Just Starting Out
1.12 - Lips Sealed Shut
John rolled over in bed and groaned. He slowly stretched out his arms, trying his best to wake up. Halfway across the bed, his arm touched another body. John gasped and his eyes snapped open. He rapidly looked around the unfamiliar room around him, then at the person who’d been next to him. A very hazy memory resurfaced. Malcolm, hovering over him, whispering something… he vaguely remembered Malcolm leaning in, then everything went dark.
John felt like vomiting. He stumbled out of and away from the bed, moving away from Malcolm. He didn’t know what happened after Malcolm leaned in… he felt so violated. He didn’t like Malcolm that way. Hell, he didn’t even like boys. The one night he drank more than he should have, Malcolm dragged him into his bed, and-
John let out a sob that caused Malcolm to snap awake.
“Hey, John,” Malcolm smiled. “How are you doing?”
“Get the fuck away from me, Malcolm,” John said, his voice trembling.
Malcolm gave John a confused look. “What’s up, John?" He started to climb his way out of bed.
John walked backwards until he ran into the door. He placed one shaky hand on the door handle as Malcolm walked closer, ready to make his escape.
“Do you, uh, remember any of what I said last night?” Malcolm asked, desperation tinging the edges of his words. “We’re still friends, right? You still like me?”
“No, Malcolm, I really don’t like you, I don’t think I’ver ever liked anyone less than I like you right now!” John yelled.
Malcolm’s eyes widened. “Sh-shut up John! If my parents hear you yelling, they’re going to think I did something wrong and, and- what did I even do, John?“
John shook his head. “I don’t care what they do to you, Malcolm. And, what did you even do? Don’t make me say it. I know you did something to me in that bed last night. So, I’m leaving, and if I happen to run into either of your parents on the way out, that sucks for you.”
"John, I just set you up in bed! I didn't want my parents to see you wasted as-"
John pushed open the door and quickly headed downstairs.
Malcolm hurried after him, calling after him in strained whispers.
“John! What the fuck do you think I did to you last night? Please! Don’t talk to my parents, you have no idea how cruel they can be…”
Nancy and Geoffrey sat watching tv on their back porch, the tv loud enough for John to hear them. John looked up the stairs to Malcolm, who’s eyes were begging him not to go out there. John looked back up at Malcolm, and shrugged before heading outdoors.
“Malcolm! Let’s have a little chat about your behavior... oh, and not to mention your attitude last night! …ah. Good morning, John,” Nancy sighed. “I thought you were Malcolm.”
“Nancy, I’m in contact with Bronson Le Chien,” Geoffrey said, ignoring John’s presence. “He says that while Rosaline is pregnant with a boy right now, they’re planning on having a girl next. While the age difference would be pretty extreme, I think it’s a possibility we should consider for Malcolm.”
“A possibility? Geoffrey, I don’t want our Malcolm to be single for the next 18 years of his life. Think about how that would affect our image!”
“Well, dear, your only other option right now is the Winstrate son, Rian. He’s also rather young, but Malcolm wouldn’t be waiting nearly as long…”
“Rian? Geoffrey, don’t make me sick! The Winstrates are a respectable family, and I am sure that they'll want a traditional marriage for their son. Just as we do with Malcolm.”
John wanted to tell them what Malcolm had done, but the more Nancy and Geoffrey talked, the more the words seemed to lodge in his throat.
“We have more than enough influence to go behind their back and set him up with Malcolm,” Geoffrey sighed. “It’s clearly not ideal, but most wealthy families seem to have sons, or still lack children. If you’d actually consider making nice with the Goth family, we could set Malcolm up with Cassandra, but…”
“Geoffrey, sweetie, you married into this family,” Nancy told him. “You couldn’t possibly understand how important it is that Malcolm marries the right girl. Malcolm needs to have biological children with the woman he’s devoted his life to. I won’t budge on this.”
Geoffrey sighed, but put down his tablet on the seat next to him anyway.
Nancy turned towards John. “So, John, how was your night? I walked past your bedroom when I got up this morning, and the sheets barely even seemed used! I’d almost guess that you didn’t sleep in your bed at all, but it’d be beyond rude for you to not use the accommodations your host has prepared for you, so I’m going to assume that the room was too dark for me to see correctly.”
John cleared his throat, “I… slept.”
Nancy stood up and walked over to John. “Now John, I want to make sure the bed I had the help set up for you was comfortable, so I can make sure to reprimand the person who set it up adequately if it wasn’t the best night of rest you’ve ever had. How was your sleep, really?”
The doorbell rang, cutting Nancy off. She turned to Geoffrey. “Geoffrey, can you go and send them away? I don’t have the time to be talking to unsolicited sales people.”
Geoffrey nodded, and headed off, muttering. “Not that you ever would, dear.”
Malcolm passed Geoffrey on his way to the patio, and gave him a curt nod, trying to seem as composed as possible. He walked outside, immediately attracting Nancy and John’s attention.
“You asking about John’s sleeping accommodations?” He asked. “John had just a little bit too much to drink, and I wasn’t able to carry him all the way up to his bed. So, instead, he slept on that rug near the door? It's kind of out of view, so I bet you missed him in the dark.”
Nancy smiled at him. “Well now, isn’t that convenient! But I am very pleased to hear that unlike John, you made sure to limit your alcohol intake to keep full control of your mental capabilities. That’s the sort of thing the future heir of Landgraab Industries would be worried about. You’ll attend many elegant parties that feature drinks fancier than you could possibly imagine, but, as Landgraabs, we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard than everyone else and maintain our composure. And of course, helping John to his room was also the right choice. Landgraab Industries values each and every employee, even if they may not know who they work for, we’re still looking out for them.”
“Nice business speech,” a black haired woman said from across the patio. “I do think it would help to create a personal bond with your employees and get to know each and every one of them, instead of veiling your identity, however. And maybe, acting like the average person would do a lot for the pretentious image your family seems to have. But, then again, what do I know?”
A balding man stood next to her, and Geoffrey stood behind them, where he shrugged helplessly to Nancy. “Sorry,” he mouthed.
Nancy sighed, but put on a big fake smile. “Believe me, if you ran an esteemed business, such as myself, you’d understand. Now, tell me, who are you two? Dropping by unannounced is very unorthodox here.”
“I’m Daniela, and this is my husband, Ed,” the woman said, gesturing. “We run the Mai Resort and Spa? We’re still pretty new to town and thought it’d be nice to introduce ourselves to other local businesses.”
“Ah yes, the Mais… believe me, Landgraab Industries is far above just a simple local business. Oasis Springs is just lucky I chose to settle here. Also, just between us, I’ve heard that the land you purchased is a bit of a dump, so I wish you two luck… lots of issues with growing healthy plants, contaminated water, you know the drill. Might want to get out before you sink too much money into the place.”
Ed shook his head. “You’ve definitely heard the wrong stories then, Mrs. Landgraab. The land is perfect for a golf course, the grass we’ve laid down there is thriving! We’ve never seen grass more green and healthy looking. There’s also a natural reservoir we’ve been able to access to get running water, that, when filtered, is rather delicious. And, of course, the sunsets you can see are just gorgeous, I can’t stop painting them.”
“Hm. Now that is a surprise. Guess I’ll have to pay the place a visit sometime and do an investigation of my own.”
“Please do,” Daniela said, handing her a business card. “We’re always happy to welcome more visitors, and for a local business owner such as yourself, we’ll accommodate you for free! We’d love to work together, and we believe that’s a healthy first step.”
“Well, if you’ll forgive me, I do have a rather busy day ahead of me…”
“Of course, we’ll be out of your hair right away,” Ed smiled.
The pair headed back indoors, then made their exit, smiling proudly to themselves. The moment they were gone, the smile dropped off Nancy’s face.
“How absolutely infuriating! We don’t need handouts, the Landgraab family has more wealth than they could ever dream of! Accommodating us for free… the nerve of those two! And showing up here announced when they built a resort in the town that we practically own- which is only going to take away from the numerous Landgraab hotels we’ve established in the area. Then, they have the nerve to think they’re on the same level as me or any Landgraab?”
John and Malcolm stood to the side awkwardly, unsure of how to contribute anything to Nancy’s tirade against the Mai family.
“Nancy, darling, let me get the help to fix you a drink,” Geoffrey said, walking over to her.
“Please do,” Nancy said, collapsing dramatically on the couch.
Geoffrey gladly made his exit.
The room was silent before she started to talk, more so to herself than to John and Malcolm.
“I run multiple businesses, and do it all excellently. I worked for years to wrest control of this company from my father and yet still, people think dumb Geoffrey in in charge instead of me. Geoffrey! All he is is the mediocre chief of police. The Landgraabs are practically a dynasty, and these Mai nobodies think they’re on the same level as the Nancy Landgraab? Ha!”
Malcolm gestured for John to follow him inside, and as much as he disliked Malcolm, John did not want to be left alone with Nancy.
“John, look. Do you see why I can’t be on the receiving end of Nancy’s rage? I still don’t understand what exactly you think happened, but please, don’t tell her or Geoffrey anything,” Malcolm asked desperately.
John frowned. “Okay, Malcolm. I get it. I won’t talk to them. But I want you to use your brain and remember exactly what happened last night, because you were far less drunk than me. I am sure that with enough effort, you can remember everything, and once you do, I want you to understand that what you did was wrong. I feel sick even standing near you. So, here’s what going to happen. I’m going home tomorrow, I’ll find a hotel to stay in tonight, and once you drive me to that bus stop, I never want to see you again. Do you understand me?”
Malcolm nodded slowly.
Nancy walked inside, now with a drink in hand. “What are you boys talking about?”
“I think he deserves a promotion, don’t you, mom?”
“No,” Nancy snorted. “But in the interest of your future status as heir of my company, I’ll allow it. It’ll be your first executive decision, and while it probably won’t pay off, you’ll at least end up learning from your mistake, right?”
“…Okay, mom.”
Nancy smiled. “I only want the best for my son and my company. Anyone bearing the Landgraab name isn’t allowed to be disappointing. Not under my watch."