Break my shell, p.18
Break My Shell, page 18
Then again, the workplace should not be that big of a secret to keep.
With his head full of the worst possible answers, he entered their room.
Max was already dressing for the day and gave him a wide smile that made Dayton forget all the questions he’d wanted to ask. Waking up next to Max every day was the sweetest balm to Dayton’s bruised life.
Max purred as he pulled on a T-shirt. “Man I love the smell of coffee in the morning.”
Dayton couldn’t help but smile, despite the uncertainty eating at him from the inside. “You deserve it. Getting up so early to start working at a bakery,” he said, trying not to make it weird. Maybe mentioning time and the workplace at once would make Max reconsider and spill the beans?
“I trust that you’re looking for jobs all day, so it’s no big deal.” Max kissed him in passing and took the coffee out of Dayton’s hand.
Dayton cleared his throat, watching Max breathe in the warm vapor with his eyes closed, as if there was absolutely nothing amiss. “Yes. I think I might be successful very soon.”
“Oh, yeah? How are the interviews going?” Max sat at the tiny dresser where they ate, since there was no table.
Dayton quickly pulled out a pack of Collins Bakery English muffins that Max had brought with him the day before and then placed the box of jams and spreads next to it. The muffins looked quite tasty, even if now they were potential evidence.
“I had the weirdest interview yesterday,” he said, picking one up. Peanut butter and jelly it would be this morning.
“How come?” Max was quick to start preparing his massive breakfast. The man ate like a bull on steroids.
Dayton cleared his throat. “Well, for starters, the owner of the hotel I applied to looks like he’s eighteen, and he had this emo vibe going on. I was there in a shirt and tie while he had blue hair and a choker with a unicorn pendant.”
Max’s eyes went wide, and he snorted, quickly putting a hand over his mouth so as not to spit out any food. “Oh, my God!” He started laughing and choking at the same time. “How did that go?”
Dayton spread the jelly over the bread and sighed, remembering the bizarreness of the conversation. “Well, he told me that he’s disabled but added he still can have sex. It was super awkward, especially when his boyfriend came in and realized what he was talking about. He actually put a hand over his mouth,” Dayton said and rubbed his face.
Max only started laughing harder. “What? Why would he say that? What job where you applying for?”
Dayton sighed and bit into his muffin. The jelly was super fake, and the peanut butter—just salty, but he knew it was only temporary. “Receptionist. His boyfriend started apologizing and chastising him for being weird. And the owner then said that he was following some kind of online article and creating rapport,” he said, hopeless. As amusing as it has been, he considered that interview a time waster. Clearly, the interviewer had no idea how to run a business, and Dayton had had enough of that after working for Vanessa.
“At least you found out it would be a gay-friendly place…” Max tried as he wiped a tear and bit into his muffin.
“Yeah, but they’re gonna go bankrupt with that kind of attitude,” Dayton said, filling his mouth and watching Max. He had no idea how to approach him about the work. “So, what did you say you were doing today?”
There it was. Max stalled. Stopped chewing and watched Dayton like a cat found licking a donut.
“Ah… you know, the usual. Glazing cookies and the like.”
“Which ones? The stars?” asked Dayton. “I used to have them every Sunday when I was little.”
Max frowned. “Maybe…? I’m not sure what the schedule is. I think they do the stars on a Friday.”
Dayton chewed on his food, but it increasingly became less pleasant in taste. Oh, God. What if Max was doing something illegal? Having been in prison, he likely knew how to contact people who... dealt with drugs and the like, and Dayton knew Max would risk a lot to keep them afloat. Was that what he was doing? Delivering drugs to people?
He wished he had that coffee right now.
“I’ll pack the rest. I don’t wanna be late,” Max said and got up, quickly gathering the muffins into a box.
Dayton licked his lips, sensing heat rushing to his face. “When does your shift end tonight?”
“Depends if I do overtime. I’ll take anything I get to save up for the big trip. You just keep up the good work with the applications.” Max flashed him a wide smile and stuffed the box of muffins into a bag.
Dayton grinned and stood up. “Oh, no. I forgot I was supposed to help Tanya. I’ll text you later, okay?” he said, placing a soft kiss on Max’s lips. If his plan was to work, he needed to be out of here before Max.
“Sure. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back so we can eat dinner together.”
Dayton’s heart drummed at how casually sweet that was. He’d actually gotten Cinnamon because he’d been so lonely, eating dinner with the TV, and now, Max was there, making sure they spent time together. It was so distracting that for a moment Dayton forgot what he was supposed to do.
In the end, he kissed him again, grabbed his shoulder bag, and ran off, rushing down the corridor, all the way to the room occupied by Tanya. His first instinct was to bang on the door, but in the end, politeness won, and he gave a short knock despite his chest flaring up.
“Who is it?” Tanya yelled from the inside.
“Tanya, I need your help,” he said quickly and knocked again, to express his sense of urgency.
“Okay, okay! I’m coming!” She opened the door and looked him up and down. “You injured?”
Dayton blinked, not sure where that came from, but he grabbed on the one thread he could, as low of a blow as it was. Tanya’s past. “You are right. I am worried, and I need to know where he’s going. Can you help me?”
Tanya’s eyes went wide, and for a split second Dayton thought he’d be reprimanded, but that wasn’t the case. “Hell yess,” she whispered and looked out into the corridor, as if they were in a spy movie.
“I am so sorry Tanya”—he hurried to add. He hated inconveniencing people—“But he needs to use the one car we have—”
“No, no! Don’t you worry. We’ll catch the bastard red-handed. Just let me grab my keys.”
Dayton exhaled, only to step back when she rushed outside, still in her pajamas and a set of rollers in her hair. Normally he’d remind her of how unprepared she was to leave her room, but not this time. Today was about what he needed.
There, he would be selfish for once.
“He could be out any minute now.”
“Let’s go to my car, and we’ll watch him from there,” she kept whispering and led the way.
Despite this being Dayton’s idea, he was already beginning to feel uncomfortable about it, but there was no going back. How would he explain all this to Max, were they discovered? No one wanted to be mistrusted, and what Dayton was doing was almost like looking through Max’s phone. He would never stoop so low.
He was relieved to see his beat-up vehicle still standing in its bay and all but ran for Tanya’s car to hide in case Max emerged in the worst possible moment.
But as nerve-wracking as it was, everything went smoothly, and they actually had to wait in the car for another five minutes before Max walked out.
“What do you think he’s really up to?” Tanya whispered from the driver’s seat, clutching the steering wheel.
Dayton sank lower in the seat so that his face wouldn’t be visible. “I’m sure he’s not cheating, but... who knows?. I just want to know,” he said, watching Max drive out of the bay.
“I mean, the guy is hot stuff. I bet he Grindrs his way through this town. But you said he does bring home money. Maybe he’s escorting.” Tanya’s imagination was running wild, but she did only follow Max once he was far enough to not notice them.
“What, here?” uttered Dayton, looking around. Their area didn’t seem like the best place for a highly paid escorting job that a stud like Max deserved. Then again, what did Dayton know? “But... he’s always home at night.”
“Oh, Dayton, you’ve got no idea what people can get up to in the daytime.” Tanya whistled. Dayton was afraid to ask what she could possibly mean, because it could lead to one of her uncomfortable over-sharing sessions.
Fortunately, she was far too busy following Max, who already pulled into the road and was driving away fast.
“I— uh, you know, once we find out where he’s heading, you won’t need to wait up. I don’t want to be a bother,” he said, grabbing the side of the seat when she drove out of the parking lot and took such an abrupt turn that for a moment he worried for his life.
“What? What if you two break up, and he takes your car? I’ve seen things like that happen, Dayton. You don’t want to make mistakes like that.”
Dayton scowled on the inside. “He wouldn’t do that. He’s a decent guy,” he said as they sped along the road and toward Dayton’s hometown. He sighed, sinking deeper into the seat. That was not where the bakery was.
There was no way to stop this roller coaster of a chase now, and yet a part of him regretted that he’d set it in motion. What if he found out that Max really was dealing drugs? There had to be a reason why he lied about the job, so what if the reason was something Dayton really didn’t want to find out?
“My cousin Stacie thought her husband was a good man. She has four kids with him. And what does he do after fifteen years together? Said he had to go ‘find himself’, and she then found out he joined some cult in West Virginia. These things happen, Dayton.”
Dayton only sank lower in the seat, his body hurting all over. He didn’t want Max to be a drug dealer, even if his illegal job was what had fed them the last two weeks. Increasingly upset, he nodded at Tanya’s never-ending babble of progressively worsening stories involving members of her family having secrets.
Were all families this messed up, or had he missed something?
The River Inn’s logo by the driveway leading all the way to Dayton’s former home-and-workplace was like yet another way for the world to torture him, but when Max hit the brakes and pulled into the dirt road leading all the way to the inn’s parking lot, Dayton was so at loss he didn’t know what to think anymore.
“Ha! So this is where he goes. I bet he meets up with someone at this hotel. We’ll catch him red-handed.” Tanya waited in the middle of an empty street for a while until she turned into the same road that Max had.
“I-I don’t know,” whispered Dayton, drained from the emotional strain of doing something like this to the man he loved. Then again, if Max didn’t trust him with the truth, what was he to do?
Max had long left the parking lot when they stopped but Dayton was glued to the seat, terrified of what he’d find out at the River Inn.
“Come on, let’s find him,” Tanya whispered and got out of the car.
There were several vehicles Dayton didn’t know in the mostly empty lot. What if Tanya was right and for some inexplicable reason, Max was conducting some kind of illegal trade here?
Right now, he really wished Max were selling drugs, because the other possibility was too painful to even consider. If Max were cheating though, why on earth would he do it at the River Inn?
Urged on by Tanya, he eventually untangled himself from the seatbelt and followed her to the main entrance. There was no one there, but deep inside, Dayton worried Vanessa would walk straight into him and throw him out, as if he were a thief.
The worst thing was that this was exactly how he felt betraying Max’s confidence. He hardly spoke to Tanya and turned his head when someone he recognised as one of the temporary servers from the wedding left the restaurant carrying a basket of laundry. The whole place looked old-fashioned and more painfully deserted than when he lived here. Maybe it was the shock of coming here after a break?
His feet carried him to the restaurant, and seeing no customers at any of the tables, he slowly made his way to the kitchen door. His heart felt heavy, as if overfilled with blood, but he couldn’t just look into the booking system to see which room he could find Max in, even if he doubted Vanessa had changed the password since he left. If, by any chance, Max had been coming here for the past two weeks, Kathy would know about it.
But when he walked into the kitchen, quiet as a mouse, he couldn’t believe the sight that greeted him. Kathy and Max had their backs to him, and the radio was on. She was checking something on her phone, and Max was proficiently chopping carrot after carrot.
Dayton just stood there, shocked out of his mind. What was this? What could Max be doing here of all places? They’d been fired.
Tanya’s voice came from behind him like a boulder hitting him on the back of the head. “Ha! I knew it! He’s cheating on you with this slut over here!”
Kathy jumped and almost dropped her phone, turning around in an instant. “What the fuck?”
Max looked back at them and froze.
“See? See that guilty look on his face?” Tanya pointed at Max with a smug smile.
Kathy shook her head. “Dayton? Who is this?”
Dayton patted his cheeks when they got so numb he was afraid he’d lost all feeling in them. His head pounded, and he couldn’t even remember the name of the person who’d brought him here at this point.
“Max...? What...”
Max dropped the knife and pursed his lips. “What are you doing here?” The hurt look on his face cut into Dayton as if it were a knife stabbing his stomach.
“I... I just... why are you here?” Dayton asked, staring at him with disbelief. This was all too fucking confusing. “Why? You work at the bakery.”
Max took a deep breath and leaned against the counter as Kathy glared at Dayton. It wasn’t Dayton’s fault that Max had lied!
“Well, I clearly fucking don’t work at the bakery,” Max growled.
Tanya stepped forward with a victorious smile. “Ha! Told you!”
Dayton took a deep breath, holding on to the steel table. “But she fired you. Why would you lie to me?”
Kathy pointed her finger at Tanya. “I don’t know who you are, but unauthorized persons cannot be here. You need to leave before I call security.”
Max closed his eyes for a moment. “Let’s talk outside.” He didn’t wait for an answer and turned around to leave through the back door.
Dayton slapped his cheeks again, following him on shaky legs. He shouldn’t have come here. He shouldn’t have followed Max. Now Max would be hurt and it would destroy their relationship!
Stepping outside behind Max felt like following the executioner to one’s own beheading. The fresh air in the back yard wasn’t helping at all.
Max turned around, and the frown wouldn’t leave his face. “I work here. I’m a hypocrite. You happy?”
Dayton blinked, confused as to whether this was an attack on him or not. “But... what? How? You told me not to bother even asking her to take me back after what happened.” He swallowed, but after a moment’s wait, he touched Max’s arm and slowly tightened his fingers over it.
“Because you deserve much better, and if you got stuck here again, we’d never leave. But I couldn’t find anything else on such short notice. She’d said it before that she didn’t care about me working here as long as the customers didn’t see me, so I came to ask for my job back.” Max massaged his forehead but didn’t shrug off Dayton’s hand.
Dayton took a deep breath of the cool air and slid his hands down Max’s arms, until he could squeeze his fingers. Getting past his ego and sense of justice must have been so hard for Max, and how did Dayton repay him? With spying on him and not even being able to find a new job quick enough.
He hung his head, squeezing Max’s hands harder. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault I punched Greg. You don’t deserve to suffer for it. I don’t exactly regret it though.”
And yet it had been Max who told Vanessa she could go stuff her job, and that she had no right to humiliate them the way she had. Dayton squirmed just imagining Max swallowing his pride to ask for the job back and Vanessa gloating about it.
Dayton got to his toes and embraced Max as hard as he could. “Why didn’t you tell me? Don’t you trust me?” he asked, rubbing his cheek against Max’s hot, stubbly skin. He closed his eyes, so utterly relieved he almost spilled the truth about his reasons for following Max. He wasn’t proud of any of them.
Max sighed but hugged Dayton back. “Come on. This is so fucking humiliating. Every day she reminds me how grateful I should be for getting to work here. I didn’t want you to get ideas about coming back as well. It’s enough that one of us feels like shit about it.”
Dayton closed his eyes and squeezed his arms even tighter around Max as anger rose in his chest and spread like a flare all the way through his system. Max was so selfless going through with this for them, and Dayton had known Vanessa long enough to know she would use any trick on a desperate person that she felt she could get away with.
He hated her so fucking much.
Somehow, when she’d treated him badly and hadn’t paid him, he’d taken it, even if it’d frustrated him to no end, but to see Max so miserable even while he put on a smiling face for Dayton’s sake was just gut-wrenching.
“I’m so sorry. You’re stuck here because of me.”
“Day… You let me live with you for free. You really did your bit. I wanted to repay you, but it was just too embarrassing to tell—”
The back door slammed open. “What is that racket in my hotel?” Vanessa screeched. “You are not allowed in here, Dayton! And that friend of yours broke the vase I brought here all the way from Italy!”
Dayton spun around and walked up to Vanessa, breaking into her personal space so rapidly that they both took a step back. “What is wrong with you? Are you even paying him minimum wage?”
Vanessa blinked, so taken aback she didn’t say anything at first. “Excuse me? What right do you have to question me on this?”
“Because you owe me several thousand dollars! I don’t trust you, and your customers shouldn’t either, if you are secretly employing someone you so publicly fired,” he said, rapidly spreading his arms as energy exploded within his body. He didn’t remember ever being so angry. He did not care one bit if she felt intimidated or not.
