TW: Depression and boy x boy
Laurens sat with his legs crossed at the reception desk, his eyes glued to his phone, and his fingers moving rapidly over the screen. He had been texting Alexander for the past thirty minutes, but Alexander had stopped replying to John's messages five minutes ago. John's heart raced, and his mind was in a frenzy. Did Alex hate him? Was he ignoring him? He looked at his number again maybe he had been texting the wrong person?
Alexander Hamilton
+1 869-712-1804
John felt a pit in his stomach as he thought about the possibility of losing Alexander's friendship. He had never been good at maintaining relationships, and he feared that he had messed up again.
John put down his phone, ran his fingers through his hair, and closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing thoughts. As he sat there lost in thought, a small bell rang, interrupting his reverie. John wondered why management hadn't taken the bell down. He remembered putting it there to annoy his friend Samuel, but it had been a month, and they still hadn't removed it.
"Hello? Can we buy tickets?" the customer asked. with a thick French accent, almost like the dude he had talked to earlier, just a coincidence.
John wished he had gone home, but he knew it was a lie. He couldn't leave work after missing a few minutes, and he regretted not taking his medication or asking Jefferson to bring it to him. John felt overwhelmed, and he was on the verge of tears. The customer asked for two tickets for twelve and up and requested a tour guide. John saw this as an opportunity to avoid dealing with a birthday party or bratty parents.
"Sure twelve and up is thirty-nine dollars and thirty-nine cents, six to elven is twenty-six dollars and ninety-nine cents, and last but not least, five to three-year-olds get to go in for twelve dollars and ninety-nine cents," John said not looking at the customer with clearly fake enthusiasm, robotic voice. John knew he was being rude but good he didn't want to deal with any living being that's human.
John wished he had gone home when he had the chance. He couldn't leave work after missing a few minutes, and he regretted not taking his medication or at least asked Jefferson to bring it to him because he was this close to walking out and crying his eyes out.
"God, I wish I was a five-year-old right now, two tickets for twelve and up please." He said taking out his wallet "Can we get a tour guide?" He asks grabbing money from his wallet. This was John's chance to not deal with a birthday party or to deal with bratty parents claiming that their fourteen-year-old was eleven.
"I can take you, let me just get someone to take my spot," John said texting Samuel
John: So, can you cover for me? I need to take two people on a tour
Sammy: Of course! I'll be there soon
John rolled his shoulders and stretched his back when Samuel appeared to take his place at the reception desk. Finally, John could breathe again, but he knew this was only a reprieve.
"Let's go" Then he saw Alexander and Lafayette standing in front of him. Alexander's warm smile was like a ray of sunshine, and John couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in his chest.
"Hey, John! It's great to see you again," Alexander said, taking in the aquarium's surroundings with interest.John's cheeks flushed with a slight pink hue as he replied,
"Hey, Alex! What brings you guys to the aquarium today?"
"We thought it would be cool to check out some marine life," Lafayette said with a grin.
As they walked around the aquarium, John tried to focus on them, but his mind kept drifting back to the text. He wondered if he had done something wrong or if he had said something that upset him. John pointed out different fish species, and Alexander listened with enthusiasm. John couldn't help but feel drawn to the way Alexander's eyes lit up with wonder at every discovery, he's probably just faking it.John showed them different tanks with various fishes and even allowed them to touch some of the starfish. He explained how jellyfish sting and showed them the most colorful corals.
They seemed to be enjoying the tour, though, and John was grateful for the distraction. They walked past the rays, and John couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness as he watched the children laugh and squeal with delight touching and feeding the stingrays.
They spent a lot of time at the shark tank, watching in awe as the fierce predators swam gracefully in the water.As they walked around the aquarium, they talked about everything from their favorite TV shows to their childhood memories. John couldn't help but feel a sense of ease around Alexander, and he found himself laughing more than he had in a long time.After the tour, as they were saying their goodbyes, Alexander turned to John and said, "Hey, I had a great time today. You're an excellent tour guide." John felt his heart race at the compliment.
"Thanks, Alex. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Alexander smiled at John and said, "I hope we can do this again sometime."John felt his cheeks heat up as he smiled back,
"Yeah, I'd like that."
As Alexander and Lafayette walked away, Alexander stopped talking to Lafayette and then walked back to John. "Hey, I'm sorry for not responding to your messages earlier. My phone died, and I didn't have a charger with me."
John felt a wave of relief wash over him. "It's okay, don't worry about it, it happens to the best of us."
John couldn't help but feel his crush on Alexander grow bigger. He hoped that they would have the chance to spend more time together in the future, maybe even outside the aquarium. However, John knew that the chances of that happening were slim to none, he was just being nice.
John had been struggling with depression for a while now, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was unworthy of love or friendship. He knew that Alexander was out of his league, and he didn't want to burden him with his problems.As the aquarium closed for the day, John felt a sense of dread wash over him, knowing that he would have to go back to his lonely dorm room with Jefferson probably making out with his boyfriend.
Yes, John was still in college his last year of course, but he couldn't help but think about Alexander and wonder what could have been if things were different if he was, normal.John knew that he had to snap out of his negative thoughts and focus on something positive.
John made it to his dorm room took a deep breath and sat down at his bed, trying to push the thoughts out of his mind. It was going to be a long day, but he knew he had to keep going, even though his heart was breaking.
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The phone number was not randomized! It was on purpose let's see if anyone can find what it means :D
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-DISCONTINUED-ISH-Between the Lines, A Lams Fanfic-DISCONTINUED-ISH-
FanfictionJohn Laurens lived an uneventful life, devoid of any excitement or adventure. Though he tried to remember every detail from his high school and college days, his memories were fragmented and often failed to make sense. He was heavily reliant on his...
