An Indian and His Tide (ManxMan)

8: Isn't That Scary?

Ranil woke up to find himself in the luxurious bed once again. He had gotten up and ready a lot earlier, not planning on staying another day caused him to wear the same thing as yesterday. Although, Roman had generously offered to wash Ranil's things in the washer and dryer. Isra was nowhere in sight at the flat, so Roman and Ranil both assumed she stayed at a hotel for the night.

Currently, the two men were in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Ranil was having Fruity Pebbles again while Roman quietly made oatmeal. He tore open a package of Quaker Oats and Ranil couldn't help but to smile. For some reason, he thought Roman had a personal chef, and that Roman's oatmeal would be more like, a man walking in with a fat hemp sack while announcing, "I have brought the finest oats from Scotland!" and then proceeding to cut the bag dramatically in half. Then glorious golden oats would pour out as another finely dressed man stepped in with a pitcher of creamy milk, "And the milkiest milk in all of.. er.. Iceland!" He would say with slight confusion and grandeur.

However, what Ranil got instead was a man with a stubbled face, sleepy expression and clothed in a red silk pajama set. Roman scratched his face and it sounded coarse from the new hair that was pushing through his chin. Ranil almost swooned at the sound. It was like sexy man angels, only wearing crisp white clothes around their hips, singing the word of God.

Then Roman ruined the moment when he put his bowl under the sink nozzle and began to put tap water in his oatmeal.

"What the hell?" Ranil asked loudly. He snapped his mouth shut as Roman turned to him.

"What?" His deep, sleep-laced voice grumbled, turning off the pipe.

Ranil was just speechless however. It could have been because of how hot Roman just sounded, but most likely: Why the hell was Roman putting tap water in his oatmeal?

Ranil's questioning and judgemental face made Roman glance around warily. "Is there a problem...?" Roman asked again.

The younger man just gapped like a fish. "What are you- Why are you? What the hell?" Ranil stuttered. Did that even taste good? "People actually put water in that?" Ranil asked astoundedly.

Roman looked at Ranil like he grew a second head. "Yeeeah?" Then he picked up the little brown paper bag that the oatmeal came in, "It says to add water and salt."

"But that's disgusting." Ranil said with a twisted face. Water in oatmeal? His mom would slap the brown off his skin before he could even comprehend water in oatmeal.

"What else am I supposed to use?" Roman asked rhetorically as he walked to the sleek black microwave.

"Gee, I dunno. How about milk, like the rest of the world?" Ranil suggested back. He walked to Roman and stopped him from putting the oatmeal in the microwave. "Lets try this again." He said taking the bowl away and pouring the water in the sink before throwing away the soggy oats.

Roman let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face sleepily. "Sure." He agreed absently.

Ranil briefly wondered why he was so tired before he grabbed the milk he was using off the island where he was eating and taking it to the opposite counter. He emptied out another packet of oatmeal in Roman's bowl before pouring milk into the oatmeal. When enough was in there he stopped, added a pinch of salt, and popped it in the microwave. Roman watched carefully and quietly and it made Ranil happy that he was paying attention to him. When the microwave beeped Ranil quickly pulled the bowl out and handed it to Roman. The man took it and sleepily looked in a drawer for a spoon. When he found one he went to where Ranil was standing previously at the island and sat his bowl down, stirring the oatmeal up.

Ranil went back to eating his own cereal but did so while peeping a glance at Roman ever so often. Roman was eating his oatmeal quietly. His eyes were a bit puffy, and his movements were sluggish. He must be tired.