He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen - Not so Fairytale Romance

With tender buttocks and aching hips, Owen was swung into a princess carry as the two youths left the hotel, which was paid for courtesy of his father's long abused credit card.  There was no shyness nor shame, in fact he laughed as he clung to the strong neck, enjoying the well shaped arms that held him.  Adam grinned in return, his eyes only holding this boy in their sights, ignoring the looks of distaste, envy and greed.  They remained this way until the car park, where Adam carefully eased his lover into the purloined car, before slipping into the drivers side.  He reminded him, overcautiously, to buckle his seatbelt, before hitting the road towards the town Owen resided in.  As it happened, all this time, they were just a couple of towns apart and no more than forty minutes drive, so the extra travelling was no hardship.

They bickered over which music to play for Adam preferred dance mixes with repetitive beats and loud bass, while Owen liked old school rock.  In the end, they ended up listening to national radio, singing along to the tracks they knew or making up their own words when they didn't.  They prolonged the journey, unnecessarily, by sweeping through a drive-thru and grabbing burgers and soft drinks.  Not a healthy breakfast for sure, but neither really cared at that moment.

When they pulled up outside Owen's home, the boy noticed that there was no sign of the car nor the driver.  That was a good sign, he felt, so he invited Adam in for coffee.  Naturally, he did not refuse.  Though he would have to return home as he had to work in the morning and was unlikely to see Owen in person for a while, at this moment they could be together.  Why not enjoy it.  Owen was aware of Adam's preference from their previous lives; he disliked instant coffees and teas, so he dug out the percolator one of the nanny's had left behind and the ground coffee from the back of the fridge and made a fresh pot.  "Could you grab the milk?"

"Why is there no fresh produce in your fridge?"  Adam asked.  "And why does it appear that Frankenstein attempted to experiment with food?"  He was referring to the 'home made' dishes.

"I can't actually cook?" Owen confessed.  In this life, he had not needed too... in fact he hadn't needed to learn in any of his lives since Warren and even then his skill was basic. "I've been living with live-in nanny's since small.  They had reasonable cooking skills.  But I have been on my own for a while now.  Those were left by one of the cleaner's who feels sorry for me."

"Feels sorry?" Adam questioned.  "I'd feel sorry for anyone she cooks for!  Fine, looks like I'll be taking care of you again."  He was not displeased when he spoke these words. 

Owen groaned, recalling several dishes that this man had put before him in their previous lives.  "You'll ruin by tastebuds!  I'll never be satisfied with anyone else's food again."  Adam placed the milk before him and wrapped his arms around his thin body, leaning his chin upon the's boy's shoulder. 

"And this is a bad thing?" He asked.  Owen chuckled and stretched to place a kiss upon his lips, wincing as his hips protested.  Adam rubbed the small of his back for a moment, satisfied when the boy leaned into his touch. This peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of a watch chime and Owen abandoned the coffee to Adam as he fished around in his coat pocket. He withdrew a black metal wristwatch with a white face. Three black crystals lined up in a row towards the twelve point.  He strapped the watch on to his wrist.  "Is that a Jackson and Miller?"

"Yeah," Owen laughed.  "Ironic.  I usually give away or bin anything related to that company, but for some reason, I liked this watch!"

Adam chortled along with him, revealing his ice white watch with a black face and three cloudy crystals embedded.  "And I wondered how I managed to come across a Jackson and Miller watch at such a low price," he lowered his voice slightly.  "I thought it might be a knock off, but I got it verified, so I was a bit worried that it was stolen instead."