Chapter 3 - The One At The Other End Of The String

Aian wasn’t quite sure how he got here.

It was all a blur of thoughts running in circles while he tried to wrap his head around the whole ‘I found my twin flame’ thing.

He had given a statement to the police officers and now he sat in some fancy restaurant with a menu open in front of him getting a late lunch with his twin flame, holy shit.

He had been told to order whatever he would like off the menu but every time he looked at the prices, he felt a little faint.

One meal for two here would pay for his rent for a week!

Between his dithering over the prices and his brain flittering off to freak out over recent events, he hadn’t even begun to decide what he wanted to order when a waiter showed up asking if they were ready.

Aian floundered, but the menu was removed from his hands by the man sitting across from him.

Kalvin proceeded to smoothly order a list of things he barely registered. Amused gray eyes turned back to him and a smirk appeared.

“You seemed to be having trouble, so I got a few different things to try.”

“Ah, thank you. I’ve never been somewhere like this,” Aian replied with a nervous laugh.

He didn’t like being ordered for without being consulted but he would let it slide this time. It saved him the awkwardness, at least.

“I’m pretty sure what you just ordered could pay my rent for a week.”

“Now, Aian,” Kalvin started after he finished chuckling at him.

The way this man said his name sounded so good it should be a sin.

Was he only reacting like this because of their supposed connection or was he just extra aware of this person because of shock?

“You seemed rather surprised when I told you my name. Have you heard of me by chance?”

Aian paused and weighed up what he should say. This man was his twin flame after all, so he should be honest. As far as all the rumors went, the ash blonde didn’t seem so bad in person.

The gossip around the police station made the man sitting in front of him out to be some sort of a demon.

“I’ve heard your name before,” he spoke slowly, carefully picking his words. “I’m a photographer and do lots of different freelance jobs for cash but I’m mainly a criminal photographer.”

He glanced up into the intense gaze of the other man, trying to gauge a reaction but nothing changed in his expression. So, Aian took a deep breath and continued on.

“I’ve been warned away from any thing that has to do with your name, too dangerous apparently. I tried to chase down a couple of tip offs that had your name attached. I was curious to see what everyone was so afraid of but both turned out to be fake and if I don’t get a scoop, I don’t get paid. My curiosity wasn’t worth not being able to eat for a week so I left it alone after that.”

The man was staring at him for a moment before a word got out of his mouth. “Interesting.”

Before anymore could be said, the food arrived. The waiter put down a selection of dishes on their table along with a bottle of wine after filling up their glasses. He vanished off after a polite ‘please enjoy your meal’.

Aian stared at the food in front of them, his mouth watering. It looked and smelt amazing. He honestly didn’t know where to begin.

Presumably he should hold back and eat politely considering where they were but he wasn’t sure he could hold back once he got started.

He wasn’t even aware that he had been ogling the food until a chuckle interrupted his thoughts.

“Help yourself. You don’t have to hold back.”

Aian wanted to melt to the ground.

*****

While they ate, or more accurately, while Aian ate and Kalvin watched him in amusement, Kalvin would ask the odd question and between mouthfuls, Aian chattered away about his life, work, friends, and family.

The businessman seemed surprisingly interested in what he had to say, even with the most mundane of topics.

“Seeing as you are a photographer, I assume you will need a new camera?”

“Ah, yeah, at some point. I have an older model I can use in the meantime. They aren’t cheap, unfortunately,” Aian replied with a grimace. “It’s a shame, I got this one for such a bargain. It performs so well too! Well, it did.”

He sighed and stretched as the waiter came over to remove the empty plates. “Ahh, that food was good!”

Kalvin gave him the slightest smile as Aian rubbed his stomach contentedly.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Now if you aren’t in a hurry, I have one more place I would like to go with you,” Kalvin signaled for the waiter to come back and handed over a fancy looking black and silver card to pay.

A few minutes later, the waiter came back for Kalvin to sign for the food and then they were heading out of the restaurant.

“So, where to?”

“Your camera store,” Kalvin said casually as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“... What?”

“You need a new camera, yes?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have the money right now-” Aian tried to say but  was interrupted almost immediately.

“That’s fine. I’ll pay for it.”

“What?”

Kalvin looked at him in amusement as Aian stopped dead on the pavement to stare at the man in consternation.

“I said, I’ll pay for it.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?” the businessman seemed genuinely surprised at his refusal.

“I said no. Look, I understand that you have money and all but we’ve just met and I can look after myself. I get that you’re my twin flame but that doesn’t mean you owe me anything,” Aian shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m going to use my old camera for a bit and save up for a new one. Although I did appreciate the lunch, you didn’t have to do that.”

Kalvin was still staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“What’s with that look? Do people normally come and try to leech money off of you?” Aian snorted when he got no answer. “Man, you need better friends. As I said, I can look after myself. It's fine, I don’t want a hand- out.”

Kalvin seemed to come back to himself and narrowed his steel eyes at Aian threateningly. “We are going to the camera shop and I am buying you a new camera.”

“What part of ‘I don’t want your money’ did you not understand?”

Kalvin started to stalk predatorily towards the photographer. The man suddenly seemed far more intimidating and closer to the whispered rumors he remembered hearing at the police station.

“You are my twin flame. I look after my things-”

“I’m not a-!”

Aian tried to protest but Kalvin continued right over him. The other man was now standing only a few scant centimeters away and a deadly aura rolled off of him in waves.

“- And I’m not about to let my twin flame go without something when I can help it. You need a camera for work so it’s important and as such, we are going to get you a new one. Do I make myself clear?”

Aian huffed. “You aren’t used to people telling you ‘no’, are you?”

Steel gray eyes glared down at him and the man didn’t move an inch.

Aian tried to match the glare, but with how he was shorter than Kalvin and had to look up at the man, he didn’t think he pulled it off as well and sure enough, it had no clear effect on the businessman.

They seemed to be at an impasse until Kalvin raised a cool eyebrow and spoke with a distant aloofness.

“I have a business meeting to attend to after this, if you would lead the way?” 

Aian gritted his teeth as he finally moved towards the store. As much as he didn’t want to go, they couldn’t stand there glaring at each other forever.

Perhaps he could divert the man’s attention once they were there?

It wouldn’t be the first time he had gone in to window shop and ogle all the flashy cameras.  

Still, why on earth did he end up with this obstinate man as his twin flame?