H2OVanoss & Bitches

High Above the Highway

For his whole life Evan had always had a difficult time finding something good, he always did and thought things that had him questioning the point of his actions. The way he would look at something one way and then suddenly another, never able to stick to one method or find a middle ground.

He thought that he had found an anchor in someone he loved, a person who genuinely had him reeling with every laugh, every smile and stroke of her careful hand on his own. He never had to overthink when she was near. But that had fallen apart, slowly but surely he started to question his anchor, whether or not it was the right one for him. He knew it was inevitable, and from her reaction, she had seen coming as well.

They split up on good terms though, the acknowledgment that what they had would never truly be gone but both knew the fact that it was time to move on, see other people and explore newer depths. So that's when he moved. Packed up everything of value to him - with help from her of course - and flew down to LA where he lived with a friend of his late mother until he was able to find a suitable place.

It was a cozy studio apartment in a building that towered over the main highway where he could see for miles and miles into the distance, and for once in the last few months, he felt content. Though the cold and crushing loneliness was there, it was but merely an itch in the back of his mind as he greeted his neighbors and busied himself with arranging his new home.

It was only a month later on a cool fall day the week before Halloween - when the cold was finally seeping back into his bones - that someone moved into the condo above him, and even with depression etching at the back of his mind, he put on his best smile and greeted him. Jonathan was a tall, but lanky man and his eyes couldn't seem to decide between blue, green, or cyan.

Kind of like his mind.

--

"You should try red," Jonathan mentioned one day as he stood on the doorstep. A plate of cookies in one hand and elevator keys hanging from the other. Evan turned and looked to his barren living room, plastic sheets lay on the floor and the window sills were covered with blue tape. He had already picked out a few colors, with help from a friend, and had only tested them out so far. A deep teal color that reminded him of the lake he and his father used to fish out on, a cream yellow that was almost aesthetic, and an odd reddish-brown that reminded him of the maple trees growing on nearly every corner all around his childhood home - he couldn't decide. But never the less, he painted them red.

--

On an early winter morning, after only a two-hour sleep, Evan had awoken to a knock on his door. Deery and for the most part sleep deprived, he managed to make his way to the door and opened it squinting against the light of the small hallway he saw Jonathan who had a bright smile, but it slowly faded as he watched him rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Woah, shit man... Sorry I thought you'd be up by now," Jonathan exclaimed, almost worriedly and Evan isn't sure why a small smile made its way to his own lips, but he shook his head. "It's fine," he yawned, "De quoi avez-vous besoin?" his hoarse voice croaked out and Jonathan looked bewildered before Evan had realized the phrase had come out in French. He chuckled nervously at himself. "Sorry."

Jonathan just shook his head and smiled. "Está bien."

--

The next week had found him at the supermarket. He was putting a carton of eggs into his basket as he turned the corner and bumped into someone, on reflex he reached forward and caught the person's wrist in his hand tugging them back up. The person's fingers latched onto his shirt and Evan looked up to see a pair of green eyes looking back down at him.

"Jon?" Evan questioned. "Evan?" Jonathan mimicked, quirking his eyebrow. Evan looked around and saw that he still had hold of the man's wrist and quickly let go. "S-sorry," he stuttered and Jonathan nodded arms folded and face looking a little pink, it must have been colder than Evan thought.