Chapter 10 #5
And he wasn’t. Concentrating on the racers was difficult when the only thing on his mind was getting back to Johnny.
It wasn’t fun at all, and he cut the day short.
The driver from the villa didn’t seem to mind driving him back.
Apparently, several cars had been made available to them, along with drivers to take the guests anywhere they wanted, so when Gavin asked his driver if he would take them out for the afternoon, he agreed readily.
Back at the villa, Johnny was hanging out by the pool when Gavin arrived. “Hey, Johnny. Wanna go out?”
“Out where?”
“We’re in Morocco. Does it matter where?”
Johnny got up from the lounge chair. “No, it doesn’t, but I’d like to go shopping. Check out the souks I’ve read about?”
“You got it. Let’s get changed.”
It didn’t take long to wash up and change. Then they were in the back of the sedan heading toward the local markets. Johnny stared out the window, looking more excited than earlier. “This is great. You came back early, though, didn’t you?”
“Wasn’t any fun without you there.”
“Shut up.” Johnny playfully shoved his shoulder. Gavin would leave it as a joke between them, but he’d been dead serious.
The market was hot, loud, and crowded. Tourists from all parts of the world flocked the streets.
Gavin made a game of picking out the different languages he heard.
German or Dutch, an Irish brogue, an English accent—wait, Australian.
Bright colors assaulted them at every vendor.
Blues, yellows, and red. Everywhere red.
Johnny made it even more remarkable. He gasped and awed every time they turned the corner and saw some new thing.
The souk became a wild, amazing place, full of adventure as Gavin saw it all through Johnny’s eyes.
After nearly an hour of walking around, they stopped to eat.
They picked a café with a pink facade and an arched doorway.
They were seated at an outdoor table with some kind of wicker-like mats woven together to make a canopy above them to keep out the sun.
Half the chairs had lattice backs, and cushioned benches lined some of the tables.
Johnny chose one of the benches, while Gavin sat in a chair across from him.
The half walls surrounding them, enclosing the space, were painted pink like their room, and Gavin arched an eyebrow with a nod.
Johnny laughed a little but covered his mouth at their inside joke.
Typically for Morocco, the café didn’t provide a menu, but they probably wouldn’t have been able to read it anyway.
Gavin asked for a few salad starters, knowing they’d have that since most places did.
The two they brought were delicious. Carrots cooked with spices for one, and the other was some type of bean in a thick sauce.
Gavin enjoyed watching Johnny taste the new dishes as much as he enjoyed eating them.
After the salads, they brought couscous and tajine to the table.
They were traditional cuisine for Morocco, and Gavin ate his fill.
Johnny ate less than Gavin but still seemed to enjoy it.
He took pictures with his phone of each dish.
To remember it. Gavin teased him a little until he moved to snap pictures of him. He quickly put a stop to that.
After eating, they walked around the market some more.
Despite gawking at everything, Johnny didn’t seem to want to buy anything.
He’d watched in awe as a few tourists haggled with the vendors, but he didn’t seem excited to try his hand at it.
He’d snap a picture of a vendor stall or sign but didn’t venture further.
“Want me to buy you something?” Gavin wanted him to have whatever he wanted.
Johnny shook his head. “I’m enjoying everything. Taking some pictures.” He held up his phone. “That’s all I need.”
Bolts of fabric, scarves, shoes, glass lamps, and pottery, and all of it in the bold, yellows, blues, reds.
One vendor painstakingly inked henna tattoo work on a woman.
Gavin pointed it out to Johnny, who watched for a few moments before moving on.
Many food vendors sold local spices or fancy olives, among other exotic-looking things.
Gavin couldn’t let go of the idea of buying Johnny something but didn’t know what to get.
It needed to be something small enough to fit in his luggage, so the fancy lamps and pottery were out.
A scarf could work since they were soft and beautiful, but Johnny didn’t strike him as a scarf kind of guy.
They’d passed a shop with silver jewelry earlier, so he noted that as a possibility and let it roll around his brain some until they came to a workshop where a man and woman wove fabric with a shuttle on a loom, right out in the open.
Johnny seemed fascinated by the process and took several pictures.
Shortly after, they came to a store around the corner selling the blankets the couple had been making.
Almost immediately upon entering the store, the shop owner, or perhaps a salesman, started chatting with Gavin and pointing out different blankets.
Johnny covered his mouth, stifling a laugh, as he watched Gavin talk to the guy.
Previously, they’d said no thank you and left any time someone approached them, but Gavin wanted to get one of the blankets.
Johnny looked over a few choices before settling on one with a more subtle motif.
Most of the material had bold patterns and riots of color.
This one had tan color running through it with orange, blue, and red patterned designs striped across the blanket.
Gavin rubbed the soft material. Johnny tried and failed to hide his smile when Gavin haggled for it.
His secreted expression filled Gavin’s heart with hope.
The keeper opened with an extremely high price, but by the end of it, Gavin talked him down to six hundred dirhams—almost two hundred US dollars.
Gavin didn’t care about the money. He handed over the cash.
Gavin was relieved he’d exchanged extra money at the bank for the trip, though.
He expected the blanket would be special since Johnny watched them making similar blankets.
And maybe because Gavin bought it for him.
Afterward, Johnny confessed to getting tired, so Gavin called for their driver. They met him at a convenient location and climbed inside the car. Johnny ended up leaning against Gavin’s shoulder and dozing off on the drive back to the villa, holding the blanket in his lap.
Because everyone was arriving back from the track at different times, the woman hired to cook laid out a buffet-style dinner.
A few lamb dishes were keeping warm in crock pots, and more of that round, flatbread, along with fruits like dates and strawberries were displayed.
They could also choose from several vegetable dishes, some with carrots, some with tomatoes and peppers, and even an eggplant dish.
Gavin wasn’t surprised to see couscous, and this one was topped with caramelized onions and sliced almonds.
They had also put fruit, nuts, and cookies on a sidebar for dessert, but Gavin skipped that.
Johnny finished eating while several of the others came in and helped themselves. Gavin finished up and leaned closer to Johnny. “I’ll be back,” he said softly.
Gavin went to thank the woman and ask her for a favor. The meal had been great, but he wanted to share something special with Johnny to end the day on the right foot.
When he returned to the dining room, Johnny’s eyelids were drooping. “Hey, babe.” Gavin sat beside him, putting his hand on Johnny’s thigh. “Why don’t you go grab a quick shower and meet me outside by the pool.”
“I’m kind of tired.”
“I know. The shower will wake you up some, and we won’t be long. Please?”
Johnny muttered under his breath, and Gavin expected him to protest, but he wasn’t going to let him. He wanted to have a special moment.
“We’re not going to swim unless you want to. None of the others will be there. They’re all going to bed early because the racing starts early tomorrow. It’ll just be us. For a few minutes. That’s all. Then bed.”
Johnny muttered under his breath again, and Gavin was pretty sure he’d said, “For shit-sakes.” It didn’t matter. He’d change his mind once they were poolside under the lights. Johnny finally sighed. “Fine. I’ll get a quick shower and meet you. Happy?”
“Yes.”
In the kitchen, Gavin worked with the woman, who said her name was Jamila.
They had a short conversation, but during that, Jamila shared that she’d been working at the villa since her teenage years.
Her mother had run the kitchen before her and recently retired.
Gavin complimented her on the fine job she was doing feeding them all and helped her get champagne and a tray of strawberries out by the pool.
She showed him where to turn on some soft music and turn off most of the outdoor lights.
The colored lights inside the pool and a few smaller twinkling lights around the windows of the outside of the house were the only ones on, giving the place a soft glow.
With everything ready, Gavin sat back in a lounge chair and waited. A few minutes later, Johnny came out. He hesitated at the door, then walked over and sat beside Gavin. He’d dressed in a loose, white t-shirt, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. “Uh...hey, Gav. What’s this?”
Gavin picked up the filled glasses and handed one to Johnny. “A toast. To an excellent trip.”
Johnny clinked the glass against his and sipped. “Mmm...”
“Strawberries?”
Johnny took one and bit into it. “Mmm...” He followed the bite with a sip of champagne. “This is kinda nice. Thanks.”
“I thought it would be a cool place to have a quiet moment.”
“You were right. Sorry I was a dick about it.”
“You weren’t.”
Johnny laughed. “I was, but in my defense, I’m pretty tired.”
“Okay, Johnny. We can take this upstairs.”