Idiosyncrasies of a Shadow // (ManxMan)

~Chapter 22~

[Roman]

*~*~*

Hold.

Hold on.

Hold on to me.

'Cause I'm a little undsteady.

A little unsteady.

-- Unsteady, X Ambassadors.

*~*~*

"I can see your ring from Saturn, please stop polishing it." I sigh, it's been a slow day back at the shop so far from what Johnny had told me, and I'm not particularly worried since we've been getting more business than ever this past holiday season, now that everyone is going back to work I can sort of wind down again. I groan while backtracking the path we took, knowing that lunch is over and I have to go back to the construction site for more inspection.

"You're just jealous you haven't put a ring on anyone." Melissa retorts, proceeding to shove her face in the ring and breathing on it like an oxygen tank. Honestly, it is as if the ring is more precious than her actual fiancé but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not even slightly envious. Love is something I want, but don't have.

What I do have is a half assed attempt at a relationship. Or whatever the fuck that is.

Felix stands up, taking photos of where we are with his phone. From what I understand, he is really excited because this is around where Skylar and him had initially met. It's quite a ways away from the city which is strange, though I have no interest in probing their past. From the way Felix points and smiles while he speaks fondly about places memories were made, I can tell this place actually means something.

"So... explain to me why umm... wait no, first of all, who are you again? Sir?" Melissa asks politely, looking at a particular man that decided that he wants to tag along. A particular man that apparently doesn't have anything better to do. Not that I'm complaining, the man is hilarious. And not in the comedic way, he's just innately hilarious.

"Holy fuck! Sebastien, that's where Skylar volunteered for the animal shelter!" Felix flips his shit, practically hanging on Sebastien's arm, begging him to look while Sebastien is really just falling over from the cold. The wind is unforgiving today and there isn't much we can do apart from toughing it out.

"That's great. Remember the bit where I didn't give a shit about my son's life? The bit that I cry over every night for the past decade and be really guilty over? Yeah, no. I don't remember that place, Felix. On other news, there is a café, with heating!" He tries to sell us the prospect of leaving the cold. "Oh and I'm Skylar and Ryland's father. I know a little about business, just wanted to pass the knowledge down to Roman."

Sebastien looks over at me, underneath his scarf, I can tell he's smiling, the corner of his eyes crinkling and his cheeks lifting slightly. From my understanding, he has made acquaintances with everyone in 'the others'. We really need a better name if this is going to be a consistent thing. Anyway, I would like to know him better, and being the attention whore that I really am, Felix hogging his faux-father's spotlight is making me slightly upset.

I'm 29, and I lie to myself saying that I don't need parents to survive, I didn't for years, definitely don't need it now that I'm capable. But obviously, I just want a little piece of my childhood back.

Funny to think how five random guys just happen to be friends without trying at all, it's like children making friends, fast and simple except now there is love flying through the air like bullets through a battlefield. Perhaps I should ring up Aaron again. Neither of us really made a move to maintain whatever little passion we had over Christmas. I can tell it hasn't gone away, at least for me.