The next morning, Cohen Phillips got up and saw Anthony Ferguson sitting at the dining table, munching on a sandwich.
Anthony Ferguson lifted his weary eyes lazily.
"Come eat breakfast. Only sandwiches."
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Aren't you going to work?"
"On vacation."
"Oh. Where's my brother?"
"Left early. Had a meeting."
Anthony Ferguson yawned, put down half his sandwich, and stood up.
"You eat. I'm going back to sleep for a bit. Wake me at noon."
Cohen Phillips watched him walk into the room with a slightly awkward gait, then looked away, frowning in thought.
After finishing the sandwich, he returned to his room, got his tablet, curled up in the beanbag chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, and started working on his deadline.
He had previously taken on a commercial project, illustrating for a book, with the deadline in mid-January.
He'd been so busy with the relationship lately, he hadn't had time to draw.
At noon, Anthony Ferguson got up without needing to be called.
Sitting on the sofa scrolling through his phone, he asked, "I'm going to buy ingredients. What do you want to eat?"
Cohen Phillips didn't even look up, focused on his work.
"Whatever."
"How about that hot pot again?"
"Okay. I want a spicy pot this time."
The clear broth last night hadn't satisfied his craving.
Anthony Ferguson, unaware he'd had a fever the day before, agreed to his request.
"Fine. I'll buy more beef..."
Two hours later, the two sat at the dining table, surrounded by a large spread of meat and a bubbling, spicy red oil broth, eating until they were sweating.
Beep beep beep...
Cohen Phillips picked up the ringing phone casually.
"Hello..."
Baldur Morgan heard the sounds he was making.
"What are you doing?"
A sudden, inexplicable guilt rose in him.
"Eating..."
"What are you eating?"
"Steak..."
Hiss... Hah...
Anthony Ferguson, sitting opposite, reached out.
"Pass me some tissues, quick! What kind of chili is this? It's killing me..."
Baldur Morgan was silent for a moment, his tone dangerous.
"Cohen Phillips, did you go out for hot pot again? Spicy?"
Cohen Phillips handed over the tissues, his voice faint.
"No... I'm at home."
"So disobedient."
"Sorry..."
Baldur Morgan was both angry and helpless.
"Eat less of it."
"Got it. Have you eaten?"
"No. I was actually going to ask if you wanted to come eat with me."
Suddenly, the hot pot in front of Cohen Phillips didn't seem so appealing.
"Can I have dinner with you tonight?"
"I have to go back to Morgan Manor to see my grandfather tonight."
"Oh..."
"And I can't have the New Year's Eve dinner with you either."
His tone grew even more downcast.
"Alright."
Baldur Morgan fiddled absently with the watch on his wrist, then added, "Keep warm. I'll find time to see you later."
"Mhm."
"Enjoy your meal."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up, Cohen Phillips put down his utensils.
Anthony Ferguson was still hissing from the spice.
"Not eating anymore?"
"Full."
"Eat more. There's still so much meat left."
He lacked enthusiasm.
"Are you going home for the New Year's Eve dinner tomorrow night?"
A slightly cool look flashed in Anthony Ferguson's eyes.
"No."
Then an expectant expression appeared.
"Your brother and I are going on a date for New Year's."
"Taking me?"
Anthony Ferguson shot him a sidelong glance.
"You're twenty-three, not three. Don't come be a third wheel."
He made a face.
"I'm joking. I have no interest in the details of your romance."
"Aww, don't you have a boyfriend? Isn't Baldur spending New Year's with you?"
"He probably has to go home."
Anthony Ferguson, swishing beef in the broth, taunted, "How pitiful. Having a boyfriend but spending New Year's alone. Your bed will be cold, remember to turn the heating up high."
"..."
So annoying.
"Heh heh heh, little pitiful one. Boyfriend... doesn't seem to love you much..."
Cohen Phillips had had enough. He smiled and retorted, "In my relationship, I get to see my boyfriend every day. Unlike someone who was in a long-distance relationship for years, couldn't see my brother during holidays... Oh, wait, I remember wrong. Those four or five years weren't even a long-distance relationship. You weren't even together officially. Heh heh heh..."
Precise. Lethal. Anthony Ferguson, in his rage, raged for a moment, then snarled resentfully in a low voice, "Cohen, shut up!"
Cohen snorted, stood up.
"I'm going back to work on my draft. Remember to put the leftover ingredients in the fridge for tonight."
"Your brother isn't coming back tonight! I won't know how! I'll call a housekeeper!"
"Whatever. Enjoy your meal slowly."
Cohen Phillips took his tablet into the study to charge it and continued his work.
He kept drawing until night fell, then finally got up to stretch his stiff limbs and neck.
Knock. Knock.
Anthony Ferguson knocked symbolically twice on the door and pushed it open.
"Cohen, finished?"
"Mhm, finished today's part."
Anthony Ferguson raised an eyebrow.
"Change your clothes. I'm taking you out to eat, and you can experience B City's nightlife."
"I don't want to go..."
"Hurry up. Stop being such an autistic child. Wear more layers."
Unable to resist, Cohen Phillips slowly went back to his room to change.
Under the glow of the city lights, a light snow began to fall.
After dinner, Anthony Ferguson brought Cohen Phillips to an extremely luxurious, high-end club.
The attendant recognized Anthony Ferguson and welcomed them in warmly.
Anthony Ferguson put an arm around Cohen Phillips's shoulder.
"Dave and the others are here too. Just coming to join the fun. If they offer you alcohol, don't drink. No need to give them face."
"Oh..."
The attendant led them to a large private room on the second floor.
The moment they entered, Dave Doyle came bouncing over.
"Anthony! Cohen! You're finally here! Quick, come on, let's get this party started!"
Anthony Ferguson took off his heavy coat and instructed Dave, "Keep an eye on Cohen. Don't let anyone pressure him to drink."
"Aiya, I know, I know."
He pulled Cohen Phillips to sit in the central spot on the sofa and said to the attendant, "Bring some juices and soft drinks."
The attendant bowed slightly.
"Certainly."
"Cohen, don't be shy. We're all buddies here. Let loose tonight! We're celebrating New Year's early."
Cohen Phillips was quite composed.
"Mhm."
By the bar, Milton Benjamin raised his glass towards Anthony Ferguson.
Glancing at Cohen Phillips, who was being taught dice games by a few young men, he said with a smile, "Aren't you afraid his brother will have something to say, bringing him to such a wild place?"
Anthony Ferguson picked up a cocktail, took a sip, and shrugged.
"His brother's working overtime. Felt bad leaving him home alone. It's good for him to get out and meet people more."
Milton Benjamin curled his lips.
"So you're expanding his social circle now?"
He snorted.
"He's dating Baldur now. Why would he need to bother with all this?"
"Ah?"
Milton Benjamin was shocked.
"Baldur? Is dating Cohen? Since when?"
"Who knows when Baldur started having ideas about Cohen. Celibate for 28 years, then suddenly had an epiphany. Went to the hot springs and dug up the little cabbage from their family garden."
"Baldur, really..."
Milton Benjamin shook his head with a light sigh, then asked, "What about you and Kerry Phillips? Still planning to fight your family to the end for him?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
A weary expression crossed Anthony Ferguson's face.
He downed his cocktail in one go.
"Don't want to talk about this."
"Fine. Let's drink..."
"Alright, folks, look here!"
Over by the large table, Dave Doyle was holding up his phone, panning around the room.
"New Year's Eve came early! Happy New Year! Welcome our new friend, Cohen, back to B City!"
Cohen Phillips was holding a dice cup, a cigarette dangling from his lips – handed to him by some enthusiastic young man – and looked up at the camera, cooperatively curving the corners of his mouth slightly.
"OK, everyone, keep the party going!"
Morgan Manor.
Baldur Morgan returned to his room after talking with his grandfather and called Cohen Phillips, but no one answered.
He sent a few messages asking where he was, exited the chat, and casually started scrolling through his social media feed.
He saw the post Dave Doyle had just made.
He wasn't particularly interested at first, but then his eyes caught a familiar, pretty face.
Baldur Morgan enlarged the video, confirmed it was indeed his little boyfriend who wasn't answering his calls, gritted his teeth, grabbed his coat, and headed out.