Crimson and Silver

Sometimes Plans Change

The next morning, I woke up to a pounding on my office door. I sighed, pushing the empty glasses away from me, so I could push myself off the desk. Grumbling curse words under my breath, I quickly rolled up my sleeves and opened the door. “What is it?” I grumbled. Cash stood behind it, breathing heavily and clutching his knees. I raised an eyebrow, staring down at him. The younger man quickly ran inside, shutting the door behind him. All the while, he was trying to catch his breath.

          “What the hell is up with you?”

          “My boss is pissed! What did you do yesterday?”

          I stared at him with even more confusion. The look on his face was pure terror. There was no way he was faking this. With a sigh, I forced him to sit down in my chair, folding my arms across my chest. Cash held his chest, his wet blonde hair caked with sweat. It almost made me angry to see him so terrified. What exactly happened? The boss was angry, but about what? I hadn’t done anything to them for them to be angry.

          Cash caught his breath, quickly restarting the conversation. “What happened with you last night? The boss was angry and told me that you were a traitor,” He began in a rush, “Something about you… working with the vampires?” My jaw began to clench. How in the hell did he hear about that? It all happened in such a rush. Could he have been spying on me? I knew these people were not to be trusted! Who knows what all they discovered about me? There is endless possibilities to how much they know about me or what I’ve done.

          “Angel came by and almost choked me to death! I tried to fend her off, but nothing was working! She was way too strong for me. Then, after I was scared to shit, she ordered that I… bring her somewhere. After that, she just disappeared! I don’t know what is wrong with your damn boss, but I ain’t done anything to ruin your ‘trust’.”

          Cash nodded slowly, wiping sweat from his forehead. The man seemed to believe me, but it wasn’t him who had been confused. My jaw tightened, and I felt as if my own anger was being fueled by something different now. After what happened yesterday, I couldn’t risk getting angry over stupid things again. The young man in front of me seemed to relax me as his eyes trailed over me. He could see the anger in my eyes, but he didn’t speak much about it. His presence was calming enough.

          That sounds pretty odd coming from you.

          Rolling my eyes, I leaned against my desk, quickly grabbing a cigarette. As I lit it, Cash began to speak again. This time, his voice was lowered, almost quiet. “I’m sorry, Booker. Today has just been… very confusing. I didn’t suspect anything of you, but… they did,” He said. I nodded, giving him a small smirk of reassurance. I offered him a cigarette, but he refused it politely. I didn’t see him as much of a smoker anyway. I saw him as a perfect male figure, with no need for booze or nicotine. Sometimes I wish I could be that man again.

          “I ain’t doubting you.”

          Cash smiled, rising from his seat. His eyes circled my office, searching for nothing in particular. He was trying to keep his eyes busy. Was there something else he wasn’t telling me? It must’ve been hard for him, because he took a while to bring it up. I didn’t rush him, seeing Cash as a good ally. Being friends with him was a benefit to myself, not just something to pick fun with. The young man turned to me with a sour expression, but the words that came from his mouth were completely genuine.

          His mouth opened slowly, and he began to speak words in frantic, jumbled sentences. “B-Booker… I really appreciate you… being a friend to me lately,” He mumbled, “I know that we don’t know each other well, but I don’t have anyone around to really talk to me. You’re the only person who’s even been nice to me in a long time. I know this probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to me.” I smiled, reaching over to ruffle his blonde hair. The boy grinned, shoving my hand away with a huff.