Thankfully for them, the road wasn't congested; probably because they came out right before lunch. Leaning back on the comfortable, slightly reclined seat, Eugene observed the car's interior.
Everything was clean and pristine, so much so that he felt bad about tainting the cup holder with the condensation from his sea-salt caramel frappe cup. The smell of leather still lingered faintly, telling him that it was a new car. The car freshener had the mild scent of calming eucalyptus, which Eugene expected had the same type of notes as Arthur's pheromone.
There was nothing much in the car, probably to prevent smells from accumulating inside the space. However, Eugene could smell something from the back seat, where he could see a rather large picnic basket.
Arthur followed the omega's curious gaze and chuckled. "We're going to miss lunch, so I packed something in advance."
"Huh..."
"You can take them first if you want," Arthur smiled. "I packed a lot."
Knowing how much this alpha ate that last time, Eugene understood now why Arthur brought what seemed to be enough food for a family outing. Well...that made it easier to eat without feeling guilty that it wouldn't be enough for them.
Curiously--and because he only ate Hannah's leftover pancake that morning--Eugene reached out to the back seat and carefully grabbed the large picnic basket. It filled his lap like a laundry basket, prompting his curiosity about what kind of stuff Arthur put inside.
"Umm...I'm not sure what food you like, so I just take what I have been making for my lunch, and whatever ready-made food is lying around," Arthur said.
Eugene arched his brow. "You cook?"
"Kinda have to, if I want to save money," Arthur laughed. "I eat a lot, and am kind of picky."
Ah...Eugene suddenly recalled one of the conversations he had with Arthur six years ago. As they were talking about food, Eugene could tell that Arthur disliked 'strange' food. He was the type who ate with his eyes and nose too, and stuck to the food he liked instead of being adventurous like Eugene--who, in contrast, was willing to try fried bugs or questionable fermented stuff just for the sake of satiating his curiosity.
Eugene wasn't sure if it could be called picky, though. It was just like Hannah, who would stop eating her meal if she found a different texture sneaking in, or if the smell was even slightly off her usual meal.
Damn it. They really were of the same blood.
Eugene pursed his lips slightly while he opened the lid of the picnic basket. The slight pout, however, vanished when he peered inside and saw a plethora of delicious-looking sandwiches with vegetables and various proteins between focaccia breads. There was also a stack of small casserole dishes, a box of grapes and berries, a whole apple pie, some sweet and savory muffins, a bag of madelines, and two bottles of what seemed to be cold-pressed juice and lemonade. Strapped on the back of the lid were several plates and cutlery.
"There's shepherd's pie and lasagna inside the casserole dishes--I'm not sure if I labeled them," Arthur explained.
"Did you plan to have a picnic at the location?" Eugene asked curiously, taking out a muffin that seemed to contain shredded carrot, diced bell peppers, and broccoli, as well as cheese.
"No?" Arthur tilted his head. "Ashley prepared a catering for the staff there, but it would only be one portion per person, so I planned to fill my stomach first."
"Huh..."
Eugene nodded, feeling rather guilty as he thought about how grateful he was that Hannah did not inherit the alpha's appetite. They would really go broke otherwise.
But, damn...the muffin was delicious. Eugene blinked in pleasant surprise. If he toned down the pepper and cut the bellpeppers even smaller to hide them better, perhaps Hannah could eat it!
The picnic basket, evidently, proved to be a good makeshift table. Without realizing it, Eugene had already taken another muffin and a spicy salami sandwich while Arthur smiled in satisfaction.
After all, people didn't usually eat something given by someone they despised, so Eugene eating his cooked meal meant Eugene had truly forgiven him!
"Oh, are you going to start eating too?" Eugene finally remembered whose food it actually was, turning toward the driver while wiping the sauce from the corner of his mouth. "I'll hand them to you while you drive."
"I'll have the sandwiches once we reach the highway," Arthur said. He warmed his stomach with the hot chocolate that Eugene gave him. "I wished I had enough time to make some soup..."
He lamented about his cousin's penchant for shoving him into something at the last minute, which Eugene wholeheartedly agreed with. Give him time to prepare himself for a night at least, damn it!
But damn...this alpha also planned to have soups? Eugene stared at the shepherd's pie and lasagna inside the basket. He was curious, but the sandwich was big enough to fill him. The apple pie and the bag of madelines called him more than the savories at that moment.
For the rest of the drive, Eugene spectated in amusement how Arthur consumed each sandwich in mere four or five bites, but nibbled his sweets slowly as if he wanted to digest the sugar content slowly. The shepherd's pie and the lasagna were consumed with Eugene's assistance, in which the omega would hand over the casserole dish each time they stopped at the red light.
One time, they had to stop behind a sudden congestion caused by a trailer truck trying to make a U-turn, and Arthur wolfed down the whole lasagna during the waiting time after Eugene said he was too full to eat it.
Eugene couldn't help but stare at the alpha's stomach, wondering whether the six-pack he spectated six years ago was still there.
By the time they reached the estate, the full picnic basket had dwindled into three slices of apple pie and the untouched bag of madelines.
"Hmm...Ashley should prepare something for us to eat too, right?" Arthur muttered while driving the car toward a small manor at the end of the driveway.
It'll be a crime if this guy visits a buffet--Eugene thought while shaking his head, as if he didn't just clean out a box of free crabs last month.
Before long, the car entered the paved yard that was turned into a temporary parking lot. Eugene could see several cars and an equipment truck. From what he understood, the team was there for a final check, seeing how the setting would look in the cameras before the real filming next month.
Wouldn't the rent skyrocket if they used the place even a month before the actual filming? Eugene stared at the manor, which, despite being on the smaller side, still looked quite lavish. It would be used as the setting for the protagonist's home--mainly at the start and the end of the story--as well as any scenes that needed to be shot in a luxurious room. Naturally, that meant the manor itself was a nice one.
Seeing Eugene's gaze, Arthur explained with a smile. "The owner is Ashley's friend--umm...you're Sophie's friend, right? You should know Allan, too. Allan was the one who persuaded the owner to lend their holiday villa for the shoot."
Holiday villa, he said? Well, damn. "I'm not acquainted with their friend," Eugene muttered, rather begrudingly.
"Me neither," Arthur laughed. "I only ever hang out with Allen and Sophie."
Eugene tilted his head so he would be able to look at the manor better from the car. "So, it's all free?"
"Just need to cover the maintenance fee, and we have to clear it up before summer break."
"Holiday villa, indeed."
Arthur chuckled and explained more as they got out of the car. "The estate came with a hill and a wooden cabin, as well as an annex that we can use as another set," he pointed at the clusters of trees in the distance.
A wooden cabin where Illian and Jude secretly bonded? Eugene arched his brow. It was originally nowhere near Illian's manor, of course, so he wondered how they would edit it in the final cut. The place should be isolated enough to make sense for Illian to get lost, but the fact that it was a family-owned property--just as it was in the story--was a nice touch.
As Arthur continued to explain the estate and what scenes were expected to be shot there, Eugene glanced at him. "Did she tell you to guide me today?
Arthur paused and pressed his lips for a second before smiling wryly. "Kind of. Do you want to change the person?"
"There's no need," Eugene shook his head. "She's probably assigning you because the others have actual work here."
"Hey, I also need to match the sound with the place, you know!" Arthur protested; the slight pout was so similar to Hannah's that Eugene couldn't help but laugh.
"Just kidding," Eugene patted the alpha's shoulder, still chuckling as Arthur continued to purse his lips.
Well, he was pouting outside, but Arthur was definitely smiling inside. The hot chocolate might be a thank you for driving him there, but the rest of the drive was a good signal. Not only did Eugene enjoy his food, but the man also started to tease him. Definitely already forgiven, right?
Arthur held himself back from exhaling in relief. He'd been stressing out about being hated by the author of his current favorite story. He had to remind himself several times to never mention scent or children ever in front of the omega, because he heard Eugene asked the scriptwriters to hide the fact from everyone.
He felt so guilty for knowing it without permission, but...it wasn't like he did it on purpose, right? The best he could do was pretend he didn't know.
Yep. Everything was fine so far. They hadn't argued during the drive, having an 'indoor' picnic while talking about random stuff like other movies that had a similar theme to Invisible Scent.
Arthur was annoyed when Ashley suddenly told him to go to the filming location in the middle of baking the muffins and the madelines, but now, he wanted to thank his cousin for this task of bringing and guiding Eugene around.
What a nice day it turned out to be!
It would be nicer if he didn't scream it inside his head before he stepped into the manor, because right as they reached the drawing room, Arthur felt his lungs constrict and his heart pound uncontrollably; his head was dizzy, and his stomach churned.
Someone's pheromone was raging inside that room.