Couch Surfer

Next Day

DAVID:

I'm woken up to the sound of clattering in the kitchen. Sophie is rummaging around the cupboards, she pulls out cereal, a bowl, a spoon. I stretched, rolling out with the sheet still wrapped around me so I'm not wandering around in just my pants. I walk into the kitchen. Sophie turns around, acting shocked. "Oh my god! Can I please have an autograph?" She said sarcastically, and then laughing before going back to a normal composure. "Morning Dave." She said.
"Morning..." I grumble.
"Don't you find it strange that even though they don't know who you are, Lynn and Alex are letting you stay anyway, despite the fact that you could be a brutal serial killer for all they know?"
"Often."
"Me too. I reckon that one reason they're letting you stay is that they think they could kick your arse in a fight."
"Really?" I say, raising my eyebrows.
"Yeah." She said, shoving a spoon of cinnamon squares in her mouth. "They're not dumb enough to put themselves at a disadvantage if things go wrong."
"Good to know... Lynn and Alex still in bed?"
"Yeah, Lynn has a shift at eleven, Alex and I are going to the spa for a massage and to have our nails done. I'd invite you along, but I'm not paying for you, so..."
"No, that's fine, I have some other stuff to do today, I promised Alex and Lynn that I'm gonna get some money..."
"Well, the local supermarket is hiring, maybe you should try them out."
"Really, where is it?"
"Literally up the road, it's the Co-op. You can see it from the living room window. Make up a CV, hand it in and just wait. You better get to work, I can imagine you haven't had to write a CV to be a famous singer, but I'll help you, let me just get my laptop." She says. Christ, a CV, working in a supermarket. This is definitely not an upgrade, but I'm not gonna let Alex spend anymore money on my behalf.

And hour and a half later, I'm still in the sheet and my CV looks somewhat decent. Mind you, there were some lies on there, but Sophie reassured me that everyone lies on their CV's, though usually it's to make them look better, the lies in my one made me look, well, not worse, but not better either. The lies on my one where basically about how I was not a celebrity, but also, I realised something. The last proper job I can remember having was working in a Sainsbury's in the very early eighties, possibly even late seventies. That was a bit out of date for a reference, and there wouldn't even be anyone working there who was there at the same time as me. "Do you think this will work? I mean, this CV is incredibly fake."
"I doubt they'll care too much, it is the co-op after all, you just have to act confident, pretend you know what you're doing. Good luck, best hand it in now." She said, I nod.
"So, why are just you and Alex going today, isn't Lynn your girlfriend?"
"Don't worry, me and Alex are good friends, and she's not even gay."
"I wasn't trying to imply..." I start to say.
"Whatever, good luck with your job interview, I'm gonna take a shower." She said giving me a smirk. I shrug, getting dressed into some black jeans and a smart shirt. I do my hair in the hall mirror with a discarded comb.

ALEX:

I hear the front door close. The sofa-bed is still down but it's empty. The shower is running. I knock. "Dave?" I call out.
"Just me, Dave went out. He's got my keys so he'll be able to get back in while we're out." I hear Sophie call. "So where's David?" I ask.
"He's out applying for jobs, we still on for that spa-day?"
"Yeah, sure..." I say, walking into the kitchen and helping myself to cereal. Someone had already liberated a bowl of my cinnamons. I pour the milk in and begin eating. Sophie comes out of the shower not too long before I finish the bowl. "Yo my bitch." She said, throwing up an ironic peace sign. "Sup hoe." I say back, looking up. "So, that Dave guy, what's his story?" She asks.
"Well, he showed up at the front door unconscious. Dude lives in freaking New York, but his wife divorced him and he was kicked out of his apartment. So he got drunk at some point along the line and ended up here. Never met him before in my life, but I can't help feeling that I know him from somewhere, Lynn too."
"Maybe you've seen him on the street once before, on your trip to Manhattan."
"No, turns out, he's from Basildon, but he managed to get out."
"Wow, a local eh?"
"Guess so, but long story short, I took pity on him and now he's crashing here until he gets his life together."
"He alright?"
"He seems okay, pretty average but kinda nice."
"Think he's cute?"
"What? The dude's like, fifty odd."
"You like older men bitch."
"I... shut up."
"Come on, tell me the truth, I won't tell him."
"Okay, okay, he's pretty good looking yeah, but I'm not gonna go there."
"Why not?"
"I've only known him for a couple of days, and plus, he sort of lives with us, don't shit where you eat, you know?"
"Yeah, it could be awkward, anyway, our appointment's in an hour and a half, we need to get dressed and get going." She said. I nod.

We were laying on tables with hands rubbing oils into our backs, I groaned as the masseuses hands reaches my shoulders, the delve between the neck. So tense. Lynn would love this. I could fall asleep, soft flute music, the smell of incense and the warm oils. "I wonder how David's getting on, do you know where he's applying to?" I ask.
"Eh, I told him co-op was hiring, so that's where he's gone. He's handing in a CV him and I knocked up this morning. It's good, hopefully good enough so they might get him an interview."
"Yeah, it would be nice to have some extra money coming in, cost me a few the other day, even in Primark, that man does not shop cheap."
"Yeah, and more money for rent and shit."
"Yeah... Speaking of, when are you gonna finally move in with us?" I ask.
"Uhh, actually, I'm thinking of asking her to move in with me..."
"Wow... do you think she'd like to?"
"I don't know, should I ask her?"
"I think so, I mean, we both think it's annoying when we have to leave the flat each night the other one wants to have sex. Or how Dave takes up the couch so you two can't pass out on it together."
"So I should?"
"Maybe, maybe take some time to hint, you know, see if she's picking up what you're putting down."
"Yeah, at least with hinting I can deny it if she doesn't like the idea."
"Yeah, but if you're gonna ask her, wait until Dave actually has a job, otherwise I won't be able to afford to keep the flat."
"Yeah, that's true. Dave better get this job then."

DAVID:

The cashier was looking at me with squinty eyes. "Do I know you?" She asked
"No, I'm just trying to apply for that shelf-stocking job?" I say awkwardly.
"I swear I know you from somewhere..."
"No, I don't know you I'm afraid..." I chuckle. The lady is holding my CV. "Well, I really do hope you'll consider me, and thank you for your time, but I should be going now." I try not to sound hasty. The lady nods and smiles. "Understandable sir, I'll hand this in to my manager, good luck." She says, waving good bye. She was rather nice but I didn't like how she recognised me. At least she hadn't recognised me properly. For all she knows, I could just be a familiar face from a restaurant or the cinema. I walk out. I've applied for three different places now, and although I wasn't too familiar with the jobs market at late, I had a feeling it would be a lot harder to get one than it used to be. I look at the cheap watch I got a Primark, it's twelve and I'm bored, so I take a leisurely stroll back to the flat. I'm walking by a bus shelter, looking over tattered flyers for a circus, a fencing company and the timetable. Does anyone really look at these. There is someone sitting down, a young lady around Alex's age, she's got a guitar case, which interests me. She notices me looking and takes an ear bud out with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" She asked. She was definitely on guard and I wasn't blaming her. "Sorry, I was just looking at that case... what instrument?"
"I'm a bassist, but I like to piss about on drums."
"Cool, I'm a singer, but I can play guitar, bit of piano... any good at drums?"
"As far as pissing about goes... I'm alright. You?"
"Well, your phone got internet?"
"Yeah?"
"Alright, go on YouTube and search up a song called enjoy the silence."
"Enjoy the silence?"
"Yeah, just search it up, make sure it's a music video or live performance though."
"Okay, yeah, I've got it up..." She says, watching it. She's quiet for a little bit, watching the video before she looks up at me. "That's you? You sing this?"
"Yeah, of course I'm a little bit older than I was then, but still got the voice... wanna be in a band?"
"Already in one, but we do need lead singer, we've been looking at people but none of them have the voice we want. You might do though."
"Cool... When do you have band meetings?"
"Each Wednesday at about two do you want to come tonight? We've got a storage unit in Carnival Close where we practise. I've got a ride taking me there and back here if you wanna catch it too, where you living?"
"Just in the that tower block..." I say, pointing.
"Meet me at the front door at two, oh, and bring a mask. We don't show our faces... what we do isn't strictly legal."
"What do you mean?" I say. "You're just playing music, and I don't have a mask."
"We don't really own the storage unit, but there is a total lack of security from two to half five, we slip the front desk man some money to keep quiet and he also tells us any information we might need. For fifty quid, he's happy to let us through. The masks are in case the other security guards catch us and we have to make a run for it, but usually, we have the unit locked back up before then. We can get you a mask on the way there."
"Wow..."
"Does that turn you off?"
"It sounds fucking awesome actually, but I've got to get back home, I'll meet you at the front entrance."
"Half one. See ya." She said, I walk away and back to the flat.