Chapter 11 Dallas #2
“I know. But also, he’s probably right about backlash.
We should figure out a way to mitigate it.
We’ve never promoted you as anything other than a guy with the passion for fitness at all levels.
But you know people project their ideas on you.
I’m sure they think you’re a nice little Christian boy when you’re an atheist. We did make clear you’re a democrat though, so we lost a lot of MAGA losers.
But dating a guy might put a few people off. Do you care?”
“No.” I slide into the seat a bit, relaxing. “I envy Kay. He’s just who he is. I want to be like that too. I want my platform to scream, this is Dallas, take it or leave it.”
“I love that. It’s beautiful.” He squeezes the wheel again. “But it might be hard. We’ve hidden the real you for so long. Do you even know how to live your truth out loud?”
“Dunno, but I sure as fuck want to try. I’m tired of living in the shadows, afraid of letting people see me.”
“We’ll set you free, man.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” I sit up taller. “This is exciting. The possibilities are endless. The collabs are endless. Shit, Clayton isn’t homophobic, right? Or biphobic? Any of it?”
Hayden chuckles and pulls into a parking spot at the gym. “You really leave all the research to me, don’t you?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I rub a hand down my face. “I really suck at damn near everything other than being the face.”
“It’s fine. You know I love the research and don’t worry. We’ll never work with anyone that’s going to hurt our image in a bad way. Clayton’s always working with different organizations to help LGBTQ+ youth and elders.”
“We should probably look into working with organizations to bring awareness to the things that bring our hearts joy.” I need to do better.
Hayden pokes my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s write up an epic collab.”
Before long, we’re in the zone, writing up different proposals and having a blast.
“You know, I wonder if we could do a whole big collab like an ‘I’m coming out’ kinda thing with a bunch of LGBTQ+ creators? Would you be into that? We could get Kay involved. That would be a blast.”
I scratch the back of my head and stare at my reflection in the wall across from me. “You know what? That could be fun. Let’s see about doing it at Influencer Con?”
“Perfect.” Hayden types up a storm and prints off the Clayton Climbs collab proposal. “Look this over and see if there’s anything you wanna change.”
We go back and forth on a few things, then there’s a knock on the door. I push to my feet and greet the people.
“Blake and Yuri?” I look the two over.
“Yep. What’s the password?”
“Cupcake.”
They both nod.
“I’m Blake, this is Yuri and we’re here to set up the sophisticated ass security system Kay asked for. You’re Dallas, right?”
I nod and let them in. “Kay should be back any minute now.” I don’t know why the fuck I say it, but I hope it’s true.
He’s been gone for a long time and I’m starting to worry.
Then I remember how he complained about walking up the six flights of stairs and he’ll have to carry whatever supplies he gets and I almost feel bad.
Blake smirks and shakes his head. “Kay works on his own timeline. We don’t mind. We owe him a few jobs after he—”
“Took care of a pest problem,” Yuri says as he softly whacks the back of his arm across Blake’s chest.
“Right, a pest problem.” Blake glares at Yuri, and I have to wonder what the fuck they’re going on about.
“Anyway,” Yuri starts, “We just need access to a few bits and bobs and we’ll get everything set up. He wanted a keypad for a pin number, so let us know where you want that.”
“Wait,” Hayden says. “How much is all this going to cost?”
“Nothing,” Yuri shrugs. “Kay saved our ass a few times, and this is how we can repay him. There’s nothing to it.”
“Okay.” Hayden bobs his head. “But if you have to do too much extensive work, I gotta get my uncle involved, since he owns the building.”
“Won’t be much,” Blake says.
Hayden lets out a sigh. “Okay, good, because I hate calling him. He always wants us over for Sunday dinner and I just don’t want to.” He cringes and I almost do too.
“I appreciate that your uncle allows us to use the warehouse for our gym, but I’m glad he doesn’t insist on the dinners. The one time with all your cousins was enough for me.”
While Hayden shows them around, I order a giant cupcake for Kay. He deserves it.
I’d wanna get him a cupcake even if he wasn’t doing so much. I look up from my phone and choke on a laugh because Kay has his face smashed to the door, and he’s making faces. He grins and pulls away to wipe at his mouth with the back of his arm.
When he strolls right in, he asks, “Did you miss me?”
“Yeah. I did.”
He leans in for a kiss, but I lean away and push his shoulder. “You have no idea how often we wash those windows, but I do. You’ll wanna wash your face.” I nod towards the bathroom. “Face wash is under the sink.”
He runs towards the bathroom and I chuckle. Chewing on my nails is gross, but pressing his face to a very dirty window is apparently just fine.
There’s another knock on the door. The cupcake delivery! I hand the driver a twenty-dollar bill for a tip and clutch the box close. The cupcake is perfect.
“I’m stealing that face wash.” Kay pats his hip where the bulge of the bottle pushes out of his pocket. He rubs his face. “I don’t know why the hell you have such high end stuff at the gym, but this feels so nice.”
“I like good skincare.” I hold out the cupcake.
He just stares at the offering. Then looks at me. To the box. To me. To the box.
His mouth goes into a thin line. He blows out a breath through his nose.
Did I fuck up? What’s wrong? He said he liked cupcakes. With lots of icing and sprinkles.
Kay blinks a few times, then takes the box and squats. He sets the box on the floor and just stares at it. Stares. Then he looks up at me.
“What does it mean?”
“What does it mean? I don’t get the question. You said you like cupcakes. I wanted to get you one. That’s what partners do. I thought it’d be a nice surprise.”
“I don’t understand.”
We have an audience now. Hayden, Blake, and Yuri all watch Kay stare at the cupcake.