Chapter 3 #2
Once he heard the water turn on, Jaylin let out a breath and beelined to the kitchen, where he devoured two bananas, grateful both to get something into his stomach and to erase the taste of Brent from his mouth.
He grabbed a couple apples for the road, stuffing them into his coat pockets, then anxiously shifted from foot to foot as he waited for his ride to show up, keeping an ear out for any sounds or signs that Brent was approaching.
When his phone alerted him that his ride was outside, Jaylin jumped to leave the house, feeling as though he was about to vibrate out of his skin.
All he wanted to do was go home, brush his teeth, and take another shower.
Sure, he’d showered last night, but sometimes even showering at Brent’s didn’t leave him feeling clean.
The frigid air hit him as he opened the front door, making him hiss. It was so cold now, with it being mid-January, and Brent’s stupid coat wasn’t cutting it.
He said his pleasantries to the driver as he got into the car and buckled himself in. Twenty minutes and he’d be home.
He passed the drive playing one of his puzzle games on his phone, and managed to get into it enough that it was a pleasant surprise once the car stopped in front of his apartment building.
He thanked the driver, then fished his keys out of his pocket and hurried up the steps, ready to be inside and out of the chill.
He really needed to invest in a scarf or something, an additional warm thing he could wear with Brent’s stupid coat that the man wouldn’t object to.
He kept thinking about making it over to the thrift store to grab one, but the closest one was fifteen minutes away by bus, and it seemed like such a waste of a trip, just for a scarf.
Jaylin got inside, shed his coat, then beelined to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
He had taken to carrying gum with him in his jacket pocket, but he’d used the last of his pack a few days ago and hadn’t gotten a chance to buy a fresh one yet.
Once he’d spat out the toothpaste, he shed the rest of his clothes and jumped into the shower.
It was only once he was out of the shower that he noticed how badly his wrists were bruised.
“Fucker,” Jaylin hissed, glaring down at dark purple mottled skin. The bruises weren’t subtle. It’d be obvious to anyone what they were from.
Just another way for Brent to have control over Jaylin’s life.
Well it wasn’t like there was anything he could do now. At least it was winter, the perfect time to wear big, oversized sweaters with sleeves that hung down. He’d make do. He always did.
He got redressed and went over to his bed to grab his laptop to spend some more time on his paper.
He’d already read it through a couple of times, but he wanted to get at least one more full read through of it before he turned it in.
Staring at the letters as they bounced around the page always threatened to make his eyes cross, so it was slow going, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through.
It was snowing lightly when Jaylin’s alarm went off, letting him know it was time to leave if he wanted to get to El Guanaco on time.
He set aside his laptop and went to pull on his beloved warm winter coat with a sigh, happy that he got to wear it.
His thick gloves went on next, then his winter hat.
He once again had the thought about trying to find himself a scarf, just because of how bitter the wind was when he stepped outside his building, but he hunched forward and bore it.
El Guanaco was only about a ten minute walk away. Ten minutes was nothing.
His phone buzzed in his pocket as he approached the restaurant, flashing a message from Hiro. Jaylin tugged one of his gloves off so he could hit the button to play it out loud, pressing his phone to his ear to hear over the howling wind. He hoped it wasn't bad news.
It wasn't. Just got a table, his iPhone’s robot voice narrated for him. I’m in a booth on the right side.
Jaylin’s heart sank as he checked the time. He was late? But–
It was twelve fifteen.
Oh.
Well, okay. At least he wasn't late.
Five minutes later Jaylin was stamping off his boots in the doorway of the restaurant, pulling off his hat and heading in, letting Martina, the greeter, know that he was meeting someone.
The restaurant was understandably busy on a Sunday afternoon, and it made Jaylin worry about whether or not that was why Hiro had showed up so early. Jaylin went out to eat on his own so rarely, he hadn’t thought much about the restaurant being busier at this time of day. Stupid.
He went searching for Hiro’s booth, eyes landing on the man within seconds.
He was just… easy to spot in a crowd. He was wearing a soft looking green sweater, looking comfortable and casual.
Just a guy meeting someone for lunch. A handsome, important guy who was giving Jaylin the time of day for some reason, and who could potentially make or break Jaylin’s legal career.
Just a guy.
Hiro spotted him as he approached, looking up from the menu to give him a smile and a wave. Jaylin pulled off his hat and gloves, stuffing them in his pockets as he headed over to him. At least Hiro probably wouldn’t be able to tell that Jaylin’s cheeks were somehow hot.
“Good to see you again,” Hiro said warmly as Jaylin sat down. “Was the walk okay?”
“Yeah, not too bad,” Jaylin said, shrugging out of his coat. “How about the drive?”
“Not too bad either,” Hiro said. “And this place was easy to find. I’ve never heard of it before, but I’m excited to try. I love trying new food.” He looked like he had already started making a dent in the basket of complimentary chips and salsa on the table.
“I hope you like it here,” Jaylin said, giving him a hesitant smile. “I think they do good food.”
Obviously. Otherwise he wouldn’t have recommended it. He grabbed a chip and scooped up some salsa before popping it into his mouth. If he was chewing, he couldn't say anything else stupid.
“Jaylito! Hey, welcome back!”
Jaylin grimaced and swallowed his mouthful. Of course. Of course it would be Carlos. “Hey.”
“It’s been ages,” Carlos said, looking faux offended, before switching to rapid-fire Spanish. “Thought you got sick of us! Which was ridiculous, frankly. How could anyone get sick of El Guanaco’s food? Or me, for that matter?”
Jaylin fought the groan. Carlos was… nice enough.
Mostly he was a chatterbox, and several months ago, when Jaylin had first ventured into the restaurant, Carlos had noticed Jaylin wearing a Pride and Prejudice t-shirt and struck up a conversation about the book.
Jaylin had then had to admit he hadn’t read the book, he’d just found the shirt at a thrift store and liked the design on it.
That had gotten a dramatic gasp from Carlos, who had proceeded to talk Jaylin’s ear off about it for the duration of Jaylin’s meal.
It had almost scared Jaylin away from the restaurant completely, but the food had been good and cheap, and the portions had been large enough that he’d had leftovers to take home.
So Jaylin had gone back. Carlos had been just as happy to talk at Jaylin the second time around too, and had been weirdly delighted to discover Jaylin spoke Spanish.
Ever since, he’d always sought Jaylin out whenever Jaylin popped in for food while Carlos was working.
Several months in, Jaylin now knew a lot about Carlos and Carlos’s incredibly large extended family.
He didn’t mind, truth be told. Even with all the dramatics that Carlos frequently regaled him with, it was kind of nice to see how a happy, loving family operated.
It almost kind of felt like being a part of one, in a way.
At the moment, with Hiro to impress, Jaylin wasn’t sure he was up for Carlos’s antics. He was just so loud.
“Just been busy,” Jaylin replied in Spanish.
Carlos scoffed. “I’m in college too, you know! All work and no play, etcetera.”
Jaylin snorted, then realized Hiro was watching them and, possibly, was being left out of the loop. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “Um, this is Carlos.” He shot Carlos a look. “I’m assuming he’s here to actually be our waiter, and not just give me a hard time.”
“You know what they say about assuming,” Carlos shot back cheerfully. “It makes an a–”
“Carlos,” Jaylin hissed, now kind of hoping Hiro didn't understand. “This man is someone I need to impress and he’s doing me a huge favor by giving me his time, could you not.”
Carlos blinked and looked at Hiro as if seeing him for the first time. He then did a very exaggerated double-take. For the second time in two minutes, Jaylin tried not to groan and shove his face in his hands.
“Hello,” Hiro said with a bemused smile, all cordial.
“Hirohito Miyazaki,” Carlos said, leaning in closer and waving a finger. “Right? Hirohito Miyazaki!”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Hiro said, while Jaylin inwardly gaped. Carlos recognized Hiro? How? Was Hiro that big a deal? “Are you a friend of Jaylin’s?”
“How do you know Hiro?” Jaylin asked, before Carlos could reply to that. He didn't mean for it to come out suspicious, but it probably did.
He watched in real time as Carlos realized he’d stuck his foot in his mouth, darting a look at Jaylin.
“He’s a local celebrity! He’s the guy who did that pro bono work to save Kit Kat Animal Shelter from that hostile takeover thing a couple years ago.
How do you not know this? He was in the news and everything.
I follow him on Instagram.” His eyes widened. “Wait, can he speak Spanish?”
“You’re being rude,” Jaylin pointed out in English. He threw an unhappy glance at Hiro. “Sorry about him.”
Carlos made some sort of choking noise, but then seemed to realize that yes, he was, in fact, being rude, because he cleared his throat. “Are you, uh, ready to order? Or I could get you drinks while you look at the menu?”
“Do you need more time?” Hiro asked him. “You just got here.”