🐚 | vineyard promise, snf

[004]

now that sapnap's school had started up again, he was almost never free. the most interaction between him and george was brief texts, mostly consisting of george asking if sapnap wanted to hang out and sapnap replying with the fact he had homework. george hated it.

george had been so close to making a new friend. august was nearly over, with september right around the corner. the cafe had new drinks for the fall, so the shop was busier than ever. it would be even busier when christmas time rolled around.

"hey, you okay? you've been quiet lately," niki asked, putting a hand on george's shoulder. they were packing up the shop for the night, just the two of them. "did something happen with the boy you were friends with?"

"yeah, his school started," george replied bitterly. niki nodded somberly, moving her hand and picking up her backpack.

"i get that," she said, her back turned to george, "my school started last week, but with the courses i'm taking i have a lot more free time. what is he taking again?"

"computer science, i think," george mumbled.

"oh. that does have a lot of homework and shit required," niki sighed softly. she untied george's apron and hung it up for him.

"be safe." george barely heard niki, barely felt her gentle hug.

"you too," george muttered back on instinct, but he hardly felt the words leave his lips. the bell above the door jingled as the glass door opened and closed.

george stood at the counter for a few more minutes, waiting, but he didn't know for what. maybe his phone to go off, or for niki to come back, or to be enveloped in warm arms? george had no idea.

when george finally decided to move, it was slow and sluggish, as if he'd just gotten out of bed, or if he was walking through lava. he was glad his apartment was within walking distance of the shop; he was afraid he'd crash his car and ultimately kill himself. all for some silly college boy?

he collapsed onto his bed, onto the huge bear still sitting on it. george normally slept on one side of the bed, but recently, he'd been sleeping in the middle. the bear was usually hugged to george's chest or george was snuggled into the plush. tonight, he was swaddled in the lifeless, fluffy arms of the bear.

ringing filled his ears, snapping him out of his daze. he glanced over to the side of the bed where his phone had landed, lighting up the dark area.

sapnap, the id read. george shot up, scrambling for the device, accepting the call without another thought.

"hello?" george asked softly.

"george?" a tired voice responded. george mentally sighed with relief.

"yeah, what's up?"

"can you just... talk? please don't question it, i just need it," sapnap mumbled. george heard shuffling on the other side and imagined sapnap wrapped up in his blankets, curled up in his bed.

"sure," george replied. "about what?"

"anything," nick said, his voice muffled.

george paused, thinking. "well, earlier i made an appointment to get some glasses."

"glasses?"

"yeah, the kind for colourblind people!" george smiled. "so i can wear them out and finally see the world as bright and beautiful, not dark and gloomy and full of shit."

george's smile grew as he heard sapnap laugh.

"what're you gonna do with them? besides wear them?"

"well, i think they should be here by december. and by then, you'll be on winter break, so we can go out and explore the city more!!" george said excitedly, now sitting on the edge of his bed. his bad mood was gone, replaced with the giddy excitement he'd felt when he and sapnap were at the beach so long ago.

"hey, how's school? you started two weeks ago, right?" george asked, drumming his fingers on his knee.

sapnap groaned. "it's so annoying. i have like six assignments all due tomorrow afternoon and they're all half-finished."

"sounds like you're up to your ankles in homework," george giggled.

silence settled over them.

"you sound tired," george said. he heard sapnap hum on the other side.

"i am."

"then go to sleep. you can call me tomorrow," george saddened at the thought of sapnap leaving, but shook his head. he'd just call sapnap tomorrow like he said.

"mm, but i want to talk to you now," sapnap whined, words slurred.

"no, sap. you probably don't get enough sleep as it is," george scolded, ignoring the heat creeping up on his cheeks.

"mhm..."

"sapnap?" george asked, the ghost of a smile on his lips. all he got in response were sleepy noises and muffled moving. "goodnight, sapnap." george clicked the red hang up button. it was red, right?

the room was quiet. all george could hear was his a/c working and the soft shuffling of his cat. ever since sapnap started college, george was feeling lonely, so he decided to get a kitten.

her soft and lean body made its way into george's hands, purring softly as he started petting her. a small smile was still on his face, growing as he stroked his kitten's fur. the kitten meowed, sitting up and trying to lick george's cheek. she was too small, though, and ended up licking the air.

george seemed to get the message, though. he set her down briefly so he could kick off his pants, letting them drop to the floor; he'd clean them up later. george gathered the kitten in his arms again as he moved to lay in the middle of his bed again, snuggled next to the bear.