by David Horne
“You can record me. I’m used to being on camera.”
“Ok.” The writer nodded and fumbled to pull out his phone to set it to record their conversation.
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, I was hoping to ask what attracted you to the business.”
Pete nodded slowly. “Well, I’m sure you’ve read some information about me. And you probably know that I have a history in math and statistics. If you combine that with a deep curiosity about human nature, it’s pretty much exactly what drew me into this life.”
“Would you say you spend a lot of your time doing calculations?”
“I kind of do, yeah.” Pete seemed a bit more relaxed when he spoke about it. “Math leads so much of our lives. Statistics and probabilities mean so much to our lives, but most people just ignore them. I don’t. I always think about it. When something happens, I think about the odds about it having happened to me. I think about whether it’s something unusual or something mundane and if it defies the odds or not.”
“Like the stuff, most of us attribute to luck?”
“There’s no such thing as luck. It’s all math.” Pete shook his head. “Most things are just math, you’ll find that out, I guess.”
“I guess I never really thought about it before.” Toby nodded along. What the other man was saying made sense, even if it felt a little foreign to the writer. “Math doesn’t cross my mind a whole lot.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just more of a word guy.” Toby shrugged. “I just don’t always think about numbers and math and stuff.”
“Well, it’s hard to get into that mindset for a lot of people, but I feel like that’ll help some people out.” Pete shrugged.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, that if more people thought about the future and probabilities, a lot fewer people would go and believe things that aren’t true. It would make the world a better place, don’t you think?”
Toby nodded. “Yeah, what a great world that would be.”
“Any other questions for me?” Pete asked, glancing down at the watch on his wrist.
Toby suddenly felt self-conscious. He fidgeted again, opening and closing his fist, but not completely clenching it. His weight shifted from one leg to the other. He was working hard to keep himself focused on all the questions he had. “Uh, sure.”
“What do you got?”
“I was mostly just wondering about the actual job. Can you tell me what to expect during the tournament?”
“I can get you some paperwork on that, how does that sound? Then you can take notes on it.” Pete made the offer. It was kind of him, but it was said like it was an offer made to get Toby out of the man’s hair.
“Sure, but that paperwork is probably idealized.”
“That’s what the notes are for.” Pete nodded. “I figure that’s going to give you a good starting point, to see the actual itinerary, and then we can talk about each piece of it one by one.”
“Sure. That sounds great. Will I be able to follow you to all of these places?”
“Most of them, yeah. There are a few places that you won’t be allowed to prevent cheating, of course.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Toby nodded. “They have to worry about cheating a lot, I think, right?”
“Yeah.”
“All right. Just let me know if you need my help or something.” Toby tried to make a kind offer, just to see how it would land.
“Just stay out of the way.” Pete frowned at Toby.
The writer had a feeling that this was going to be a terrible time. “You won’t even know I’m there.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Pete shook his head. He still looked frustrated, but it wasn’t’ as bad as it had been when they first met. Maybe Pete was one of those guys who takes a bit to warm up to people.
Pete took a moment to regard the writer.
Toby felt a little worried about how the man was looking at him. He still felt like he was being sized up and judged. And with that kind of judgment, it was hard to tell if he had been found wanting or not.
The dark blonde man shifted his weight from foot to foot again. He felt strange like he had been pushed right up to the edge of feeling something very strong but undefinable.
“Are you at the right hotel?”
“Yeah, the same one as you. I’ve got reservations.” Toby reached for his phone to pull it out. He had an email saved so that he could easily reference it and was eager to show it off. He didn’t know why he was eager to show it off. Maybe it was just because this guy made him feel so off-center and awkward.
But before he could check on anything, an announcement echoed into the gate. They were boarding their flight. There would be time to speak later about what was going to happen.
The next bit was a rush of getting in the right line at the right time and making sure he had all of his stuff before rushing to get where he needed to be. And then there was the wait. Pete was riding in first-class, while Toby was in economy, so there wouldn’t be any conversation on the flight. Luckily Toby had brought some work along with him, something that he could do while flying and staying out of the way of the other passengers that were going to surround him on the flight.
The flight went smoothly. It was quiet, and while the writer was worried about it, the flight wasn’t nearly as terrifying as Toby had prepared himself for. By the time it was over he found himself laughing at his previous concern over the prospect of flying. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be.
He had read a lot of stories about plane flights that had gone wrong, so that had been on his mind the entire time.
But he still was grateful when the flight was finally over. He fought the urge to kiss the ground, knowing that it wouldn’t look good to anyone watching. It would only end up with some video on the internet or something like that.
Chapter Four
Pete wasn’t patient as he waited outside the gate they had disembarked from. He had gotten off the plane first and watched as everyone else filed off the plane. He hated waiting like this. All he wanted to do was get out of the airport and get to his hotel, but he had volunteered for this. He had to keep reminding himself that he had agreed to bring this writer along.
He was still upset at the idea, but when he took a moment to observe his reaction, he found that he was surprised he wasn’t more upset by the changes to his life. Toby was a good guy, even if he was a little awkward and nervous.
There was a little voice in the back of his head that reminded the poker player how attractive Toby was, even when he was a stammering mess. Maybe the fact that the man was a mess was what he found so attractive about him. And he knew that he didn’t want to feel that way about him. That made him feel awkward.
Pete tapped his foot on the ground, frowning as he waited for the man to get off the plane. This was taking longer than he expected. Normally disembarking a plane was done already and he was on the way to go and get his luggage.
He hated waiting.
“How long does it take to get off of a plane?” Pete checked the watch on his wrist and frowned again. He had the urge to tap his toe but decided that it would look far too rude to wait so impatiently.
He didn’t want to look too rude. He already knew that he came off as impatient, but there was a difference between impatient and rude.
Pete wondered if he was going to have to wait longer when he heard a breathless voice from behind him. “Sorry.”
That was not the direction the plane was in. But it did sound like Toby’s voice.
The card player swung around to regard Toby. “When did you get off the plane?”
“I got kind of rushed away with the crowd and had to get out and then find you.” Toby was breathing hard. “I guess I’m just not used to how airports work. I got a little lost.”
Pete frowned heavily. He didn’t like the idea that he could have lost the man who was supposed to shadow him yet.
“You all right?”
“Just almost got trampled and then got a little lost.”
“You should have called me.” Pete knew that he was chastising the other man. He didn’t care. It was for the best that this guy learned quickly what type of man he was following.
“I didn’t want to trouble you.” Toby looked a little shy. He was looking down at his feet, awkwardly shifting again. Pete hated to notice how cute it was, but he couldn’t stop himself from noticing.
“You were embarrassed?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t you be?” The writer frowned. “I mean it’s natural, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.” Pete nodded. “I’ve never really gotten swept up with a crowd like that though.”
Toby looked down at his feet. Pete felt a sudden twinge in the back of his soul. He wanted to make the writer feel better about himself.
“Hey, it’s no big deal.” Pete felt himself start to backpedal and frowned. He wasn’t the type to do that sort of thing.
“I just don’t travel a lot, I guess.”
“You can’t be the only one that it’s happened to.” Pete shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. We need to catch a rideshare to the hotel.”
Toby nodded. “I can split the cost with you.”
“Sounds good.” Pete nodded and led the way out of the terminal and to the place where the taxis were parked. The airport was one of the only places that one could still find a taxi these days, and Pete didn’t care one way or the other. It was simply easier to climb into a vehicle that was waiting on them.
Picking up the bags took a few minutes and within half an hour they were on the way to the hotel they were both booked at.
They rode along in silence, not looking at each other. A moment shared was lost. It felt like it was something to mourn, a missing piece of the world that should have been there. But maybe that was just his mind playing tricks on him.
Occasionally Pete would glance in the direction of the man who was traveling with him and he would find himself staring until Toby noticed he was looking. The cardplayer frowned and looked away every time. It was awkward and strange.
He couldn’t help but feel some strange feelings bubble up inside of him. They were feelings that he didn’t like. He didn’t want to think about what they might mean. Nothing felt right or ok with being attracted to a man who was just going to follow him around for a couple of days then head out on his way. Pete had been in a few relationships before, but they had never really gone anywhere. It just didn’t feel right to try to drag someone along with his life. And he liked his privacy. He liked being on his own. He loved the freedom to move as he pleased with no one to tell him anything about how to live his life.
He reminded himself that this was a bad idea until they pulled up to the hotel. He stayed silent as they made their way into the lobby.
Toby stood in the line to the front desk behind him. Many people were waiting to check into rooms, probably due to the events of the coming weekend. The air buzzed with excitement, everyone talking about the tournament and the fact that there would be cameras there. Someone could make it big and everyone felt the excitement.
He knew that because he was going to be front and center in those events. He already knew that he was going to end up on the finals table. He hadn’t had a year yet that he hadn’t ended up there on this event.
Check-in was easy and Pete stepped away from the counter, letting Toby move up into his spot.
Pete paused before he got to the elevator and waited for a moment, checking to see if Toby was going to catch up to him. But instead, he saw Toby there with a frown on his face. The man looked worried, with the weird wrinkles forming on his forehead. The man was upset about something, but Pete didn’t know what would make him so worried about whatever was happening at the desk.
Then Pete realized exactly what had happened. There had been some sort of mistake that meant Pete didn’t have a room. And there probably wasn’t another room available for him.
That would put Toby in a bad situation. It would be hard to find a reasonably priced room at this time, but it was possible. It had happened before. Sometimes mistakes happened and it was a shame whenever it happened. Pete slowly made his way back up to the desk. “What’s up?”
“They overbooked. There’s no space for me.” Toby frowned. “I’ll have to figure something else out.”
“Damn.” Pete looked over at the woman on the other end of the counter. “You sure you can’t figure something out?”
“We have his reservation, but we accidentally overbooked. There isn’t a room available.” She gave a sympathetic look.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, it’s not a problem. This happens sometimes. We’ll find a place for him.”
“Thank you.” Pete turned back to Toby. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“I know.” Toby didn’t seem very happy about that prospect, even if it seemed like he fully understood the situation. “I’m having great luck on this trip.”
“You should be fine.” Pete offered an awkward smile. “It’s not so bad, not really.”
“Yeah, I know. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“It happens sometimes.” Pete was considering what would honestly become a terrible idea. He knew it would be a terrible idea. But it was the right thing to do.
“Yeah, I know.” Toby looked defeated as he repeated his acknowledgment of the situation that he was in. It was like he couldn’t figure out what else to say that wasn’t just wallowing in self-pity. Pete understood that feeling.
It was the look on Toby’s face that made Pete make the offer that he did. “I’ve got a second bed in my room. Maybe they can comp you something for this and you can stay in my room.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to get in your way. I know you like your privacy.”
“This isn’t your fault.” Pete shook his head. “It’s just a place to sleep. It’ll be fine.”
Toby chewed on his lip for a moment, considering the offer that was being made.
“I’m not just offering to be polite.” The gambler shook his head. “I don’t do things like that.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve already said that I was.” Pete made a show of checking his watch. “And I’m not the kind of guy that makes empty gestures.”
“Right. Uh.” Toby thought about it for a second. “Sure. Sounds good.”
Pete instantly regretted having made it clear the offer was honest. Maybe it was for the best for Toby to take some kind of different room. But the offer had been made and accepted. He was going to have to live with whatever came of sharing his private space with this man.
He only hoped that he didn’t lose focus because there was a writer in his room.
Credits were applied to the room at Toby’s request. This would allow them to charge meals and things of that sort to the room. It was a convenient way to handle it and end up saving Toby some money.
It would probably save Pete some money too. Not that he was really worried about that. He did quite well for himself in this business, and he knew that it was due to all of the things that he had studied and learned. And he could tell from reading Toby’s face that he had been unhappy about the situation. He didn’t want to feel like this.
Pete couldn’t blame the other man for that. It felt bad to be so reliant on someone else like Toby had just become.
Pete wanted to say something comforting. He wanted to help. He wanted to make it better. But he had no idea how to do it. It just felt like it was an overwhelming amount of frustration that he understood well. He hated relying on others for such important things. He even made sure to try to pay his cousin for house sitting when returned. His cousin rarely took as much as he deserved, though. It was just part of the nature of the game. It was hard to accept help when the person didn’t ask for anything in return. It never felt right. It put someone off-kilter. It was a part of the nature of human psychology.
Toby glanced over a
t Pete as they came to the room. “Are you still sure about this?”
“I’ve got a second queen bed, it’s fine.” Pete kept his words terse.
“I don’t want to take over your space.” The writer shook his head. Toby was frowning and biting his lip. And Pete couldn’t help but notice how cute the man looked when he got that expression on his face.
Pete shook his head, mimicking the motion that the other man was doing. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I can’t believe that happened.”
“It happens sometimes.” Pete shook his head. “Hotels like to double book to fill up the rooms sometimes. It makes sure that every room gets filled.”
“That seems like a terrible idea.” Toby frowned.
“It’s bad for people, but it’s good for business.” Pete shrugged. “That’s how the world works.”
“That’s a pretty shitty place for the world to be.”
“Wait till it happens to you on an airplane.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, they do it to airplanes.”
“That’s terrible.” Toby looked upset. “Why would they do that to anyone?”
“Business is business.”
“This is why I’m a writer and not a businessman.” Toby’s frown deepened. “I can’t stand things like that.”
“You’re going to be fine.” Pete nodded. He was trying to be comforting, but he wasn’t sure that he was doing any good. This was all so strange. He didn’t want to do anything. “It’s just something that happens sometimes. It feels like the end of the world, sure, but it’s never been that bad. They usually make it right if the risk doesn’t pay off.”
Toby chewed on his lip.
Pete led the way into the room. He took a deep breath of the air that still smelled of cleaning chemicals
They walked into a living room with a door opening to a bedroom with two beds in the back. Toby stared for a moment.
“Impressed?” Pete felt the slightest of smiles play across his face.
“This is a big hotel room. I’m used to motels, I guess.”