 CHAPTER 4 (section 2) copyright © 2001, S. Y. Affolee If Adrian looked casual in his brown slacks and white business shirt which unfortunately at the moment had a few buttons undone at the collar and the sleeves rolled up, his brother Gavin was at the other extreme, completely done up in a gray three piece business suit. Gavin was a few years younger than his brother, his short dark hair was slicked back and his shoulders were slightly less wider than Adrian’s but other than that, he could have been Adrian’s twin. When Adrian and Simone arrived at Trudy’s Coffee Bar on the corner of Rosemead and Dunkirk, they found him precariously perched on a stool at the counter, nursing a cup of dark coffee. Some of the patrons were staring at him. The waitress was hovering nearby oogling him. “This doesn’t look like a joint that I’ll ever see you frequent.” Gavin looked up at his brother’s voice, suddenly grinning. “Yeah. I had it all planned. BMW stalled just as the warrenty runs out. Catch lunch at a roadside restaurant that’s obviously less than five star.” “I thought you would be coming down next week.” “Well, the case wrapped up earlier than usual,” he said, obliquely referring to his job as a prosecuting attourney in the district of downtown Ridgefield. He glanced at the petite woman standing beside Adrian, and a wide smile crossed his face. “Well. Hello Simone.” “Hi yourself.” But she smiled back. Adrian suddenly found himself irritated. “You could have called a cab to take you back to my place instead of dragging us all the way down here.” “Hey, this is just on our way back,” Simone interrupted flippantly. She sat beside Gavin and looked up at both men innocently. “And that’s no way to talk to your brother. Lunch sounds good.” “Simone’s right. Show some brotherly concern, will you?” Gavin teased. Adrian sighed. “Oh, all right. But some of us have jobs too you know.” He sat down on the other side of Simone, giving his brother a warning look. Gavin ignored him. “In fact, I was about to order lunch myself.” He casually draped an arm over Simone. She scooted an inch closer to him. “Are you brave enough to try their special?” he asked, pointing to the menu etched in bright pink chalk on the blackboards that were mounted just above the counter. She wrinkled her nose. “I think not. I’ll just order a sandwich I think.” At that moment, the waitress, an early twenty something who was obviously just fresh out of college, sauntered over, gawking. “So are you ready to order?” “Yeah. I’ll try the special,” Gavin drawled, giving the waitress a wink. Simone stifled a giggle. “A grilled cheese sandwich and a milkshake will be fine.” “Soup,” said Adrian resolutely. The waitress scribbled on her pad. “What type of soup? Soup of the day? Mushroom? Tomato? Cream of asparagus? Noodle? Al...” “Mushroom,” he said cutting her off. “Great.” She scribbled some more and looked up. “Your orders will be up shortly. And uh, mind if I ask if you guys are twins?” Something mischievous twinkled in Gavin’s eyes, but Adrian stalled him with a curt, “No.” “Spoilsport,” Gavin replied when the waitress moved away. “You’re incomprehensible.” He stared at his brother’s arm wrapped around his partner. “Don’t you need two hands to feed yourself?” “Nope. Dear Simone will feed me herself.” “Ha. Then get off me, you oaf,” Simone said jokingly as she shoved Gavin’s arm off. “You wound me,” Gavin moaned in exaggeration. “What was it, not sending you roses on your birthday?” “My birthday is six months away.” “Ah, then I must get a head start.” When the food arrived, Adrian tried to ignore Gavin and Simone’s playful banter, only answering in a clipped voice when asked a direct question. When they finished, the brothers trailed a little behind Simone as she headed for the truck. “Are you serious about her?” Adrian asked. “What do you mean?” Gavin said, feigning ignorance. “You know exactly what I mean.” “Aw. I’m just playing with her...” “Damn it Gavin, you could hurt her.” “But she knows I’m just playing with her. And she’s playing with me. I can just see the green-eyed monster taking you over. Jealous huh?” Adrian was thin lipped. “She’s my partner.” “Some partner. Look, I don’t think of her that way. I just like getting your hair up whenever both of you are in the same room.” “You’re a sadistic bastard.” “Hey, don’t call me names, you know what that leads to,” Gavin grinned. “And you’re too old to get your butt pounded into the ground.” “Care to take a bet on it?” Gavin glanced at his brother who could probably still ground his face into the dirt despite their similar height. “No thanks. I’ll rather still be alive to call you brother.” “What are you guys doing, dwaddling around?” Simone called out as she stood next to the truck. “Male bonding,” Gavin replied. “Ew. Save the locker room stories for a more private place, okay?” |