Sun & Moon

four | early bird

Ryan was still a bit high as he came into work the next day, curling up under the counter and only emerging to refill coffee mugs. 

He found a book on a shelf after he woke up from his midday nap and began to thumb through it.  It was fairly boring to Ryan but it kept him busy while he avoided people. He read up to where there was a bookmark before Vinny came behind the counter and ripped it from his hands. 

"Get me a sandwich," Vinny demanded, grabbing himself a glass and filling it with Coke from the fountain hose.  He hopped up on the counter and watched Ryan slowly get up and wander off into the kitchen. He emerged a moment later, setting the plate down on Vinny's booth table and collapsing on one of the benches. 

"God. You don't know how exhausting this is." Ryan huffed, closing his eyes.  Vinny sat down across from him and pulled out a blunt, pushing it between Ryan's lips and lighting it. 

"A little something to wake you up." He explained, beginning to crunch down on his sandwich.  "And what's exhausting? There's been maybe thirty people here since your shift started and you hid under the counter the whole time." Vinny pointed out.  Ryan sat up and shrugged, dropping the blunt in the ashtray. 

"Life, man.  Since you brought up how lonely I am, I feel like shit." Ryan admitted. He laid his head down on the table. It was an off day for him.  Usually, he was cheery and happy and smiling but now be felt like all that was gone. 

"Come to Burning Man with me." Vinny offered, pulling a folder from his bag.  "Like the tickets are still on sale and I can always add another hammock to my van." Ryan just shrugged.  He wasn't a festival person really.  "Don't be a pussy. Come on." Ryan sighed a ran a hand through his hair. 

"Fine." He agreed.  Vinny smiled and tossed a packet of information at Ryan. 

"Sick. I'm gonna talk to my dad about you taking some time off." Vinny jumped up and ran off, poking his head back in to grab his sandwich off the plate. 

Ryan cleaned up the bit of mess before slipping back to his hiding spot and beginning to read things over with the trip he just agreed to.  Once he got sick of reading itineraries, he grabbed the book again and finished it. 

Ryan slipped a small piece of paper in between the back cover and last page, only writing "Ryan was here" on it. 

As he put the book back where he found it, the order pad caught his eyes.  He smirked at the message and flipped to a new page. 

"Well, Ricky. Don't get your panties in a twist." And Ryan added a small heart to the corner of the page just as Ricky had done. 

He couldn't help but grin for the last minutes of his shift, eventually going home and sitting down at the kitchen table to just think.

|||