A/N: Happy 22nd to me, and Happy 60th to GH!
There was a maritime quaintness to Perks that Dex couldn't help but appreciate. The café kiosk sat in a niche spot, stuck between businesses on the promenade. A few people occupied the blue garden steel tables and chairs, scattered away from the ever-growing line. A white bench sat a foot or two away from the line, unoccupied until he took a seat, letting out an exhausted breath, a brown to-go cup in hand. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a spell, the chatter around him melting into white noise as he leaned back.
A vibration in his pocket quickly snapped him out of it.
From: Michael (8:23 AM)
Any updates?
Dex let out a sigh, straightening his back as he saw the message on his lock screen. He swiped his phone open, tapping the screen before placing the device against his ear.
"Hello?" Michael's voice was sharp on the other end.
"You wanted updates?"
"Yeah. I-I know I dismissed the jury stuff for my sister's sake, but I still want to be in the loop about it."
"According to Sonny, the jury's still out."
"Damn!" Dex flinched at his boss's utterance, "Trina's innocent; there's no evidence that proves she did it. Th-This shouldn't be so hard."
"Maybe they have evidence that could say otherwise?"
"Based on people's recaps of the trial, it's very unlikely."
"I don't know what you want me to do."
"Try and get more info, which is what I hired you to do."
"I'm doing what I can, okay?" Dex's voice dropped to a whisper, "If I come across as too interested in the job, he'll get suspicious."
"Then do better. Find a more subtle way to get what I want. You told me you could do this, Dex."
"I can."
"Then prove it," Michael scoffed with a sigh, "I'll call you in a day or two. Hopefully you have more to give me then."
"...Okay," Dex replied as the line went dead. He bitterly took another sip of his coffee before leaning back once more, waiting for the tension in his joints to fade away.
"Back from a run?"
Dex stopped mid-sip, looking to his right. A man in a form-fitting red baseball tee, the Perks logo printed in the middle, stood over him. He had a hand on the bench, leaning to his left.
"Excuse me?" Dex raised an eyebrow.
"You're in track gear, it looks like you're sweating," the man looked him over, "It was a healthy assumption."
"For what it's worth, you're right."
"Did you come from Rice Park?"
"I did."
"It's a pretty nice place" the man took a seat on the bench, his work shirt tightening against his arm muscles, "not too far from here either."
Dex looked him over, "...Taking a break?"
"Just a small one," the man extended a hand, which Dex took, "Aaron Roland."
"Dex Heller."
"What made you come to this Perks and not the Rice Plaza one?"
"I…" Dex inhaled, "I was told to come here."
"You're meeting someone here?"
"No. They…sort of recommended the spot to me."
"Word of mouth," Aaron nodded slowly, "Interesting. Nowadays, social media's all we need to get buzz."
"Well, she's pretty familiar with the business."
"She used to work here? What's her name?"
"Kristina."
"...Oh," Aaron leaned back, turning away. Dex raised an eyebrow at him, fighting off a curious smirk.
"Oh? You know her?"
"You're talking about Kristina Corinthos-Davis, right?" Dex nodded in response, "Yeah, um, she and I…have some history."
"What kind of history?"
"...She's my ex."
"Are you busy?"
Sonny's eyes lit up when he saw Kristina standing in his office doorway. He sat up against his leather chair.
"Not for you," he grinned, "Come in."
"Thanks, Frank," she nodded to the bodyguard, who closed the door behind her.
"What's going on?" Sonny asked, getting up to hug her.
"Just…" she squeezed him, "wanted to stop by and chat."
"About?"
"Does the topic matter?"
"Well, no, but I just…figured you came by for a specific reason that wasn't just small talk."
"Well, I do have one thing."
"Which is…?"
"Your new hire. Last I checked, it wasn't customary for your men to be out and about, chatting with people."
"Dex is a special case," Sonny replied, "He did well managing Volonino's, he's doing well as a shipment supervisor. He doesn't need to be on-call for me all the time like my other men."
"That's new for you."
"A lot of things are new for me, ever since I got back from Nixon Falls."
"That's very true," Kristina sighed, taking a seat. Sonny sat back down in his office chair, "Are you really okay with these 'new things?'"
"I am," Sonny nodded, "I'm happy with Nina, I'm happy with my new self, I'm happy, sweetheart. I just hope that you're happy too."
"Well, as long as you're happy, I'm happy."
"I love you, Kristina," Sonny said softly, "I always will, no matter what."
"I love you too, Dad, in all the same ways."
The pair shared a smile before Sonny straightened his posture, "Is Dex bothering you?"
"What?" Kristina raised an eyebrow, "No, no, not at all. Why would you think that?"
"Well, he's still new. He's still growing into the business, and after the incident with Michael, I'm keeping an eye on him when it comes to…to my family."
"...What happened with Michael?"
"I was just discussing some business with Dex, and then with Brando, and Dex misunderstood something and went after Michael."
"Oh my God, is Michael okay?!"
"He's fine, he's fine," Sonny waved hands, "Dex didn't do anything to him."
"Why?" Kristina shook her head slightly, "Why would Dex do that?"
"He wanted to prove something about being proactive and anticipating what I want, and that's just…that's not how things work in my business. I don't work with…loose cannons."
"And that's why you're keeping an eye on him."
"Exactly. If he pulls anything with you, let me know immediately. He'll be dealt with accordingly."
"If he's a loose cannon, then why is he still working for you?"
"It was one incident; he hasn't acted out like that since. He's taken orders, he's listened to me…I'm comfortable calling the Michael incident a one-off."
"I guess that makes sense, and like I told you, he was super polite to me at Charlie's a few days ago."
"I hope he continues to be that way. I like the guy, I think he has potential to stick around in the business. If he can keep himself in check, then everything's going to be fine."
"So what, is him going out in public some kind of reward?" Kristina chuckled.
Sonny smiled in response, "No, no. He's not a dog. He's still adjusting to life in Port Charles. He…has a life independent of my business, and I'm respecting that."
"What kind of life?"
"We haven't discussed it."
"But you know he has one?"
"...Why are you asking about Dex like this?"
Kristina paused, biting the inside of her lip. It wasn't something she could verbalize, nor was it something she could put together in her head. There was something about him, an appeal she liked, but no concrete way to broadcast it.
"Listen to me, Kristina," Sonny spoke up, looking her over, "When it comes to Dex, keep your distance."
It took everything in Dex not to break his composure.
"Your…ex?" he asked slowly, glancing away from Aaron for a brief moment.
"Yeah," Aaron sighed, "We were a thing back in 2016."
"I see…" Dex pursed his lips, "I'm…sorry. This got awkward-"
"No, no, it's fine. She and I are cool now."
"Now?"
"I mean, when things ended between us, it was a bit rocky, but we've gotten over it."
"Rocky how?"
"Just a lot of…uncertainty."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. We were what we were and that's okay," Aaron gave Dex a half-hearted smile, "How do you know Kristina, by the way?"
"We just met a few days ago," Dex replied sheepishly, "I work for her dad and-"
"You work for Corinthos Coffee?"
"...Yeah, yes, yes I do."
"It's a good business. Mr. Corinthos's beans are our top seller. I'm glad she told you to come out here. How's she doing now?"
"She looks good," Dex mentally kicked himself, "I-I mean, she's doing good."
"I got it the first time," Aaron chuckled, "and I'm glad. Is she still working at Charlie's Pub?"
"She is. Do you guys not talk?"
"We talk, but it's like…once in a blue moon, definitely not as much as we used to."
"Right, right. She said the same thing."
Aaron nodded in Dex's direction, "I'm glad she's doing alright. With the things she's been through, she deserves it."
"What?" Dex immediately sat up straight, "The things she's been through?"
"I mean, it's not my place to give details, but Kristina's been through a lot of pretty difficult things. It's nice to know she isn't dealing with something difficult, y'know? I'm happy that she's happy."
"Yeah…" Dex blinked at the man before slowly reclining against the bench. His fingers gently danced along the surface of his paper coffee cup, taking a few sips in the silence, "...If I may ask, what was your relationship with her like?"
"It was fun for what it was," Aaron answered, "She's someone who is all about the other person. I'm not sure if she told you, but she's the reason I'm the manager of Perks."
"She talked about it a bit, yeah."
"If not for her, none of this would've been possible. I'm a foodie, I love cooking, and I planned to own a food truck to get myself started. Kristina got me to change gears to coffee and helped me out in any way she could. I'm always gonna be grateful to her for that. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she ran her own business one day."
"That's…That's incredible. Truly."
"She's an incredible person."
"That she is…" Dex muttered to himself, turning away from Aaron and taking a sip of coffee.
"You okay?" Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fine."
"You sure? You acting a bit squirrely over her," Aaron leaned in close to Dex, "...Do you like her?"
"Hmm?" Dex looked at him, "Oh, um, yeah. She's pretty cool-"
"C'mon, man, you know what I mean. Do you 'like' her?"
"I…" Dex paused, a small part of him snapping, "No, no, I just…um…no. Not like that, anyway."
"Mhm, sure," Aaron hummed, "Let me give you some advice: be careful."
"Be careful?"
"With Kristina, things can get…unpredictable."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough. Take my word for it."
"But-"
"I gotta get back to work," Aaron sighed, getting to his feet, "I'm glad she's still sending people to the promenade; we could always use the extra business."
"Right…" Dex said under his breath, his eyes cast to the wooden floor. He downed the rest of the coffee almost immediately.
"I know we just met, but if you're thinking about being more than friends or anything like that with Kristina, just…be careful, okay?"
Of course he'd say that...
Kristina cast her eyes towards the floor. She toyed with her fingers, trying her best to not appear disappointed. Sonny frowned at her posture, propping his elbows on his desk. Kristina looked up at her father for a brief moment before looking away again.
"Sweetheart," Sonny said gently, "I'm just looking out for you."
"You said the Michael thing was a one-off-"
"It looks that way, yes."
"Then why do I have to keep my distance?"
"Dex is new-"
"We've been over that."
"There's a lot of unknowns with the guy, and I don't want you to get hurt."
"He was nice-"
"You just met him, Kristina. He was nice for one conversation, and I was present. Who's to say he's the same behind closed doors and away from me?"
"I don't understand. First, you're saying his loose-cannon behavior is a fluke, now you're saying he could be putting on airs to hide how impulsive and dangerous he is-"
"I'm not saying that. I'm-"
"And yeah, it was one conversation, but he was sweet. I hate that the Michael thing happened, I'm not thrilled about it, but it's clear it was a mistake."
"You just met the guy, and you're already defending him," Sonny looked at his daughter with confusion, "Is there something going on that I don't know about?"
"I just don't get why you're trying to police who I can and can't hang out with."
"I want you to be safe, that's all, and I don't think Dex is a safe person for you to be around."
"That's not your decision to make!" Kristina got to her feet.
"Kristina, relax," Sonny extended his hands, "I get that you two bonded at Charlie's, that he was cordial and polite, but one lone example of kindness doesn't make him a good man."
"If he's such a bad guy, why is he still working for you? Do you think you can control him, or, or, beat the 'bad behavior' out of him?"
"That's enough!" Sonny stood up, his voice booming, "I have my reasons for not wanting him around you, and you'll respect them! Got it?!"
"Don't got it!"
"...Kristina?"
The pair looked behind them, stunned to see Dex standing in the doorway. Kristina looked him over, noting the blues and blacks of his exercise attire. Sonny ran a hand down his face, placing his hands on his hips.
"Dex," Kristina sighed in surprise, "what are you doing here?"
"I'm…clocking in," Dex slowly stepped further into the room, "Did I interrupt something?"
"...No, no," Kristina shook her head, dusting herself off, "Dad and I were just having a small talk, that's all. Nothing to worry about."
"Right…" Sonny sighed, approaching his daughter for a hug. He pulled her in tight, whispering in her ear, "I love you, sweetheart. I don't trust Dex yet, and I don't want him messing with my family…I just don't want to see you hurt, okay?"
"I love you too," Kristina whispered back, "and I'll be fine. Trust me."
Dex pursed his lips, looking the father/daughter pair over before they separated. Kristina made eye contact with him, the world stilling for a split second once again, before turning and leaving.
"Is everything okay?" he asked Sonny slowly.
"Yeah, everything's fine," the kingpin responded, "Don't worry about it."
"I heard shouting, though. If I intruded on something, or if I caused any problems, I'm truly sorry-"
"Dex, stop," Sonny glared at the young man, "What was discussed is none of your business, the same way that my daughter is none of your business."
"What…?"
"Look, you're free to be civil and kind to my kids, but I don't want a repeat of what happened with Michael, and I certainly don't want you making any moves on my daughter."
"I don't know what you're talking about-"
"If you do anything, anything, to Kristina, you will regret it. If you want to continue working for me, to continue living life as you know it, you'll leave my daughter out of it…and that's an order."
