Chapter 08: Sea of No Cares
Somebody leaves Lajos a gift!
Jazz stumbled out of bed, hearing knocking on the door. Swinging it open, he was surprised to see Lajos there, holding a plate of cookies.
"Did you make these for me?" Lajos asked.
Jazz shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "Nope... did they come with a note?"
Lajos checked everywhere, finding a small piece of paper taped to the bottom of the plate. He handed Jazz the plate, grabbing the paper and opening it up. "Lajos -" He started, reading close. "Enjoy these... and then go to the beach at 9 PM tonight."
Jazz raised an eyebrow. "Wonder who these're from." he mumbled, handing the plate back to Lajos, who picked up a cookie and took a tentative bite.
"Well, it didn't kill me..." He started, slowly chewing. "...and they taste fuckin' great, so... whoever they're from, they're gettin' something good at 9 o'clock." He said, swallowing the cookie and grinning.
Jazz laughed, reaching for a cookie and whining as Lajos pulled the plate away. "Wh--why!?"
"They're my mysterious secret admirer cookies!" Lajos protested, sticking his tongue out. "Still begs the question about who they're from, but..."
"Does that matter?"
"Well, yeah. If they're from a woman, they're going to go home disappointed." he replied, snickering. "I'm gonna pack these away for right now; you wanna get started on the farm?"
"Of course." Jazz nodded, closing the door and throwing his work clothes on. Watering and harvesting the crops... it was doable, but he found himself struggling to focus on it. He stopped, brow furrowing as he set the turnip in the basket.
"Anyone in the Valley catch your attention yet?" He heard Marlin's voice echoing in his head, sighing deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
He wasn't wrong. Someone had, but not romantically like he'd implied. At least, Jazz hoped it wasn't romantic - surely, he already had...
It wasn't important. He wasn't going to let it bother him, at any rate. He shook the cobwebs out of his mind, setting the watering can aside and taking a deep breath.
--
That night, Lajos found himself sitting alone at the beach, waves lapping at his feet as he sat on the fallen tree at the beach's edge. It was nearly 9 o'clock... he quickly looked over his shoulder, spotting a hunched-over figure in the distance walking onto the beach.
"Whoever that is, know that I'm a 4th degree white belt." Lajos said, slowly getting to his feet and walking towards the sand cautiously. The tree wobbled ominously, Lajos's quivering voice quickly growing to a panicked yelp as he slipped, falling into the water.
Before he could get a glimpse at the figure on the beach, he quickly found himself pulled to shore by soft hands; he looked up, seeing Marlin's sweet smile and curly hair over him.
"Y'know, I didn't invite you over here for a swim." He joked, helping Lajos to his feet. "You okay? Nothing broken?"
"Nope... just very damp and embarrassed." He shook his head, twisting the seawater from his hair. "Sort of glad I left Baba at home..."
"Well..." Marlin chuckled, "Did you enjoy the cookies? I had Vesta help me with 'em."
"They were delicious." Lajos replied, grinning. "You didn't need to drag me all the way out here to the beach to make up, though..."
"Who said I was making up?" he raised an eyebrow with a smirk, Lajos noticing the basket and cooler on the sand next to him. "I'm just here to, hey, maybe repay you for the wine."
"I'm listening."
He knelt down, opening the basket - inside was tightly-wrapped containers of soup, a few sandwiches, and a old-looking blanket. He pulled the blanket out, fanning it out on the sand and patting it, offering Lajos to sit. He sat across from Marlin, who opened the cooler and pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses.
"I would've brought wine glasses, but they probably would've broke when I saved you." He chuckled, handing Lajos a sandwich and a bowl of soup. "I kind of... spent all afternoon on this."
"Really?" Lajos blushed. "All of this, and you're... not making up with me."
"Well, I needed to figure out what to cook. And how best to say... well..." he paused, "Look. You're cool. I appreciate that. I really do enjoy having you around - platonically. For right now."
"What sort of leadup is that?" He laughed. "For right now?? so you DO like me???"
"Maybe we need a bit of time to figure this out!" Marlin raised his voice suddenly, face pink. "I... Sorry. I think, maybe, you should slow down; like I said before."
"But you also... appreciate me."
"Yes! Of course I do!" He threw his hands into the air, shaking his head. "I'm not sure what your end goal is. Maybe you want a long-term relationship. Maybe you want the slowest lead-up to a one night stand in the history of this valley. That's your goal, not mine." He laughed, "What we should do is... talk things out! See where we stand on each other. Y'know?"
"Yeah... I get that." Lajos smiled.
"Right... okay. You like me. That much is kind of obvious." Marlin said softly, taking a bite of his sandwich. "But... why?"
"I mean... you're hot, for one."
"Any serious answers?"
"You're hardworking, you're determined, you're sweet... is this just me complimenting you for 20 minutes?" Lajos joked, rolling his eyes.
"Well... no. I like that you're confident; you know what you want, when you want it and why." Marlin said plainly, sipping from his glass. "You want to be with me; to what end we're still not sure on, but something I can work with."
"Okay?"
"Eh, yeah. It's not gonna be immediate, I think you know that, but... hey, keep your schedule clear. Never know what I'll want when." he laughed, winking. Lajos' face grew warm.
"Now that's just not fair." Lajos said, chuckling. "Making me flustered and then leaving me behind is not gonna do you any favors!"
"I'm treating you to food and helping you laugh; I see nothing wrong here." He gave Lajos a smirk, which was met with him burying his face in his hands. "Ain't my fault you're head-over-heels two weeks after arriving here."
"Well... I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon." he grinned. "You're... yeah. you're right. I do like you, like... a lot."
"Just the words I thought I'd hear." He chuckled. "Just take your time, and... yknow." he leaned in close. "Keep your schedule clear."
"That sounds like a threat."
"Isn't the saying 'don't threaten me with a good time?'"
Lajos chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I mean, a good time could be anything from a surprise beach picnic to... well. Do I have to finish that sentence or are you mature enough to figure it out?"
"Oh, no, do tell me what the opposite end of that spectrum is." He laughed, "Maybe I'll surprise you. Us farmers can be..." He took a slow sip from his wine. "...Unpredictable."
"Bring produce into the bedroom and it is over."
"Crops, no. Crops, yes."
Lajos spit out his drink laughing. "M-Marl-- There is no way--!"
"You're right, there isn't." He grinned. "Your reaction was worth it, though. See what I mean though, unpredictable. I'm making you laugh!"
"Okay, now I know you're fucking with me." He snickered, "Making me laugh for no reason?"
"I know, truly my mind is that of a twisted cartoon villain." He finished his drink, setting the glass aside. "If you think I'm fucking around, why don't you find out for yourself?"
"How so?"
Marlin reached forward, grabbing Lajos' hand and pulling him close. "Find out."
Lajos sighed softly, feeling his lips press to his. It was like being on a cloud - the softness of Marlin's lips meeting his, the way his hands felt, his fingers intertwined with Marlin's, the...
He pulled away, touching his cheek with wide eyes. "What the fuck?"
"...You know, my thoughts exactly." Marlin was equally wide-eyed, looking at Lajos with a bright face. "I kind of... hadn't planned that."
"I'm not complaining.... just.... surprised."
"Yeah. Same."