Chapter 2 — Sebastian

Chicken sizzled beneath the clear lid of the frying pan. Sebastian cast it a glance, then checked the time and turned off the heat. He left the pan on the warm element and rooted around in the cabinet to the right of the stove to find another pan.

A few feet away, Gabriel leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms high over his head. Two open bottles of beer waited on the kitchen table, condensation beaded over their labels.

“How the hell did you get so good at cooking?” Gabriel asked. He came out of the stretch and scratched the back of his head, then yawned. “I burn water, and here you are making… whatever the hell it is you’re making. I don’t know. It smells delicious.”

“Chicken?” Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and shot Gabriel a look. “It’s a chicken breast, Gabriel. It’s not fancy.”

“The second you put any kind of herb on it, it’s fancy.”

“If you think seasoning your food is fancy, you must live a dull life.” Sebastian found the pan he was looking for and put it on the stove. He flicked on the burner and took the bottle of coconut oil from the shelf. A spoonful of it hit the warming pan, and it wasn’t long before it melted. “How long have you been living on your own?”

“Since college started… like four years ago.” Gabriel shrugged. “But I’ve never been alone alone. That’s the benefit of living with a roommate. You get them to cook all your shit, and then you trade labor. So she does the cooking, and I clean the apartment. You’ve never seen a place so shiny.”

“It’s no excuse.” Sebastian swept crushed garlic into the pan with his knife. It sizzled and flavored the oil. “What happens when she moves out?”

“I put up an ad looking for another roommate and screen my applicants until I find one who can cook.” Gabriel stuck out his tongue. “It’s not rocket science. I’ve got this shit on lockdown.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. As the garlic browned, he swept over to the sink to grab the bowl of scrubbed button mushrooms. Sebastian checked the heat of the pan, then tossed a mushroom in. It sizzled the way he hoped it would, so he introduced the rest.

“And they’re trusting you to educate tiny, tiny children?” Sebastian looked over his shoulder, a brow arched playfully. “You, who can’t cook?”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t do plenty of other, very useful things,” Gabriel said, chin lifted high. His dark hair was twisted up into tight bun on the back of his head, a few strands of it pulled out of place from how he’d been scratching. “You know, when it comes to preschool level competencies, I am a god. Can I read? Hell yes, I can. Can I stack blocks and draw Mother’s Day cards? You’d better believe it. Can I handle a meltdown? Well, that’s yet to be seen, but according to the student teaching I did, I’m an expert at diffusing toddler temper tantrums.”

“Mm. I guess you’re in good company, then.” Sebastian smirked and turned back to his cooking. He pushed the mushrooms around with a wooden spoon. “I know that I tease you, but I’m proud of you. I knew you’d land the job.”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t give someone like me free reign over their impressionable young children?” Gabriel snickered. He lifted his beer and tilted it to his lips. “Me? A bad influence? Never.”

“Mmhm.” Sebastian stepped back to check on the vegetables roasting in the oven. They looked good to go. All they’d need to do was wait on the chicken, and it was only another eight minutes or so until the residual heat would finish cooking it to perfection.

He’d learned the trick to cooking perfect chicken during his freshman year in college, and it had stuck with him all this time. Cook on high heat for one minute to sear the top, flip, cover, reduce heat, cook for ten minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for another ten minutes.

Simple and perfect every time.

“So, did you meet any of your new yet?”

“Sort of.” Sebastian shrugged. “I’ve met the principal, obviously. She seems like a nice woman. Approachable, level-headed, a little older, but that means she’s been at the game for a while, so she knows what she’s doing. The vice principal was there, too. He’s a little younger, but he’s kind. When they walked me down the hallway to see the classroom, some of the other teachers there waved. I’m taking it as a good sign. There were some schools I interviewed at where the staff cowered when the administration came around, and you know that means trouble. I’m glad that it looks like a stable environment.”

“Was he cute?” Sebastian asked.

Gabriel snorted. “He’s not your type. I wouldn’t set you up with someone from work anyway. Sorry, Sebastian. If you want to get hot for teacher, you’re going to have to find one on your own. I’m not going to sully any work connections because you wanted to get laid.”

Sebastian’s cheeks burned, and it wasn’t the heat from the stove doing it. He shifted his weight to his other leg, staring down at the mushrooms a little too intently.

“Sorry. I, uh, probably overstepped the boundaries a little. Didn’t mean to make it weird.” Gabriel set his beer down. The clink filled the awkward silence. “You, uh, you know, still going on with that stuff?”

“Yeah.” Sebastian didn’t look away from the mushrooms.

“So I guess you haven’t had any call backs yet. It’s weird that hiring an accountant. When you got into the program, they told you it wouldn’t be hard to find a job, right? I remember you mentioning that in our senior year at high school.”

“The problem isn’t that places aren’t hiring accounts—it’s that looking to hire an accountant fresh out of school with minimal work history.” Sebastian let out a sigh, slow and hopefully undetectable. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Talking about what he did for a living made him uncomfortable. “You can’t really write what I do on a resume, you know? So I’ve got this big employment gap.”

“But you’ve been at school for the last four years. That’s understandable.” Gabriel drew his chair back. The sound of it was loud in the tiny kitchen. “And you had that unpaid internship, right? So it’s not like you’re totally inexperienced.”

“I guess places aren’t looking to take a chance. I’m going to keep trying, but at this point it’s looking pretty grim.” The mushrooms were done. Sebastian turned off the heat and moved them to a cool burner. The chicken wouldn’t be much longer. In preparation, he left the stove to grab plates from an overhead cabinet. “I need to figure something out. I can’t keep doing what I’m doing.”

“Not if it’s making you miserable,” Gabriel agreed. “But you know what? Maybe it’s a little too optimistic or hopeful or naive of me, but I like to think that the universe gives us what we need when we need it. Something’s going to come through for you, and it might not be an accounting job, but you know what? It’s going to be okay. You’ll figure out a way to deal. No matter what it is, I know you’ll persevere.”

“Thanks.” Sebastian set the plates on the table. As he did, he picked up his bottle of beer and took a swig. He wasn’t overly fond of the taste, but the alcohol soothed some of his general discomfort. “I’m not completely out of options yet. I’ve signed up for a few job sites, and there have been some interesting positions I’ve applied for. No idea if I hear back, but at this point, I’m willing to try just about anything.”

“What kind of jobs are you going for then?”

“Just… whatever jobs I have the qualifications to do.” The timer on the stove beeped. Sebastian turned it off, then killed the heat in the oven. “A little bit of everything.”

“Why don’t we try to narrow some stuff down then? It’s going to be a lot less annoying hunting for a job when you know what kind of jobs you’re looking for. That way, you won’t have to check every one to see if you qualify—you should already know.” Gabriel hummed. “So. We know you’ve got a college degree. You’re good at cooking. Based on your apartment, I’d say you’re good at cleaning, too. You’re resourceful and you’re willing to do what it takes to make sure you reach your goals.”

Sebastian looked over his shoulder, mildly surprised. “What makes you say that?”

“The job you have right now that’s making you want to find a different job.” Gabriel fixed Sebastian with an earnest look. “Not everyone would do what you’re doing, you know. Even if they were stuck.”

Sebastian bit down on his lip and looked away. He didn’t want to think about it.

“So those are some pretty good qualities right there. Some good qualifications.” Gabriel drummed his fingers on the table. “I bet you’re good with kids, too. Should’ve been you graduating from early childhood education this year instead of me.”

“Accounting pays better.”

“If you can find a job.” Gabriel snorted. “So you’ve got the whole kid thing going for you, too. Kid friendly, I’d say. Have you considered working at a daycare? Or maybe taking on some babysitting jobs? I know it sounds juvenile, but people are willing to pay serious money to find people qualified to take care of their kids. I think you’d be a great fit.”

“I was thinking about pet sitting, or dog walking.” Sebastian took the vegetables out of the oven. “Do you really think I’d be okay with kids?”

“As a god amongst , I am certified to say you would be awesome with kids,” Gabriel declared. He passed Sebastian a plate. “You should keep an eye on the local paper as well as online job sites. I’m pretty sure if you keep all your doors open, it won’t be long before success comes your way.”

If only. Sebastian loaded vegetables and mushrooms onto the dinner plate, then selected one half of the chicken breast and passed it back to Gabriel. Gabriel passed him the next plate, and before long, Sebastian was seated across from him. Dinner was served.

“You know, if you’d have told me in advance you were going to be cooking something fancy, I would have brought wine instead of beer.” Gabriel scrunched his nose. “Whatever. I guess it’s all the same in the end, right? A little bit of a buzz to go with our celebration?”

“It’s fine.” Sebastian lifted his bottle. “Here’s to your new job.”

Gabriel lifted his bottle in turn. “Here’s to your new beginning and continued hope.”

The necks of the bottles clinked. A bead of condensation ran down the glass and pooled against Sebastian’s finger. He drank, then set the bottle down and shook off the wetness.

“You know, with food like this, you’d better watch yourself.” Gabriel winked. “I might be inclined to make you my new roommate.”

“Nope. Not happening.” Sebastian had lived alone since he’d started college, and he intended to keep it that way. If he ever did move in with someone, it wasn’t going to be a friend. He’d heard too many horror stories about friendships falling apart because of poor roommate behaviors. “I like you too much to want to jeopardize our friendship.”

“Likely excuse.” Gabriel grinned. “You’ll come around. And hey, if you don’t have to pay full rent, that’s one less expense, right? You won’t have to worry so much about your new job paying enough to cover your cost of living.”

He had a point, but Sebastian wasn’t going to consider it until he found a place looking to hire him. Without hard numbers to go over, he couldn’t make a decision.

But whatever happened, Sebastian had a feeling that what Gabriel said would hold true—the universe would give him what he needed. It would be up to him to make sure his life fit the plan.