time jump! adrian's place; dietre & hugh
It wasn’t Dietre’s intention to embarrass Hugh, so he was quick to reassure the man that nothing mortifying was said. “We only talked about Christmas movies and wine as far as I can remember. If anything I should probably apologize to you for not continuing contact back then. I’m fairly sure you invited me over and I think I said I would visit but then I never did.” Dietre could kick himself for that now, thinking on how much time was lost between them. But they were making up for it now, weren’t they?
Dietre was not well versed in romantic comedy lingo, and thus, didn’t quite understand what Hugh was saying. A ‘meet cute’? ...Was Hugh calling him cute? Dietre smiled through his confusion, opting to pretend he knew what the man was talking about while also letting it go by without comment. “My life could only inspire a horror story, so… I think that might be a bad idea.”
Their dinner seemed to fly by. Before Dietre knew it they were calling for the check. It was as steep as he knew it’d be, for Dietre it was a price he was willing to pay to get closer with Hugh. The ride back to Repose did not feel awkward at all compared to the drive to the restaurant. Several glasses of very expensive wine had relaxed Dietre nicely and he had no problem with idle chit chat and even expressed some interest in the music Hugh played in the car despite it all being so terribly modern.
Adrian’s place was a small, quaint victorian. Plenty of trees and a nice little yard. Inside, the furnishings were simple. There was just enough room for a single couple to dance comfortably, which was all they needed, right? Dietre’s piano was in the front room against the wall where a similar piano likely sat a hundred years ago. It was a plain, boxy thing, but it's wood gleamed softly, clean and well cared for after it's restoration.
Sieglinde happily greeted Hugh while Dietre slid off his suit jacket and laid it over the back of the couch. “What would you like to do first, Hugh? I leave it up to you, you’re my guest.”