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Ice lead Kla upstairs to the living space on the top floor. Ice opened the front door and walked in tossing the keys on to a table just next to the door.
''As you can see this is the living room, to the right is the kitchen and landry room'' he pointed as he shut the door behind Kla and kicked off his shoes ''To the left are the bedrooms and bathrooms. Each bedroom has it's own bathroom, so there is no need to share one.''
He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the shelf then filled it with water. He turned and looked at Kla who was looking around ''Your room is the one on the left. It also has a great view of the ocean'' he said.
Kla nodded and made his way down the hallway. He stopped at the door and opened it. When he looked in, there was a bed in the middle of the room against the right wall with a window above it. Right across from him was a set of double doors that lead out to a small balcony. Kla sat his bag on the floor next to the door and walked over to the double doors opening them.
He could hear the sound of the waves hitting the shore. The moonlight shined down. He smiled as he reached his hand up to the moon as if he was trying to grab it. The view from this room was much better then the one room apartment he use to share with his ex-boyfriend. Kla sighed as he turned and looked at the bag next to the door.
The moment he caught Prince cheating, he rushed home and packed his bag with all the clothes he had. Most everything in the apartment belonged to Prince. He had only allowed him to move his clothes in and nothing else. Kla sighed softly as he leaned his head back to look up. Ice moved around the corner and leaned against the door frame as he watched Kla.
''You can make the room up anyway you want'' he said.
Kla jumped and looked at Ice ''Thanks'' he said ''But it's still your place.''
''It's your room now and your home for how ever long you wish'' he said as he made his way over to him.
Kla nodded ''Ok then'' his eyes moved back to his bag where his phone was going off again. Kla didn't move an inch.
''So, what happened'' Ice said leaning onto the railing looking at Kla. ''How did you find out he was cheating?''
''I went to see him after my class was over. I headed to the Engineering department to find him. As I was walking by one of the rooms I heard someone calling his name. I opened the door to find him having sex with one of the guys from the swim club he is part of'' Kla sighed and leaned his head back again looking up ''So, I went back to the place we were sharing and packed my shit.''
''How long were the two of you together'' Ice asked.
''Two years, but we only lived with each other for six months'' he said.
Ice leaned up and looks out at the ocean ''What made you come here instead of going home?''
Kla turned around and looked at the ocean as well ''I knew it would be the first place he would look for me, plus I had to get as far away from there as I could.''
''I'm sorry for asking so many questions'' Ice said ''I just think it's best to let it all out instead of holding it in.''
Kla turned looking at him ''You're right and I feel a lot better now. Thanks'' he smiled.
Ice nodded and patted him on the back then turned to leave ''You best get some sleep, we open the restaurant at seven, but we need to be up by five to get everything ready.'' Ice waved and closed the door behind him.
Kla looked down at his watch which said it was two twenty-two in the morning. He shook his head and laughed as he walked to the bed and sat down. The bed was soft. Kla looked around the room. It was nice and clean. Ice must have cleaned the room a few days ago from what Kla could see. Kla sighed and fell back onto the bed arms stretched out. This was better then having to sleep on the beach or in some crappy motel. Not only did he find a place to stay but he found a job as well.
Ice walked into his room and sat on his bed. What the hell was he thinking bringing someone home and letting them stay there that he just met? Then again when he heard Kla yelling at the phone on the beach he couldn't help but remember his own painful break up a few years ago. Kla's situation reminded him of when he first came to the same beach. He had money but no place to go. At the time there was no beach side restaurant. He had the place built as his own way of escaping from the pain he once at felt.
This place once helped Ice move on, Ice felt that this place would be able to help Kla move on. He was hoping it would. Ice knew that most of the people that came to the restaurant were there to escape the pain of something. Although he liked to spend time alone, he loved to hear the stories of everyone that came through.
Ice remembered when he first opened up, his first customer was an old man who had just lost his wife of over eighty years. Ice smiled to himself as he recalled the story. Ice sighed and got up taking his shirt off and changed into a pair of sleep pants, then climbed into bed turning the light off.
The next morning, Kla woke up at five and took a quick shower. He walked out of his room and went to the kitchen as he dried his hair with a towel. He stopped and looked around noticing that Ice had yet woken up. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and looked at the darken quite place. He could hear the sound of the waves hitting the shore outside. The sound made him smile.
Ice walked out of his room stretching and yawning. He walked over to the fridge and pulled a jug of juice out. He took a glass from the shelf and poured the juice in it. He turned and looked at Kla ''You're already up I see'' he said.
''Yeah'' he said as he took a drink of water.
Ice looked at him then reached out and ruffled his hair ''Well let me get change then we will head downstairs'' he yawned again and walked back to his room.
Kla stood there in shock and touched the top of his head. He tried to wrap his head around what had just happened. Throwing it out of his mind, Kla walked to his room and changed as well. He waited for Ice in the living room when he was done. Once Ice was done they headed downstairs.
Ice flipped the lights on then grabbed an apron and tied it around his waist ''You can start by opening up the doors and cleaning the floor, then unstack the chairs while I work in the kitchen. Once we full open you will work the front and help bring the food out to everyone.''
Kla nodded and did as he was told. In truth this wasn't the first time Kla had worked in a restaurant. He had once worked in one when he first started college. Kla opened the door that opened up to the ocean. The sound and the smell made everything so much better as he worked on cleaning the floors and wiping down the tables. Working here seemed like a dream to Kla.
An hour later, Ice walked out from the kitchen holding a couple of plates in his hands ''Come eat something'' he said setting them down on one of the tables.
Kla walked over and sat down ''Wow, the food looks great'' his eyes lit up as he picked up a fork and started to dig in.
Ice leans on his elbows watching him as he ate. He shook his head and laughed a bit as he started to eat his own food. Kla picked the plates up when they were finished and took them to the kitchen then cleaned them. Ice watched him for a moment ''So you said that you're in college right'' he asked.
''That's right. I'm working on becoming a writer'' Kla answered him.
''What are you going to do about school then while your here'' Ice turned and looked at him.
Kla leans against the sink as he whipped his hands dry ''Well it's only an hour from here by car, so I figured I could just use a taxi on the days I have class and if I have afternoon classes I could just stay with my mom after.''
''That's good, school is important'' he said.
Kla sighed a bit ''But what about me helping out here'' he asked.
''Don't worry about that, you can stay here and help out when you can'' he said. He turned back around and started to cook again.
Once the day got busy and people started to show up at the restaurant Kla and Ice didn't talk much after expect to get orders in and out. Most everyone that always came loved seeing Kla, who was the new fresh face in town.
''So how do you know Ice'' one custom said.
Kla teased ''You can say he just picked me up on the beach as if I was a stray dog'' he laughed.
''And a cute dog at that'' one of the guys behind Kla at another table said.
Kla placed his hand on the guy's shoulder and laughed more ''You think so'' he asked.
Ice walked out of the kitchen whipping his hands on his apron. He saw Kla laughing and talking with a few people. One of the guys had his arm wrapped around Kla's waist as they talked. The guy with his arm around Kla looked up and saw Ice then waved him over.
''Dude Ice, we see you got puppy'' he teased.
''Well what can I say the puppy was to cute to leave alone on the beach'' Ice teased back as he sat across from him ''Plus, if I hadn't someone like you would have came and took him home to have fun with, Beer.''
Beer let go of Kla and leans forward looking at Ice ''And what is wrong with having a little fun with a cute little puppy like him?' he asked raising a brow.
Ice hits him on the head with a rag ''Nothing but leave my worker alone'' he said then looked up at Kla ''Go clean up the kitchen a bit, the dinner rush will be here soon.''
Kla nodded and headed to the back. Beer leans over and watched him as he left then looked back at Ice ''Come on Ice let me have some fun with him for one night.''
Ice hit him again and stood up ''Only you can smell when someone has had their heart broken'' he said ''Leave Kla alone. I don't want him to get tangled up with someone like you.'' Ice turned and walked back to the kitchen.
Beer laughed and leans back in his chair looking at one of his friends ''Oh I won't be leaving that little puppy alone for one moment. Even If I have to make him mine.''
Ice walked into the kitchen and saw Kla washing the dishes and cutting up more things.
''You should be careful of Beer'' Ice said.
Kla turned and looked at him ''Why, he seems nice'' he said tilting his head.
Ice looked at him then sighed turning away from him ''Just try to not get so close to him, please'' he said in a soft tone.
''If it's because you like him then you don't have to worry about that'' Kla said placing a hand on his back.
''Beer is just a friend'' Ice looked at him ''I just don't want to see you hurt again by someone like him'' he smiled a bit.
Just then he heard more people coming in ''Go ahead and head back out to the main floor'' he said pushing Kla out of the kitchen. He stood there watching for a bit. He could see that Beer was still there with his eyes on Kla.
As much as he wanted to Ice couldn't worry about that right now he had a restaurant to run. He would try to talk to Kla about it again later. Finally, after a long day of working it was time to close. Kla was stacking the chair on the tables and cleaning the floors when Ice walked out from the kitchen.
''So what did you think about your first day here'' Ice said as he too the apron off and placed it on the counter next to the register.
Kla looked at him and smiled ''It was nice. The people that come through here are great as well. I see why you opened a place here.''
''I opened it to help me escape from the past I was running from'' he said as he jumped on on the counter and sat there. ''But once I did I found this place to be open and free. I was able to express who I was and what I loved without anyone telling me it was wrong.''
Kla nodded and listened to him as he talked. He could understand how Ice felt. Everything his dad had brought him to the ocean in the past he had felt free of all the worries that held him down. ''My dad use to say that he wishes he was like the ocean. He wanted to be free to do as he pleased without worries. Just like the ocean is free to come and go from the shore without worries'' Kla smiled as he leans against the broom handle looking out the window.
''Your dad sounds like he knows what he is talking about'' Ice said.
''He did'' Kla replied.
''Did?'' he asked confused
Kla turned and sighed a bit looked at Ice ''He died in a car crash when I was seven. We were heading home from the beach and it started to rain heavy on the way back. A car lost control and hit us head on flipping us. '' Kla turned around lifting his shirt to show his back.
Ice jumped down and walked over to him only to find a bunch of little scars with a huge scar running from Kla's left shoulder to half way down his back ''The small ones are from glass that got stuck in my back. The big one was from a piece of metal cutting me as we flipped over'' Kla dropped his shirt and looked back at Ice ''That was the last time I ever went to the beach till now.''
Ice wanted to pull Kla into a tight hug but he couldn't bring himself to. He patted Kla on the head ''We should lock up and head to the store to pick up a few things for dinner.''
''Let me just run upstairs and grab my phone and wallet. I'll meet you outside'' he said then ran up the stairs. Kla stopped just in front of his bedroom door and looked down. Ice was the first person, other then Prince, that he had showed his back to. Was Ice freaked out by what he saw? Kla shook his head and walked inside grabbing his things. Just as he picked up his phone it started to ring. He looked down to see Bun was calling.
''Hey Bun, what's up'' He said answering the phone.
''Dude, Prince has been all over the school looking for you. He even came to me asking if I knew where you were. He said you packed your things and left without a word.'' Bun said. Just by the tone of his voice Kla could tell Bun was freaking out.
''Look if you see him just tell him you don't know where I am and that you haven't heard from me'' Kla said as he shut the front door and walked down the steps. ''He doesn't need to know anything about me anymore.''
''As If I would tell him anything anyways'' Bun said ''But are you ok? I called your mom and she said that you weren't at home and you asked for a few days off from school.''
''Yeah, everything is fine'' Kla said as he walked over to Ice who was standing at the back door of the shop. ''I'll be back to school on Tuesday. Oh did you take notes while I was away?''
''Yeah, I even made copies for you'' Bun said.
''Thanks man. Hey I gotta go now but I'll message you when I'm on my way to school and we can meet at the coffee shop across from there.'' Kla said
''Sounds good. See you Tuesday'' Bun hung up first.
Ice looked at Kla worried ''Is everything ok?'' he asked.
''Yeah, a friend from school just called to check on me'' Kla smiled. He didn't want to talk about it or Prince. He just wanted to forget everything about him and what he did. For Kla this was a new start and it was trying to move on.