Impenetrable Heart | The Oneshot Collection

Cabin Fever

     7 o'clock... 8 o'clock... 9 o'clock...

     John sighed heavily, watching as the hours ticked by, his only amusement the occasional groan or grumble from Alex, who sat at his desk engrossed in work.

      In short, a typical Friday evening in the Hamilton-Laurens household. 

      Once 11 o'clock came and went with no sign of change, he eventually decided to pester the other.

     "Leeeeex," he whined, wrapping his arms around Alex from behind.

     "Jooooohn."

     "C'mon, let's do something. Go out, go to Laf and Herc's, anything."

     "They took the car to the repair shop," Alex said, still typing away on his computer. "Besides, it's late. Everything is closing."

     "I'm sure not everything is closed-"

     Alex spun in his chair, meeting John's gaze with an amused smirk.

     "I thought you hated going out?"

     John frowned, plopping heavily onto the couch.

     "I do, but I hate staying inside all the time more."

     With summer in full swing, and classes finally over, the group of four were left to their own devices for the remaining months. Alex opted into a few summer classes (to which John remarked 'what sane person does school over the summer?'), while John slipped in whatever part-time work he could find. Mowing, gardening, raking leaves, even walking dogs just to make up for the money he had wasted throughout his college career. 

     "I really need to finish up these assignments," Alex said. "Online classes are basically made up of these stupid papers."

     "Please?" John frowned and stuck out his bottom lip in what was possibly the most pathetic attempt at getting Alex to comply.

     "That's hot," Alex laughed. "Post that one all over the internet."

     "Hardy har-har," John chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You aren't giving me an answer."

     "Can't we wait until morning? Oh wait, you don't wake up until 1 PM-"

     "-What happened to you being spontaneous?" John challenged, crossing his arms. "C'mon, all you do is work."

     Alex sat back in his chair, lowering his eyebrows in a look of contemplation. "Alright."

     "Alright?"

     Alex sprang up, waiting across the room like a man on a mission. 

     "You want spontaneous, let's be spontaneous," he said, slipping on his sneakers.

     "So just like that?" John sprang from the couch as well, feeling an unmistakable burst of excitement- the first in a while. "Where are we going then?"

     "Anywhere," Alex said, tossing a flashlight to John. "The night is ours for the taking."

     ...

     The night air was still, heavy with summer humidity that felt as though someone had suspended the sea into the sky and painted it black. John yawned, airing out the front of his t-shirt which already had begun to cling to him.

     "So where are we going exactly?"

     "No idea."

     "So we're out here without a plan then?" John side-eyed Alex, who kept his face in an unreadable expression. If he were to call it anything, however, it could pass as something of determination.