The Mis-Adventures of Orophin and Rumil: Up In Smoke 2

Rumil frowned at Orophin.  The brothers and the mysterious female had moved off the street and were now sitting in a restaurant, sipping wine.  Orophin shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  His eyes darted back and forth between his brother’s scowl and the girl’s adoring look.  A waiter came over, pad in hand.  “Wilt jullie iets eten?”  “Ja, een ogenblik.”  Orophin replied.  Rumil’s eyebrows shot so far up his forehead they met his hairline.  Orophin ignored the look and asked him what he would like to eat.  “Een groote pizza met ham en kaas, alsjeblieft.”  The waiter took their order and walked away.  Rumil could take no more.  “What is going on?”  He hissed at Orophin.  “Why are you able to speak Dutch, how do you know your way around Amsterdam and who is she?!”  Orophin held his hands up, trying to calm his brother.  “I have sort of been here before.  Once or twice…”  Orophin swallowed.  “In fact, you know every summer I go away for a few weeks to visit an old friend?”  Rumil scrunched up his nose.  “You mean Lindir?  I never liked him.  Never knew what you saw in him.”  “I know, which is part of the reason I’ve never told you about my visits.  He lives here.  In Amsterdam.  He owns a music school.”  “You mean to say that I have been badgering you for decades, trying to get you to take me to Amsterdam – and you’ve always refused – and all this time you’ve been coming here without me?”  A nervous looking waiter arrived with the pizza. 

“Please, keep your voice down Rumil.  People are staring.”  Orophin tried to bring peace to their table.  “I don’t care that people are staring.  So where does she come into it?  Oh, not to forget the rest of the “girls”.”  Rumil had an idea of how Orophin had come to know the female but wanted to hear it nevertheless.  “This is Astrid.  She works for Lindir.”  Rumil nodded.  “So he’s running a music school and a brothel?”  Astrid gasped.  “How dare you!”  Orophin rolled his eyes.  “I know you’re angry but have you forgotten your manners?  Astrid is not a prostitute.  She’s a violinist.”  Rumil had the decency to blush and mutter his apologies.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this, Rumil.  It was just something I wanted to keep as my own.”  Orophin cast his eyes downwards.  Rumil sighed.  “Why did you give in this time?”  Orophin shrugged.  “I haven’t been for a while.  Lindir and I haven’t spoken in almost two years.  We had a disagreement, so I didn’t come last summer.  I missed the place, so invited you to come along.”  “I see.  Well, better late than never I suppose.”  Rumil had too cheerful a demeanour to remain angry for long, particularly at his brother.

“Are you sure you don’t mind showing Rumil the sights?  He can be a bit of a handful.”  Rumil had persuaded Orophin that since he was in the city, he should visit Lindir, so Astrid had offered to take Rumil on a sightseeing tour of Amsterdam.  “No – your brother is lovely.  I’m sure we’ll have fun.”  Rumil held out his arm for Astrid.  “See you tonight, brother.  Don’t wait up!”  Rumil stuck his tongue out at Orophin and then he and Astrid strode off in the opposite direction.  Orophin headed off in the direction of Lindir’s music school.  He and Lindir had been friends for longer than either of them would have liked to admit to.  Their falling out had been over some trivial matter that Orophin could no longer recall, but he had not forgotten the ensuing argument.  Lindir had accused him of abusing his hospitality; using him as an excuse to visit his “girls” – members of the chamber orchestra he led.  Orophin had retorted that he was being ridiculous, particularly as he had little interest in females.  Tempers had been lost, angry words flew back and forth and in the end, Orophin had stormed away vowing to never speak with Lindir again.  He had kept his word until this point, but with Rumil and Astrid’s encouragement he was prepared to let bygones be bygones and try to rebuild his friendship with Lindir.

Orophin stood at the door of the music school, finger poised to press the bell.  His stomach fluttered with nerves.  Would Lindir welcome him?  Or would he turn him away, still angry for some long-forgotten reason?  Before he could press the button he heard voices from behind the door.  He took a step back as the door opened and a dozen or so children filed out carrying various instruments.  As the last one walked past, Orophin caught the door and ran up the stairs.  He walked into the reception room and looked around.  Lindir was nowhere to be seen but he could see a feminine form bent over a desk.  He cleared his throat and the figure straightened, turned around and gasped.  “Orophin!”  She beamed at him then walked over and grasped his hands in welcome.  She planted a wet kiss on his cheek.  “What are you doing here?  Have you come to see Lindir?”  Orophin returned the hug and kiss.  “Hi, Yvette.  I was passing…”  Yvette raised an eyebrow.  “Passing?  Hmph.  Lindir’s just gone upstairs to change.  You’re lucky – he has a free afternoon.  In the meantime, would you like a coffee?”  Orophin nodded and followed Yvette through the narrow corridor to the kitchen.  He watched as she brewed the strong coffee.  “Would you like something to eat?  No?  Well, here’s your coffee.  You can go through to the sitting room and wait.  I just have to finish what I was doing.  Lindir should not be too much longer.”  Orophin wandered into the other room and made himself comfortable on a large, welcoming armchair.

As he sipped his coffee, Orophin allowed his mind to wander back to a time before the falling out.  He and Lindir had been lovers long ago and both had decided that an exclusive, committed relationship was not for them.  Their passion and lust had turned into an almost brotherly love.  Their friendship continued over the years and their trips to visit each other had always been regular.  They swapped stories of current lovers, laughter and joy when things were going well, tears and sympathies during the sad times.  The dynamics had changed again a couple of centuries ago when both Elves had found themselves lonely and needing comfort.  It felt natural that Lindir should take Orophin to his bed, even more so as they rediscovered each others’ bodies, remembering the touches that made the other squeal with pleasure or tremble with need.  After that, if at the time of their visits both Elves were unattached they would spend that visit with their limbs tangled in bedclothes, seeking pleasure from each other.  No words of love were spoken, no promises made.  There was just a mutual need for enjoyment and sexual gratification.  The arrangement worked well for the Elves, neither wanted anything more and both were satisfied with what was received.  Their friendship was strengthened by the honesty and openness they shared.  Until the argument.

Footsteps brought Orophin out of his memory.  He stood and placed his empty cup on the table.  He heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to face Lindir.  His eyes flitted over the Elf before him, the familiar fall of his hair, his crystal blue eyes, the strong line of his jaw, the dark pink, ever-so-slightly pouting lips parting to speak.  “You came back…”  Lindir whispered, blue eyes welling with tears.  Orophin opened his arms in a gesture of greeting and Lindir darted over to him, wrapping his arms around Orophin’s slender frame, choking back a sob as Orophin returned the hug.  “I’m sorry, Orophin.”  Lindir could no longer hold back his tears.  Orophin tipped Lindir’s face up with a finger.  “I’m sorry too.”  He covered Lindir’s lips with his own, kissing him gently at first then allowing his passion to take over.  When the kiss ended, both Elves were breathless and flushed.  Lindir took Orophin’s hand and tugged it slightly.  “Come…”  He led Orophin out of the sitting room, back along the corridor and up the stairs to his private apartment where they could continue to repair their friendship and make up for lost time.

The end