Missed yesterday's upload just because I wanted a longer chapter for this one, but I'll try to keep an every weekday, to every other weekday schedule :)
Thank you so much for all the comments and love! I'm so happy to hear you guys are enjoying this one.
xoxo
Sammy
I honestly wasn't sure what made me think that taking Dante to go see my uncle in prison was a fantastic idea for a first date.
Of course this wasn't actually a date... but that's what I was telling myself to lighten the spirits of having to do this in the first place.
It had been a while since I'd seen Uncle Jimmy (A couple months of sweet ignorance and bliss if I do say so myself). He only ever reached out when he needed me... and it was never a good thing when he did.
The penitentiary was maybe an hour drive or so up north. I hadn't really thought through any of this trip, or the fact that Dante had, was, and was most likely going to continue avoiding conversation, as well as my gaze.
He had asked where we were off to when we first got on the road, but I told him we had a few destinations- which we did.
Along with visiting Uncle Jimmy, we were also going to make a stop at the hardware to fix up a few things around Fight Club. I needed to purchase more tarp in case the rain got worse. Water had seeped through the hole in the roof, but I placed a bucket there to catch any access. According to Grayson, this was just the start of a pretty wet next couple weeks.
Dante remained silent for the first maybe fifteen to twenty minutes after that, but when twenty five minutes or so passed, I couldn't take the silence anymore.
"How's work going at Tidal Wave?" I asked him... as if I didn't see Kas everyday who insisted on giving me a play by play with how much Dante was catching on.
I acted uninterested with Kas, but really it was nice to hear about Dante's improvements.
I also liked to gauge where he was at in terms of energy.
Dante was probably the last person to decline doing something for someone. I wanted to make sure that if his day there was a stressful one, at least I could try to make his next work day at Fight Club more bearable. So far, with Kyle and the A/C down, I wasn't doing the greatest job of that.
"It's going well." Dante nodded. "I think I've finally nailed down the regulars which is great. Definitely misjudged the rowdy bunch my first night." He turned to give me a smile, which automatically made the edges of my lips curl up.
It was the first look he'd given me all day that wasn't coupled with embarrassment.
"I'm glad to hear it." I nodded. "It's a different environment that takes some getting used to, but I'd consider most of the regulars there great friends. Some come out to support the guys during our fights- then we all usually meet up at Tidal Wave afterwards to get shitfaced. It's good company."
It felt good to have Dante's attention back on me, as he listened intently.
"That sounds about right." He chuckled lightly. That laugh made me want to turn this car around and head home, so I could have him to myself again. "I'm also grateful for the staff too. Everyone in the kitchen is incredibly kind, and Kassie has been the biggest help. Howard is... well, Howard but that's also got its charm."
That made me smile.
Howard was definitely a character. For someone who owned an establishment used for socializing, he really didn't like to do much socializing at all. That was the best part about Howard, however. He was a little more reserved like myself.
When he would have me over for dinner with his lady, it constantly surprised me at how much of a good conversationalist he really is. In one of the weirdest ways, he reminded me of my father... if my father had been even a shred of a good person.
Howard would often try to make it home whenever he could, to take care of his wife. He chose not to mention to anyone the seriousness of her health condition, and made me swear to that secrecy as well.
He once said to me his reasoning for it. "I rather people believe whatever the hell they want to believe. It's none of their damn business anyways."
Those were words I could agree with... to a fault.
I understood very well having some things you want to keep private. Not everything was meant to be shared with everyone... but I would at least argue his employees had a right, especially for how much work Howard constantly missed.
If it wasn't for Kas, Tidal Wave would be in shambles.
The good thing was that Kas knew that, Howard knew that, and and so did the rest of the staff. Because of that, Howard made sure to give Kas pretty much all the space and authority to do whatever she wanted.
It was the only way Tidal Wave was going to remain in business, after all.
"Howard's for sure one interesting lad. He'll grow on you though, I promise." I replied to Dante. He gave me an understanding nod, but remained quiet. There was no way I was going to let us slip into that silence again, so I dug into my hat of a thousand questions I had for Dante, just to keep him talking. "Has your impressions of NYC changed at all?"
I glanced over briefly to catch a glimpse of Dante in the passenger seat. He staring straight ahead, but looked to be thinking about something.
"Yes. For sure, yes. I think I chose the right city, I just had a very inaccurate assumption when I chose it."
That raised my spirits a shit ton... but there was more I wanted to know. So much more.
With the little pieces of Dante I was able to put together, I tried to create a vague image of his backdrop. Of his previous life- the one he was hell bent on never addressing.
I knew his parents had both past away.
From the way he described his mother, it was impossible to overlook the love and admiration he had for her. I thought about the way he had fixed that disaster of a dinner the first night he officially moved in. He didn't mention his mother much after that, but every time he referenced the smallest things, I felt that radiating love.
As for his father? That was something I knew he had yet to unpack. When Dante mentioned his father, I recognized the tone of voice because it was the same tone I used when speaking of my own father.
It was undoubtably fear.
His father was a professional boxer, and Dante himself admitted he had competed competitively... Maybe his father had been hard on him? I thought to myself...
But then I remembered the first time I saw Dante, when he was laying on the cold pavement dealing with the aftermath of Willis. The way he reacted to everyone around him, including myself when I tried to help him. What I had felt that night was deep rooted fear. This wasn't the product of someone being hard on him... this was the product of actual physical abuse.
The last piece of information Dante let slip through those insane double enforced walls, was maybe the most prominent piece of information because it pertained to why he arrived in NYC in the first place... his past relationship.
Dante mentioned that this was subsequently the reason for him leaving Texas. From his words that night, he referred to his previous partner as a man. If it wasn't for that piece of information, coupled with that first kiss we had, I wasn't sure I would have even had the balls to pursue him.
That relationship, however, troubled me the most.
It was the way he looked at his quite obvious burner phone whenever a text or call came through, even if it was a telemarketer. The way he still jumped when a customer would tap him on the shoulder, or when a stranger would approach him. There was a part of him that never rested, was constantly on edge.
Shoot at a wall and call me Sherlock, but Dante was running away from something more than just the state of Texas.
He was running away from a person.
And with his father gone, that left only one other person who could still evoke such fear in him.
Could still keep him running.
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