Title: la dolce vita
Author:
msdesireenCharacters: Akanishi, Kamenashi, Nakamaru, OC
Rating: PG-13 [for mentions of alcohol and hinted BL in later chapters]
Genre: Slice of life, AU
Beta by: myself?
Disclaimer: The plot is mine. The boys aren't.
Summary: La dolce vita, Italian for “the sweet life” or “the good life”, is something everyone would like to have. Of course, the definition of it varies, but in essence it always involves Happiness and well Love.
This is the story of 4 young individuals, all in their twenties, fumbling and grasping with the meaning of their lives and what it holds for them. This is the story of how 4 individuals with different personalities and coming from entirely different families, met, became friends and even fall in love with each other. This is also a story depicting their individual quest in search of Happiness and Love, which most unfortunately might elude them forever.
Chapter 3 - So, you know him and her too?
Akanishi and Nakamaru were strolling in the rain, each carrying a big black umbrella. The sky was a shade of dim gray and it had been raining the whole day. Both of them were headed for Nakamaru's Jazz bar, after dinner. It's been quite some time since they last hung out together, and they had spent the afternoon just wandering around town, talking, and chilling out.
Before long, Akanishi noticed a familiar figure walking about twenty paces in front of them. It didn't take him too long to work out who that lady, in black tank top and jeans, was. He gave Nakamaru a nudge, cutting him off mid-sentence. The other looked at him weird, before looking at the direction he was pointing.
“Oh, it's Desireen,” Nakamaru mused, it was uncharacteristic of the girl to be this late.
“She's walking in the rain,” Akanishi stated blankly.
“And?” Nakamaru prompted, didn't quite get Akanishi.
“Shouldn't we share our umbrella with her?” Akanishi explained.
“ Since when are you such a gentleman?” Nakamaru teased while the latter scowled at him.
“Leave her alone, she's enjoying every bit of it,” was Nakamaru's reply, and he continued with what he was saying before Akanishi had interrupted him.
Akanishi felt like he had been thrust into a dimension he was not invited to, as he sat at the bar counter, drinking his second screw driver of the night, and watching the two bar tenders went about their chores.
The verbal exchange between the two of them was to the minimal, yet one could almost always know what the other needed. The atmosphere between the two of them was as comfortable as that of two person who had worked together for years.
Nakamaru would be there to lend Desireen a hand when a certain customer was feeling chatty. When there was an order, Desireen would be able to bring out the particular brand of base alcohol Nakamaru would like to use for that particular drink and that certain customer.
Be it for regulars or for new patrons of the Jazz bar, Nakamaru would always like to make a statement when the drinks were served. Hence, it was seldom that you would be served two drinks which are exactly the same on two separate visits. Sometimes Nakamaru might be cheering you up, on others he might seek to sympathize when he was preparing the drinks depending on the mood of the customers. Even for the simple tequila shot Akanishi always ordered, different tequilas would be served. It was that sensitivity which had kept customers coming back.
Akanishi was surprised Desireen adapted so well in such a short time. More accurately, he was surprised the girl was able to read Nakamaru so clearly. Everyone had different perspectives of things, and no two person would have the exact same response to the same stimulus. Yet Desireen was able to predict his friend's response.
His friend knew his employee just as well too. Akanishi had walked up to Desireen, sheltering her from behind. She was like a child who had her favorite toy snatched away when she looked up at him. She heaved a sigh, thanking him for the thought before picking up her pace. Akanishi got her message and didn't bother to keep up. Nakamaru caught up with him awhile later with a knowing look. At that particular moment, Akanishi felt like he didn't know his friend at all. There was so much to Nakamaru that he had yet come to know.
~*~
Desireen was genuinely perplexed when the guy in front of her had said he would have anything she would like to have, when asking for his order. He was one of the few whom she couldn't read. When he was smiling at her, she couldn't put a finger to the reason behind it. Even if he were to look straight into her eyes when he was talking to her, she still couldn't quite get the fact that the guy was indeed talking to her.
She wasn't very sure when it all started, before she realized it, the guy was already nodding to her politely along the corridors of the university. Odd. She was sure that guy had not noticed they were in the same tutorial class for the module on Relativity as well as the module on Romanticism she was taking for English Literature that semester, right from the start. Yet she could not pin-point the exact moment he had came to recognize her presence.
She decided she didn't want to serve Kamenashi with the likes of a martini or any other cocktails for the matter. Instead, she serve him a glass of water before excusing herself and spending a whooping 20 minutes back in the store room. She wasn't even sure if that particular case of wine was still there. Hell, she wasn't even exactly sure if the case was actually what she had in mind, having only caught a glimpse of them once. Back when Nakamaru had decided to hire her officially,and was showing her around the bar for the first time. Still, she trusted her gut instinct and was rewarded.
“Hello, fancy meeting you here, I'm Nakamaru,” Nakamaru smiled and held out his hand at Kamenashi.
The latter returned the handshake, “I'm Kamenashi, I've always wanted to check this place out ever since the chef over at the ramen restaurant told me it belonged to you.”
“I hope you're enjoying yourself so far, if you don't mind, what were you having again?” Nakamaru asked politely, as much as he trusted Desireen would be able to bring out something the customer would like, he did not want customer to be waiting for too long.
“It's ok, I think Desireen would be able to get what I need,” Kamenashi declined.
“You know Desireen?” Nakamaru raised his brows in interest.
“Yeah, I guess we're school mates?” Kamenashi shrugged.
“Oh, it's a small world isn't it?” Nakamaru mused, while Kamenashi nodded simply.
“That guy over there goes to the same college too,” Nakamaru pointed over in Akanishi's direction. Kamenashi took a glance patronizingly before locking his gaze on the man , gestured.
“Anyway, do enjoy yourself. I'll be around if you need anything,” Nakamaru smiled and excused himself politely.
Before long, Nakamaru saw Kamenashi going over to Akanishi striking up a conversation. It looked like both of them knew each other too. Nakamaru was genuinely amused, it was a small world indeed, what with all four of them knowing one and other. The cute guy whom he ran into regularly at the restaurant was the school mate of both his employee and his high school junior.
Kamenashi did make an impression on Nakamaru. Their first encounter involved Nakamaru covered in vinegar after all. But that aside, that was the first time they had decent interaction and had introduced themselves properly to each other. When they met each other at the restaurant, it was usually a polite nod, a smile or conversation along the lines of “Could you please pass me the soy sauce?”. If you could even call that a conversation at all.
Just then, Nakamaru caught a whiff of...what was that? Flower fields? Strawberries? Truth be told, he was seduced by the fragrance but was unable to identify its source until he saw the bright, deep red liquid in the decanter on the counter.
For some reason unknown to herself, Desireen had wanted to serve Kamenashi some decent wine right there and then. It was owing to pure luck that she could find this case of wine here, in this particular Jazz bar, in Japan, so far away from home. It was the first wine she had ever tasted. Back then, she knew nothing about wine and was simply mesmerized by its fragrance. This time round, the wine seem even more fragrant than the last time, if that was even possible, being nearer to its drink date.
That case of wine was one of Nakamaru's prized possession. No, Vincent Girardin wasn't exactly expensive. But this particular Echezeaux was most similar to the one by DRC which, most unfortunately, was unaffordable to him.
Nevertheless, it was still a lovely grand cru wine. Its most alluring attribute? Knockout nose combination of raspberry, minerals, chocolate, game, flowers and underbrush. Sipping on the glass Desireen had just poured himself, he was reminded of the sweet, dense and solid flavor of the wine.
“I didn't know you had such nice wine stashed away,” Akanishi announced after taking a sip of the glass of wine Desireen had poured for him skeptically.
“You were never a wine person,” Nakamaru stated plainly.
“The only one I've tasted cost me an hour at the toilet, and they almost had to send me to the A & E remember?” Akanishi defended.
“Whatever,” Desireen cut Akanishi off curtly, and all eyes turned to her. It was a slip, but she kept her cool. She had witnessed Nakamaru's numerous attempts at introducing wine being rejected by Akanishi. Regardless, she thought it pointless for that particular conversation.
“I apologize for bringing out this Vincent Girardin Echezeaux 2001* without permission,” Desireen looked at Nakamaru.
“It's alright, I seldom had the chance to bring it out anyway,” Nakamaru replied with a smile.
“It's really near it's drink date don't you think?” He continued.
Desireen merely nodded with a smirk before continuing, “Next time, let's bring out DCR Echezeaux. Believe it or not, I actually have a 1988 bottle stashed away.”
~*~
Kamenashi couldn't decide which was more surprising. The fact that Desireen was working part-time at the Jazz bar Nakamaru owned, or the fact that his favorite barista was a regular in this bar on the other side of town.
There must be more than 13 million people in Tokyo, what's the probability of running into people you know? I mean, Kamenashi had not even once ran into both Desireen and Akanishi at the same time in school. Talk about coincidences.
It was a first for Kamenashi to be sitting right beside Akanishi, since the latter was always stuck behind the counter making delicious coffee at the cafe. It was also a first for them to be holding such a long conversation.
Sipping on their individual glasses of Pinot Noir, the two of them talked about anything and everything. At first it was about wine, then they went on to talk about coffee and cocktails. Before long it was about school, the never ending essays and some overbearing lecturers they couldn't stand. As the night drew on, the topic of discussion took on a more serious note. They started talking about themselves, their friends, their families, their hopes and dreams.
Maybe it was the jazz track playing over the stereo. Maybe it was the sense of familiarity being around people he, sort-of, know. Or maybe it boils down to the plain influence of alcohol. Whatever the reason, or motivation, Kamenashi felt comfortable around Akanishi. He really liked the guy sitting beside himself. They did share their difference but essentially, Kamenashi feel that they were rather similar. He just knew. All things aside, it was his favorite barista who made the best coffee in the world after all.
~*~
Notes:
*A Pinot Noir Red Wine from Burgundy, France. Description taken from Volume 9 of the manga Les Gouttes de Dieu, otherwise known as 神の雫 (Kami no Shizuku).
A/N: Finally I'm done with the 3rd chapter. Been rather caught up with real life, and haven't been able to sit down and piece everything together. I've been caught up with the idea of doing Nanowrimo again this year after they got spotlighted on lj. Edited my
author info and I've spent a sizable amount of time stalking forums, getting to know people and getting inspired. I tried it last year but failed terribly and couldn't exactly get past 15k. But I might have the best plot as yet and I think I can finish this!