Book Girl and Chestnut Boy

Chapter Fourteen

Dartmoor Fisheries was a friendly-looking little shop tucked away in a small street, next to a Post Office on one side and a row of terraced houses on the other. Beyond his business with the gang members who – like Sam had warned – kept coming to "liaise" about him re-joining the gang, Layton didn't have anywhere to go except college, the chippy, and the Dickinsons' house where he "rented" his old friend's room. So May was fairly sure she would find him here, or she could get information about where to find him if he'd gone home already. She hadn't intended to come this way initially so she hadn't called or messaged him.

She walked into the chippy. A little bell above the door jingled with her passage, although it needn't have since there was a fair few people waiting to be served and the owners were busy behind the counter. A handful of booths lined the outside wall, forming two rows. Most of the seats were taken. She joined the back of the line.

She'd been waiting a few minutes when Layton popped out through the back, swapping with a blonde-haired lady. He wore a black polo shirt and apron, the latter with the fishery logo on it, and a hairnet covered his head. He looked weird with no hair in his face. She didn't make her presence known, instead watching him work.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked the person first in line.

"Yeah, I'll have a large portion of fish and chips."

"Will that be all, sir?"

"Yeah. How much?"

He dealt with all the orders respectfully, which she was glad to see because she wouldn't have believed it otherwise. Wanting to surprise him, she made sure she was well-hidden behind the person in front. She put her hood up too, just in case.

Finally, she got to the front. He didn't glance up properly before he addressed her, topping up the condiments and napkins in front of her. "Hi. Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'd like to speak to my boyfriend, please."

He was so startled he knocked over the ketchup. "May!"

She chuckled. "Hi."

He blinked owlishly at her. "...Dave?" he called to the man working behind him. "Could you take over a while?"

"Call Linda. I'm just getting this batch out now."

"Linda!" Layton called through the door at the back. The woman who'd been serving before popped her head round the doorframe. "Yeah?"

"Could you take over a few minutes? I need to..." he gestured at May. The woman's gaze took May in and her eyes lit up. She came out. "You're May?" she asked, a happy smile breaking out across her lips. Even Dave turned around from taking out the chips to have a look.

"Yeah. Hi."

"It's so nice to meet you! Now go on, both of you! Off you go! There's people waiting!"

Layton stepped around the counter, taking off his apron and hairnet, and they went outside.

"If you were going to come over, you should have just walked down with me earlier." Layton said, leading her away from the chippy.

She shook her head. "I hadn't planned to come out again. I...Why are you going in there?"

He'd walked through the small gate of the first house beside the shop. "This is where I rent a room." he said. "Paid for by my sweat and blood."

She rolled her eyes but followed him as he went up the steps and through the black front door. It wasn't locked, to her surprise, but she soon discovered that there were people inside. As they walked in, a girl who was about Martin's age had just started climbing the stairs, shouting up at someone already upstairs. She broke off and turned around. "You finished already, Layton?" She frowned at May. "Who's that?"