I'm the Secret You'll Swear to Keep

/Two/

"I can't cover your shift. That's the whole day." Patrick sighs into the phone. He wishes he wasn't awake right now to answer Mel's call. But he got caught watching Shane Dawson, and now it's midnight.

"I can't do the morning. I've got a date!"

"Switch shifts then. You take one until close. I'll take six until one."

Mel sighs. "I can do that."

Patrick smiles. "Great." Patrick says his goodbye and ends the call. He quickly sets his alarm to five in the morning. Sure, he hates mornings, but now he gets his afternoons completely free.

Now, he needs to sleep to get at least four hours. Is it going to kill his body? Surely. But he pulled nights like this all the time in highschool. What's so different now? Patrick tosses and turns, still wide awake. Maybe he'll just not sleep. Or he could watch some ASMR. Or he could count some sheep.

1

2

3

I wonder if Pete's asleep.

5

6

7

He's so handsome.

9

10

11

I bet he's great to cuddle with.

13

14

15

He's probably got a big--

Patrick's cut off by the squawking of his alarm. There's no way it's five already, he just fell asleep. A glance at the clock proves his nightmare is a reality. He flops back down, regretting that he took Mel's shift. She could've just switched her date time. That would've made it so much easier. Now, he's got to get ready at the crack of dawn and help cranky customers.

"Fuck," Patrick grumbles as he reaches up and stretches. He can't imagine doing this everyday. Either Mel has a strong will or she likes mornings.

Similar to his afternoon routine, he dresses, eats, and gathers his belongings. It's surely colder right now, and Patrick wraps his arms around himself as he walks. But it's also peaceful. There's not a hooker on the corner, there aren't many beeping cars, and the sun is casting a reddish tone on the sky.

This doesn't mean Patrick would do this everyday.

~~~

"How'd your date go?" Patrick cocks his head, leaning against the counter with his items in hand.

"Great!" She cheers, flashing a smile. "She's insanely sweet, Patrick."

There's no wonder Mel had a good date. She's sweet, and insanely gorgeous. Her hair s jet black, but not greasy looking. She's dyed streaks pink in the past, but they've since been removed. Mel has been lucky with the genetics lottery; proportionate face, clear skin, big brown eyes, and a slim build. She's one of the people that make Patrick feel ugly around her.

"I'm glad," Patrick smiles back, possibly happier only because his shift is minutes from being over.

"How's your love life?" She cocks her head.

She and Patrick are good friends. When he was hired, she was elated, mentioning how she pushed the bosses to hire him. She spoke about herself, allowing Patrick to speak about himself. Whenever Patrick would mention that he wanted to switch jobs, she would beg him not to. She didn't want Patrick to leave her, scared he'd end up like his parents. So he stayed, and their friendship grows strong.