Finding Home (5 page)

“What’s wrong?” Adam had concern clearly written all over his face.

“Nothing,” Dillon answered quickly. A little too quickly apparently.

“That’s a lie.” Adam called Dillon on his bullshit. “Dillon, please tell me what’s wrong. This is supposed to be a good day.”

Dillon’s head fell backward, and he looked toward the roof of the tiny shelter they were sitting under. Dillon internally debated on whether or not to tell him, but he decided quickly that in his new life he was going to be more assertive and not let people make him feel badly like his father had always done. “I want you to stop treating me like a damn charity case,” he finally told him slowly, looking him dead in the eyes as he spoke. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his stomach was churning so fast from nerves that it felt like he might throw up. He couldn’t take it back now, so he waited for Adam’s reaction.

The anticipation was killing him when Adam didn’t answer right away. Finally Adam looked at Dillon, clearly confused and hurt. And didn’t that make Dillon feel like shit? “Dillon, I’m really sorry if I made you feel like that, but that was never my intention, I swear. What part of my gift made you feel like that?”

“Honestly?” Dillon questioned and Adam nodded. “The whole damn thing. This morning when you went out and bought breakfast, then gave me half of yours. Then you sprung this whole trip on me, and while it’s been the best day I’ve ever had, it feels kind of like charity. Like you feel sorry for the poor little boy who doesn’t have a family and barely has enough money saved to support himself. I’ve been surviving on my own for a lot of years now, and I can handle this without your pity.”

Adam sat quietly and listened to Dillon’s tirade. “Can I speak now?” Adam asked flatly. When Dillon didn’t continue talking, he took that as his cue and spoke up. “I’m a nice person, Dillon, and the things that I’ve done up until now were things that I wanted to do because I genuinely like you. I had a nice time talking to you last night, and yes, maybe I overstepped my boundaries by barging in on you this morning at breakfast, but I also knew that you were new to town and obviously had no way around. I didn’t want you to have to eat vending machine food for breakfast. It had nothing to do with me feeling sorry for you.”

Adam ran his fingers through his hair, obviously frustrated by something. “I hate that I tried to do something nice for you, because birthdays are supposed to be special, and it made you feel bad instead. I bought lunch because I invited you here with me, and the only reason I’m trying to get you to eat is because you are starving, and you can’t deny that.” Adam was waiting for Dillon to try to deny it anyway.

Dillon looked down at his ratty shoes, embarrassed as hell, because he really hadn’t thought about it from Adam’s point of view. Adam really was only trying to do something nice for Dillon, but his fucked up, jaded view on life made him think otherwise. Dillon wondered if he might have inadvertently ruined the start of what could be his only real friendship ever.

“I told you last night that I wouldn’t pry into your past, and, until you are ready to talk about it, you need to believe me. I haven’t given you any reason to not trust me.” Adam looked at Dillon seriously.

Trust.

That was one of those words that Dillon knew but had never experienced. He’d never trusted anyone but himself. “People are supposed to earn trust, Adam. It’s not something I give away freely, and, to be honest, I’ve never trusted anyone before.”

Adam frowned at Dillon sadly. “Well, it looks like I’ll just have to be the first to earn it.”

That made Dillon smile for real. No one had ever cared enough to try to earn his trust. He wasn’t really even sure what it would take to earn it. They finished up eating, and it made Adam smile when Dillon did end up eating some of the nachos. Then they headed off to look around at some more exhibits.

*****

It was really nice and relaxing just wandering around together. They went through a Madagascar themed house. After that, they crossed a bridge that had hundreds of Koi fish gathered underneath while children fed quarters to machines for handfuls of fish food and threw them over the bridge. It was really amusing to watch the fish fight over the food. The ducks tried to get in on the fight sometimes, too.

As they walked off the edge of the bridge toward a long roadway with no exhibits nearby, Dillon felt something warm slip into his hand. When he looked down, he realized it was Adam’s hand holding his. His heart nearly exploded from the rate in which its beat skyrocketed. Adam looked down warmly at him, silently seeking permission with his eyes. Dillon grinned back, and they walked hand-in-hand for a while until they came upon the sea lion display. Dillon was positively giddy. He’d never felt this happy in his entire life. Not even the day before when he’d left the hell of his past behind him. It was a great feeling, and Adam seemed to share the joy he felt.

Adam didn’t have the greatest track record with guys. He was used to going through a steady stream of them, but he wasn’t going to stick around for someone that he knew he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life with, so once he’d figured that out, he was gone. So far, Adam hadn’t felt the urge to run, and he was having the best time with Dillon, despite their few tense moments.

“How are your legs feeling?” Adam wondered with a sly grin.

“A little tired but nothing I can’t handle. Why?”

“Well, there’s the Skyfari that will take us back up to the front of the zoo.” He pointed up at the ski-lift type chairs that were carrying people across the zoo. “But we have to climb that hill to get there.” He pointed at an incline that seemed daunting to say the least. It was steep but, hey, they were young, right? What the hell!?

“Let’s do it!” Dillon answered excitedly, and Adam started running toward the hill. Dillon took off after him but Adam was too fast. Adam could hear Dillon laughing from behind him which caused him to chuckle also. Dillon had almost caught up to Adam when they reached the top. Adam’s face was red from laughing. He pulled Dillon to him when he was finally within reach and hugged him for no reason other than he wanted to. Dillon clutched onto the back of Adam’s shirt tightly, soaking in his warmth and affection, which seemed to be healing some unknown-to-him wound deep in Dillon’s soul.

Adam had just wanted to be close to him for a moment. He let go too soon and took Dillon’s hand again, leading him toward the entrance to their ride. He paid for the one-way tickets, and Dillon didn’t complain about it, which seemed like a small victory to Adam. They sat down on the chair, the attendant closed the bar, and wished them a happy ride. Adam slid his arm around Dillon’s shoulder, and Dillon leaned into his touch.

“So…” Adam broke the peaceful silence as they swayed slightly back and forth in the air.  “You like Coldplay, huh?”

“I love them. They are my favorite band!”

“They’re pretty good; I’ll give you that,” Adam agreed.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dillon acted offended. “Pretty good? Man, they are the best. Have you heard Chris Martin’s voice? Or seen his face? He’s so hot.”

Adam really liked this side of Dillon. He hoped to see more of it. “He is definitely good looking, and, yes, I’ve heard his voice before.” Adam chuckled. “I can see the appeal.”

“Okay, then who is your favorite band?” Dillon challenged with a mock glare in his eye.

“Well, my taste in music is vast, and you wouldn’t exactly expect some of it coming from me with the way I look, but right now my favorite bands are Imagine Dragons, My Chemical Romance, and Maroon 5.”

“You weren’t kidding, huh?” Dillon laughed, raising his eyebrows.

“Nope, each band has their own unique sound, and I really love each of them for different reasons,” he explained.

“I totally understand that. Music and books have been my escape for as long as I can remember. They took me away to happier places where I didn’t have to live in my reality.” Dillon found himself saying things like that around Adam, and he had no idea why he was sharing so much information voluntarily.

“Hey, look at the cheetahs.” Adam pointed out a couple of them lounging in the sunlight and completely took the spotlight off of the revelation that Dillon had just made. He was internally grateful for that, and Dillon knew that Adam could tell because he just squeezed his shoulder and pulled him in a little tighter. “The giraffes are coming up, and if you look to your left, there are the antelope and other animals of that variety.”

It was really incredible to get the aerial view of the animals and the zoo. It was quite relaxing to just ride and not have to walk the entire distance either. “This is the best way to do this last leg of the zoo,” Adam explained. “Better than walking, huh?” It was like he could read Dillon’s mind, and Dillon wasn’t sure if that was comforting or something to worry about.

When the ride came to an end, they had to hop off of the chair quickly because the chairs didn’t stop. Adam grabbed Dillon’s hand again, and led him through a metal gate.

Adam then took Dillon through the aquarium which had a really amazing glass tunnel you could walk through, and it felt like you were in the ocean with all of the animals. After that he led Dillon through both the top and bottom levels of the jungle. It was humid as hell in the jungle though, and Dillon had ended up taking his hoodie off and just carrying around. They were a sweaty mess by the time they exited. The cool air hit both of them as soon as they walked outside, and it felt like heaven.

It was about three o’clock in the afternoon when they left the zoo, and Dillon had no idea what the plan was for the rest of the day; he just knew that he didn’t want it to be over so soon.

Adam’s phone rang loudly as they were pulling out of the parking lot. “Hey, man, what’s up?” he asked casually as he answered.

“Dude, we’ve got a situation here. Jaclyn bailed on us, and she has an appointment scheduled to be here very soon. I’m booked up, and I can’t get a hold of Matt, so that just leaves you. Can you come do this damn thing?” his friend Landon asked without so much as a hello.

His eyes held steady on the road as he maneuvered his way through traffic. He listened for what felt like forever but probably wasn’t nearly that long. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he practically shouted into the phone. Dillon flinched when Adam shouted, and Adam felt bad for scaring him.

“No, I’m not kidding, man, but we are in a bind here. The chick already paid her deposit and will be here in thirty. I’m sorry if it’s ruining your plans for tonight, but them’s the breaks, huh?” Landon chuckled, but Adam didn’t find it humorous at all.

His eyes squinted as his face scrunched up. He was frustrated. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your fault. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He ended his call and haphazardly tossed his phone into the middle console.

“Everything okay?” Dillon asked quietly. He wasn’t sure what he should or shouldn’t say in the face of Adam’s mood change. He’d never really done the friend thing before.

“Yes and no. I mean, nothing traumatic happened or anything, but I’ve just been called into work for a couple hours. One of our people just bailed, and there’s an appointment on the books that will be there in thirty minutes. I need to get there as soon as I can, but I really don’t want this day to end. I had plans for us to hang out for dinner,” he explained to Dillon as he weaved expertly through the maze of roads. Dillon couldn’t keep track of where they’d been or where they were going. “Do you want to come to the shop with me while I do this, or do you want me to run you back to the motel and pick you up later?”

“What exactly do you do? I mean, what kind of business are you in?” Dillon asked curiously. He figured that would probably be something that he needed to know in order to make a decision, right?

“Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t tell you already,” he tittered nervously. “Uh… I’m a tattoo artist, and I co-own the shop,
Inkspiration
, with my buddy, Landon. He’s already there, but he has an appointment booked also. So, wanna come?” Adam asked hopefully.

Dillon had never been in a tattoo shop before so he thought it might be a cool experience, and, to be honest, he really wanted to see Adam in his natural habitat. “Okay, I’ll go.”

The smile that graced Adam’s face when he agreed was breathtaking. “Great!” he replied, completely relieved. “That’s awesome!” Dillon couldn’t explain why the nerves that had settled in his stomach were there, but they just kept fluttering around while they drove, until Adam pulled into a reserved parking stall in what appeared to be a back parking lot.

*****

“Here we are,” Adam announced excitedly as he opened his door to get out. Dillon followed suit and let Adam lead him to the back door of what appeared to be a corner lot in a commercial storefront area.

Adam put his hand on Dillon’s lower back as he walked past him, and Dillon’s entire body warmed from the contact. Dillon was discovering that he really enjoyed being touched by Adam, which unnerved him because he’d never been someone who craved connection with another person. He decided he could get used to it quickly and that scared him.

Directly inside the building was a small office. There was a desk to the right with a computer and a printer on it, a cork board on the wall beside the computer with pictures, sketches, and other various hand drawn pieces, and to the left were two filing cabinets with some cupboards hanging above it. It was a standard office set-up.

Adam took off his jacket and flung it across the back of the chair behind the desk. “This is the office. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

He sat down in the chair and began typing away on the computer. “This’ll just take a moment,” he told Dillon who was looking around at the art work hanging on the walls. Most of the stuff pinned to the cork board was clearly hand drawn tattoo designs. They were really phenomenal, but what drew him in most was the picture on the wall next to the door where they would presumably enter the main area. It was definitely abstract, with tons of different lines crossing and looping through one another, shaded in with the most vibrant colors. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for the way the lines split and swirled, but it was extraordinary.

Dillon continued to study it, following the lines and colors, trying to figure out some sort of pattern when, suddenly, Adam was standing right next to him, which made him jump. “Do you like it?” he asked, nodding toward the art piece.

“Yeah, it’s really cool. The artist did a great job with it,” Dillon praised, still not taking his eyes off of it.

“Thanks,” Adam replied casually, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.

It took a second for that to sink in. Dillon’s head snapped sideways to look at Adam curiously. “You mean, you did this?”

“Yeah, a couple years ago.”

“It’s incredible.” Dillon was amazed and it showed, which boosted Adam’s confidence. Not that he needed it, but it was always nice to hear. 

Adam grinned widely and then opened the door. “You can come out here and watch if you want,” he offered.

“Okay.” Dillon was relieved that he didn’t have to sit in the back room alone.

They walked through the door, and Dillon immediately felt at home. The shop had dark red walls with black trim and all of the furniture was black leather. There was a couch by the front door and several small arm chairs in what appeared to be a waiting section. The front counter was made of dark wood with a glass display case and there were rows of body jewelry in it.

“Wow! This place is awesome,” Dillon told Adam quietly as he continued to take in his surroundings. There were four stations in total, and the place was remarkably clean. Adam beamed at the compliment to his establishment. “Thank you! It’s what we aim for.”

“Adam!” hollered a guy that looked to be about Adam’s age from across the room. “Glad you’re here, man. I can’t believe Jaclyn just bailed on us like that.” He got up and crossed the room to them, and, as he got closer, Dillon noticed he was as tall as Adam but far more muscular. Where Adam was defined and slender, this guy was just huge, but he was gorgeous too. His face was all hard angles with deep brown eyes and scruff along his jawline. It was more than intimidating to Dillon.

“Hey, Landon,” Adam greeted him as they did a weird hand-clasping-chest-bumping-back-patting thing. “How long do I have until the appointment?”

Landon checked his watch, “About fifteen minutes I’d guess.” Then he eyed Dillon like he was trying to figure out who Dillon was and what he could possibly be doing with Adam. Dillon tried shrinking back and getting out of the way because he felt like a total outsider, but Adam grabbed his elbow instinctively before he could take a step back, like he sensed Dillon’s uneasiness. He gently rubbed his thumb along the crease where Dillon’s elbow was bent, and that was enough to calm him down.

“Landon, this is Dillon,” Adam explained as he introduced them. “He’s new in town and staying at Gram’s motel, so I’ve been showing him around.” Landon looked directly at where Adam was still holding on to Dillon’s arm, and Dillon noticed something flicker in his eyes.
Jealousy, maybe?
Although Dillon didn’t understand what he could possibly have to be jealous about. “Dillon, this is Landon. He’s my friend and co-owner of the shop.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, kid,” Landon greeted him with a hard slap on the shoulder. “Adam and I go way back.” It felt like he was trying to prove something to Dillon, and Dillon didn’t like it one bit. He shrugged to get Landon’s hand off his shoulder.

“Nice to meet you too,” Dillon told him, but his words were not really sincere at all.

“Okay, I’m going to set up now. Dillon, you can come over here and watch if you want to,” Adam proffered as he walked over to the station closest to them on the left and started pulling things out of the cupboard to set up for his appointment. There was a black leather stool up against the wall, so Dillon sat down and watched him prepare, completely fucking thankful for being away from Landon. There was something about the guy that Dillon didn’t immediately like, but he would have to be cordial to him if he was one of Adam’s friends.

When Adam’s client arrived, she hopped up on the bench-table like a pro, and Dillon thought it was really cool to watch him as he permanently inked her skin. He hadn’t even realized that two hours had passed already by the time Adam started to wipe her tattoo clean for the final time. He’d been completely mesmerized by Adam’s attention to detail and absolute focus on his work. Dillon was in complete awe of him.

Adam, on the other hand, had had to shut everything out of his mind completely so he didn’t fuck up the girl’s tattoo. Knowing that Dillon was watching him had made him nervous, and Adam Banks never got nervous with a tattoo gun in his hand. He was a fucking professional, for fuck’s sake. He was so damn glad when it was over.

Adam helped her down and led her to the full length mirror where she got to see her tattoo for the first time. “So, what do you think?” he asked her with a cocky grin.

“Oh my God!” she squealed. “It’s amazing, Adam!” And it really was. The coloring was bright and lines were exactly as they should be. It was a brightly colored mixture of hearts, stars, and music notes that flowed from the lower left side of her back diagonally up to her right shoulder.

Adam beamed. He was proud of his work and genuinely happy that the client was pleased. “I’m so glad you like it!” He proceeded to bandage it up and give her a rundown of aftercare instructions. He led her to the front counter where she paid, and then she hugged him before she left.

Dillon felt irrationally jealous when she touched him which just confused him. He hadn’t even known Adam for less than a day so there was no reason for the attachment.
Except he’s the only person who’s ever shown any fucking interest in you.

Adam walked back toward his station. “So, have you ever thought about getting some ink?” The wink he gave Dillon made those butterflies start beating around again.

Dillon hadn’t considered it before. However, seeing how happy that girl was with hers and the thought of Adam being the one to permanently brand his skin with something that he’d drawn had made him start wondering if he could do it. “After seeing you work today, it could definitely be a possibility sometime in the future.”

“If you ever decide to get one done, I’d love to be your artist.” He set about cleaning up his station. Dillon was pretty quiet after that, thinking about the possibility of ink. What would he get? He didn’t have a clue.

He was still lost in thought when he felt Adam’s hand land gently on his shoulder. “Ready?”

Dillon nodded his head.

“Awesome. We’re out of here, Landon,” Adam hollered over the buzzing of the tattoo gun Landon was wielding. He slid his arm around Dillon’s shoulder just as Landon looked up, and his eyebrows creased in displeasure before he quickly masked his reaction and acknowledged Adam.

“Thanks for coming in on your night off. See you tomorrow,” he practically shouted to be heard, and then went right back to tattooing his client.

Adam led them back through the office where he grabbed his jacket, then they headed out to his car. “I thought we could have dinner at my house if you wanted instead of going out. We could order in and relax for the rest of the night. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

Dillon had forgotten that Adam had said he had plans for them for dinner. “If that’s what you want,” Dillon answered as casually as he could. He still couldn’t believe that Adam had put so much effort into the day’s events to celebrate his birthday when he was mostly a stranger to him still.

“It’s what I’d like.” His response was simple, but it made Dillon’s heart race. His head felt light, and Dillon was happy, like genuinely happy, for the first time maybe ever. He couldn’t focus on anything, and, instead, just blankly stared out the window as Adam drove, while buildings, cars, trees, and street signs flew by in a blur.