7 - Golden Hour

Asami gave Ichinose another look before starting the car and Ichinose turned his head to the right side of the window so he could not look directly at Asami because he felt self-consciously uncomfortable. He may be feeling sad, but he also can not deny that he is thrilled because of the flowers he received today.

Ichinose remembered that he became estranged from all the people that he met because he didn't want his friends to be criticized like him as a homo or be hated because of him that he was different from them. He feels hurt to think that even his close friends, family and trusted people hated him and scrutinized him.

He just preferred to be alone because that way his life would not be miserable. It is also much better just to love someone without returning the love to him and he will no longer depend on people and that way he won't be hurt anymore.

As the time passed, they were close to the villa and suddenly Asami spoke... "Can you stay here tonight and drink with me?"

Ichinose wondered as the sounds coming from his master Asami were kind of depressing and it felt a little different than usual. He has never seen Asami like this.

He replied to Asami and said... "What's the problem? You look so haggard in some ways like you're exhausted with all your physical energy."

Asami took a deep breath even though he did not want to say but he couldn't do anything because he wanted to be with someone tonight and have a few drinks. And he says… "Today is the 40th day since my Mother died, and I don't want to be alone tonight." he looked over at Ichinose while driving to the garage.

"Can you keep me company and join me with a few drinks?" Asami added.

Ichinose was astounded to hear that and felt sympathy because he also knew the loss of his parents. So, he replied that… "It's okay, I will join you tonight and keep you company as long as you need me." Ichinose wants his master Asami to feel that there is nothing to worry about and he will accompany him all night.

Then they reached the garage and both of them got out of the car to start unloading the supplies. Asami first lowered the sack of fertilizers before he took it. They unloaded the supplies and all the heavy stuff went to Asami and all the light ones went to Ichinose.

Asami looked at him and smiled, "Thank you so much for helping me to the flower shop and other necessities that are needed at home." he said while they were dropping the fertilizer and some stuff to the garden.

"It's nothing, I should be the one thankful because you bought all the things that I needed for the garden and thank you for the flowers too." Ichinose answered and looked uneasy because he didn't know what to do.

Asami was glad that he liked the flowers and was pleased. "No, no. I should be the one saying thank you because you accepted the flowers, and I don't know if you'll be mad because it's not even in my plan and we are outside too. What I did is lame and uncool." Asami said awkwardly looking at Ichinose then chuckled lightly as to remove the feeling of embarrassment.

As they were having a nice talk, suddenly it became the last hour of light before sunset. Sometimes this is called the "Golden Hour", which is the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset, during which daylight is redder and the sunset is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. The golden hour is also sometimes called the "magic hour," especially by most cinematographers.

The "hour" actually lasts about twenty or thirty minutes, shortly before the magic hour at sunrise, or after it at sunset, which is called the "blue hour". This is when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon, when residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade, and there are no sharp shadows because the sun either has not risen, or has set.

Ichinose suddenly stopped when he turned his gaze on the sky, seeing those three colors dancing that it felt he was on the horizon. He's staring like he was in a daze and when he sees the golden-yellow fade into pinkish-purple it turns to a blue shade. Ichinose's heart starts to ache as the day is almost gone and the time runs so fast, if he could only stop the time so they can still talk for longer.

"If I could only turn back the time." as he whispered in a low voice so Asami would not hear him. As he wishes for more, he also knows that it is impossible to harbor nor even think that Asami will even like him and even they can have a simple friendship.

"Ichinose… Ichinose, hey!" Asami said and waved his hand near his face as he was trying to wake him up from hypnosis. "Hey, why are you gawking like a child that wants to eat the tasty food?" Asami added.

"Ah, it's nothing, just the sky when I looked up it was so pretty and those colors were really beautiful like an invitation that I wanted to touch it." He answered Asami explaining how mesmerizing the scenery by looking up at the horizon.

After hearing what Ichinose said to Asami, he also turned his head up and he said, "What a great view? I haven't looked up in the sky like this since when I was young." and he suddenly remembers the 'big brother' as they both look up in the clouds around this time and watching those colors slowly turning to purple, to blue into indigo as the dark consumes all the beautiful colors in the sky.

As Asami slowly moves his gaze from the sky to Ichinose's face and the soft light reflects on his face, it gives him more ambience that he wants to hug Ichinose and keep looking at the horizon.

"What is this feeling? Why do I want to hug him?" Asami thought to himself that he was very baffled by the many questions he wanted to ask himself. He shook his head as he could not give any answer nor any explanation and he continued to finish the work.

While Ichinose was still staring as the color indigo turned to black he realized that he skipped the work and said, "Oh, shit! Was I daydreaming again?!" he muttered to himself and was a little annoyed. He rushed and organized what is for the garden and what is not, so he can work easily for tomorrow.

After many hours passed they started drinking at the mini bar which is Asami's one favorite place. But this time he is with Ichinose and since he invited him to drink, he wants to share the old wine. Asami spoke…

"Have you tried this wine? It was very old in the cellar and I got curious when I was a child but they scolded me as they kept saying it's not for children to play there, hahaha." Asami chuckle

"No, I have not tried any wine before and I don't know how to taste a wine." He answered Asami and remembering that time he was scolded too because that's the time they play in the cellar for hide and seek game. And since he is older most of the time was baby-sitting his master Asami and that is very exhausting work compared to helping his father working in the garden.

"Here, have some." Asami pours the wine in the glass which he is holding and passes it to him.

"Thank you." He replied to Asami and reached out for the wine glass. He was about to sip but Asami suddenly spoke…

"There is a difference between craft beers that can have a much higher alcohol content than that. Other craft beers may have slightly less. But wine, on the other hand, has more than double the alcohol content than typical beers. The average wine has almost 12% alcohol which in other words, it requires less than half the same amount of wine to get the same amount of alcohol you usually get from a comparable amount of beer." He said to him while he was staring at Ichinose and seeing he was cute like a child listening to his explanation about comparing the wine to beer.

Then he sipped a small amount of whine then he swallowed it like he was drinking the usual beer. "Argh…" He coughed a little like he was trying to get some air out from his throat and said, "Ooh, it's kinda rough and there is a bit of sweetness I taste. It's that how the taste of the wine?" he added while placing down the wine glass on the table and he searched for something to grab just to remove the after taste.

"Hahaha!" Asami chuckled at what he saw on Ichinose's face after gulping the wine. "You should take a little and let the wine play in your tongue for the taste then swallow it. This wine is older than me, so I think it's too hard on you." Asami said and gave a slice of cracker to him to cleanse the roughness on his palate.

"I'm sorry that I'm not knowledgeable on wine, drinking this old wine is really new to me, so I have no idea how to taste it and don't know what's the differences between the two besides what you said earlier, master Asami." He replied to Asami and got annoyed but he didn't make a sound like he was vexed by the thought he was a jester to him.

Ichinose take a slice of crackers from the table then Asami resumes to explain about the wine tasting and things that the conversation continues all through the night.

To be continued…...