed to look photo-ready.
His feet drew him toward Josh, but he paused when he heard Alex's voice, looking over to see him waving Link over to the couch. He joined them, gratefully taking a cold, open beer that Alex handed him, thanking him after taking a sip.
“So, Link,” Alex began after a minute, taking a sip of his own beer, “what brings you here?”
“Oh, well, you know.” He cleared his throat, rubbing his own leg with his free hand. “Just needed a change of pace for a while. The boss gave me the go-ahead, and now I’m here for the week.” He brought the bottle to his lips. “And you two?”
“Pretty much the same,” Jen answered. “Accumulated a bit of vacation time at our respective jobs, got to get away for a bit.”
“Yeah, I work for a production company, Chase is in the editing department, and Jen, actually, is from a sister company in Canada.”
“Wow,” Link reached for a nearby napkin to wipe the dribble left from pulling the bottle away too soon, dabbing at his mouth, “Canada?”
“Yeah,” Jen replied, “These guys are all trying to get them to transfer me down here because they send me to California a lot to help out.”
“If you like it down here, then do it.” Link smiled.
“See? That’s what we said!” Alex chimed in, laughing before finishing off his beer and collecting another one. Shortly after, Josh called them to the table.
Grilled chicken and corn-on-the-cob had been added to the array of dishes already on the table, and, once everyone was sat, Josh cleared his throat.
“Before we eat, I want to thank everyone for being around the table tonight, and Chase for helping me prepare these dishes. I really appreciate it.”
“This looks absolutely incredible, guys,” Link licked his lips, his stomach growling as it realized it’s famished state. It had just dawned on him that his only meal that day had been a bowl of cereal in the morning. He raised his bottle, the others joining in, “to Josh and Chase.”
“To Josh and Chase.” Came two unfamiliar voices from the doorway.
All heads turned, and sounds of surprised excitement escaped all but Link. Two blondes, one man looking just about his own age and one woman, who seemed to be a decade younger, headed over to the table just as the others clamored to greet them. Both were attractive, but Link was unable to tear his eyes away from the man, who towered above even he. His blonde curls were coiffed, and his beard was styled in a way that reminded one of a model. Though he was tall, his demeanor and mannerisms made him look smaller, those around him comfortable and at ease. His rosey cheeks were more pronounced thanks to his smile, and his eyes squinted when he grinned. He was fit, and slim, and wore a t-shirt and jeans, but seemed as though it was a more tailored style. This unnamed man was, perhaps, the most beautiful man Link had ever seen. It wasn’t until he trailed his eyes back up to the man’s face that Link realized the man was staring right back at him.
“Do I have something on my face?” The man’s grin didn’t falter, but there was a sort of accusatory tone in his voice. Link had already made a bad impression on someone he hadn’t even had the chance to speak to.
“Uh, no.” Link hoped he wasn’t as red-faced as he felt, as the others turned to look at him. “Just admiring your shoes, buddy.” ‘Buddy?’ Why the hell did I say ‘buddy?’
“Oh, these?” He looked down at his shoes, a clean pair of red Adidas that complimented his outfit. “Thanks.”
“Yeah,no problem, buddy.”
Though the man seemed to want to say something else, Josh reached over and wrapped his arm around Link’s waist, pulling him closer to the group. “Rhett, Stevie, this is Link. He’ll be staying here for the week too. Isn’t that exciting?”
“Very exciting,” the woman, Stevie, replied. Rhett had his eyes fixed on Josh’s hand, but Stevie’s slight nudge to his side caused him to tear his eyes away from it and look at Josh.
“I’m sure we’ll all have fun.” He chimed in. Link could swear that the smile he showed now was forced.
Pulling away from Link, Josh led everyone back to the table, Rhett and Stevie sitting across from Link.
“Alright, everyone,” Josh began after the two newcomers had received drinks, “now that we’re all here and settled, dig in.”
Dinner was concluded an hour and a half later, followed by a couple of more hours of playful banter, and a fifteen minute clean-up thanks to a team effort. Link was able to slip away easily as the night wound down, wishing everyone a peaceful night and climbing the stairs. He set his phone on its charger, changing into a pair of comfortable pajama bottoms, and opted to wear a pair of noise cancelling headphones before throwing himself onto the bed. Suddenly, the full weight of the day’s travels set itself upon him, and his eyelids were no longer able to remain open. He drifted off into a deep slumber, the restlessness he had felt earlier that day, as well as the day before, subsiding completely, granting him an adequate night’s sleep.
He was awoken by a sudden chill, bolting upright but ultimately realizing his mistake as his head pounded in response. Giving himself a few minutes to recuperate, he swung his legs over the bed and stood, walking over to the open accordion door and sliding it shut, masking the pitch dark scene outside with the heavy curtains. Realizing he needed to relieve himself, he headed to the restroom. The smell of citrus filled the room, and, in his stupor, couldn’t fully understand why the steam from his shower hours before hadn’t fully let out of the area. Allowing his pants to fall around his ankles, he stood before the toilet and released the never-ending stream of whatever craft beer they had selected earlier on his behalf out into the ceramic bowl, an unintentional sigh of relief escaping his lips.
He hadn’t noticed a surprised Rhett standing in the open door of the shower until he turned around.