Beneath The Surface - DNF

Chapter 2

Dream woke up the next morning feeling like a lifeless bag of weight that had to be dragged across the floor. The sun was already high, streaming through the curtains and casting a golden glow on the cluttered floor of his room. His head throbbed with a dull ache, a reminder of the previous night's excesses.

He checked his phone; it was 1:30 PM.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself. "How did I sleep that long!?"

He sat in bed for quite a few moments, staring at his desk until all the memories from yesterday came flooding back: agreeing to go out with Sapnap, all the drinking games, the stripper who took Nick away, and lastly, George. The thought of George made his heart race for a second before he shook it off.

Dream decided to get up and check on Sapnap. He was probably in a hotel somewhere because the house was too silent to not be empty. But when Dream opened the door to Nick's room, he found him and the same stripper girl from the night before cuddling. They both weren't wearing clothes, just basic coverings with no blankets.

"Well, that wasn't something I enjoyed seeing," Dream blurted out before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him. He could hear the muffled laughter from the other side of the door, but he chose to ignore it.

He decided to head to the kitchen and make lunch since it was well past breakfast time. He chose to make cacio e pepe, a simple yet satisfying dish that he had perfected over the years. The kitchen was his sanctuary, a place where he could momentarily forget his worries and lose himself in the rhythm of cooking.

Dream started sorting out the ingredients, putting the water to boil, melting the cheese, adding pepper, and mixing it together. He also added a little bit of cheddar because it enhances the flavor. As he grated the cheese, the aroma filled the kitchen, bringing a sense of comfort and normalcy.

Just a few moments before he finished cutting the butter, the girl entered the kitchen. Her hair was a mess, and she was wearing a shirt that was obviously too big for her, so he assumed it was Sapnap's. She was indeed beautiful; luscious blonde hair, pale skin, ocean blue eyes, she didn't deserve to have such a job.

Another question was why did she decide to come back home with Sapnap?

She sat down on the counter and said, "Good morning. What's your name?"

"Clay. What's your name? Sorry for the mess," he responded and went to give the girl a handshake, his hand slightly trembling from the awkwardness.

"It's okay. My name is Hayley. I wasn't really planning on doing anything like this, so sorry for invading your home or if I scared you, but he seems like someone I could trust." The girl looked a little nervous; she was fidgeting with her hands and looking around the house, her eyes darting to every corner as if trying to take in every detail.

"He really is someone you can trust. Nick is the person who knows all my secrets and whom I can count on for literally everything. You made the right choice coming here." Dream smiled, knowing that saying this would make her feel a little warmer and more welcome. If this was something that would actually last, he better start making good impressions.

"Did you enjoy last night?" she asked, her voice breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

"I mean, yeah, I didn't have my best friend for long, so I feel it could've been better," they both laughed, easing the tension. "I also watched a show before leaving."

"George's? He's a freak, right?" Her face was unreadable; he couldn't tell if she liked him or not.

"Wait, do you know him? Is he nice?" Fuck. He sounded a little too excited about knowing who he was. He tried to mask his eagerness but failed miserably.

She smiled and then stated, "I mean, he's my boss. We're not that close since I'm new, but he teaches us so much at the club. He's my ultimate inspiration: a millionaire and that attractive? He founded the club a few years back after having a rough start, stripping for money because he was really poor. He's actually from England. But he only continues because he developed a love for dancing; I think he enjoys the attention. He doesn't work as a stripper anymore; he's actually 27 years old, but if I had that body, I'd walk naked on the streets."

So he did own that fucking club, didn't he? And he had to be a millionaire and not be working anymore. He looked so unreachable, also him being three years older than him just made things worse. Dream actually thought he wanted to be her for a few seconds just to see him dancing up close again.

This was his only opportunity for questions.

"But he's always at the club? How often does he visit?" Dream's curiosity got the better of him.

She looked a little suspicious but still responded, "He has a big office in the back of the club. I'm pretty sure he's there for some time every day, but he only comes out when he wants to and does a show maybe once a month. You were lucky to have seen it. But why do you ask? You liked him, didn't you?"

I couldn't come up with an answer for that. I couldn't even deny he was on my mind, so I just chuckled. That was enough information for me to do a background check on him. He seemed like someone who wasn't that private, considering how much a random new employee knew about him.

The silence settled for a few minutes until a sleepy Nick showed up in the kitchen. He shot a quick "yo" to Dream and sat down next to Hayley.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty! Good to know you had a good night yesterday." Dream blinked in a joking manner, trying to lighten the mood.

Sapnap grew red and looked at Hayley. She just chuckled, most likely out of nervousness.

"Well, I just finished lunch. Does someone want a little? It's cacio and pepe."

They both said yes and started eating. Clay decided to go back to his room and continue with his day, opting to take a shower.

He entered his bathroom, turned on the hot water, and let it cascade over his body. He felt immediate relief as the warmth spread through him. While showering, he thought about everything that had been happening lately and how drastically his life had changed. He had lost his dad, moved in with his new best friend for support, and now had a crush. Everything was so different. But he liked it a little bit; he enjoyed the challenge.

Now, he was sitting at his desk, staring at his computer. He didn't need to do this, but he wanted to so badly. He turned on his computer, logged into his secret account where he kept all the IDs of people from around the world. Since he had connections, public information was accessible for him, politics and government officials would give in for literally anything for a certain amount of money and promised protection.

And there he was. Gotcha, George.

Dream leaned back in his chair, a sense of satisfaction washing over him.