21 – Working It (3)

 

Sebastian met Harold in a small office, located in an area off-limits to guests. He had short, graying brown hair and wore a white button-up shirt with black dress pants. A black suit jacket hung over the back of his chair. Harold looked up from a laptop on his desk, and stood up to greet him.

“You must be Sebastian.” Harold shook his hand. “Barry already explained it to me. We don’t really need anymore help, but he wants me to squeeze you in somewhere anyway.”

Sebastian nodded along, as Harold continued. “We’ll have to get you a uniform first. What size are you?”

“Medium.”

Harold walked over to a chest of drawers against the wall, and dug through a pile of gray clothes. He tossed a shirt and pants to Sebastian. “There’s a bathroom down the hall. Get changed, while I figure out where to assign you.”

Sebastian did. The clothes were bland, gray, and, judging by a stain on the shirt, used. But at least they were comfortable. After changing, he returned to Harold's office, and Harold led him towards the private theater.

“I know this area,” Sebastian said as they walked down the hallway.

“Good. Because you’ll be in charge of maintaining it.” Harold ran his finger along the doorway of the theater, glanced at it, then showed his dust-covered fingertip to Sebastian. “Dust. Yannick hasn’t been doing so well lately.”

“Yannick?” Wasn’t that Axel’s weird German friend they ran into at that bar? Who drunk-cried over his unrequited feelings for Stellaluna?

“Yes. You’ll be sharing the work with him. Since he clearly can’t do it all on his own.” Harold stroked his jawline. “Funny, because he never had trouble before.”

“Maybe something’s been bothering him,” Sebastian suggested.

“Well, he needs to keep his personal problems separate from his work if he wants to stay employed. Where is he anyway?”

Probably fawning over Stellaluna somewhere, but Sebastian wasn’t a narc. “Maybe he’s in the bathroom.”

Harold walked down the hallway, sticking his head into every room they walked past, calling Yanick’s name.

“This is ridiculous,” Harold grumbled. “I’m beginning to understand why his work isn’t getting done.”

Footsteps approached from behind them. Sebastian turned to see Yannick fast-walking towards them. His eyes rounded as he looked at Harold. “Is something wrong?”

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?”

“Lady Callahan needed help,” Yannick said. “Personal… matters?”

“Really?”

“Yes. You can her ask.”

“I’ve got enough work to do than to go around corroborating stories.” Harold gestured towards Sebastian. “This is Sebastian. He’s new. I need you to train him.”

“Okay…”

“Then he’s going to help you, since you seem too busy nowadays to finish your work. Comprende?”

“Uh…”

“Good.” With that, Harold walked away, leaving the two men alone to stare at each other.

“What say he?” Yannick asked Sebastian.

“I’m working with you now. You need to train me.”

Yannick frowned, chewing his lip. “Train?”

“Teach.”

“Okay. Come with.”

Sebastian followed Yannick over to a supply closet. He pulled out a couple rags and two bottles of cleaner, then led Sebastian over to the theater.

Yannick handed Sebastian a rag and bottle. “You clean in the theater. I clean out here.”

“Okay.” Sebastian stepped into the private theater, which had rows and rows of chairs. He supposed he should start by dusting those off.

It was easy work, but tiring. After wiping everything down, Yannick introduced him to a mop and bucket. Time passed fairly quickly. Before he knew it, Yannick announced it was almost 5:30. The end of their shift.

The two exchanged goodbyes, and Sebastian clocked out. As exhausted as he felt, he found himself in a good mood. Perhaps he should treat himself to Pieway for dinner. He texted his mom to ask if she wanted anything from there.

 

Sebastian had forgotten all about Jake’s job at Pieway, until he walked in the building and spotted him working. Except Jake wasn’t really working. He stood in front of the register, chatting with Axel. Butterflies fluttered in Sebastian’s stomach. He combed his fingers through his hair, before walking over.

Axel glanced over and smiled. “Hey! How was your first day.”

“Exhausting.” Sebastian’s body hadn’t ached this much since his time at Camp Hope.

“That’s work for you.” Axel clasped his hand on his shoulder. “Welcome to the club.”

“How awful is working for Barry?” Jake asked.

Sebastian reflected on the first half of his day, which sucked. Then thought of the second half of his day, which was okay. “Not as awful as it could have been. I was a waiter at first, and I hated it. But then I asked if I could do servant work instead, and, it wasn’t that bad.”

Before Sebastian could mention working with Yannick, Jake spoke up. “That’s good. I take it you’re here for a pizza.”

“Yeah. Three.” Sebastian gave his order, and Jake set out to making them.

Axel leaned his hip against the counter, and ran his fingers through his tousled hair. The bottom of his shirt raised as he did, revealing a sliver of skin and the band of his underwear. The sight was breath-taking. Axel looked at him. “Do you have Saturday off?”

It was his next day off. “Yeah.”

“It’s supposed to be really hot. Jake says he has access to a community pool in his neighborhood.”

It was probably the same pool Sebastian had access to. “Yeah, so do I.”

“We were planning on swimming there Saturday. You should join us.”

Going swimming with Jake and Axel meant seeing both of them soaking wet in nothing but a pair of swim trunks. If Sebastian knew what was good for him, he’d stay home, crank up the AC, and spend the day slurping ice pops.

Instead, Sebastian fought back a grin. “Sounds fun. What time?”

Maple sat on her bedroom floor, with her back against the side of her bed, studying the picture Jake had accidentally sent. She’d never seen one before- at least not a grown man’s. It did something to her, between the legs. Especially knowing it was Jake’s.

After sending the picture, Jake had sent a flurry of apology texts, insisting it was a mistake. Please delete it and pretend this never happened, his last text read.

Deleting it would be the right thing to do. But she found she rather liked looking at it. Part of her wanted to lie, and say she did. But another part of her didn’t want to lie to him. She returned to his last text. How to respond?

Footsteps approached her room. Maple slipped the phone under her bed, grabbed her tablet, and jumped onto her bed. Someone knocked at her door.

“Come in,” Maple said, hoping for “bad news” on Neil’s condition.

Walker and Carter stepped in with cheerful faces.

“We just got a call from the doctor,” Walker said.

Maple’s stomach sank. It had to be good news about Neil.

“He says he woke up!” Carter’s eyes shone. “We can go visit him.”

Maple’s sinking stomach swooped downwards. Just as she feared.

“We’re leaving in five,” Walker said. “Hurry up and get ready.”

 

Maple and her brothers arrived at the hospital, and followed a receptionist’s instructions to Neil’s room. Maple followed her brothers down the various corridors with a heavy heart.

The room was small, with only one bed. Neil, now recognizable, laid on it with tubes in his arms and bandages wrapped around the top of his head. His eyes were closed.

“Looks like he’s asleep,” Maple whispered. “We should go-”

“Maple?” Neil croaked. His eyes opened into slits, and he smiled. “How have you been?”

Maple took a few steps back with crossed arms.

“Answer him,” Walker muttered into her ear, and shoved her forward.

“Alright,” Maple mumbled.

“How are you?” Carter asked Neil. “The doctors said you’d have trouble moving.”

“They’re right.” Neil’s voice was groggy, probably from being unused. “I can’t get up. But I can move my feet and my hands...” He wheezed.

“Don’t strain yourself talking,” Walker said.

“We can go now, if we’re wearing you out,” Maple said.

Her brothers glared at her, but Neil chuckled. “There’s the rebel I’ve missed so much.”

Missed? Maple somehow doubted that. She watched him cough without covering his mouth. His arm did lift a few inches, like an attempt was made.

“When I’m better, I’m taking you somewhere nice,” Neil said.

“No need for that,” Maple said.

“We were thinking,” Walker said to Neil. “Once you’re able to go home, Maple could move in with you, to help out.”

“Really?” Neil looked at Maple. “I can’t see you agreeing to that.”

“What she wants doesn’t matter,” Carter said.

“Of course it does. I don’t want her doing anything she doesn’t want to do.”

Maple’s jaw dropped. Did she hear that right? Did Neil understand what he said? He couldn’t have. Since when did he care about Maple’s desires?

Her brothers exchanged raised eyebrows. Walker looked back at Neil. “Who else is there to take care of you?”

Neil shrugged. “We’ll worry about that when I’m out of rehab. They’re talking about sending me there next week.”

“How long?” Carter asked.

“No idea. Until I can move around, maybe? They say that could take months.” Neil focused on Maple. “Hopefully once I’m back on my feet, I can convince you to marry me.”

Convince? “I thought I was marrying you no matter what.”

“As you are,” Walker said.

Neil shook his head. “No. I don’t want someone to marry me because they’re forced to. I want someone to marry me because they love me.”

“Are you... feeling okay?” Maple asked, as her brothers shared more confused looks.

“I was shot in the head,” Neil growled. “What do you think?!”

Somehow, Maple felt both relieved and unnerved by his sudden harshness. It was predictable. Expected. At the same time, why had he gone from being kind, to being cruel so quickly?

“Sorry about that, my sweet Maple.” Neil had gone back to kindness, though his voice still had a hint of grogginess. He closed his eyes. “I’m just sick of this place.”

A doctor walked into the room. Walker took him aside to address him.

“Why is he acting so… different?” Walker asked the doctor, voice lowered.

“He was shot in the head.”

“I mean, his personality. He’s not himself at all.”

“Personality changes aren’t uncommon in severe head injuries.”

“But is it permanent?” Carter asked.

“Probably.”

Maple watched the doctor check the machines that surrounded Neil. Part of her hoped the personality change was permanent. She’d much rather live with a nice Neil than a mean Neil. But nice Neil was so eerie, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was an act.

“We should let you rest,” Walker said to Neil. “We’ll visit again soon.”

Neil raised his arm a few inches, and jerked his hand. Like he was trying to wave. “Bye. Nice seeing you, Maple.”

“Uh-huh.” Maple followed her brothers out the room without waving back.

“What the hell do we do now?” Carter asked Walker, as they walked down the hallway. “Neil’s not gonna marry Maple unless she wants to?”

Walker shot a look at Maple. “You better start wanting it, if you know what’s good for you. He’s the only man that’s ever wanted you.”

That wasn’t true. Jake wanted her. Or, he had until he found out her age. But she’d be 18 soon enough. Maybe he’d change his mind about Axel, and pursue her instead. She could only dream.