They remained silent for the whole ride back home. Jinki was staring at the seat in front of him while Key was looking down at his lap, playing with his hands nervously. Sohye could see that something was wrong but she didn’t say anything.

 

Once they were back home, Sohye left and Jinki took a deep breath before turning to Key.

 

“I’d like to speak with you.”

 

Key seemed a bit worried but still nodded. Considering how Jinki had reacted on the basketball court, he must have been worrying for his job. Jinki gestured for him to follow him and they both went to the gardens. Key was walking beside Jinki on the small path surrounded by flowers and Jinki eventually spoke.

 

“There is something I need to tell you. I didn’t hire you, my friends did... They thought it would be a good idea. I refused but they didn’t listen.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Key didn’t seem very surprised by Jinki’s words.

 

“You don’t look very surprised.”

 

“I was expected this, to be honest… You weren’t aware of my arrival, and you don’t really look like the usual customer."

 

“Because I am disabled ?” Jinki asked.

 

“No ! Well, yes but no… I mean, I am rarely asked to sleep in the guest room or to do whatever I want to do. Not to mention that you tend to ignore me.”

 

He was used to being the center of the attention, it was very unusual for him to be ignored by his customers.

 

“I’m sorry if I acted rude towards you but the thing is… I have no intention of sleeping with you at all.”

 

“Oh… Alright.”

 

Jinki raised an eyebrow.

 

“‘Alright’ ? That’s it ?”

 

“Well, what did you expect ?” Key asked with an amused look in his eyes. “I’m an boy, I’m paid to spend time with people. is optional, but not compulsory.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You seem surprised.”

 

“You mean some people have hired you before... but not for ?” He asked, a little shocked.

 

“It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes yes. Is it that hard to believe ?”

 

“No, it’s just…”

 

He had trouble believing that people actually hired boys or girls for something else than . He had always thought escorts to be high-class es. And it was also hard for him to believe that someone would hire Key without wanting to sleep with him.

 

Key was obviously expecting him to finish talking but Jinki changed the subject.

 

“Have you already visited the gardens ?”

 

“A bit. I took a walk here this morning.”

 

Key had spent most of the morning in the gardens. He loved flowers, they reminded him of his childhood. When he was a kid, he used to spend the holidays at his grandmother’s and the house was always full of flowers.

 

“I didn’t give you a tour of the house, I must be a pretty bad host.”

 

It made Key laugh and Jinki couldn’t help but smile. He felt better knowing that they had made things straight. And to think that they could have had this talk from the beginning... It would have avoided quite a lot of incomprehension.

 

They spent the whole afternoon in the gardens, talking. As strange as it may have sounded, Jinki wasn’t afraid to speak to Key. He knew he was only there for the weekend and he would never try and get close to Jinki for his money. He had already been paid, after all. He was only doing his job and he obviously wasn’t trying to toy with his feelings. If there was one thing people didn’t look for when hiring an , it was feelings. Jinki thought that, in the end, Key was just another one of his employees. An employee paid to spend time with him.

 

Key was sitting cross-legged in the freshly mown grass of the gardens, Jinki next to him. Key was telling him stories about his former customers and he couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Let me tell you, that food was so disgusting I thought I would spit it all out ! Seriously, I understand why he hired me... Unless they’re paid, no one would willingly eat his mother’s cooking, and still, even when you are paid, it’s a challenge !”

 

“I can’t believe people hire escorts to pass them off as their boyfriends… Their family will find out sooner or later anyway.”

 

“It’s not our problem.” Key said, shrugging. “As long as we’re paid. But I have to admit that it’s a pretty bad idea…”

 

The cold wind blew on the two men and they both shivered.

 

“We should go back inside.” Jinki said.

 

“Yes.”

 

Jinki came closer and held his hand up. Key grabbed it and Jinki pulled him forward. As he was getting up, Key lost his balance and had to catch hold of Jinki. They stayed frozen for a few seconds, their faces closer than they had ever been. Key was leaning over Jinki with his hands on his shoulders, while Jinki was holding his waist firmly. Their eyes widened and they suddenly parted.

 

“I’m sorry.” Key said.

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“We should…”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They both fell into an awkward silence and they quickly got back inside. They had dinner silently and Jinki wondered if they would have a normal dinner before the end of the weekend.

 

………………….

 

Sunday morning arrived quickly and Jinki was woken up by Sohye.

 

Minho and Taemin were supposed to have lunch with them today and he feared the moment when he would be at the dining table with the couple and Key. Taemin would certainly talk about the boy and Jinki didn’t have the courage to put up with his comments today. He would have liked to stay in bed.

 

Sohye had forced him to wear some classy clothes, since they had guests. Even if Jinki had protested, arguing that the guests were just his friends and that they didn’t need to be all posh, he hadn’t had a choice.

 

Around eleven o’clock, he went to the kitchen and saw Key there, talking with the cook. He was wearing light skinny jeans which hugged his lower body in all the right places and a charcoal grey sweater. He was wearing simple clothes, but there was still something classy to him. His porcelain skin created a nice contrast with the dark color of his sweater and Jinki found himself staring.

 

“Jinki !”

 

He turned around when he heard his name being called and he saw Taemin running toward him.

 

“Wow, what’s with the clothes ? A white shirt and chic black pants, you’re looking fine !”

 

“Sohye harassed you again ?” Minho asked.

 

“She told me people didn’t dress casual when they had guests on a Sunday.”

 

Minho tapped his shoulder to show his support and went to sit on the couch. Taemin walked closer to Jinki with a mischievous smile.

 

“Where is he ?”

 

“Where’s who ?” Jinki asked.

 

Taemin sighed and they heard Minho’s chuckle from the living room.

 

“Key !”

 

“Oh. He’s in the kitchen.”

 

Taemin didn’t waste any time and ran to the kitchen. Jinki heaved a sigh and met Minho in the living room.

 

“He hasn’t stopped talking about it since yesterday, he wanted to meet him.”

 

“I thought they knew each other.” Jinki said, frowning.

 

“Oh no, it’s just that one of Taemin’s colleagues hired Key once.”

 

“You sent someone you had never even met at my place ?!”

 

Taemin ran to them.

 

“Oh my god ! He’s perfect ! He looks even hotter than on the pictures !”

 

“Taemin…” Minho said with an exasperated look. “He’s an , not an idol.”

 

“You say that because you haven’t seen him. Oh ! You need to see him !”

 

Jinki heaved another sigh and went to the kitchen. Key turned to him when he saw him coming in and he smiled. Jinki smiled back.

 

“So… They’re the ones who hired me.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Taemin is peculiar…”

 

Oh no. What on earth has Taemin done now ?

 

“What did he say ?”

 

“He complimented me. A lot.” He said, chuckling.

 

Jinki couldn’t help but smile.

 

“He also said that you were very lonely and that you needed someone.”

 

“What did you tell him ?”

 

“The only thing I could tell him… He needs to talk about that to someone else, not to an .”

 

It was the truth. Escorts didn’t do romance. The relationships they had with their customers were entirely professional. Key had said so himself, it was their job.

 

A question suddenly popped in Jinki’s head.

 

“Do you have a boyfriend ?”

 

Key’s eyes widened.

 

“I-I’m sorry ?”

 

Perhaps that question was a bit too personal...

 

“I mean, is it even possible for an to have a love life outside of work ? I was just wondering, but, if you think it’s too personal…”

 

“Oh. No ! I was just surprised by the question, it was so sudden… It’s possible, but you need to find someone who doesn’t mind dating an … And that’s quite hard to find, considering what our job consists in.”

 

“Jinki !” Taemin shouted from the living room. “Come here ! We need to introduce Key to Minho !”

 

Jinki heaved another sigh and Key chuckled at his exasperated face. He knew inviting the couple to dinner was a very bad idea… But Sohye had insisted and so had they. Minho had even justified the fact that they needed to come by saying they had to check if Key really was spending the weekend at Jinki’s, and he had added that if Jinki refused to invite them, it would mean that he had told Key to leave and had therefore lied to them. He hadn’t had a choice.

 

Soon, the dinner was served and they all found themselves sitting at the table, talking.

 

“So, Key. Why did you choose to be an ?” Taemin asked.

 

Jinki almost chocked on a piece of meat and Minho almost spit all of the water he was drinking. Key, however, was staring at Taemin with wide eyes.

 

“Erm…”

 

“Taemin.” Jinki warned.

 

“Oh, come on ! You’re probably just as much dying to know as I am !”

 

Now that Taemin had asked, it was true that Jinki was a bit curious of Key’s answer.

 

“When I was in college, one of my friends - a guy quite rich - proposed to give me money in exchange of me passing off as his boyfriend at a party. I said yes. He suggested to give me even more money if I slept with him and… I said yes. I could have stopped there, but the money was tempting and the studies I was pursuing were boring. I liked that job, as twisted as it may sound, so when the guy who had first suggested that to me talked to his friends about it and that one of them came to me to ask for the same thing, I said yes.”

 

“Oh...” Taemin trailed off, thoughtful, before speaking again after a few seconds. “Have you already been hired by old people ?”

 

“Taemin !” Minho and Jinki shouted at the same time.

 

“What ? It was just a question…”

 

“Never anyone over fifty years old, if you really want to know.”

 

“Eeew !”

 

Minho and Jinki were a little shocked by the answer, but Taemin looked straight up disgusted. Key seemed a bit amused by Taemin’s reaction. Jinki had known for a while that, for Taemin, the word “taboo” didn’t exist. He talked about everything and anything without thinking twice about it, and with anyone as well. Jinki wondered how Minho managed to live with him.

 

“But it doesn’t bother you ? To have with strangers, I mean ?”

 

“Having with a customer and having with someone you have feelings for is completely different. When I have to sleep with someone for work, it’s just a physical act, it doesn’t mean anything.”

 

“I couldn’t do it.” Minho admitted.

 

“Me neither.” Taemin said.

 

Jinki chose to stay silent. He was sure he wouldn’t have had that conversation with Key if Taemin hadn’t been there. And to be honest, it wasn’t something he would have liked to know. Jinki couldn’t help but find the situation a bit sad. Even if Key knew how to keep his work and his personal life separate, his work must have stepped on his private life anyway. As he had said, finding someone must have been difficult for an . Jinki understood why some people couldn’t stand it. He himself wouldn’t be able to date someone knowing the person he loved spent most of his or her time pretending to be with someone else, and more importantly, having with someone else.

 

Taemin waved in front of Jinki’s eyes.

 

“Yoohoo ! Earth to Jinki !”

 

“What’s going on ?”

 

“We were just asking if you were nice to Key.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I be nice to him ?”

 

Minho and Taemin eyed him with an exasperated expression before sharing a knowing look. They both knew how he acted towards strangers and they doubted his words. Especially since Jinki hadn’t been very happy to welcome an in his house for the weekend.

 

Someone put a hand on his own and when he turned his head, his eyes met Key’s. The latter smiled and turned to the couple.

 

“Don’t worry, he was very nice to me.”

 

He was lying. Jinki hadn’t been nice to him at all… Jonghyun had witnessed it. Minho threw a surprised look at Jinki and the latter looked away. Key’s hand was soft upon his own and he quickly put his hand away. Not quickly enough though, because Minho had noticed.

 

They finished eating and let the employees clean up the table. Minho and Taemin had decided to go out this afternoon, and they had of course planned to take Jinki and Key with them. They wanted to see a movie and Jinki hadn’t had the heart to say no when he had seen the excited glint in Key’s eyes at the idea.  

 

They had chosen a romantic movie and Jinki really didn’t want to be there. Taemin and Minho spent the whole time kissing and whispering things in each other’s ears. They clearly could have come here without him. He glanced at Key and smiled when he saw how engrossed he was in the movie. He was staring at the screen and his lips were parted, as if he was in complete awe of the movie before him. Jinki had to admit it was quite adorable.

 

When the movie ended, Taemin and Minho drove them home and Key couldn’t stop talking about the movie. He was describing his favorite scenes with big hand gestures and Jinki wondered how he managed to speak so fast and so much without breathing.

When they arrived at Jinki’s, the couple bid them goodbye and left. They were just home for dinner and the cook left after serving them. The dinner was a lot more animated than usual, since they were talking, instead of eating in an awkward silence.

 

“I’m sorry if I’m a bit too excited… I hadn’t been to the movies for years and I had forgotten how much I loved it….” Key admitted.

 

“Oh, no. Don’t apologize.”

 

Jinki had never been very talkative, he was used to listening to other people speak and he didn’t mind at all.

 

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

 

“I know.” Jinki said, staring down at his plate.

 

“I know you didn’t ask for me to come. I hope I didn’t bother you too much this weekend…”

 

Jinki looked up to stare at him. Key was nibbling on his lower lip nervously.

 

“Key, you didn’t bother me.”

 

The younger smiled.

They cleaned up the table silently and when they were finished, they stood in front of each other in the corridor.

 

“Good night, Key.”

 

“Good night Mr Lee.”

 

“Jinki.” He corrected.

 

Key smiled and corrected himself.

 

“Good night, Jinki.”

 

They parted and both went to their rooms.

 

………………...…….

 

Later that night, Jinki woke up and decided to go and grab a cup of coffee, thinking he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep anyway. He went to the kitchen and saw that the lights were on. He came closer, trying not to make any sound and peeked in the room. Key was standing by the shelves. He grabbed a bottle of water and poured some in a glass. He was wearing the same silk robe than the other night and Jinki couldn’t help but look him up and down. The robe was firmly tied around his small waist and barely covered his milky thighs.

 

“I see I’m not the only one who can’t sleep.”

 

Key jumped when he heard Jinki’s voice and turned to him when he entered the kitchen.

 

“Apparently not.” He answered.

 

“Could you give me a mug ? They’re in the upper cupboard.”

 

“Oh, of course.”

 

Jinki hadn’t seen the point in changing the kitchen setting, since all of the meals were prepared by the cook. It would only have complicated his employee’s work, and seeing how little time Jinki spent in the kitchen, it really wasn’t useful.

 

Key had to stand on his tiptoes to grab a mug and his robe slid up a bit. Jinki looked away. Kibum smiled and gave Jinki the mug.

 

“Do you know how to make coffee ?”

 

Key eyed him with a confused expression on his face.

 

“Coffee ? You want to drink coffee now ?”

 

“I drink coffee at any hour of the day or night. Sohye hates it, in fact, that’s why she keeps putting away the mugs on the highest shelves. She says it’s very bad for my insomnia.”

 

“Well, maybe she isn’t completely wrong…” He said shyly.

 

“I still know what I’m doing. I would have stopped drinking coffee a long time ago if it was the cause of my insomnia, but it isn’t.”

 

“Oh.”

 

They both remained silent or the next minutes, except for Jinki's indications while Key made coffee.

Jinki noticed a book resting on the table and he grabbed it.

 

“The Great Gatsby ?” He read out loud.

 

“When I can’t sleep, I read.”

 

“I’m sure it helps a lot more than drinking coffee.”

 

Key chuckled and poured the coffee he had prepared into a mug before giving it to Jinki.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Key walked to the living room and sat on the couch to read. Jinki stayed in the kitchen to drink his coffee while reading a newspaper he had found on the counter. About twenty minutes later, he put the empty mug in the sink and the newspaper back on the counter. He went to the living room.

 

“I’m going to-”

 

He stopped in his tracks when he noticed Key lying down on the couch, asleep. The book had landed on the floor and Key was lying on his stomach. Jinki smiled and came closer. He picked up the discarded book and looked at it.

 

“Definitely helps more than drinking coffee.” He whispered to himself.

 

He put the book on the table and went to grab a blanket that he then covered Key’s body with. The latter stirred but didn’t wake up. Jinki stared at him for a few seconds before leaning over him to kiss his blond hair.

 

He left the living room and threw one last look at Key before going back to his room.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

 

That was the third chapter ! :P (I'm sorry if I posted it a bit later than usual, but I don't have any internet at home at the moment and I had to go to my campus to upload the chapter... Bless my unversity's Wi-Fi !)

Don't hesitate to leave a comment and tell me whether you liked it or not ! :P