Page 84 of The King of Halloween
“You didn’t say where you’re staying. Please don’t tell me you’re renting. The rates are atrocious this time of year.”
“Not renting a house, no,” Raj said carefully. His stomach churned at the idea of him having to tell a man who probably owned twenty suits that he was sleeping in a trailer on the hotel property because he had nowhere else to go.
“Well, my bed’s always free if you need a quick five hundred winks.”
“That’s…very generous.”
“I know,” he quipped. To Raj’s relief, they both laughed.
They talked about nothing important for a bit, both doing their best to not mention all that hot sex they kept having. It was a date, sure, and a fantastic one at that, but there was something about sitting in a man’s kitchen eating his bacon that hit differently. Like they weren’t just fucking when the mood hit and needed some relief. It was serious.
He couldn’t handle serious right now.
“Oh.” Adam placed his mug down. “Every Saturday, the Ladies of Anoka host a light luncheon tea. It’s mostly an excuse to eat tiny cakes that cost way too much because they’re pretty.”
“Okay?”
“I was thinking, to help boost your hotel’s reputation, why not rent out that little parlor you’ve got? Maybe leave the ghosts running. They’d get a kick out of it.”
“Ah.” Raj’s tongue turned to ash, his stomach knotting itself as he couldn’t look at Adam’s excited face. “The thing is, everything’s very delicate right now.”
“Sure, sure. After Halloween, once you’re certain the props won’t come alive and eat the guests.” He played it off as a laugh, but Raj could hear the glass in his voice. Adam hid it by taking another sip of his coffee.
“What duties does the King of Halloween have to compete in today?” Raj asked as a dodge.
“It’s the fun run,” Adam damn near growled.
“Oh, right, you hated being on track.”
“I can handle jogging for five kilometers, thank you. It’s more that I’m expected to do it while peering one eye at a time through the nose of a giant pumpkin that’s spinning around my head. Such fun.”
He sounded so miserable, Raj reached over to take his hand. They held each other like that, not saying a word, both breathing the other in and being together. Raj started to slip his fingers higher up Adam’s forearm.
“Ah. I know. The run,” Adam suddenly exclaimed. “There are always business booths at the start and end. Why not promote your hotel there?”
“It’s free?” Raj asked.
“Well, there’s a donation to the committee, but the mayor loves you so much he’d waive it, I’m certain. That gas station of his was dying without the hotel. You’ve really gotten on his good side.”
“I, uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why? Free publicity is free—”
“It’s just not,” Raj snapped.
The warm kitchen froze over. Silence slammed into them until only the slow drip from the sink punctuated every passing second.
“Look, I’m…I’m grateful for all the help I’m getting. Really. If not for you, the haunt would still be broken.”
“Please, tell me how handsome and brilliant I am,” Adam deadpanned. Damn it. Raj didn’t mean to hurt him. He was just under a lot of stress, treading water and…
“I want, no, I need to do this on my own,” he said.
Adam stared at him. “Why?”
A sputtering breath slipped from Raj’s lips. He pulled on his cheeks as he stared at the ceiling. Emotions tumbled in his chest, but he couldn’t give them form. Jealousy, shame, regret, pride, outrage, loneliness, fear—it became a seven-layer dip of family trauma.
“Do you come from a competitive family?” Raj asked.
