"Move the chairs over there, and bring the table a little closer to the wall."
Dex did as he was told, pushing the furniture up a few inches after sliding the stack of chairs further back. Kristina stood in front of the door, watching him all the while. She taps the side of her chin with a finger, thinking to herself.
"Is this good?" he huffed out, his elbow propped on the surface.
"Yeah," she answered. He let out a sigh of relief before going to the stack of chairs, taking each one off and setting them on each side of the table. He approached Kristina and pulled her into a side hug, the two of them looking out at the furnished space.
"What do you think?" he asked her, his tone gentle. They observed everything before them: a mural of license plates, centered between black shelves full of alcohol, behind and above the black bar counter, chair and tables made of mahogany plank wood and silver steel pipes, and a light brown, old-fashioned jukebox just to their right. The walls were painted a muted periwinkle and the floor was made of sleek black tile.
"I love it," she replied in kind, "It's still got some of the charm from the old setup, but it has some modern features to it. It's exactly what I want it to be," she looked up at him, smiling, "and it's all thanks to you."
"Well, it's not just me. I just moved in the furniture. The construction crew with ELQ did all the real work."
"I'll give Ned my gratitude."
Dex laughed, hugging her closer, kissing the top of her head. He then pulled away and approached the bar counter, Kristina tailing him. He took a seat on one of the black metal barstools, "So, when is this place going to be open for business?"
"In a few weeks. All that's left to do is train the staff."
"Sonny found some people?"
"Good people too, people willing to learn and be patient with a new business owner. Plus," she walked around the corner of the bar, "I should be cleared by the hospital to work by then, which will, hopefully, make things a bit easier for them."
"A few weeks," Dex repeated, "It seems so close-"
"And yet so far."
He smiled at her, "Your dream's coming true."
"It is, it really is," she grabbed his hand, "and now, it's your turn."
"My turn?"
"Yeah! You don't have any big dreams you want to achieve?"
"Um…" Dex slowly turned away from her. She furrowed her eyebrows, walking back around to stand directly in front of him.
"Come on," she said, hands on her hips, "you can tell me."
Dex stared at her for a moment before sighing in defeat, "...Okay, look, when it comes to me and dreams or goals, it doesn't really work out."
"How so?"
"It's kind of hard to have dreams when your reality is nothing but surviving."
Kristina sucked her lips in, her hands dropping down. Dex gave her a slight shrug, giving her a flat expression.
"You really couldn't catch a break, could you?" she asked softly.
"Nope," he quietly popped the 'p,' "All I could think about or do was survive. I barely got through school because I was in and out of the hospital so much. I never really left the house, I didn't have any friends, all I could do was just…" he gestured around with his hands, "When I realized that going to my parents wasn't going to do anything, I just…tried to keep to myself. I stayed in my room, I avoided my brothers, not that it worked out, but…yeah. That's all I could do."
"I couldn't imagine my brothers or sisters doing any of that to me, and you're younger than I am. You were a baby and all of this was happening to you."
"I know."
"How did you get through it?"
Dex took a deep breath, "Honestly, I have no clue," he felt himself choke up, "I…I just remember being…what, nine? Ten? I would lay in my bed, aching from being punched or kicked, and wonder what the hell I did to deserve it."
"Nothing."
"Yeah, I know now that it's nothing, but as a kid, I thought it was all me. I was annoying them, I ruined their fun, I just…existed and it messed everything up. I can't begin to tell you how terrible it feels to be a kid and hate yourself for simply existing, to think that you're causing problems for everyone just because you're around them."
"I'm sorry," Kristina approached him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Dex held her in return, his head upright on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, baby."
"You don't have to apologize," he replied, pulling back, holding her hands in his.
"Yeah, but I still feel bad. You're a good guy, and you didn't deserve to get stuck with a crappy family," she moved her hands up to cup his cheeks, "and you are far from a burden or problem to me. I'm glad you're here. I love you."
"I love you too."
Kristina smiled wide before stepping back, looking around the bar once more. Dex joined her, both of them observing the room in complete silence.
"So…" Dex cleared his throat, "what now?"
"How about some lunch?"
The trip to Kelly's was relatively smooth, with Dex pulling his SUV into a spot somewhere in the middle of the parking lot. He opened the passenger door and helped Kristina down, her hand in his as they approached the establishment and walked inside.
His blood ran cold when he saw the familiar curls of blonde hair at the counter. He gently guides Kristina to the open table by the window, claiming the seat facing the front door they sat down.
"You okay?" Kristina asked, settling in.
"Um, yeah," Dex looked behind him for a moment, "I'm good."
Kristina followed his turn, raising an eyebrow, "Do you know the girl at the counter?"
"I wish I didn't."
"Who is it?" her question was answered when she saw the girl turn her way. She was grateful they didn't make eye contact, "...Oh."
"Yeah."
"Do you want to go somewhere else? Maybe Haven Bistro or-"
"No, no, it's okay. We'll be fine as long as we just mind our business."
"We can, sure."
Dex gave Kristina a knowing look, the sound of footsteps echoing from behind them. She immediately put on a smile at the young man between them.
"Cam," she said, "hi."
"Kristina," Cameron Webber, dressed in a blue plaid top, gray jeans, and a dirty brown apron tied at his waist, flashed a smile at her before glancing at Dex, "Who's this?"
"Cam," Kristina gestured between them, "this is Dex Heller. Dex, this is Cameron Webber. He's an assistant manager here."
"Hey," Dex offered his hand, to which Cameron reluctantly shook it, "nice to meet you."
"Dex," the young man repeated, "I've heard of you."
"You have?"
"Well, my girlfriend has."
Dex looked back at the counter, his eyes meeting Josslyn's. She gave him a small smile, to which he hastily turned away.
"She's talked about you a bunch," Cameron continued, crossing his arms, "Positively, I might add."
"Of course she would," Dex rolled his eyes, "Look, man, I don't want any problems-"
"Neither do I."
"It would be great if you and Joss could just-"
"Not talk? Yeah, I'd like the same thing."
Cameron raised an eyebrow, "Wait, really?"
"Really," Dex settled into his seat, crossing his arms, "I don't know what she's said, or hasn't said, but she and I aren't anything. I have a girlfriend," he gestured to Kristina, "and I'm very happy with her."
"...Oh," Cameron replied, lowering his arms, "I just…I was-"
"You're standing up for your relationship and that's good. I'm sorry your loyalty is being wasted on someone who doesn't deserve it."
"Dex," Kristina gently kicked his leg under the table, "come on."
"That's what's happening, Krissy, I'm sorry. It's not fair to Joss's boyfriend that she's avoiding him for another man, especially another man who isn't interested in her."
The table fell silent, Dex's stern look staying put while Kristina and Cameron looked on. Dex crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back in the chair. He looked between them both, "What?"
"Nothing," Kristina swiftly answered as Cameron snapped out of his stare, pulling out a notepad. She smiled up at him, "Two BLTs with some iced tea to go with it."
"Got it," the young man nodded before walking off. Dex watched him go into the kitchen before turning to his girlfriend.
"What did I do?" he asked.
Kristina raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"
"I told Cameron what's been going on. He deserved to know."
"I don't disagree-"
"But?"
"It's just…I know my dad and Carly are divorced, but Joss is still my sister. Hearing you being so…direct about her is kind of jarring to me."
"I was just being upfront. She's tried to wrap me around her finger, and I make it clear each and every time that I don't feel that way. She's not taking it."
"Unfortunately for you, once Joss wants something, she'll stop at nothing to get it."
"I wish she would," Dex reached for Kristina's hand, taking it in his own, "I have who I want."
"Aw," she smiled, "and I have who I want."
"I'm glad," he matched her expression just as Cameron returned with their meals, setting the plates down while a second waiter placed their drinks nearby.
"Thanks," Dex then tugged on Cameron's shirt, "and hey, if I said or did anything-"
"No, no, you did nothing wrong. I appreciate you being direct about you and Joss," Cameron gave the man a small smirk, "I definitely have some things to think about."
The couple observed him returning to the counter, immediately engaging in a conversation with the blonde sitting alone. Dex felt Kristina kick him again and the two proceeded to eat their meals. They enjoyed the silence that came with it before Kristina broke it.
"So," she cleared her throat as she drank some of her iced tea.
"So?"
"Your dreams, or lack thereof."
"What about it?"
"Something tells me that you had one or two when you were a kid. There's no way you just…didn't have any."
"I mean…maybe one?"
"Which was?"
"Well," Dex took a sip of tea, "I thought about being a baseball player."
"What team?"
"The Dodgers. I mean, any of them would do, I guess, but the Dodgers."
"Any specific position?"
"Shortstop."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Touché," Kristina laughed, "Why baseball?"
"Well, for one, it's the one thing that my family bonded over, and two, it's fun. And for a six-year-old boy, being fun is enough of a reason to do it."
"Did you play in high school?"
"No," Dex sighed in defeat, "My brothers kind of…took that from me."
"Right, right," Kristina nodded slowly, "but see, you had a dream."
"Yeah, I did. You got me there," Dex laughed.
"And now?"
"Now?"
"Your first dream didn't work out, and I don't think the mob was what you hoped to do with your life."
"True, but it is what it is. I'm happy with it."
"Really?"
"Well, happy enough," they both laughed at his response, "but there's not much else I can do here."
"There has to be something."
You know, you'd make a great EMT.
The paramedic's remarks burned Dex's ears ever-so-gently. He took a large bite out of the BLT on his plate, causing Kristina to raise an eyebrow. He swallowed and downed the remaining bits with tea.
"Dex," she began.
"Um," he wiped his mouth, "well, there might be…one thing I could do."
"Which is what?"
"After the whole Esme confrontation, when I was on the way to the hospital for the cuts on my arms," he simultaneously lifted them up at the elbows, "one of the paramedics told me…he thought I'd be a great EMT."
"I'd believe it."
"You would?"
"I mean, you saved my life, Ava and Diane's too, and you did it with less."
"Yeah…"
"He had a point, that's all I'm saying."
"I know. And I kind of agree."
"So you've considered it?"
"A little bit. I'm pretty…stuck in the job I have now, and even though there've been some bumps in the road, I do enjoy it. But being a paramedic…it could be a nice backup."
"You really want to stay in the mob forever?"
"You don't think I should?"
"I don't want to judge you or tell you what to do," Kristina put her hands up, "I'm just speaking from experience. The mob is great for someone who has nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"My sister, Sam, she was with my dad's old enforcer for years."
"Jason Morgan, right?"
"Right. She married him, had a kid with him, they were tied together," Kristina locked her fingers with one another, "and he was in the mob, which made things…hard."
Sam's words popped into her head, and she instantly felt guilty over her reaction to them. What was offered as a cautionary tale she dismissed as some kind of interference, and she couldn't help but hate herself for thinking that way.
I don't want what happened to me to happen to you!
"She loved him and he loved her too, but he…he loved the mob more."
Dex works for the mob, and you either marry it or let death be the breakup.
"It's caused her so many problems, and thinking about it and talking about it now, it just makes me sad. I'm kind of in her position now, and I…"
I just don't want you to get hurt again, especially at the hands of something that hurt me.
"I just want this to work out," she frowned at Dex, who matched her expression, "I don't want to feel what my sister felt."
"I'm sorry," Dex gripped her hand on the table, "Sam deserved better than what she got."
"Yeah…"
"And I don't blame you for having some concerns. I mean, you pretty much grew up in the mob world; you know better than I do how rough it is. But Kristina," he leaned forward, "I'm not going anywhere."
"I want to know that, at the end of the day, I can come home to you. I want to feel reassured that my boyfriend isn't somewhere in the pine barrens or that he's not a rival mob's corpse trophy."
"You'll get all of that, I promise. I'm going to make this work," he squeezed her hand, "I love you."
"I love you too," Kristina sighed before feeling Dex's lips on her own. They resumed eating their meals in silence, the woman occasionally glancing at Dex with a hint of concern in her eyes. Part of her wanted to push him to quit the mob, to get him to give Sonny a formal resignation, so she could keep him on the ground. Whether or not he'd suit up as a first responder was his call, but all she could think of, and want, was him. She watched with a mix of sadness and admiration as Dex consumed the last of his BLT, her thoughts solely focused on the man she loved. A goofy grin on her face punched her square in the heart, and as he watched her, she took bite after bite of her food, filling the artificial void inside of her as her plate displayed nothing but a few crumbs.
It'll be okay, she thought as their eyes met, it'll all be okay…