Hey guys! This is my first published story in about 5 years, so go easy on me!
Trevor will be more present after this chapter.
Thanks for reading!
The sun beamed down on a bustling downtown Los Santos on a Friday afternoon. An always busy area, no differences today as many walks of life trail up and down the boulevard the locally beloved Bean Machine was located. From business men and women making quick haste to get to their meetings, suitcase in tow, to the star struck tourists taking pictures everywhere they go. The streets of Los Santos were absolutely buzzing. Michael sat at a table close to the railings of the Bean Machines patio, awaiting the arrival of his "student", and friend, Franklin. They had made arrangements to meet up after the Big One – the Union Despository job – that made them overnight millionaires and retirees from a societal standard of living, as if they were ever that way to begin with. They had set up this meeting for some time after the heat from the heist had died down, deciding to lay low until this day. Michael fidgeted with his coffee lid, a tad unnerved from making his first public appearance in a little over two weeks. He heard the familiar sound of rap music with heavy bass, and he glanced up to see Franklin pulling into the parking spot behind his.
"Hey Frank!" Michael shouts from across the patio, seeing the young man get out, walk around the side of his car and cross the sidewalk. Frank put his hand up as a greeting, pulling the aviator shades from his eyes and resting them on his head.
"What's goin' on, man?" Franklin replies with a smile, holding his hand out for a shake. Michael shakes his hand firmly and pats him on the shoulder as Franklin occupies the seat next to him.
"Not a whole lot, just livin' the dream." Michael chuckles, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands on the back of his head, closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh. Frank snickers in response, leaning back in his own chair as well.
"Damn man, we did it!" Franklin exclaims, shooting up in his chair a little with excitement. Michael peeks one eye open and smirks.
"Yeah man, we did it. We fuckin' did it!" He replies back with a smirk. "You know, I'd been waiting a long time for that job. People dream of getting their college degrees, having a career, starting a family. " He exhales deeply. "That job, that job.. That was my fuckin' dream. For as long as I can remember. We truly did the impossible, kid. Something nobody on this god damn planet could replicate." He leaned forward, a serious look on his face. "We're anonymous legends." He said in a low voice, peeking around jokingly. Franklin snorted and shook his head, amused by Michaels dramatic tone.
"Ay man, I'm just glad I could be a part of it. Never thought I'd retire this early." Frank said, a little smug grin on his face.
"Well now you are. That's something to be proud of. It just feels good, you know? To finally have all of the shit, all of the craziness in my life validated. Makes me feel like a new man." Michael paused. "Speaking of crazy, you heard from Trev today?"
"Nah man, but that muthafucka did call me at 2am the other night babbling about he thinkin' he got crabs or some shit from some junkie biker bitch he was fuckin' wit a long time ago. I think dude was fucked up or somethin', made no damn sense." Franklin shook his head, still at times amazed with the things Trevor could come up with and have little to no problem sharing with whoever he thinks would, or forces to listen.
"You know F… I love Trevor. As much as I can't fucking stand him, as absolutely, positively out of his bat shit mind he is, that's still my best friend." "That being said.. I don't mind when he goes silent once in a while. It's a nice break." Michael admitted.
"Didn't you get a ten year break from the dude?" Franklin remarked. Michael shot him an annoyed look. He was always tired of Trevor bringing up what he had done so long ago, he didn't need to hear it from Frank too. "My bad, dog." Franklin said, putting his hands up in the air innocently.
Michaels expression softened, and he simply shrugged. "Sometimes I feel it wasn't enough."
Michael takes a long sip of his coffee, savoring the taste. He exhales deeply, taking in the scenery downtown. Franklin pulls out his phone to send a text message, his sunglasses occasionally falling down onto his face. He swears under his breath and takes them off, tossing them on the table, causing them to slide over to the other side. The volume of traffic in Los Santos had always been a slight annoyance, but today it wasn't so bad. Michael felt an inner peace within himself. Sure, his family situation still wasn't repaired, but it'd get there. Sure, there's always the slightest chance he'd be caught someday, or something else he may have done would bite him in the ass, but on this day, the first day in a very long time, he just – didn't care. He had accomplished what he believed was the biggest achievement in his life, and got away clean.
He gets lost in the thought of the future, tuning out the sounds around him. He takes another sip of coffee, sighing heavily to himself when he begins to feel oddly, uncomfortable. He could feel something, but couldn't place it. It was almost as if someone was staring at him, watching him. His eyes darted across the street, but he didn't see anyone out of the ordinary. He looked around the patio, on the sidewalk, down the side streets. Nothing. Nobody meeting his eyes, nobody sticking out to him. Despite this, he still couldn't shake the feeling. It was as if someone's eyes were burning into him, down to his core, reading his every movement and taking him in. Am I losing my mind? He thinks to himself, turning to Franklin who wasn't paying him any mind.
"Hey, F. Call me crazy, but do you see anyone…watching us?" He asks in a nonchalant tone, not trying to cause Franklin any alarm or drag him into this paranoid suspicion in case his mind was playing tricks on him. Franklin raised an eyebrow and looked around, squinting into the sunlight as he peered across the street and on both sides as well.
"Uh…nah man. Why? You think someone's creepin' on us?" He asked, turning to face him, his tone low. He slowly reached to the holster on his hip, showing that he was armed, in case some shit was about to go down.
Michael forced out a laugh and shook his head, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "Oh no, I haven't completely lost my mind to old age yet. I just – I just felt weird for a second. Like I was exposed. It must be all the caffeine." He raised his coffee cup and shook his head, putting on his own pair of sunglasses.
Franklin let out a small laugh and sucked his teeth, shaking his head. "Damn dog, you almost had me ready to shoot this strip up." He joked, putting his phone into his pocket.
Michael stood up, straightening out the jacket of his suit. "Let's go back to my place and have a drink, maybe we can meet up with T later." Franklin nodded and rose with him, grabbing his sunglasses off the table and putting them back onto his face. He turned and left the patio, stepping down the stairs and walking to his car. Michael passed the trash and tossed out his coffee cup, taking one last glance around the area before scoffing at himself, pulling his car keys out of his pocket and making his way to his own car. He gets in and rolls his window down, turning back to Franklin who's in his car parked behind him. "Meet ya there!" He yells out, and Franklin waves in response. Michael puts his keys in the ignition, hesitating as he takes another peek around the perimeter. He sighs as his third look gives him more reassurance, and the feeling begins to fade as he turns on his car and pulls out of the parking spot, driving off to Rockford Hills.