honeysuckle (j. t.)

I; achelois

achelois: she who washes away pain; a minor greek goddess

•✨•
josh pov

it was the last 10 minutes before my shift ended. i just wanted to get home. this tiny shop doesn't get much business, or maintenance, but it pays decently. as i was sweeping the cheap linoleum floors, the bells above the door jingled. in stepped a handsome man, dressed in a well-kept suit.

"hello sir, welcome to honeysuckle records! how can i help you?" i said with as much enthusiasm as i could muster at 11pm.

"i'm good for right now, sir. i'm just looking," the smart-looking man replied.

i smiled. looking at his face, i could see the dark colors under his eyes. it seemed as if he had been working nonstop recently. i don't think he got sleep often. looking away, i swept the dust and other shit from the floor into the dustpan and dumped it in the little trash can by the cash register, tapping it a few times just to be sure all the dirt was out. i looked up and admired the suit-clad man as i did so, noticing his strong build, but kind demeanor. the man walked up to the register as i was removing the money from it and putting it in the cash safe in the low-lit back room.

"i'd like to buy these. do you take card?" the man asked, resting some records on the counter.

"yes, we take card," i said, punching in the serial numbers for the records he decided to buy. "that'll be $45.71."

he swiped his card, picked up the records carefully, and then left. watching him go, i saw he didn't have a ring on his left hand.

"thank you sir!" i call behind him. he waved back to me with his free hand.

i finished closing the small shop, maneuvering through the walls of records to get to the door. using the small key the owner had given me and locking the door, i walked to my crappy old mazda and started the engine. pulling out of the parking lot, my mind wanders to the man in the shop earlier. the way his hair had been so carefully gelled back, the way his suit had been ironed, the way he so carefully touched each record. he seemed like he cared about all of the vinyls, holding them like they were prized diamonds instead of beat up jazz records.

as i arrived at my small apartment, my drunk neighbor stumbled out of his home. i jumped as he began to speak to me.

"heyyyyy josh. how're yooouuuu?" he slurred.

"uhm...uh...hi b-brendon," i stuttered, not really wanting to talk to him.

"did yooouuu finish yoooouuur shiifftttt?" he asked, clutching my shoulder for support as he clumsily leant against the hallway walls.

"y-yea...bren...i did," i said, pulling his dirty hand off my shoulder and trying to unlock my door as quick as possible.

i shoved the door open, and slammed it behind me. christ, that man scared the fuck out of me. i don't ever want to end up where he is. i set my keys on the kitchen counter in their specified bowl, and kicked off my shoes. i took off the little namepin i had made for myself and placed it by my keys. i walked into my small bedroom, stepping over blankets and opened the closet. flipping through several of my brightly colored clothes, i find my muscle tanks and pull one on, throwing off my blue sweatshirt. i put on sweatpants, and lie down in bed. sleep has almost reached me when again the man in the shop comes back into my mind. he looks like daddy material, i thought. no! stop! i tell myself. you'll probably never see him again anyway.

     as sleep slowly touched my mind again, thoughts of the man were the last i had.

•✨•

a/n: hi guys!! i hope you enjoyed the first chapter!!

word count | 711

q: what do you think of this exposition so far?

a: i like it a lot, i hope you do!!

please drink some water and eat if you haven't, take your meds, and love yourself, because i LOVE you!

-k