Half Naked

one.

Monday, 6:30am

This was the usual time he was woken up by the blaring noise of his alarm, the irritating ring causing him to grumble out as he reached out for his phone that remained laid out on the table beside him; he squinted his eyes up at the lit screen and he shut off the alarm only to place the phone back on the table. He took a deep breath, yawned, and stretched his arms and legs out, a low moan of pleasure emitting from the back of his throat in response to the wonderful sensation.

He moved the blanket covering the lower half of his body and shifted into a sitting position, feet landing against the cold, tiled floor, which only caused a soft hiss to emit from his lips until his skin was immune to it. He let out another grumble and combed his fingers through his thick curls. He suddenly regretted wearing nothing but the solid black boxers that hugged tight around his waist and thighs. It was still too cold.

He finally gathered the energy to stand, a little woozy from all the blood rushing to his head and he stumbled a bit until he was capable of walking without any problem. He made his way to the bedroom, where his best friend remained, he made sure to remain quiet as he crept inside to quickly grab a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Usually he'd take a quick shower to rid of the exhaustion but today was just not the day.

Really, he just wanted to get this day over with and come back to sleep some more.

But he kept reminding himself that spring break was near, which meant he could sleep all he wants and go into hibernation mode before he's back in classes again and forced to work. That's when he remembered that he still must work during his break and grumbled even with a mouth filled with toothpaste.

After spitting out the white paste, swishing water around, gargling, and spitting again, he was back in the living room and slipping on his shoes. He grabbed his phone to check for the time, seeing that he had plenty of time to get to the bus stop and still get to college on time.

----

2:48pm

He was stuck standing but was only one stop away from getting off the rather claustrophobic area, one hand clutching onto the strap of his bag, which remained slung over his shoulder and his ears were completely drawn out by the music that blocked out all the sound around him; his fingers gripped loosely on the bar above him until the bus came to a stop and it came down to him having to keep balance, but his grip on the metal released completely once he had to step out of the vehicle.

He moved past the few people who had also gotten out and were trying to get somewhere just as he was, his walking turning into a small jog. He stopped once he reached the light, hand reaching out to press the button eagerly-- one, two, three, four, five. He knew no matter how many times he pressed the button, it wouldn't make the light change any faster. It was frustrating.

Yellow, pause, red.

"Fuck, c'mon.." He grumbled and checked the time, seeing now that his time was limited.

He watched the cars make their turns but as soon as the sign across the street represented the symbol to walk, his legs were out and way ahead of the male's thought process. He probably looked like a mad man walking at the pace he was except this is about how he looked every day. 

He pulled open the entrance door of the restaurant, the bell above signaling his arrival, and as if he wasn't already hot enough, the steam from the kitchen only made his flushed and exhausted appearance more noticeable.

"Late again."

"Nope, just on time." He said, rushed and breathless with a small smile etched onto his lips as he moved past Linda to the back.

"You keep pulling this and you're gonna get yourself fired." She replied, glancing back at younger male, her tone hinting a small amount of disappointment, maybe even amusement.

He decided to disregard both her words and the disappointment he thought he heard, making his way to the back until he was in front of his locker; he quickly slipped off his shirt and grabbed the one out from his bag, which had "5 & Diner" written on it and put it on because that was uniform.

Gotta represent work, right?

After shoving the other shirt in his bag, putting the bag in the locker, and taking off his rings, he grabbed his apron to tie around his waist while making his way back to the counter. He glanced up only for his eyes to land on a girl; she was young, about seventeen was his guess, light skinned, too, and very pretty. He was a bit taken back by how pretty she was but he noticed who she was speaking to immediately after.

His manager.

He didn't think much of it, but he put the dots together—she's clearly here for a job and anyone desperate enough is going to get it. He furrowed his eyebrows, grabbing a couple plates and asking Linda which tables the food was supposed to go before returning behind the counter, wiping his hands against the apron.

"Who's the girl?" He asked, simply out of curiosity.

"No idea. Just some girl." Linda replied with a shrug.

He didn't reply, only looked at the girl a little longer until the woman beside him gave him a nudge, which he responded to by looking at her with a look of displeasure.

"Quit looking at the pretty girl. Do your work. Get those tables cleaned up."

He shook his head but gave a salute, sarcasm clear in his actions.

"Such a bitch." He grumbled lowly only for him to hear as he walked away. 

----

Alright, let's go. 

- c.