Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys

Chapter Twenty-Nine -- The Perfect Date

Maddox stared at Jonathan for a moment, questioning him with his eyes, after parking the car behind an old building, square in shape and pretty much nondescript. Jonathan smiled and kissed him briefly on the cheek. "While I was getting acquainted with the area, I've got to know some people," he explained.

Someone came out of the building and threw some bags into the dumpsters lining the wall. Jonathan opened the door and called to the woman who immediately waved back, a large smile lighting her face.

"Hey, Jonny, long time, no see," she said as she walked closer. "Sorry if I don't give you a hug but I'm on garbage duty, and you're so nicely dressed." She peeked inside the car, her eyes full of curiosity. She couldn't be older than fifty, and her light blue eyes made her seem even younger. Her hair was covered by a black plastic cap, but a few strands of blonde hair had somehow managed to escape from the confines of that improvised hat. The shapeless green gown she wore made it difficult to guess her figure, but the way she carried herself was enough for anyone looking to understand that she was used to pulling her own weight.

Maddox raised one hand and waved, still unsure of why they were there and who the woman was.

"Are you ready for some hard work or are you just passing by?" she asked after returning Maddox's wave with the same good-natured attitude.

"I was wondering if you could use some extra pairs of hands," Jonathan replied.

"Always," she said cheerfully. "You know how it can get on Sundays around here."

Jonathan looked at Maddox. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," he confirmed and got out of the car.

"I see you got some help with you," the woman said and looked Maddox up and down, while her eyes lit up even more.

"Marianne, this is my boyfriend, Maddox. Maddox, this is Marianne, one of the best kitchen helpers in the history of kitchens."

"One of the best?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow in feigned offense.

"The best," Jonathan hurried to confirm, playing along and faking some fear of retaliation at his misstep.

It took Maddox a few moments to realize what Jonathan had so nonchalantly just said. He grinned and hurried to his side, linking their hands together.

"Aren't you boys a sight for sore eyes," Marianne said with a dreamy sigh. "I'm sure happy to hear to you got yourself a boyfriend, Jonny. And such a handsome young fellow," she added and a large sunny grin split her face in two. "Where did you find him?"

"We're both going to Sunny Hill," Jonathan explained. He made a discreet gesture with his chin that Maddox didn't get right away. "Aren't you supposed to say something, Maddox?" he asked and his eyes crinkled at the corners with amusement.

"Oh, shoot, right." Maddox stretched out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Marianne. I'm Maddox, Jonathan's boyfriend," he offered with emphasis.

She laughed good-naturedly as she waved to show that she couldn't shake hands since she was wearing gloves. "No doubt about that," she said. "Now, are you boys ready for the best soup kitchen from hell?"

"Don't believe her," Jonathan assured him. "They're all salt of the earth here."

Maddox felt the warm sensation in his chest spreading everywhere as Jonathan pulled him along, with Marianne leading the way inside. He was Jonathan's boyfriend. It was such a simple wondrous thing that he wanted to shout it from the top of his lungs for all the world to hear.

***

Inside, a flurry of activity, smells of spices, and steam rising from boiling pots welcomed them right away. Maddox didn't know which way to look, as there were several people there moving around as part of a perfected choreography, chopping vegetables on sturdy wooden boards, washing dishes, or filling plates. Among them, a man in his late forties with skin that reminded Maddox of well-worn leather shouted orders now and then while moving from one station to another.

"Look what the cat dragged in, Jorge," Marianne announced, somehow managing to make her voice rise above the din of the kitchen.

"Jonny!" Jorge exclaimed and pushed his white cap further up his head as it tried to fall over his bushy eyebrows. "You've been a stranger for too long. Studying hard?" He stole a glance at Maddox. "Who's your friend?"

"His boyfriend," Marianne said with self-importance and quickly as if she couldn't bear for someone else to steal the honor of saying that from her.

"Handsome," Jorge commented after measuring Maddox up and down in the same manner as his colleague before. "But is he any good at opening cans, I wonder?"

"Only one way to find out, right?" Marianne said happily while gesturing for Maddox and Jonathan to follow so that she could give them the right coveralls for the job.

***

"How are you doing?" Jonathan asked, brushing by his shoulder and looking at his handiwork.

Through the course of only an hour, Maddox had been upgraded from opening cans of chopped tomatoes to peeling potatoes and then to cutting onions. Jonathan had been a busy bee, as well, but he appeared to have assumed the role of some sort of sous chef, if such terms applied to a soup kitchen. He was clearly Jorge's favorite and immediately put in charge of the boiling pots, assessing them for spices and whatnot. Maddox had risked almost cutting himself a few times as he kept sneaking glances at his boyfriend and the man in charge, as they talked animatedly about various things. He caught a few tidbits of gossip that involved other volunteers that served in the kitchen, as well, such as someone waiting for a baby, and another moving to a different county.

"You taught me a few things, so I'm good," he replied. "So, is it here that you learned how to cook?"

Jonathan smiled. "How could you tell?"

"You're the chef's pet," Maddox pointed out.

That caused Jonathan to burst into laughter. "Jorge doesn't necessarily consider himself a chef, but I think he'll appreciate the thought."

"Don't tell him," Maddox hurried to say. "He appears quick to anger, and those knives he wields look pretty damn long and sharp."

"Come now," Jonathan told him, taking him by the shoulders. "We deserve a bowl of hot soup."

"But I'm not finished yet," Maddox protested, pointing at the wooden board and half cut onion.

"Someone else will take over. Marianne can barely wait to interrogate you."

Maddox let himself be guided away without another word of protest. This wasn't a regular Sunday, but one of the tests that aimed at evaluating him as to how good he was at being Jonathan's boyfriend. In a few words, his reputation was at stake.

***

They sat at a small table in a separate room. At Marianne's insistence, Maddox began eating. A groan of delight climbed up his throat before his brain even had the chance to realize what was going on.

"Isn't food better when you make it?" Marianne asked and sank her spoon into her bowl.

"It could barely be said that I made it," Maddox said. "I only peeled some potatoes."

"Gorgeous and humble? Jonathan, are you sure your boyfriend didn't descend on a ray of light?"

"Don't praise him too much," Jonathan joked. "It might go to his head."

Maddox had a few things to say about that in protest but let it slide because Marianne appeared to have another question lined up for him.

"Jonny says that you come from a big family. Your momma must be a fantastic lady," she said. "Are all your siblings as handsome as you?"

"People say so," Maddox replied. "And most of us take after our father."

Marianne wiggled her eyebrows. "I bet that whenever you go out with your brothers and sisters, you cause accidents everywhere you go."

"That's why we're basically spread all over the place," Maddox joked. "Only my oldest brother Vern works with mom and dad. He'll get the construction company, they say, when they retire."

Marianne nodded. Then she turned toward Jonathan. "He might not be the heir, but he's still a good catch, Jonny."

They all laughed at the same time.

"I'm not interested in a good catch, Marianne," Jonathan said. "Much more in a good man," he added and looked at Maddox with his eyes all luminous and warm.

"That's me," he said right away, making Marianne snicker again like a schoolgirl.

"I might have to take back the part about his being humble," she remarked. "Dig in, boys. You've earned it."

He could feel Jonathan's eyes on him, so he turned his head so that their eyes would meet.

***

"So, what did you think?" Jonathan asked as he put on the seatbelt. He tried to keep his voice light and steady, but it was important to know if Maddox enjoyed being put to work on a Sunday, and in a soup kitchen of all things.

"I've never been to a place like this. Have you been here many times? They sure thought you were one of them."

Jonathan patted the seatbelt with his thumb as he adjusted it over his shoulder. "After I left home, I wanted to become more self-reliant. Of course, I had to be mindful of my expenses, so the route of enlisting for a cooking course with a master chef was out of the question."

"Did your parents, you know, cut you off?" Maddox appeared to choose his words carefully.

Jonathan shook his head. "No. But I didn't want to play some kind of game with them or allow them to play it with me. So, I only used what I had on my personal card to break away."

"Sounds like a prison break, all right," Maddox joked.

At the sound of his boyfriend's playful voice, Jonathan always and almost instantly felt a heavy burden lifting from his chest. "I had to become practical and fast about a lot of things. It wasn't easy, but, you know, think of me what you will, I did use that money. I intend to pay it back," he added.

"You're practical all right," Maddox said. "You're so smart, Jonathan, no joke. I doubt many people our age, still in college and all, could be as self-reliant as you. Plus, you do know how to cook. Your food is yummy, but you can't tell me you learned it all here. You treated me and my friends to some seriously good meals. Like five stars and stuff."

Jonathan chuckled. "I learned the basics here. And for everything else, there's the internet."

"Ah, right, I totally forgot about that," Maddox joked.

Jonathan paused for a moment. "I don't know a thing about what boyfriends do on Sundays," he confessed. "But I wanted to show you off a little to the people I came to care about. I hope that's okay with you."

"Sure thing it is," Maddox confirmed. "It's making me mad happy to hear you introducing me as your boyfriend."

"Well, that is, indeed, great to hear."

"Where to now?"

Jonathan hesitated but only for a moment. "I know just the place. Just one thing, Maddox. In case you hate anything, anything at all, you won't hesitate to tell me, will you?"

A snort followed his question. "Like I'd hate anything you showed me."

That was enough of a confirmation. "All right, then. But if you start judging me--" he started on a playful tone.

"Hmm, something of how mischievously you smile right now tells me I'm going to be in for a bit of a shock. Are we going to visit some fine establishment where gentlemen who prefer leather accessories choose to hang out?"

Maddox could be so funny, with his exaggerated accent and implied references to certain sexual fetishes. Jonathan shook his head. "Nothing as adventurous as that, I assure you."

"Ah, too bad."

For a moment, Jonathan thought he could hear real disappointment in Maddox's words. It wasn't possible; it had to be nothing but his imagination. And yet, the flash of an image, with Maddox obediently bowing his head to receive a collar crossed his mind.

He cursed at himself inwardly. What was wrong with him? They barely had so-called vanilla sex. It had to be because Maddox was so sexy that he wouldn't mind putting him in chains just to see how good they looked on him.

"Jonathan," Maddox drawled slowly.

"Hmm," he said and turned his head. "What is it?"

"You were spacing out with this funny, no, not funny, but like thirsty look in your eyes, and you were biting your lower lip--"

"Just let me add the destination," Jonathan said quickly and reached for the GPS. "No peeking. You'll know what it is when we get there."

Damn, he had almost been caught. In the future, he needed to keep his fantasies in check a lot better than that.

***

They found two seats after some fumbling about and almost tripping over a few people. Jonathan gestured for Maddox to take a seat and sat by his right. By mere accident and because the seats were pretty narrow, he ended up resting his left hand on Maddox's thigh. "Sorry about that," he murmured and attempted to pull his hand away but Maddox caught his arm and forced it back where it had just been.

"Why did we have to show ID to watch a play for kids?" Maddox whispered.

"Just watch," Jonathan said.

He had seen the play before, and because of the different twist and edge put to this particular indie production, he wanted to hear Maddox's opinion. Also, there was a secret desire he didn't want to admit out loud that Maddox wouldn't mind other aspects of what it meant to be together, two men in a relationship that some still might not agree with.

At Sunny Hill, gay people were definitely not seen as personae non gratae, but it was one thing to walk hand in hand on campus or places where there was no one else, and another to be out in public. Jonathan hated to think that he was testing Maddox, but in a way, he was doing exactly that. Was it wrong to want so much so fast? Maybe he was greedy.

Why don't you curb your enthusiasm already?

How unfortunate that he could still remember fragments of conversations that felt as if they happened in another life. Each time he had tried to get Drew to commit to something more than their secret rendezvous, at least for the future if not the present, he had been met with annoyance and downright scolding for wanting too much.

"Those guys are supposed to be fashion influencers?" Maddox asked.

"Yes, good catch," Jonathan replied. It was a modern reenactment of an old story, but the moral was just the same.

"They do have good taste in clothes," Maddox commented as the two actors playing fashionistas fussed around the high-status socialite in an effort to convince him that their clothes were better than Gucci and Armani together.

"The best is yet to come," Jonathan said and leaned closer to caress Maddox's ear with his lips. A girl sitting in front of them had just turned around, probably ready to admonish them for ruining the play.

Finally, the empty-headed socialite stood up from his chair and ordered the two influencers to follow him behind a transparent divider screen. Jonathan didn't care about keeping his eyes on the stage as he knew what was going on, but he watched Maddox as the guy took in the action with growing interest.

"I kind of get it why they asked for our IDs," Maddox whispered. "They look like they're undressing him. Aren't they a bit too touchy even for a pair of influencers? I bet that guy got enough groping for like a year in the span of five minutes."

One of the fashionistas walked out from behind the divider and announced that the socialite was ready to present his new clothes. Then he folded away the screen and the socialite was exposed to the public while striking a pose.

A collective gasp erupted from the audience. But it was Maddox who basically dotted the i. "That guy is all naked and shit," he exclaimed loudly.

Everyone turned toward their seats and the next moment burst into laughter.

"The voice of innocence," one patron called and whistled.

***

They were still laughing when they walked outside. Maddox declared himself proud to become part of the play, albeit unintentionally. "I see," he said in a shrewd tone, "you want me to get into the alternative lifestyle."

"Am I succeeding?" Jonathan leaned against his shoulder, bumping into him. Maddox pretended to lose his balance, just to have the satisfaction of seeing Jonathan quickly reach for him and hook one arm over his shoulders.

"Maddox and Jonathan," an unfamiliar voice said, and they both stopped at the same time.

Maddox looked a bit confused at the trio of girls in front of him. They had their hair styled in the same fashion, parted in the middle and allowed to hang loose and long over their shoulders. Something of their features made him think of library mice, and all three pushed their glasses up their noses at the same time. Even the way they dressed made them look uncannily similar. "Do we know you, guys?" he asked directly.

"We're going to Sunny Hill, too," they said at the same time. Maddox stared at them, wondering if and how copy-paste worked in the real world.

"Ah, cool. Did you see the play?"

"Yeah. Totally worth it." Only one of them spoke this time, making things just a little bit less spooky. "And your reaction was totally priceless." She smiled at him, showing rows of small sharp teeth. Maddox blinked a couple of times, trying to place these girls.

"I might be made for that scene, what can I say?" Maddox said with a shrug.

"And you, Jonathan?" The same girl turned toward Jonathan, finally paying him some attention.

"I also saw the play," Jonathan said smoothly.

"I wasn't asking that," she said in a sharp, annoying voice. "Are you also made for acting?"

"No, I doubt it. I have no skills whatsoever that would help me in such a career choice."

"Too bad." She stuffed her large jacket pockets with her hands and bounced on her heels. "I would have sworn you were made for the screen."

Maddox frowned and stared the girl up and down. There was something funny about her, but not in a fun way. The way she spoke was somewhat mechanical and too thought over if that was a thing.

"We'd love to stay and chat some more, but we have other places to be," she said quickly. "See you in school, Maddox and Jonathan."

He stared after them for several seconds, until Jonathan pulled him along.

"Is it just me, or are those chicks kind of weird?"

"You've been at Sunny Hill a lot longer than I have. You should know them better."

"Not at all. I mean, I might have seen them around, but I wouldn't bet on it. Plus, do you think they're triplets?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Jonathan confirmed. "I mean, they looked awfully similar, didn't they? However, I think that they're not entirely identical. I don't know a lot of things about triplets, though."

Maddox shrugged. "Whatever, it's not important. They weirded me out a little, to be honest. Do you have other things on your list that you want to show me?"

Jonathan winked at him and bit his lower lip. "There is something I've always wanted to try, and since you have a car--"

"Say no more," Maddox said right away and dragged him toward the parking lot. "Does this something include us parking in an area that's not anywhere near civilization?"

"I wouldn't go as far as that," Jonathan replied. "But remote and off the beaten path, that should work."

***

Maddox hadn't been the only one weirded out by those strange girls, but Jonathan didn't plan on dwelling on random details and words when he still had some of Sunday left to blow Maddox's mind.

He felt particularly daring and not at all like his usual self, especially today. It wasn't only because last night had been amazing, and Maddox had offered him a lot more than he had ever hoped for. No, there was also this energy inside him claiming part of his sanity because clearly, he wanted to do something risky and sexy with his boyfriend.

Maddox stopped the car and looked at him with eyes full of mischief. "Well, is it car sex you want to try? And we practically have done some things out in the open so--"

Jonathan stopped him with a kiss. "Not exactly sex. I mean, according to the definition, it is still--"