The Contract

by D. C. Hall

  “What about a paint shop?”

  “You want to sell paint?”

  “No, it’s like one of those places that you paint ceramics.”

  “That seems a little more up your alley.” Nathan yawned and stretched. A very tired Williams stumbled into the kitchen, hair sticking in all directions.

  “S’there coffee?” He muttered, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

  “Yeah, I just made a pot.” Nathan answered. Williams waved to Brad before making his way over to the coffee pot. He poured a cup slowly, having to focus more than he liked.

  “You gonna make it, man?” Brad asked and got a feeble nod in response. “He wakes up harder than you do.”

  “You want to listen to Brad's ideas with me?” Nathan questioned.

  “Too sleepy.” Williams replied. He kissed Nathan on the top of the head before making his way out of the room with his coffee. Brad was aware of Nathan watching him leave. Nathan looked back at his brother and sat back in his seat.

  “What?” Nathan asked, seeing the look he was getting.

  “I should probably just keep it to myself this time. You get a little on edge when you’re sleepy.”

  “I do not!”

  “See?”

  “Whatever, let's just get back to what we were talking about.” Nathan took a long sip of his coffee. “You were talking about ceramics.”

  “Right,” Brad sat down across from him and cleared his throat. “There's actually something in particular that I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Please don't say Eugene.” Nathan said exasperated.

  “No, I've decided to let you figure that out on your own. It's about finances.” He watched as Nathan furrowed his brow.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I’m confidant that I could get a business up and running. But, I'm not great at handling numbers.”

  “…You want me to refer you to somebody?” Nathan asked. Brad smiled sheepishly.

  “Not exactly. I wanted to know if you wanted to be a business partner.”

  “I couldn't do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…” Nathan started but wasn't sure where to go with it. “I'm already in a five year contract. I can't just up and quit.” That was a good way to bring up Williams without making it about feelings, right?

  “I'm not saying you have to quit. It'll take a while to get anything off the ground anyway. I just want you to think about it.” Brad said and Nathan sighed.

  “I guess I could think about it.”

  “But if you did quit, there’d be one good thing.”

  “What?” Nathan asked.

  “Eugene wouldn't be your boss anymore.”

  “And why is that good?”

  “If he's not your boss, maybe you could actually ask him out.” Brad stated with a smile. Nathan thought for a long moment.

  “… Or, he says no. Then, I lose a really well paying job, and lose him altogether.” He wasn’t sure why Brad looked so excited.

  “So, you would ask him out?” Brad grinned. Nathan silently swore at himself. He rolled his eyes.

  “Brad, could you not do this?”

  “Come on. I’m your brother. You can talk to me.”

  “Fine, I like him. I like him a lot.” Nathan said. He was tired of arguing with his brother. He went to take another drink from his cup.

  “It’s about time.” Came a voice from the kitchen door. Nathan accidentally spit part of his coffee from shock. Brad swore and grabbed his plans the best he could to keep them from getting wet.

  “Gertrude, that wasn't what it sounded like.” She stared at him with arms crossed. “Okay, it was, but I need you to not tell him that I said that.”

  “I'll keep your little secret.” She replied and sat down at the table. “Besides, I couldn't tell him if I wanted to, right now. He's passed out in the foyer.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I still think you aught to talk to him though.” She said.

  “I can’t. What if he doesn't feel the same?” He blushed when the other two laughed.

  “I think the spot on the side of your neck says otherwise.” Gertrude teased. Nathan blushed deeper before covering the side of his neck with his hand.

  “I knew I should have worn a turtleneck, today.”

  ***

  Nathan had been avoiding asking Williams all day about his feelings. He had reached the point that he couldn't get himself to do it. There was a fear that Williams would say that he didn't feel the same. Nathan wouldn't be able to look him in the eye after that. However, he did have another question that would give him an idea.

  Williams was relaxing with a book in the foyer. He was going back to the factory tomorrow. So, he wanted to relax while he could. Nathan came in and sat on the ottoman. It had become custom for them. If he wanted to relax, Nathan would have laid to where his head would rest on the other man's chest, but that wasn't what he was here for.

  “Can I get your advise on something?” Nathan asked, drawing Williams’s attention. He sat the book down to give him his full attention.

  “Sure.”

  “So, Brad asked me something earlier and I want to know what you think.” Nathan said and chewed on the inside of his jaw. “He wants me to be his business partner.”

  “Are you going to do it?” Williams asked.

  “I don't know. The problem is that if he gets something up and running soon, I don't know if I could do that and this job.” Nathan stated. He wasn't looking at Williams. So, he didn't see the crestfallen expression on the other man. Williams opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. “If it came down to choosing, what do you think I should do?” Williams had to think for a long moment. He knew he wanted Nathan to stay. But, could he be that selfish? This was an opportunity to work with his brother.

  “I think you should do whichever one is going to make you happier.” Williams answered. It was a generic answer, he knew, but it was an honest one. Nathan seemed to not think it was a good enough answer.

  “No, Eugene, I'm asking what YOU think I should do.” All he needed was for him to say he wanted him to stay, and he would be content. Williams was thinking. He felt like Nathan was expecting a certain answer. Although, he didn’t know why. So, he didn’t know which answer he wanted. He bit his lower lip.

  “Maybe, you should go with your brother.” The look he got told him that wasn’t the right answer. But, the damage had been done.

  “Fuck you.” Nathan said and stood. Williams was taken aback.

  “What the hell?” He questioned as he got up from his seat. “Why are you mad at me?”

  “You know why.” Nathan growled and crossed his arms. The way he took it was that Williams was rejecting him. Williams saw it as him trying to let Nathan be happy.

  “No, I really don’t.”

  “Then, think about it, Eugene. Well, I guess I should call you Mr. Williams, now.”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You haven’t called me by my last name in months.” He’d never felt so offended by his own name. Nathan just clenched his jaw and looked at him. Williams shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “You’re really not going to explain this to me, are you?”

  “No,” Nathan responded.

  “Fine, call me when you’re done being an ass.” Williams said before stomping away to his room. Nathan watched him leave before deflating. Maybe, he was being stupid, but he was too mad right now to care. Instead of going to his own room, he decided to go upstairs. His intention was to find the piano and get rid of some of his frustration. However, that didn't work when he realized that he didn't remember the way.

  “It was just straight back and to the left, right?” He asked himself. He scratched the back of his head before turning around. His stomach seemed to sink. Nothing looked familiar. Surely, he could find his way back to the foyer. It couldn't be that hard, could it? An hour later told him that it could be that hard. Now, the anger in him
was being replaced by confusion and frustration. Eventually, he opened a door and went into the room to take a break. It was a bedroom that was considerably fancier than what Nathan's or Williams’s had been done.

  He sat on the side of the bed and pulled out his phone. It would be embarrassing to call for help even if he hadn't snipped at Williams. But he wanted to get back to the foyer. He sighed before typing in Williams’s number and hitting dial. It rang for a bit, and Nathan was starting to wonder if he would even answer him. He was about to give up when he finally got a response.

  “You know, when I said call me, I didn’t mean that literately.” Williams said. There was some amusement in his voice, but the majority was still annoyance. Nathan couldn’t really blame him. Maybe, he should have asked a few more questions instead of jumping to swearing at him.

  “I mean I would have just come found you, but I have a problem.” Nathan responded and heard a sigh from the other end.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I'm lost.” Nathan stated and there was silence for a moment.

  “I didn’t hear your car. Where did you go?” Williams questioned.

  “No, I mean I’m lost in the house. I was going to play the piano to blow off some steam, and now, I can’t find my way back.” Nathan was sure he heard a chuckle of the other side.

  “What room are you in?”

  “It’s a bedroom. There’s a big portrait of a woman.”

  “I know where you are. I'll be there soon.” Williams said before ending the call. Nathan put his phone away and waited. It was fifteen minutes before Williams got to the room. How far back had he gone?

  “Hey, you found me. Now, we can get back to the foyer.” Nathan said, standing up. Williams sat on the edge of the bed and gave him a hard look. Nathan took the hint and sat back down with a sigh.

  “You want to tell me why you got mad at me?” Williams questioned, irritation still strong in his voice.

  “I’d rather not.”

  “You told me ‘fuck you’ over a question. I think I deserve a little bit of an answer.”

  “…Can I ask another question first?” Nathan asked. Williams groaned and rubbed his face.

  “Sure,” he replied. Nathan knew he better make this good.

  “If it came down to me working with my brother or keep working for you, which would you rather happen?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “Just humor me. If you got to be completely selfish about it, which would you rather?” Nathan asked. Williams looked confused and exasperated. Why was Nathan asking these sorts of questions? “Please?”

  “Okay, I'll answer you.” Williams said. “If I was the one to choose, I’d tell you that I wanted you to stay.”

  “Really?” Nathan responded, seeming to perk up.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Then, why didn't you say that earlier?”

  “…Why are you so worried about what I want? This should be about what's going to make you happy.”

  “But I know that I'll be happy either way. I just don't want to have any regrets about this.” Nathan sighed and slumped down.

  “What do you think you would regret?” Williams asked. His anger was gone at this point. This was obviously wearing on him.

  “I don't want to miss out working with my brother, but I…” He stopped and took a breath before looking to Williams. His eyes looked almost pained. It made him want to wrap him in his arms and hold him close. “If I leave, what does that mean for us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean is that it for us? Do we just go separate ways?”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “No! Of course not.” His eyes were starting to water. He wiped one eye with the heel of his palm.

  “Come here.” Williams said softly and tugged at the other man. Nathan followed and let himself be wrapped in his arms. His head propped on Williams's shoulder. “Even if you go with Brad, I’m still going to be your friend. We might not see each other every day, but my door will always be open to you.” He kissed Nathan's forehead and brushed away a tear.

  “What about this?” Nathan asked and gestured towards them.

  “Hmm?”

  “Are we still going to have a physical relationship, or are the hugs, the kisses, and sleeping together going to stop?” Nathan felt the arms around him tighten.

  “How about we do whatever comes natural?” Williams asked and got a nod in response. “Now, are you done being upset with me?”

  “Yeah, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just felt like you were going to try to push me away.” He felt himself being pulled into the other man's lap.

  “Oh, sweetheart. I'm never going to push you away.” Williams said and kissed his cheek. Nathan felt his heart flutter. Both at being called sweetheart and the comfort in his words. Nathan turned his head slightly and caught the other man's lips with his. He placed his hand on Williams’s cheek gently like that would hold him there longer. Both felt like their heads were swimming with idea that the other might actually feel the way that they did.

  ***

  Not much happened over the next few weeks. Williams had been a little run down over the fact it had been a year since his father died. That was chased quickly by the fact that he and Nathan had known each other for a year. It was like an odd anniversary. The two had started looking for signs that the other felt a romantic connection. It was hard to decipher considering how they acted with each other most of the time. Which raised a question. How much would actually change if they were dating?

  “What are you going to get?” Nathan asked, looking over his menu. Williams was slouched slightly in his side of the booth.

  “I'm not sure yet.” He answered. They hadn't actually gone to dinner with each other before, but Williams had come back exhausted from the factory and suggested that they go out for something to eat. Nathan had accepted while trying not to grin like an idiot. It was even harder when he saw what Williams was wearing. It was some clothes that Gertrude had gotten him for Christmas. He had jeans and sneakers. His shirt was still a button up, but this one was a blue plaid. It was the most casual that Nathan had seen him, and he loved it. “What do you think you'll get?”

  “Probably just a burger and fries.” Nathan responded and got a small nod from Williams. “Work really wore you out today, didn’t it?”

  “I had a really big order come in. Everybody is working their ass off to get it done. So, I’ve been trying to keep up with them.” Williams answered before yawning. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall asleep before they even got their food.

  “How big of an order was it?” Nathan asked.

  “Four thousand arm chairs.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said.” Williams said. He closed the menu and sat it down. “It’s an order from a hotel owner in the next city over. He’s friends with one of my employees. I think his name is Julio.”

  “The hotel guy or the one working for you?” Nathan asked.

  “The one that owns the hotel. The guy that works for me is named Tom. I think he's one of the best guys I have. After this order, I'm thinking about promoting him.”

  “I take it, he does a good job.”

  “He does great. Tom is the one that has shown me how to do most everything there. He works hard, and he’s fast.” Williams yawned again and stretched. Not long after, the waiter came and took their order. Williams sipped on his ice water while they waited. “There’s one thing about work I wanted to get your opinion on.”

  “What’s that?”

  “What would you think about some of my art pieces printed on upholstery for some of the furniture?” He waited while Nathan thought.

  “I personally think it would be a good idea, but you may want to make a test piece first.” Nathan answered, and Williams nodded again. Their food arrived and they didn’t talk much through the meal. After they were finished, they sat for a little while. “You’ve really t
hrown yourself into work lately.”

  “I guess so.” Williams responded, sipping his water. Nathan reached over and placed his hand on Williams’s.

  “I’m really happy about what you've been doing. You could have just as easily stayed home and not bothered with it.” He said with a smile.

  “Honestly, if I had chosen a different accountant, that's probably what would have happened. I'm glad that you held me accountable.” Williams replied softly. He shifted their hands to where their fingers were intertwined. “Have you thought more about working with your brother?” He asked.

  “Yeah,” Nathan chewed his lower lip before continuing. “I think I'm going to join Brad… Are you mad at me?”

  “Of course not.” Williams squeezed his hand for reassurance. “But I would like you to recommend me another accountant.”

  “Are they going to be a live in accountant too?” Nathan asked. He wouldn't show it, but he felt a twinge of worry at that. Williams chuckled and shook his head.

  “It'll be completely professional.” He said, grinning at Nathan with bright eyes. After a moment, his smile started to fade. “It's going to be weird not seeing you all the time.”

  “I know, but we'll still see each other.” Nathan replied. “Now, how about we get out of here?” Williams nodded. On the way out Nathan paid for their meal. Williams had been going to get it, but Nathan didn't intend on letting him. Instead, he told him that he could get the next one. They went out to Nathan's car before getting in. Williams put his hand on Nathan's cheek and gently pulled him into a kiss. Nathan closed his eyes as he leaned into the affection, heart fluttering.

  “What was that for?” He asked.

  “Because I wanted to.” Williams responded. Nathan gave a huff of a laugh before leaning back in, moving his mouth over the other man’s. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, they pulled apart and Nathan started the car. He drove them back to the mansion while holding Williams’s hand in his.

  ***

  Neither of them had thought about the issues that might rise out of the world’s richest man having dinner with another man. However, the next day, they were going to find out fully. Nathan was sitting alone in his office, working on sorting the newest invoices. Williams was at work. Gertrude and Theodore had left after the first of the year. So, by all accounts, Nathan knew he should be completely alone. Which is why he jumped and yelped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.