Desperate (MxM)

Chapter 2

His eyes snapped open from the feeling of someone breathing down his neck. Ash quickly reached out to the lamp beside him and turned it on. He looked around but found nothing. He sat up, looked out the window, and saw it was already nighttime. Ash heaved himself off the bed with a deep sigh before turning on the lights. 

He spotted a tray of food on the coffee table in his room. When it registered to him that he had a coffee table in his room, Ash was in shock at the size of the room that was given to him. It was three times bigger than the studio apartment if it even be called that. His old apartment didn't even have a private bathroom, they had to use a communal one. Just the memory of the bathroom alone made him shiver in disgust. 

Ash walked over to the tray of food and noticed a note beside it.

You looked like you needed the rest. Eat your dinner and rest some more, your training will start tomorrow.

 Sir Edford

His stomach rumbled after seeing the note. Ash hasn't eaten the whole day. Quite frankly, he didn't feel hungry, he was too anxious. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the knife and fork from the table. What looked like grilled chicken with sauteed vegetables was on his plate. Ash never had a full meal like this in years.

He wanted to savor each and every bite but his hunger overtook his actions and he devoured the food, leaving the plate empty sooner than he wished. Luckily for him, there was a plate of dessert waiting for him but it was too, soon gone. Ash heaved a satisfied sigh and piled the dishes on his tray. He felt bad leaving the tray in his room so he decided to bring it to the kitchen. 

Ash walked out of his room with the tray in hand and was greeted by the dimly lit hallways. Ash felt unnerved but kept walking anyway. He tried his best to remember where it was and luckily for him, he didn't get lost. Ash felt proud of himself when he reached the kitchen. He turned on the lights and started washing the dishes in the sink. 

Ash felt as if someone was watching him as he washed the dishes. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up but he ignored it and continued washing his dishes. Ash just attributed it to his lack of rest so he quickly finished up and walked back to his room. As he reached the door to his room, Ash noticed that the Master's door is slightly open. It made him shiver once again.

Ash wondered if he should close the door but it suddenly slammed shut. ash flinched at the sound the door made. He wasn't expecting it to be that loud. Ash shook his head and went back inside his room. He knew the Master wasn't here but he was too tired to care at this point. He'll just ask Sir Edford tomorrow. 

The next day came and Ash awoke before Sir Edford knocked on his door. He stood up and opened the door. 

"Good Morning, Ash. Glad you're already awake. You always wake up this early" Sir Edford asked. 

"Yeah, I'm used to waking up early."

"Well, that's good. I'll just grab your dishes and I'll meet you in the dining room for breakfast."

"Oh, I already washed them last night," Ash said, eliciting a shocked reaction from Sier Edford.

"What time?" Sir Edford asked in a slightly harsh tone.

Ash was confused. He was never told that he could not go out of his room late at night.

"I-I don't know. All I knew is that it was pretty late at night," Ash said. "Sorry, I didn't know I can't go out at night."

Sir Edford sighed. "No, no. You are allowed to go out at night. Forgive me for that. Please get ready and meet me downstairs," Sir Edford said before walking away from the door.

Ash just shrugged it off, thinking that Sir Edford might just be wary of him still. Ash closed his door and got ready for the day. Ash felt overwhelmed by the amount of clothes that he saw in the closet. He didn't realize that they provided him with so many clothes and all of them are in his size. Ash really needed to get his shit together. He couldn't let this opportunity go. 

Once he was done getting ready, he went down to the dining area where his food is already waiting for him and Sir Edford standing by the table.

"Have your breakfast and then I'll bring you to the kitchen so the chefs could train you with the cooking," Sir Edford said.

"Aren't you going to eat with me?" Ash asked as he sat down on the chair.

"We have already eaten our breakfast. Only you and the Master are allowed to eat here in the dining hall," Sir Edford explained.

"Oh," was all Ash was able to say. 

Ash felt awkward eating alone with Sir Edford just standing behind him. It made him feel pressured to finish his meal right away. He stood up to take his dishes to the kitchen but Sir Edford stopped him and took the dishes from him. Ash followed behind him as they walked into the kitchen. 

The kitchen was much more beautiful in the morning with the bay window letting in the sunlight. It gave a great view of the garden, the flowers seemingly shining against the sun. Marianna and Sussane were already waiting for them. They started his training in an instant and Ash quickly snapped into work, earning a satisfied grin from Sir Edford.

Ash was not expecting to spend the whole day in the kitchen alone. He had to learn where everything is stored and how everything worked. He also had to make almost every single one of the dishes that are exactly to the Master's liking. Lucky for himself, he was a fast learner and the two chefs left him a set of written instructions that he could always go back to. 

Ash was exhausted at the end of the day but he was also pretty satisfied with himself though he felt like he was about to explode with the amount of food that he 'tasted'. Marianna and Sussane were a delight to be with. He felt at home with them and it didn't take long for him to get comfortable with them. 

Ash learned that Sussane and Marianna are sisters and they've been working for the Master since they were eighteen. He could only guess that the Master was a good person seeing how his employees have stayed loyal to him for decades.

"How old is the Master?" Ash asked as he washed the dishes.

There was a slight pause before Marianne answered. 

"You'll have to ask him yourself."

"Why?" Ash asked.

"You just have to, sweetheart," Marianne replied.

Ash sighed at her response. They finished up cleaning the kitchen and Ash tried to sneak a few pieces of brownies but was caught by Sussanne. She grabbed a few brownies and placed them inside the Tupperware before handing them over to Ash. Despite feeling like his stomach was about to burst, Ash still had room for dessert.

He thanked the two ladies before heading back to his room. When he reached the hallway, he noticed that the door to his room was slightly ajar, and so is the door to the Master's bedroom. He ignored it and focused on his own door. He stood by it and pushed the door, letting it open on its own. He looked around inside the room after turning on the lights but found nothing suspicious so he went inside and closed the door behind him.

Ash couldn't even bother to change his clothes after removing his shoes and just flopped himself down on the bed. He could only hope that the next day would be less tedious than today but if he wants to keep this job, he'd have to just deal with it.