Chapter 7 - His Twin Flame

As they made their way through the city streets, Kalvin wondered what the evening would bring.

Answers hopefully. He wasn’t one to be so uncertain about things.

Once he was at Aian’s rather poor excuse for an apartment, Kalvin stepped out of the vehicle to make his way to the door. Thumping footsteps answered his knock before the door was thrown wide to reveal a mop of fluffy midnight black hair which curls up at odd angles and a cheeky grin on his freckled face.

“Hi! Um, I just have to grab my shoes,” Aian ducked his head as though suddenly shy. “You can come in for a minute if you want.”

He scampered off and Kalvin cautiously stepped inside. A glance around revealed a rather cramped space filled with things of varying quality and usefulness.

A clothes rack in the corner, photos covering a wall, and knick knacks on the desk. But it pleased him to see the new camera and accessories all unboxed and splayed out across a little coffee table by the scruffy looking couch.

It appeared as though Aian had already started playing with his new toys.

“All right! I’m ready.”

His twin flame wore a dark pair of jeans and a nice shirt, tidying up much better than his rather scruffy appearance yesterday suggested.

He led the way outside, pausing while Aian locked up, before opening the door for him to get into the limo.

The photographer flushed at the door being held open for him and quickly climbed inside.

Aian seemed rather uncomfortable and fidgety until Kalvin got him chattering away about his day after which the grin came back and those emerald eyes sparkled as he exclaimed over the new camera.

The raven head was practically bouncing in his seat by the time they arrived at the restaurant.

Kalvin got to see the return of the adorable little blush after Aian exited the limo and he placed his hand on the small of his back to guide him.

There were a number of people lined up outside, hoping to get a seat at the exclusive restaurant for the night. Eyes turned towards them and many people stared enviously as they skipped the line.

“Pinky? I’ve heard of this place. Isn’t it super hard to get a reservation here?”

“The owner is an old acquaintance of mine,” Kalvin said as he glanced down at the awe-filled face staring at the grand entryway. “She was more than happy to give us a table provided she got to meet you.”

“So, you do have friends.”

“You sound so surprised. She is the widow of one of my subordinates. He died on the clock working for me so I gave her something to throw herself in to before grief took over. I invested in this place, and she’s made quite a name for herself. I hold numerous lunch meetings and functions with big name clients here and in return, she juggles reservations for me should I choose to drop by even for a simple lunch or dinner.”

“What was he doing that he died while working for you?” Aian asked hesitantly.

“Do you really want to know?” gray eyes pierced emerald.

“I… no. Not right now at least,” Aian gave a small, uncomfortable shrug. “I don’t want to ruin the night just because I’m curious.”

Kalvin was unable to reply as a short pink haired woman strode up to them and threw her arms around him. “K!”

Aian looked at them wide eyed.

“And this cute young thing must be your one and only twin flame!” she pulled a very uncomfortable looking Aian into a hug.

She chuckled as she let go. “Ah, I’m sorry, I was raised by a family of huggers and I forget that not everyone is like me! But aren’t you so cute! K, you old pomeranian dog, of course you get such an attractive little cutie as your twin flame.”

Aian seemed unable to do anything but just stared with rounded eyes, but the cute blush was already making a reappearance.

“Aian, this is Nettie Pena, the owner of this fine establishment. Nettie, this is my twin flame, Aian Creeshia.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pena.”

“Please, no need to be so formal,” she laughed. “Just call me by my name, please. I’m not a stickler for formality when it comes to friends. Now, I have the perfect table for you both. It’s a lovely warm summer evening and I’m sure you have lots to talk about, so I’ve set up a private little balcony upstairs for you. If you both would follow me.”

Nettie led them up a flight of stairs and through a busy dining hall to a small open door near the back of the room. It opened onto a balcony just like she had said, with a small table for two tucked off to the side, out of sight from the door, that was complete with candles, flowers, and a bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of ice.

He raised his eyebrows at Nettie in question and she grinned back at him, looking very smug.

A very private, romantic dinner for two.

She certainly outdid herself this time. She helped them both to their seats before pulling out the bottle of champagne and showing it to them.

“Please have this one on the house as a gift from me. Congratulations to you both!” she poured them a glass each and sat the bottle back down in the ice. “When you are ready to order or need anything, just press this button,” she gestured to a small square device with a big button in the middle that was sitting to the side of the table. “And one of my staff will come out to serve you, otherwise they will leave you alone. I know how much you value your privacy, K. Now, please enjoy your evening.”

Nettie gave them both a smile before leaving.

“Uhh…”

Kalvin looked over to see Aian staring wide eyed and blushed at the candles and flowers sitting on the table. He chuckled, earning himself a glare.

“I only asked for a table. Nettie did the rest on her own accord. Just relax and enjoy the meal. I can promise you, the food is exceptional.”

Aian frowned as he looked around. “It’s hard to relax at such a fancy place like this. Well, at least we aren’t sitting out on the main floor, I guess. That would be worse. I just feel so out of place,” he gave an embarrassed shrug.

“I get that this place probably has a lot of meaning for you considering what you said earlier but next time, it doesn’t have to be so expensive. In fact, I would prefer if it wasn’t. You really don’t have to spend so much money on me,” Aian continued.

“And what if I want to?” he asked, curious to see how his stubborn twin flame would respond.

“And if I tell you no?” his twin flame countered, jade eyes glaring at him with fiery defiance.

Now that was a nice expression.

“Money is arbitrary to me. I only want to share nice things with my twin flame. Is that so bad?”

Aian huffed in response. “It is if I don’t want it. You really need to learn that no is no.”

Kalvin made a non- committal sound, and those lovely eyes flashed at him in annoyance.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask… how old are you? I mean, if that’s not rude or anything.”

“Thirty and yourself?”

“Wow, you don’t seem that old. I’m twenty- three. That’s a big age gap.”

Kalvin’s eyebrows shot up at the insinuation. “I’m not old,” he replied, slightly indignant while Aian snickered. “And I’ve seen bigger age gaps. No one cares if it’s your twin flame. Not that you should put stock in what other people think. Now, let’s see about ordering, shall we?”

The evening was pleasant, and contrary to what Aian had said earlier, he did relax once the menu was removed from his hands and he was distracted with the  food.

Aian’s eyes went wide at the prices on the menu and he nearly choked on the champagne once he found out how much it was worth but a few well placed questions to get him to talk and the raven head forgot all about it.

He didn’t let himself get quite so distracted with Kalvin’s questions this time and asked several of his own in return.

Kalvin felt more relaxed than he had in a long time and was genuinely intrigued by the young man in front of him.

Just like his memories of the day before, the photographer lit up with excitement, gesturing wildly with his chopsticks while he recounted some crazy tale of him nearly getting caught on a stake out for a dodgy politician.

His laughter was infectious and Kalvin couldn’t help but chuckle at his wild antics. He watched as emotions flickered across Aian’s face as he expressed delight over the food, curiosity over Kalvin himself, and excitement over shared stories.

A contented silence settled over them once the last of the dessert was finished off by an enthusiastic Aian.

“It would make a good picture,” the photographer said, breaking their silence as he stared wistfully out at the lights of the city.

“It would be better from the railing I imagine,” Kalvin replied, gesturing for Aian to take a look and the photographer excused himself to walk over to the railing.

“We aren’t very high up, yet it seems like the rush of the city is just background noise here. The lights are pretty too, they seem very peaceful for a city that doesn’t sleep,” Aian held his hands up in front of his own face, making a rectangle between his fingers as though mimicking looking through his viewfinder.

Kalvin was suddenly struck by how Aian looked, the lights from the city below played across the photographer’s face, framing his wistful smile.

He was moving forward before he even registered that he had stood.

Kalvin reached out and turned Aian around before pressing him back against the railing, trapping him with his body and the cage of his arms.

“Wha-?”

He reached out and trailed his hand across Aian’s freckled cheek and running a thumb over his lips. Wide emerald green eyes stared up at him and he could feel the pulsing heart beat racing under his fingers.

Without thinking, Kalvin leaned down and captured Aian’s lips in a kiss.

The photographer tensed for a moment before he melted against him.

Kalvin wrapped an arm around the small waist and pulled him closer while Aian reached up to wrap his arms around his neck, fingers tangling in his ash blonde hair.

A small teasing bite to his lip and Aian opened his mouth with a small gasp. Tongues tangled, teeth nipping and biting gently, both feeling and tracing each others mouths like you would a painting under your fingertips.

Exquisite. 

Kalvin could feel desire welling up and his control was already fraying around the edges with his need to take and possess.

Another small moan rumbled out from Aian’s throat and Kalvin knew.

This was the answer he had been seeking in the dead of night.

Twin Flame.

Mine.