Hitch woke up from his deep slumber. He could feel Noah hugging him tightly. Noah was snoring loudly. Hitch moved out of Noah's grip, and he then heard Noah snoring even louder. Hitch stood up from the bed and walked blindly to the bathroom. He turned on the light, and it pierced his eyes sharply. Then his eyes adapted to the light's intensity, and Hitch took a small shower for less than five minutes. Hitch then took a black vest and wore it, and dressed himself like a fancy waiter. Hitch walked out of the bathroom and saw Noah sleeping in an odd position. That's what Hitch must have looked like when sleeping. Noah then woke up suddenly and looked at Hitch.
"Up so early, fancy pants?"
"Yes, because today is a special day. There's going to be a famous critic called Julika Burton who's coming to the restaurant today," Hitch said proudly.
"Who's that?" Asked Noah.
"Don't you know Julika Burton? She's famous and everybody who lives in the world of culinary would know about her!"
Noah looked perplexed and thought for a moment, but from his look, it seemed that nothing came to his mind.
"And what do you do for a living?"
"Me? I don't work!" Cried Noah.
"What?" Hitch yelled in disbelief.
"Yeah, don't you know? The closest to work I've done is teaching little kids how to play basketball, and that's all!"
"Let me get this right... You shower once a week, and you have no job. And how do you live like an independent adult?" Hitch asked curiously.
"Who said I'm independent? I live with my parents in a mansion across the town, and I'm homeschooled," said Noah matter-of-factly.
"And how did you meet with my sister then?"
"We've dated each other once, and then we broke up," said Noah sadly.
Hitch then thought of what Erika said, he's just a friend. 'My ass' he thought rudely.
"I need to go now, Noah," said Hitch, sounding hurried.
"I kind of like you, little guy," Noah said warmly.
Hitch's breath then stopped as he felt a warmth sent down his spine, and it travelled up to his heart, making it race. Hitch then thought of something. Hitch then thought of a possibility that Noah might be the one Hitch's been longing for. Hitch then stopped that thought because now was the time to sprint to the restaurant. He opened the door and ran down the stairs.
Hitch arrived at the restaurant five minutes later. The cold air stung his sensitive skin as he breathed heavily after the long sprint. Hitch then saw his boss waiting for him. She looked kind of furious. Hitch didn't know what to say, and he just kept his fancy demeanor.
"You're earlier than expected," she snapped coldly.
"Yes, today is a special day, isn't it?"
"Julika and I made a bet before you arrived," she said coldly.
"What kind of bet?" Hitch asked innocently.
"That if you were late, I would win a five-star review on the restaurant!" She eyed him furiously as though it was his fault that she had lost the bet.
"And if I'm early?" Hitch asked, expecting the worst.
"She would just come and see if the restaurant deserves a review from her..." She looked uncertain of herself and sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry that I didn't come late," Hitch apologized.
"Yeah, you should be sorry for that!" She shrieked.
Hitch then trotted into the restaurant and started putting the plates with the silverware on each table with other waiters. Then there was a car that arrived, a limousine. Then there was a butler who came out of the car and opened the door. The person then got out of the car. She wore a black top hat, purple tailcoat, and pants, with a red necktie that neatly lay on the white shirt she was wearing. She had an onyx cane. She had long brown hair and purple eyes. She looked nice from afar and must have looked even better up close. Every waiter then stopped working and formed a line on each side of the red carpet. They bowed one by one as Julika walked. Then she settled herself comfortably on a chair. She then took the menu and scanned it rapidly. She then called Hitch to come. He took a pen and paper to write down the order. He was sweating nervously, afraid that even the slightest gesture would ruin the restaurant's status and his career.
"I would like a chocolate crepe with banana and whipped cream," she said enthusiastically.
"Yes, and that's all?"
"I would like you to cook the food, please," she said calmly.
Hitch dropped the pen. His face was full of disbelief. He could sense every eye turning in his direction, which made him sweat more.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Burton, but I'm just a simple waiter!" He sputtered.
"Well, then I would leave a bad review," she threatened.
Hitch knew what to do. He walked awkwardly to the kitchen and was met by other cooks and chefs, and they all eyed him. Hitch then sweated so much that he could feel his face dripping sweat. He took a towel and wiped his face with it. He then walked to the crepe pan. He took a small bowl of crepe flour and mixed with with eggs and milk. He nearly dropped the milk carton. He could feel the pressure from everywhere. Then he heard his boss hiss in his ears.
"If you ruined that crepe, I'll make sure that you regret even stepping foot into this career!"
"Yes, ma'am," he said as he wiped the sweat off his face. He then took the crepe dough and poured it into the pan for crepes. He took a wooden spreader and spread the liquid dough all over the pan. He then flipped the crepe and nearly made it fall on the ground. He then took the crepe and laid it on a plate before he went in search of the chocolate. He spread a spoonful of chocolate all over the crepe. He then sliced the banana into thin slices and scattered them all over the crepe. He took the plate and walked out of the kitchen, breathing heavily. He then laid it in front of Julika. The hot steam rose from the crepe. Julika then cut out a chunk of the crepe with a few banana slices on it, and she lifted the piece near her lips and blew on it multiple times before she gobbled it. Hitch tried to read her face to see whether she liked it or not. But it was extremely challenging, like trying to read a professional poker player. She didn't say anything. She then took out her pen and wrote something on the paper. She looked at Hitch and then stood up from her chair. She walked to her car and opened the door before entering it. The car left the place. Hitch then walked out of the restaurant. Nobody said anything.
Hitch returned half an hour later to his house. He knocked on the door once. The door opened, and there stood Noah.
"What happened, Hitchy? You looked like you just sprinted in a marathon!"
"I'll tell you what happened," Hitch said rapidly as he sweated heavily.
He told Erika, Mitch, and Noah about what just happened.
"I can believe that she made you cook!" Cried Erika.
"Yeah, Hitchy, you were just a waiter, and it's not your fault that you can't cook well!" Encouraged Noah.
"She probably hated it!" Yelled Hitch in despair.
"Let's just hope that she made the crepe well," said Mitch hopefully.
"There's no way that a guy who can't cook would have made a dish that satisfied a famous food critic!" Hitch then slid down the chair and sobbed hard on the ground. It took them half an hour of comforting words to make Hitch stop crying. Hitch then hugged Noah tightly and moaned sadly on his chest. Hitch felt the same warmth again when he hugged Noah. Noah then lifted Hitch like a feather on both of his arms.
"There, there. You can cry as much as you need, princess," said Noah, teasing Hitch.
"You're right," sobbed, "I'm just being silly!" He wailed. Then Noah took Hitch to his bedroom. Noah put Hitch down on the bed.
"What kind of story do you want me to read?" Offered Noah.
"Just... read me chapter five of 'A Collection of Tales from Evergreen'," said Hitch.
Noah then marched to the shelves and took the book from there. He opened the book and read it like a father does. The voice of Noah lulled Hitch to a deep slumber.
"He's just a kid, huh?" said Noah as he looked at Erika.
"Well, don't you say that to him! He hates it when people treat him like a kid!"
"But he acts like a kid!"
"Whatever! Just leave him alone now, the poor guy just had the roughest day of his life."
Hitch woke up from his deep slumber and saw that Noah was sleeping with him. Hitch felt somewhat protected and felt safe, which was something he hadn't felt in a decade. He could feel the soft heartbeat on Noah's chest. Hitch then stood up from bed and landed softly and silently on the floor. Then there was a thought that came to his mind. He approached the sleeping Noah and sniffed his hair. It smelled nice for a guy who only showers once a week. It smells like the scent of coal and sweat mashed up together with vanilla. Then he stepped back when the guy moved in his sleep. Hitch then noticed something he hadn't noticed before. The guy's arse was perfectly round and thick. It seemed like all those squats paid off. Hitch had to resist the urge to smack it. He grabbed his hand and hid it behind his back. He then heard a knock on the door. He advanced to the door and opened it. There stood in front of him one of his colleagues from the restaurant, Marcus. Tall and slim, he was.
"Mrs. Belle would like you to come to the restaurant, Mr. Hiker," he said calmly.
"Yes, I'll be coming," he said nervously. He thought he knew what it was about, and he expected the worst.
Hitch could feel every eye on him once he showed up in the restaurant. Every cook, chef, and waiter eyed him with a penetrating gaze. He walked up to the table where his boss sat. She had a computer with her. Hitch knew that she was going to look for the review left by Julika Burton online. Hitch held his breath for over a minute. Then, his boss looked up her computer and searched for her restaurant.
"Do you know how much Julika Burton rated my restaurant?" She asked sharply.
"How much?" asked Hitch, expecting the worst.
"Out of one hundred points, she rated us..... ninety-five!!!!!"
They all exploded into applause and cheers. Then there was confetti everywhere. Hitch then found himself surrounded by everybody in the restaurant. They popped champagne bottles in every direction. Then everybody came to fill up their glasses. Then they all raised a toast and chorused 'To Hitch!'. Even after all this celebration, Hitch felt empty. An emptiness that wasn't filled by his remarkable feat. He felt lonely. And he thought to himself that if he did badly, they wouldn't cheer him. They couldn't care less if he existed or not. That's how Hitch perceived this celebration. They celebrated for what he did, not for who he was. Hitch was then nudged on the shoulder by somebody. It was one of the waiters, Elsa.
"Hey!" she yelled over all the loud commotion happening. "I have a letter for you!" She then handed him a letter with a stamp on it. He took the letter. Then he pushed his way through the dense crowd. He found himself alone in the toilet. He opened the letter, and it read:
Come meet me tomorrow at the local cafe at noon.
Julika Burton.
Hitch then pocketed the letter, and he escaped from the dense crowd and returned home. He arrived home and told them how it went. They all cheered up and celebrated. Noah lifted Hitch and told him that he should be proud of it.
"I know I should," he said sadly, "but I feel conflicted. I don't know why, but I felt empty and unhappy. Even though what I did made everybody happy. I just don't know how to enjoy others' happiness. I still don't understand until this very day how my parents were happy when I was happy?"
"Drop it, dude! It doesn't need to be that deep!"
"I'm feeling stressed out throughout my entire day, and I need to sleep now," said Hitch, sounding tired.
"Bro, you already slept five hours!"
"Don't 'bro' me!" Cried Hitch, "and you also slept!"
"Just for one hour, dude," corrected Noah.
"Just let the poor guy go to sleep," yelled Erika.
Hitch then climbed the staircase and walked into his room. He removed his clothes full of sweat and tossed them into a bag. He then became naked and entered the shower. He took a step behind, turned on the warm water, and used his hands to see if it was the perfect temperature. He then entered the lukewarm water and used the soap on himself. He then turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The cold air stung his sensitive skin. He took a towel and wiped his hair and body with it. He then dressed in pajamas. He came out of the bathroom and was greeted by Noah.
"You're still staying here?" Hitch asked though a part of him doesn't mind that.
"Yeah, I'm staying for a week here. My parents are busy with something, so they left me in your custody. But I only bought some clothes, since you know, I only shower once a week. But I decided to take a shower tonight."
"That's great," said Hitch.
"Yeah, but I don't have any soap or shampoo!"
"You can use mine," suggested Hitch.
"Really? Thank you, Hitchy," said Noah warmly.
Noah then removed his t-shirt and shorts and was only dressed in boxers. Hitch had just noticed how huge his groin was. 'Damn, this guy's spoiled by genetics!' he thought. Then Noah entered the bathroom. Hitch then approached the clothes and sniffed at them. They smelled strongly of vanilla. Hitch wondered what kind of perfume Noah used. Then Hitch laid his nose to where Noah slept, and it smelled too strongly of vanilla.
Hitch chose his favorite book, which was 'Death's Wills'. He settled himself comfortably on the bed. A quarter of an hour later, Noah came out of the bathroom and was wearing a pair of boxers. Noah was brushing his long hair. Hitch lifted his sight from the book and admired Noah's perfect physique.
Noah then caught Hitch staring at him.
"Admiring, little guy?"
"I was just-just..."
"That's okay, you can even touch them if you want," said Noah.
"No, no! I'll just admire from a distance."
"You know, these babies weren't easy to get! I have to do exercise every day. It's hard to keep a body like this, but it was worth it. And you see these babies?" Noah then shakes his buttocks, "They weren't easy to get either. Fifty squats a day to get this thick butt. I like myself with thick butts, I think it makes me very sexy!"
"And indeed it does," said Hitch. "I have a serious question to ask you, Noah... are you in a relationship with my sister, Mitch?"
"Of course, I knew you were going to get protective brother mode. I repeat, No, we are NOT! We were, but not anymore."
"I'm relieved," sighed Hitch. "Because I thought that a twenty-year-old man was going out with my sister, and if you were still in a relationship with her, I would have called the cops."
"I'm not twenty years old!" Cried Noah, "I just turned eighteen a few weeks back."
"Well, not my fault that you looked older than you are," said Hitch.
"Well, not my fault that you looked younger than you are," said Noah.
"I have a hair dryer, you know if you want to use it."
"That would greatly help me, Hitchy."
Hitch leaped out of the bed, then walked to his closet and pulled out a hair dryer. He then plugged the hair dryer and gave it to Noah. Noah then blasted the hair dryer on his long blond hair. He then used it for over five minutes and stopped the hair dryer. Noah then walked to the bed.
"I read in the newspaper that it's going to be very cold tonight," recited Hitch from the newspaper his sister bought yesterday, which was hidden under the bed.
"Then we should be fine, right?"
"We don't have a heater in the house. It's too expensive for us to afford with our budget," Hitch said flatly.
"I once read in a book that in this case, we have to hug each other tightly to keep ourselves warm," said Noah.
"So, that's why you always hugged me when I slept," realized Hitch.
"Yeah, that's why, because I feel cold at night and you're really warm, Hitch," said Noah warmly.
"I don't mind. You know, for someone who only showers once a week, you smell nice! You smell like coal and vanilla. What kind of perfume do you use?"
"None."
"How do you smell good, then?"
"People always told me that I smell nice, and that's why I rarely shower."
"Alright, it's time to sleep now," said Hitch, sounding tired as he laid down the book.
"Goodnight," said Noah warmly.
"Goodnight to you, Noah," said Hitch warmly.
Hitch woke up from his deep slumber and continued his usual morning routine. But today he decided to brush his teeth. But when he did that, he tasted vanilla ice cream in his mouth. He looked at the flavour of the toothpaste and noticed that it was mint. He knew that Noah had used his toothbrush. But why the hell did it taste like vanilla ice cream? It made no sense. Noah said that he didn't bring any toothpaste. Hitch decided to finish brushing his teeth. He then got out of the bathroom and saw Noah stretching his arms and legs.
"Hey there, little guy," he said warmly.
"Did you use my toothbrush?" Hitch asked dangerously.
"Um... yes?" He said nervously.
"You know, it's not polite to use other people's stuff without asking their permission."
"I'm sorry," apologized Noah.
"No need to, just next time ask me, okay?"
"Okay! And how did you know?"
"It tasted like vanilla," said Hitch flatly.
"Really?" Noah then smelled his breath. "I didn't eat anything vanilla-related last night."
"Never mind, today I'm off and I'm going to see someone."
"Who?" asked Noah curiously.
"Julika Burton," Hitch said dully as though he was just meeting some ordinary person.
"That bitch who made you cook? Are you seriously going to meet her?"
"Yes! Because maybe she liked my crepe so much that she might give me a job at her restaurant, and it's a life-changing opportunity," said Hitch proudly.
"I trust you, Hitch, but I don't like that bitch. Who does she think she was to make a waiter cook out of duress? I'm coming with you!"
Hitch tried to protest, but he knew that it was no use. He then accepted that Noah would come, but that he would just be from a distant place.
They both walked into the local cafe, and Noah stayed a dozen feet away from Hitch. Hitch sat in a chair. They waited for over a quarter of an hour, and then Hitch saw Julika entering the cafe. She looked around and saw Hitch.
"Ah! There you are! I've been looking for you all over the place," she beamed.
"I've been waiting for you, Julika Burton."
"I can see that you have a bodyguard," she said as she looked at Noah, who turned his back.
"He's not my bodyguard, he's a friend of mine," said Hitch.
"You must know everything about me then, Hitch."
"I know that you're a famous food critic and that you own a huge gastronomy restaurant in the country. And that's all about it!"
"You know why I left a good review on your restaurant?" Asked Julika.
"Because you liked my crepe?"
"No, to save your ass. Because that was the saddest crepe I've ever eaten. A crepe so tasteless that it sucked out the happiness in me. A crepe so bad that I had to see you again to help you."
"Why?"
"Because you could not create happiness, Hitch. Every single human on Earth could create happiness. While you can't. Because happiness is created, not found. But for your case, my friend. It seemed that happiness must be found somewhere."
"What kind of nonsense are you spitting?" Hitch asked dangerously.
"I'm not spitting nonsense, Hitch. I'm serious, and the crepe was what confirmed it. Because I've been observing you your whole life. Since you were born. I have eyes everywhere, you know. Admit it, since the accident that took your parents' lives, you have never once been happy. It seemed that trauma had taken away your capacity to create happiness. And I'm here to help you with it."
"How can you help me?" Hitch asked, sounding hopeful.
"Find the Butterfly."