CHAPTER SIX
When I walked into the apartment, Fat Rabbit came bounding toward me on chubby little legs and I could hear Dex in his bedroom talking on the phone to someone. It reminded me that I needed to face the music and call my parents at some point. I’d rather get teeth pulled.
I decided to make myself busy and settle in, in case I ended up staying here for a little while. Deep down, I did appreciate what Dex was doing for me, even if this was a way to ease his guilty conscience. But I didn’t trust my increasingly raging hormones and the way they clouded my logic from time to time. I knew moving out would help immensely with salvaging whatever was left of our relationship. Staying would only complicate it.
Still, I lifted the boxes into my den and started unpacking things and tidying up the place so it was less like Dex’s messy office and more like Perry temporary hidey hole.
While I was doing so, I kept hearing snippets of Dex’s conversation. He sounded passionately engaged with someone and as his voice kept rising, I kept easing myself closer and closer to my open door, hoping to hear more and not get caught while I was at it. Eavesdropping wasn’t cool, but hey, it’s what roommates do.
“Jimmy, forget it. She’s not doing it!” he yelled, voice muffled by his door.
If they could, my ears would have perked up. I stepped out into the hall, trying to hear better. Jimmy? Were they talking about me?
I held my breath and strained my head.
“No, I told you,” Dex growled on the other side. “You get me, you don’t get her. No. She’s not going through that again. The whole Riverside deal almost killed her. Get someone else on the show, I don’t really care. But I’m not putting Perry in danger again. And there’s no way she’d want to do it anyway. She quit, remember. And she still hates my guts. I’m just waiting for her to chop my head off in my sleep.” Pause. “Yeah, or my balls. She probably would go for those first.”
My mouth dropped open. That kind of hurt, even though it was partly true.
“I know you need the money. Just get someone else, that’s all. No, she won’t do it for more money. She can’t be bought like that.”
That did it. I straightened up and knocked rapidly on his door.
“Oh f*ck,” I heard him say. “Listen, can you hold for a second.” >
The door opened and Dex poked his head out, smiling nervously when he saw my determined face on the other side.
“Hi roomie,” he said with forced cheer. “How was lunch?”
“Why are you talking to Jimmy about me?”
His smile fell. “You heard all that?”
“Yeah, it’s easy when you’re eavesdropping,” I said unapologetically.
He rubbed at his chin. “I think we’re going to have to add a no eavesdropping clause to the house rules. We might have to take out the no sex thing though.”
“Dex,” I cried out and pushed his door open. Thank God he was fully clothed in grey t-shirt and black jeans, otherwise I wouldn’t have protested so loudly.
He backed away from me, clutching the phone to his chest. “What?”
“Gimme the phone,” I commanded, holding out my hand.
His head dropped solemnly. “I am on a very important call.”
“Yes, about me,” I said, reaching for it. “Now give it.”
He shrank away and eyed the room anxiously. “Damn, I knew I should have kept a spare roll of duct tape somewhere.”
I could hear Jimmy squawking on the other line.
Dex sighed and put the phone to his ear. “Sorry, sir, a rabid animal burst into my room. No, she’s not taking questions right now.”
With a final attempt, I lunged at him, but not to take the phone outright. Judging from the taut tendons on his forearms, I would have lost that battle.
Instead I played dirty and a hunch. I went for the sides of his stomach and tickled him.
“Holy shit!” he yelped, staggering backward and dropping the phone. I kept my fingers going until he was pinned against his wall. I should have picked up the phone but the feeling of his rigid stomach and soft, thin shirt underneath my hands was addicting. So was the fact that I was making him double over from unwanted laughter.
“Stop it!” he tried to plead during giggles. “You evil genius!”
I reluctantly stopped, our bodies up against each other, breathing and smiling hard. He raised his head, face pink and eyes pinched and I backed off before I started up again. I quickly snatched up the phone from the carpet.
“Hi, is this Jimmy?” I asked into it, keeping my eyes on Dex. He made a move to come forward but I wiggled my fingers as a threat. He frowned but stayed put.
“Well, well, well,” came Jimmy Kwan’s voice through the line. “Perry Palomino. You know, you have to learn how to write a better resignation letter than just, f*ck you Dex, I quit. Though, I’ve heard that one quite a bit.”
I smiled despite myself. “Well, he didn’t leave me much choice.”
Dex quickly looked up at the ceiling then made his way over to his bed, plunking down on it in defeat.
“I understand. I was just talking to Dex about bringing you back on the show, if you were interested, and he was quite adamant that you wouldn’t be interested. He’s quite concerned for your safety.”
Dex was watching me as curiously as I was watching him. For once, he wasn’t going to push me into anymore compromising situations. That was quite the change.
“What else did he say?”
“That was about it. You know, the show ended the moment you left. He thinks I can just pair him up with someone else but to be honest Perry, people watched that show because of your dynamic. Your ghost hunting skills are terrible.”
Yeah, that’s because they’re the ones hunting us, I thought.
“Did the show really do well enough to warrant running again?”
“You’d be surprised. Anyway, the point is, I want to add you back to the lineup. He says no. What do you say?”
I wasn’t really sure what I thought about that. Dex was right in that I shouldn’t be putting myself in those situations again. I couldn’t bear the idea of being frightened to death on camera, especially if it had anything to do with ghosts and demons. But a job was a job. And a job would get me out of Dex’s apartment…even if it only put me back into his work.
“I heard him say something about money. Would you pay me more?” I asked, keeping my voice hard.
He sighed. “Yes, I’d pay both of you more. I was going to anyway, before you up and left.”
Dex’s face looked pained so I turned away and looked out the sliding door to the balcony. The Monorail roared past, making the walls shudder.
“I’m not particularly fond of ghosts right now. Or being on camera. But I need a job.”
“I can give you a job. Your job back. You wouldn’t have to deal with ghosts right away if you don’t want. I was discussing a particular phenomenon with Dex. It’s…well, it’s ridiculous and nothing more than an urban legend, but I still think it’s worth checking out.”
“What is it?”
“Have you heard of Sasquatch?”
I burst out laughing, clutching the phone before I dropped it.
“Bigfoot?” I cried out when I could.
I looked incredulously at Dex who shrugged, a giant smirk on his face.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said to Jimmy, struggling to compose myself. “You want us to go Bigfoot hunting?”
“Sasquatch. He’s different.”
“He’s still Harry and the Hendersons. Don’t tell me you believe this?”
“Of course I don’t,” Jimmy sniped, sounding tired. “But this is very in right now. There’s a llama outfitters up in BC, in the Rockies, and they’ve been dealing with something that sounds a lot like Sasquatch. Plus, you’ve seen the television shows about it. There’s even an erotic novel about sex with Bigfoot, self-published of course.”
“Ah, well if Bigfoot erotica is catching on, we better get to it,” I joked, shaking my head.
“You and Dex will go up to the mountains, spending a few days there chasing around some llamas and maybe you’ll get footage of a bear or something. I don’t know. But it’s something and I want it to happen. And it’s a job. And, last time I looked, Bigfoot wasn’t a ghost.”
“Sasquatch,” I corrected him with a sigh. “Look, I’ll have to think about it. I don’t think I could even keep a straight face if I was on camera.”
“So don’t be on camera,” he said. “Put Dex on camera. You do the filming.”
My heart slowed and I raised my brows at Dex who was leaning on his thighs and tapping his foot. He probably had no idea of what was just suggested.
“Um, what?”
“Dex is a better editor than he is a cameraman. Sometimes, anyway. Point and shoot. Film him. Interact with him. Just try it out anyway, if it makes you feel better. If it doesn’t work, we can go back to what does. Point is, I want you.”
“I know you do…”
“He does too, he’s just trying to man up. I know, it doesn’t suit him. Let me talk to him, please?”
“OK,” I said, nodding and holding the phone out for Dex.
He got up and took it and I took that time to leave the bedroom. I went straight into the kitchen and poured myself a giant glass of water. I had never felt so thirsty and gulped it down quickly.
I leaned back against the fridge, Fat Rabbit sitting expectantly at my feet, and waited to hear Dex’s reaction. I could already hear a yelp or two from the bedroom.
I knew I was probably crazy for even considering re-joining the show, but given how I now had the chance to hide behind a camera and go chasing after a creature that emphatically did not exist, and therefore, couldn’t hurt me, it was hard to turn that down. Plus the pay would be more. And more pay would mean less living with Dex. Maybe after a few episodes I would be out. And yeah, it seemed redundant to then work with him, but whatever. I’d make myself deal. I was doing fine so far. Wasn’t I?
A text came into my phone, distracting me. Rebecca finally had my right number and she texted: Got you an appointment tomorrow at 3:45pm. I can come with you.
I texted her back, telling her thank you. I felt like a total dick the way I had glossed over her problems over lunch, as if what I was going through was more important than what she was going through with Em. I knew I needed to apologize in person. She was much nicer to me than she needed to be, especially considering Dex was her friend first and foremost.
After a few nail-chewing moments, Dex came out of his room, tucking his phone into his pocket and walking straight up to me in determined strides. I stiffened.
He put his arms on either side of me and leaned against the fridge, trapping me in between them, and lowered his face to mine. “Listen, kiddo, we might need to add one more clause to the house rules. Something about not negotiating someone else’s job behind their back.”
I held my ground and looked right back into his eyes, refusing to be intimidated. “It was right in front of your face. And Jimmy suggested it. I don’t recall saying yes.”
“But you wanted to,” he said huskily. He didn’t sound angry, just serious.
“How do you know that?”
“There are reasons why I told Jimmy no, Perry. The last time we went ghost-hunting, you ended up with a demon in your soul.”
“That demon started out as your ex-girlfriend,” I said quietly, hating that I had to bring her up. “And she came from here, this apartment, not from the mental institute.”
He winced, realizing what I had said. His eyes dropped away from mine and found my shoulder very interesting. “That may be true. But I never want to put you in danger again, intentional or not.”
I took my hand and placed it on the crook of his elbow. He tensed for a second at my touch. “I appreciate that. But this should be my choice. It’s a job, it’s money, and we’ll just take it one day at a time. I don’t see how I could be in any danger from something that doesn’t exist.”
He smiled softly and I wished his face wasn’t just inches from mine. “You can’t be too sure about that.”
I crossed my arms. “You don’t actually believe in that shit.”
“All I know is we’ve seen a hell of a lot of things that we can’t explain. So I’ve learned to not discount the unexplainable.”
“All right, Agent Mulder, say there is a Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, or just some really mangy bear out there. If I’m behind the camera, I’ll be safer.”
He took his arms off the sides of me and laughed, running a hand through his thick black hair. “Yeah, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Do you seriously want to do the filming?”
“Sure I do,” I answered. Well, I guess I decided that one pretty fast.
“And you think that not only am I going to put you in potential danger with a mangy bear, but I’m going to hand over my precious equipment to you.”
“Point and shoot.”
“It’s more than point and shoot.”
“I know how to film, Dex. I think you’re just afraid of being on camera.”
He waved at me dismissively. “Please, this face was born to be on film.”
“From Agent Mulder to Norma Desmond,” I muttered. “Fine, I get that this might be odd but just do it for me.”
“Do it for you? Perry…you know I’d do anything for you,” he said softly. “I just didn’t think returning to Experiment in Terror would be one of them.”
I exhaled sharply, feeling I was very slowly wearing him down. “I guess it is. You know, this might be good for me. Look at this.”
I raised my arms and glanced around the apartment. “I’m in another state. I left my family in an outright mess. I don’t know how to explain to them why I left, I don’t know how long I’m going to be living here, I don’t know what the next step is. Being on the show is the only I do know right now. I just need this.”
It was surprising how much I really did need it. In that instance, I knew I needed something solid to stand on.
He nodded. “You got it, kiddo. If this is what you want, this is what we’ll do. But if at any point you want to pack it up and head back home, then that’s the end of it. I am not going to risk anything happening to you.”
“Aw, I’m pretty sure you could take on the big bad Bigfoot,” I teased and without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his bicep, squeezing it. It was hard. Damn hard.
Dex watched me closely, a smirk slowly spreading across his lips.
I let go and cleared my throat. “I, uh, better go finish unpacking.”
I hurried over to the den with Dex calling over my shoulder, “Hey I never saw a no-touching clause in the rules. Come back here.”
I closed the door and felt my legs turn to jelly. We were definitely going to need to add a no-touching clause, for my sake as well as his.
~~~
After a night of sharing sodium-soaked Chinese food with Dex and watching old seasons of The Simpsons together in semi-awkwardness, I felt bloated and gross the next day. I took Fat Rabbit for a walk and brought my phone along, knowing I had an important phone call to get out of the way.
I really didn’t want to talk to my parents. Call me scared and selfish and I won’t argue with you. The thought of having to face that mess terrified me but there was no way around it. I could procrastinate all I wanted, but the longer I left it, the more damaging it would be. For them, and probably for me.
I walked around the neighborhood several times as I made that call, past the pink elephant car wash and the duck buses, around brick apartment buildings and tourists heading to the Space Needle, even though the view would be stunted on this low clouded day. Fat Rabbit was looking seriously annoyed and dragging his lazy butt behind but the exercise would do him good and I was too anxious to care. >
I talked to my dad first. Most of the conversation revolved around him yelling at me, while I tried to get a word in edgewise. The rest of it was a full-on guilt trip. I can’t say I didn’t understand where he was coming from. I know it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to my family for me to just leave so abruptly, especially when I was in such a mentally fragile state. And maybe they were right, too, to be concerned about me.
But I’d gone too far to turn back now. Earlier I had told Jimmy that Dex and I would do the “Sasquatch Special.” A new contract was faxed over to which we both signed, and it included the new pay raise. It was barely enough to survive on but it was a lot more than it was before. Even though I made sure the contract was on a show-by-show basis, so I wouldn’t get roped into something I’d regret, I was still committed. And it felt good. My head and heart were all over the place and that one sense of stability is what I needed to keep going and not turn back.
Talking to Ada was the hardest. She called me back after I hung up with my parents and she sounded almost weepy over the phone. She missed me and dealing with my parents alone was harder than she thought.
“Can you hear my thoughts?” I asked her, looking into the warm interior of Top Pot Doughnuts and debating a sweet treat.
“No,” she said. “Nothing. You’re probably too far away. What were you thinking about?”
“Donuts,” I told her.
“You’re probably not passionate enough about donuts,” she said.
“Well I used to be.”
“Can Dex hear you?” she asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Maybe it’s just a family thing.”
“Yeah. Though I thought Maximus heard me that one time. Speaking of the douchecanoe, has he been around?”
She sighed. “Of course. Like, just this morning. But good news is that dad is like totally bored of him or something so he just told him to go.”
“Good.” Maximus now seemed like the ultimate meddler.
“So you’re going back to the Experiment in Terror show now? Seriously, are you sure that’s a wise idea?” I could hear the disapproval across the line.
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see it. “You sound just like Dex.”
“Why? He doesn’t want you to do it?”
“No, not really. He agreed now, but originally he told Jimmy that I wouldn’t be a part of it. It didn’t matter though, Jimmy wanted me and we both managed to convince Dex.”
“Are you sure you convinced Dex? Maybe this was his backward way of convincing you.”
I paused, my stomach heavy. “No, I don’t think so. He was pretty determined to not let me do it. I think I believe him. He’s pretty worried about me.”
“Well I’m glad someone there is. It’s hard to worry all the way down here.”
“You’re three hours away, Ada,” I told her. “And I’ll be back soon. I need to get the rest of my stuff and my bike. We’re heading to BC to film in a couple of days, so I might come down in like a week or so.”
“Here’s hoping they’ve calmed down by then. They’re being so spazzy and so unfair.”
“That sounds like mom and dad.”
“Well, stay in touch, all righty?” she pleaded. “And if all else fails, use the shining.”
I giggled. “Yes, and I will expect you to show up with an axe and a snowmobile.”
Pause. “What’s that from?”
“The…Shining. Haven’t you…oh nevermind. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up the phone and decided to skip the doughnut. But while I got closer the apartment, I ducked into the convenience store across the street. They didn’t have donuts but they did have a sign that said “Fresh Beer” and a cute sandy-haired guy behind the counter who was filling large jugs from the tap for “to go” beer.
“Need some beer?” the cute guy asked. He looked to be maybe around 25-years old, of average height and nice build, very cute smile and a funny Battlestar Gallactica t-shirt.
I smiled shyly, glad I put some effort into my appearance that morning and looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s after noon, is that allowed?”
He grinned and grabbed a jug. “You seem like a girl who makes her own rules, so sure why not. What will it be?”
I picked an amber ale, even though I really hadn’t planned on drinking half a liter of beer before my gynecologist appointment. Oh well, it felt good to be out and meeting the neighbors.
“I haven’t seen you around before,” he said as he pulled back on the tap, keeping his eyes on me yet somehow not spilling a drop.
“I just moved to the city,” I told him, fidgeting with my plaid scarf.
“Where did you move from?”
“Portland.”
“Well, welcome to Seattle.” He put down the jug and wiped his hand on a dishtowel. He held it out for me with a big, dimple-inducing smile. “I’m Paul.”
I shook his hand. “Perry.”
“Pretty name for a pretty girl,” he said, and cranked a cap on the beer bottle. “Hope you enjoy the beer. If you do, come back here and let me know. I could take you to the brewery where they make these puppies.”
“Speaking of puppies,” a voice called out from behind us.
I whirled around to see Dex had strolled in the store. My palms immediately felt sweaty.
“Hey Dex,” Paul greeted him casually.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes narrowing on him for a split second. Then he brought them to me. “I was just going to get the car from the shop when I saw my poor dog tied outside, looking like he just ran a marathon.”
“Sorry,” I said, looking for my wallet. “I ended up talking to my parents. Took longer than I thought.”
“And getting beer,” he remarked. He smiled at Paul. “She’s a troublemaker, this one.”
Paul looked between us both as he placed the jug on the counter. “You know Perry?”
I could have sworn Dex winced. “Yes, I know Perry. And it seems like you know Perry now too. She just moved in with me.”
Paul’s face reddened. “Oh, I’m sorry, I-”
“I’m his new roommate,” I said quickly.
“She’s my partner,” said Dex.
“Work partner,” I clarified to Paul with a smile.
“But we live together,” Dex shot back.
I tried not to glare at him. “For now.”
“Right,” said Paul in that I’m going to back away slowly kind of voice. “Well, Dex. Here’s your beer, uh, Perry. It’s on the house. A welcome to Seattle thing.”
“Thank you, that’s mighty kind,” Dex said with a slight bow and plucked the beer off the counter and headed out the door.
I shot Paul an apologetic look and ran after Dex, out of the store and onto the frigid street.
“Hey,” I said, pulling on his coat for him to stop.
He turned and cocked his head. “Yes?”
“What was that about?”
“What? Oh right, here’s your beer.”
Dex shoved the cold jug into my hands. Then he undid Fat Rabbit’s leash and handed that to me too.
“No,” I said, trying to juggle the items. “The cockblocking.”
He burst out laughing, his brows raised as he looked at me. “Cockblocking? What? You have a cock now?”
I stamped my foot. “No, Paul. He was flirting with me and you totally shot him down.”
His chin lowered and pulled back against his neck. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. You were just chatting, from what I saw.”
“He was flirting and you know it. You wanted to make it look like we were together.”
“Why would I do a thing like that?”
“Because you’re a jerk.” I said the first thing that came to mind.
He looked around him, as if for backup. “Wow. Maybe we should add a no name-calling clause to the house rules.”
“Enough with the damn rules already.”
“Hey,” he growled, coming right up to me, chest against mine. “If it weren’t for those damn rules, we’d already be having dirty sex all over that apartment.”
Whoa. Whoa.
Either it was the words “dirty sex” or the way he was looking down at me so intensely, or the fact that he might have been telling the truth or how damn confident he sounded, I was stunned and at a loss for words. My cheeks immediately flushed.
He kept his shining, dark eyes on mine until I had to look away, while my brain struggled to come up with something other than playing images of us having dirty sex together.
“That’s right,” he continued, voice low and velvet smooth. “You know it’s true. I’m not saying I agree with the rules though, but you know, you started them.”
I cleared my throat, finding my footing. “And I’m glad I did. Man, you are way too confident for someone who keeps getting shot down.”
His eyes widened humorously. “Shot down? And who’s doing the shooting, you?”
I opened my mouth then realized how egotistical I would have sounded.
“No, you’re not shooting me down, kiddo,” Dex went on. “Because I’m not really trying. When I do try, you’ll know it. And then you’ll throw the whole damn rulebook out the window.”
He flashed me a smile and then turned and strolled down the street with wide, powerful strides. I watched him go, my brain still on the fritz, until Fat Rabbit started anxiously pulling at the collar. In a daze that made my heart feel like it was on spin cycle, I let the dog lead me across the street and back home.