I
This story is meant to provide context and further detail as the story continues. There are thoughts, emotions, feelings, details even- that may seem missing. All in time.
Six's Perspective.
BAM! My head had just slipped from my propped hand to the hard classroom desk I snoozed on, waking me immediately.
I clasped the side of my face, wincing at the slight pain I had just caused myself.
"Ouch." I said quietly. I looked around the classroom, noticing the apparently barren desks and chairs around me. My physics professor sat in his leather chair with his feet propped up on his desk while he read what appeared to be a newspaper.
"You somehow managed to sleep through the entire lecture, as well as the fire alarm going off." He said. My professor had a serious J. Jonah Jameson "He's a menace!" look going on, as he had the same mustache and raspy voice as J. Jonah had in the Marvel movies.
I rubbed my eyes and groaned as I leaned back in my chair, looking at the horribly inaccurate analog clock above the door. It read '3:30', which meant it was around 5 o' clock. That would mean I slept for at least three hours.
"I'm sorry, I swear I don't stay up partying, I can't seem to sleep when I need to." I tried to explain, reaching for my bag. It's a little old and it has a few repaired tears in it. Why not replace it, right? Well, this bag was one of the last things gifted to me by my mother before she.. Passed.
"I know you don't, and really if it were anyone else I'd probably give them a hard time about it, but I know you've pretty much mastered this stuff. I know this subject comes especially easy to you, so I don't worry about you falling behind in content." He said, folding his newspaper and reaching for his half-full, cold cup of coffee at the edge of his desk. He brought the rim to his lip and exclaimed in remembrance.
"Mmh, oh I did figure something out while you were resting." He said, gesturing to his laptop screen. "Do you remember asking me about over-the-counter sleeping aids?" He added, with uncertainty in his voice as he finished his sentence.
I took my attention from the bag in my lap to him, blinking a few times as I took a second to process what he said.
"Uh.. I believe so, a few days ago." I scrunch my eyebrows before continuing. "There was that experimental product that I asked you to dig around for." I finished.
He brought his attention from the laptop, turned it around so I could see the screen, leaned back, and smiled.
I leaned forward and squinted my eyes to attempt to see what the hell I was looking at, to no avail.
"What does it say? My vision is garbage, you know that." I said plainly.
He made a face that looked like 'really'.
He turned it around so he could read it, and highlighted the parts he found most important.
"It says 'With the breakthrough of nanotechnological blah blah fancy words blah there is possible experimentation for a new kind of ingestible medication.'"
He used his fingers on the trackpad to scroll down the page.
"I swear I saw it say.. Ah there it is uh 'The S-419 FDA Approved experimental sleep aid has been officially distributed to nationwide pharmaceutical establishments.'" He finished, looking at me and raising his hands to shrug.
"If nothing else works, hell, I'd try it." He added.
I've tried so many drugs to try to help with sleep and nothing I try seems to work. I refuse to use dangerous substances such as codeine just in case I find it addicting and follow my father's path. Ever since my mother passed, a good night's rest has vanished from existence.
"Does it say when that article was published?" I asked.
He squinted looking at the screen.
"Not that I can tell.." He dragged out.
"Hm. Well I'll stop by a pharmacy and see if they have it yet." I said, looking out the window to my right.
Suddenly, the door handle twisted, and a slender female entered the room. I gave her a quick once-over to see if I knew her. I've definitely seen her around, she hangs out with Humphrey, one of my close friends. Well, close-ish. He and I have been friends since I moved next door to him in early grade school. Ever since then we got along really well and understood each other, as well as each others' personalities.
There was one person that understood him better than I did, and that was this girl. Kate.. something. I don't know her last name. In fact, I know nearly nothing about her. Humphrey liked talking about her but I never held onto the details he shared with me. Their relationship wasn't really my business.
Humphrey has mentioned that he has spoken about me to her several times, so I wouldn't be surprised if she perhaps recognized me.
I looked back to the window opposite the female, in silence.
"Hi there, Kate. What can I do for ya?" The professor inquired.
"I finished the report about thermodynamics early and wanted to give it to you before I possibly forget or something." Kate said. As I stared out of the window, I studied her voice. I've heard her talk before, although we've never interacted. Just haven't had any reason or opportunity, really.
Her voice reminded me of laminar. Her sentence flowed delicately, though with prudence. I liked her sound, her swift femininity as she approached his desk, papers in hand.
It was a quick transaction, a smirk on the professor's face.
"You always strive for excellence, a trait uncommon upon campus." He said as he slid the neatly collected papers into a generic-looking orange packet in a large, squeaky drawer.
Kate smiled.
"Thanks, professor." She said as she slid her bag back onto her shoulders. She turned to leave; her gaze traced along my figure, she stopped in her tracks.
"Hey, you're Six, right?" She asked, approaching me with a positive aura. Something I'm not used to.
I uneasily met her gaze and smiled.
"Correct." I said, extending my hand in greeting. Kate accepted the gesture. "Nice to actually meet you, instead of just.. Imagining you." I said, tapping the side of my head.
She let out a slight chuckle.
"Likewise." She replied.
Her aura was so unparalleled it was unbelievable I didn't meet her sooner. Her amber eyes, blonde hair, and slim yet athletic figure was beautiful.
"Humphrey's told me a lot about you, I imagine he's told you a bit about me?" I inquired. It wasn't exactly a question, more like a guessed certainty.
She nodded, returning her hands to her bag's shoulder straps.
"A bit." She replied. There was a slight pause in conversation, creating a slightly awkward environment. She gave the incorrectly timed clock a glance. "Well hey, would you like to walk with me? I'd love to chat with you but I've got to pick a few things up from the store before I head home, and it would give us time to get to know each other." She asked, uncertainly.
I tilted my head in thought. Kate is clearly more people-y than I am, considering I never would have asked that of someone I just met. Well, technically just met. To be fair, I'm also not all that approachable, and I do that purposefully. I don't really like social interaction all that much, but from specific people that don't seem like dirtbags or frat girls, it's okay every once in a while.
Kate seems like a really nice girl, so hey, what could go wrong?
"Yeah, that'd be nice. I need to stop at a pharmacy anyway." I said before getting up out of my seat. I reached for my bag when suddenly I felt extremely light headed and my vision vanished. I took a second to regain my senses; I knew what this was, I just stood up too fast. Not enough sodium in my diet, apparently.
I slid my bag on and joined Kate as we left the room.
"See you tomorrow, professor." I said as I let go of the door, and waved. He waved back, returning to his newspaper he seemed so interested in. Kate stood a few feet from me, patiently waiting for my slow butt to walk with her.
As we began to walk, I reached into my pocket for my phone to see if I missed any text messages, only to see that my phone was dead.
"Shit, my phone's dead." I said quietly, before looking at Kate. "Have you texted Humphrey recently? Wouldn't want him to think I'm up to no good If he sees me with you out of nowhere." I added half seriously, half jokingly. Humphrey wouldn't think I'm trying to do anything with Kate or anything, but at least telling him would be a good idea.
"Oh, yeah actually. He said he had some stuff on his mind and went to the gym." Kate replied. She seemed distant in that response, but I chose to ignore that.
"Without me, again? Almost seems like he doesn't like me anymore." I said fake pouting.
That got Kate to smile and look at me. Something about this girl makes it seem illegal to be anything but a nice guy.
"It's not that, trust me he's told me about it. He just has certain things that he feels he would say the wrong way and damage your relationship with him. I mean, there's a lot he doesn't even tell me." She said truthfully, then she looked at me. "Although he seems to really trust you, and I thank you for being there for him." She said thoughtfully, bumping into me on purpose.
I flashed her a quick smile, as I took a moment to think about Humphrey. He and I shared an unreasonably large quantity of horrible life events and experiences. Our parents, for example. There were things that differentiated us, though; like how we handle emotional trauma.
"Well, I also really appreciate you being there for him when I can't, or when I'm not." I said thankfully. I know he's an emotionally tough guy, but I know that I'm not always the most.. talkative guy in the room.
Kate took the moment to smile at me; I looked at her and genuinely smiled back.
I like this girl, she's thoughtful of emotion. Thoughtful of pain. There's a lot of thin ice in both Humphrey and I's lives. Though, I'm glad she's careful where she steps.
Kate and I finally reached the large, glass doors of the rather large building we traversed through. The moment we pushed through the exit, the icey temperature stabbed us violently.
I deal with the cold rather well, though to make conversation I decided to comment.
"Oof, that's brisk." I huffed, blowing vapor from my breath in her direction, which made her laugh. She took a moment to respond, seemingly studying me while she looked into my eyes with a warm smile.
"I see why you and Humphrey get along so well, not only are you two the toughest cats in the yard, you're genuinely humble people." She said genuinely as we swiftly walked along the cobblestone sidewalk.
"Well thank you. I'm not so much a social butterfly perhaps like yourself, but I do interact from time to time. There's no reason to be an ass, either. ninety percent of the people that interact with me are genuinely just nice people. Why reflect the other ten percent toward everyone I meet?" I said, slightly trailing on- imagining a particular student.
"I hope I fall in that ninety percent category of yours." Kate commented, slightly bumping me with a smile.
I looked at her thoughtfully.
"No, you see.. You have your own category." I started, looking ahead. "It's rare that anyone ever portrays such maturity and genuine heart such as yourself." I said, meeting her gaze again. "People in this category are the only ones who will ever truly see me; know me, even." I paused. "Which is why Humphrey is the only one I talk to nowadays." I paused again. "But now, today makes two." I added genuinely.
Kate smiled thoughtfully and leaned her head on my shoulder.
"That was very nice of you, Six." She said softly, letting her head rest against me. It was only then that I noticed she was slightly shaking. I thought something was wrong until I also noticed her nose turning a red-ish pink color. She's freezing.
"Kate- why didn't you say something, I have a sweatshirt in my bag." I slightly exclaimed, stopping and sliding my bag off.
"Oh, It's alright really It's not that cold." Kate said almost nervously, as she minorly trembled.
"Maybe so, but I wouldn't want my new friend to turn into a popsicle while I can help it." I returned mostly joking, but also seriously which as it would appear, she appreciated.
I pulled out my white sweatshirt and pulled it together to fit over her head. Kate slid her bag off and allowed me to fit it over her torso. She slid her arms through and pulled her hair out of the hood. The large sized sweatshirt was a bit big on her, which was cute.
"There. Better." I said, picking up our bags. Kate suddenly brought me into an embrace.
"Thank you, Six." She said angelically. I felt.. not uncomfortable, but uneasy. I'm not much of a hugger. The last person I genuinely hugged was my mother, and hugs have never been the same since, though I still returned her gesture.
When she pulled from the hug, I gave her a thoughtful smile.
"You're welcome, Kate. It's the least I can do." I said genuinely. After all, this girl has been the other fifty percent keeping my best friend from insanity.
She and I replaced our bags on our backs and resumed our walk to the store.
There was a small silence that filled the air. It wasn't an awkward silence; more of a content one.
"I have a question for you, though you have no obligation to answer." Kate said, looking at me, as I met her gaze.
I didn't say anything, as I simply nodded.
She looked down to the path below our shoes.
"Your name.. 'Six', where did it come from?" She asked delicately, meeting my gaze again.
I took a moment to answer, as I wasn't exactly prepared for that. People have asked before, but I usually just lied to them and made up some bullshit, but Kate- I won't do that.
"Well.." I started. Hell, how do I explain this.. "Six isn't actually my real name. Six came from when I was young." I continued, then paused. I don't know if I should tell her. The only person that knows about the details is Humphrey, and that took four years. I decided that I won't lie, though I just don't feel that it's a great idea to explain this to her just yet.
"It was a nickname I made for myself after my mother had passed. It has sentiment to me, and I've used it ever since." I finished, though I realized I sounded slightly gloomy in my answer.
"Oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't know it had to do with that.. I shouldn't have asked.." Kate said carefully, regretting her decision to say anything.
I shook my head in rebuttal.
"Kate, it's okay. I'm not upset. It doesn't hurt bringing it up." I said softly, wrapping my arm around her in comfort.
Kate sniffled. I had thought she was getting emotional, but it was just because of the cold.
"I just don't want you to think I'm trying to prod into your past. I know it's not my business, I just.. you're so thoughtful and I genuinely want to get to know you for real, instead of just tip toeing, asking Humphrey everything." Kate said, distressed; clearly. Before I could say anything she continued. "I've always seen you around, always wanted to talk to you, but you always just seemed so distant, so wronged that I didn't want to ruin any chance I had in being your friend." She finished.
At this point I figure the cold may be getting to her. The sun was going down and the clouds were rolling in, the temperature was definitely dropping and walking may not have been the greatest idea. Thankfully the strip mall was near.
I felt her forehead with the back of my hand.
"Kate, you're burning up. We need to get you home." I said. I may have just met the girl, but for the few friends that I keep, I treat them like family.
"Sorry, I get carried away in my thoughts sometimes." Kate apologized.
"It's okay, I forgive you. I'm sorry I never made the connection, either." I replied.
Kate simply smiled and rested her head against me again.
We finally reached the store we meant to walk to, which coincidentally is where I always park my car. Kate and I walked inside before I asked what items she needed.
"Oh, just a couple ingredients my mother asked for, she wants to make a special dinner tonight, it's my parent's anniversary." She said.
"Ah, I see. Well, let's make this quick so we can get you home, miss sickly." I said comically.
Kate giggled, before reaching into her pant pocket, revealing a small list of items, in which she shared with me.
I grabbed a small basket and we quickly explored through the mostly barren store for the few items she needed. Some broth, a few vegetables, seasonings and the like, and finally some garlic bread. We worked our way through the store cracking jokes, easing awkward tension and interacting in ways friends that knew each other for extended time would. It was honestly really nice.
We finally reached the checkout as I placed the basket on the automated grocery belt. The young, pimply cashier scanned and bagged the items for us before announcing the total cost.
"That'll be $32.14." He said plainly. Clearly he must love his job.
Kate patted her pockets for I assume her card or wallet only to quietly curse.
"Shit!" She said dreadfully.
I placed my hand on her shoulder in reassurance, as I pulled out my debit card.
"Oh, Six you don't have to do that." She said, holding the hand which held my card.
"It's alright, really. My treat." I smiled, placing the chip in the card reader.
Kate smiled thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Six. You're very sweet." She said, holding my arm close. I simply smiled.
The machine beeped and I pulled my card out.
"Would you like your receipt?" The cashier asked.
"No thanks." I replied. I put away my card and grabbed the two bags.
"Have a nice day." He said almost robotically, which I understand.
"You too." Kate and I replied in unison, as she and I walked out of the store.
"Conveniently, I park my car right over there all the time, so we don't have to call an Uber or anything." I said, pointing in the direction of my vehicle.
"Oh! I was about to call one." Kate said, putting away her phone, returning both hands to my warm arm, holding it close. I didn't exactly think anything of it, since I knew she wasn't feeling well with the cold and all, and hey, being a nice guy is the least I could do.
We reached my car, as I unlocked the doors with my key. Kate walked around to the passenger side.
"Nice car, Six.." Kate said prudently, meeting my gaze.
"Thanks, I know- It's such a beter, right?" I replied comically, which made her slightly giggle.
We got in and I started the car. I immediately adjusted the thermostat to make it warm for the ride to her house.
Kate brought her hands which were covered by the large sweatshirt to her face to warm herself.
"Thank you for all of this, Six.." I said thoughtfully.
"You're welcome, Kate. Now.. where to?" I asked, meeting her gaze.
She grinned before replying.
"Flavortown." She replied before laughing, not only because she thought her joke was funny, but also because of the face I made.
"Did Humphrey get you into saying that?" I asked chuckling. I remember him joking about that before.
Kate simply nodded cutely.
I grinned, shaking my head.
"You know, I've never actually seen the tv show." I said, plugging my phone in.
"Me neither. In fact, I hardly even watch TV anymore."
"Yeah, I just use Netflix and stuff nowadays." I replied, waiting for my phone to turn on. "Here.." I said, giving Kate my phone. "When that turns on just enter your address."
"Okay." Was all she said.
I put the car in drive and drove out of the parking lot, onto the dimly lit street in no specific direction while we waited.
Once my phone turned on she saw as my phone lit up what my lock screen picture was.
"Aww, you two are so cute." She said, looking at the image. It was a photo of Humphrey and I in a gym hyping up a little girl lifting two pound weights above her head. I glanced over at Kate, who simply smiled as she studied the image.
"My password is 0924." I said. There's not much I feel that I need to hide from Kate; well in my phone anyway, and I feel that I can trust her, so why not.
She entered the passcode and unlocked my phone. She took a moment to search for the Maps app, and swiftly entered her address.
"You trust me with your phone password? Not a lot of guys do that even when in a relationship." She added, shooting me a quick glance.
"Ha." I started. "Well, I trust you." I said genuinely, minding the road.
Kate looked over at me, handing me my phone.
"You do?" She asked delicately, though I'm not sure why. I gave her a quick glance.
"Of course. You've been there for my best friend for years. Trust is hard to aquire, but easy to keep- when it comes to me." I started, before giving her another glance. "Having great character also has a lot to do with it." I added.
Kate smiled, and looked at Six while he drove. There was a moment of content silence, though Kate simply admired him. Like said before, Humphrey had spoken about Six in the past, but there's only so much you can portray through words. Being among him, talking to him, and learning about him is all she needed to realize what kind of person he is
Kate's Perspective.
I admired him as he drove, following the directions on his phone. The longer the silence grew, the more I realized he looked so very tired.
"You look tired." I said quietly. He reached over to the radio and turned it up a little bit, easing the quiet away, before giving me another glance.
"Yeah, I don't sleep very we- shit, I forgot something." He said defeated.
"Forgot something? What, at the school?" I asked, unsure what he meant.
"No, I was going to see if that store had a new kind of sleep aid I was looking into." He replied.
"When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Six?" I asked concerned. I pulled an all-nighter a few weeks ago because of a project and it was horrible the day after.
He rubbed his neck and slightly grimaced.
"Good question. It's been.. years." He finished, looking at me.
My eyes went wide.
"How much do you sleep at night?" I asked.
"Well, sometimes I don't even sleep. I just.. Rest for a bit before finding something to do."
I was pretty much gobsmacked.
"So, what kinds of practices have you used to help?" I asked, since he said he wanted to try a new sleep aid.
"If you mean over-the-counter medication.." He paused. "All of them." He added, before looking at me. "Which is why I wanted to try a new one."
I took a moment to process what he had said.
"A- all of them?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah.." He said softly, returning his hands to the wheel.
"Oh my God, Six." I said sadly. I rested my hand on his shoulder. "Is it because of-"
"My mother?" He injected. "Yes. Well, yes and no." He said. "It's a few things. If I do eventually get some sleep, I have vivid nightmares about my past, and no matter how many times they replay over and over, they make me feel the same regardless." He finished, sounding gloomy.
"Six, I'm so sorry." I said, rubbing his shoulder.
He nodded.
"It's alright." He said softly.
I know that it's not, I can tell by the way he talks about it. I returned from rubbing his shoulder while in thought.
"Six, have I been too forward? I mean.. I technically just met you but I've felt like I've known you for months, through Humphrey." I started, thinking back to earlier today when I was holding his arm, or hugging him.
He looked at me carefully.
"Not at all." He started, returning his gaze to the road. "Well.." He paused. "Just a tiny bit, but nothing that made me uncomfortable." He assured. He carefully held his hand out, and I gracefully held his hand. He was so gentle as he caressed mine.
"There's a lot you will learn about me with time, if you decide to keep me your friend." He started, and I was about to respond to that last part, but he continued. "I don't keep a lot of people close, Kate." He added.
"Six.." I began. "I may have just officially met you today, but you are nothing like the other guys from our school. Once I began talking to you, I realized that you and Humphrey both have the same strong, yet careful attitude. I mean, when we were walking and you realized I was cold, you didn't hesitate to give me your sweatshirt. You helped me gather things in the store and since I lost my card, you even paid for it! -Which I will pay you back for by the way-." I said, genuinely, still holding his gentle hand.
Six gazed his bright blue eyes at me, rubbing my hand.
"You didn't hesitate to take me home either." I started. "-And you are asking for nothing but friendship in return." I added soothingly.
Six took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"There is nothing more valuable to me than the people I care about." Six then said.
I was taken slightly aback.
"You care about me?" I asked hesitantly, to which he replied diligently.
"Of course, ever since Humphrey started talking about situations where you stuck by his side in times of need, I've always cared about you." I said; meaningfully.
I considered what he had said, as I imagined interaction between Six and Humphrey, since I've never actually seen them together, except maybe in the gym once or twice.
What brought me out of my train of thought was the car coming to a stop in a neighborhood. I looked out of my window and saw my house with the porch lights on.
"This is the place, my dear." Six commented, putting the car in park. I smiled at him as we got out of the car.
Six walked with me up the slight slope of my driveway until we reached the front door, when we both stopped and faced each other.
"Thanks for taking care of me today, Six." I said softly punching his left arm. He smiled.
"Of course, I'm sorry you ended up catching a cold, I didn't expect the temperature to reach that low tonight" He replied, fiddling with his keys.
I smiled at him and carefully brought him into an embrace, which he gladly accepted.
"I hope you can sleep well tonight, I know you said you have nightmares.." I started, as we parted from the hug. "But I hope your mind rests at ease." I finished, gazing into his brisk blue eyes.
Six's Perspective.
Suddenly, the door opened and what appeared to be a mini Kate with brunette hair was standing in the doorway.
"Kate's home!" She yelled into the house before returning her focus onto Kate, than me.
"Who's that?" She asked Kate, pointing at me. Come on, I'm a person too you know.
"This is Six, a friend of Humphrey's." Kate explained, gesturing to me.
"Six?" Like.. the number?" She asked, looking at me. I simply nodded, which seemed to suffice as a response. Suddenly, an older gentleman, as I knew him their father, walked to the door.
He had a slight expression of unexpectancy.
"Six.." He started, looking me up and down. "I haven't seen you since.." He continued, though halting as he reached the end of his wording.
I simply nodded in agreement. The last time I had seen Winston was when he and his wife Evelyn attended my father's funeral. This was about four years ago.
Kate was just kind of standing there, unsure.
"You know him?" Kate asked her father, gesturing to me.
"Yeah, his father would bring him to the factory every friday when he was boy, so we'd hang out and cause mischief." He finished with a slight grin. That was surely unexpected, though Kate seemed content with his answer.
"Huh.. well, I'm going to take these inside." Kate said, raising the two bags of groceries. "Thanks for taking care of me today, Six." She said, brushing my arm, carrying a sweet smile as she entered the house.
I gave her an approving nod, and a small wave before she retreated further into the home.
Winston returned his gaze, he gave me a look of sympathy.
"How've you been, son?" He asked carefully. I know Winston was always such a caretaker of mine, and he would always tread lightly on topics I felt uneasy.
I let out a sigh. Not often do I talk about my feelings.
"I'm really trying to hang in there." I replied divergently. "I steer clear of a lot of things nowadays. Maybe more than I should." I added, rubbing my neck. "Hell, if your daughter hadn't started conversation today, I don't think I would have ever seen you again."
Aw, I'm sure things would have worked out some way or another, and hey- you finally met Kate." Winston gestured. "I remember you seeing photos when you were younger and you'd say you thought she was pretty." He said with a chuckle.
I gave a slight huff of laughter and nodded.
"At least I had that right. Bummer I didn't have any classes with her, I may have been around you guys more often."
Winston nodded.
"But that never meant you were unwelcome. I know that your father held you back a lot, I know he stopped you from doing things you enjoyed." He started. "I remember you showing me your stories and drawings. I always tried to encourage you, I'm sorry it led to.. Where it did." Winston apologized.
I shook my head and gave the ground a glance.
"It's not your fault, never was." I shot.
My father made it seem like my interests were wrong, that they made me less of a man. He hit me, God, I remember how he hit me. I would be held down and lashed with a belt to the point of bloodshed. My mother tried to stop him most of the time, but she was high on cocaine and whatever else she used. He would hit her too, if she tried to stop him.
I was too small, too feeble; powerless to do anything about it.
"Winston, dear! Who's at the door?" I heard Evelyn say as her voice grew louder the closer she got to the door. I saw her nicely dressed self appear from behind the open door.
"Oh hey, Six! Gosh, I haven't seen you in forever!" She exclaimed, embracing me in a hug. It may not have lasted long, but it felt needed. I enjoyed it.
When we parted, she whooped and reentered the home.
"Wow, it's really chilly outside! Why don't you guys come inside. Six, perhaps you'd like to stay for dinner?" Evelyn offered sincerely.
I smiled.
"I really appreciate the offer, ma'am, but I just don't think now is a great time." I replied thoughtfully. She looked disappointed, as did Winston.
"Well if you ever need a place to retreat to, we've always loved you, Six. You're more than welcome here." Evelyn said. Winston gave a slight smile and nodded.
"Always." He added. I smiled, though I remained silent for a moment. In fact, my eyes began to well ever so slightly. "Or, if you'd ever like to talk, -doesn't matter what about-, we're here with open arms." Winston continued. "I'm retired now anyway, I've got a lot of time on my hands." He added.
I looked at them thoughtfully.
"Thanks for being here for me you guys." I managed to say before my voice turned to stone. My emotions are sometimes difficult to understand; myself. I don't cry often, actually it's quite rare for anyone to see that, but these two saints were damn near about to.
Winston embraced me, and Evelyn took my hand.
"We've got your Six." Winston said, I suddenly let out a chuckle.
Winston retracted and smiled.
I began walking backward down the steps, giving a small wave.
"Thanks again for your offer, Eve." I said. She simply smiled and waved back.
"Any time, sweetheart." She replied, holding the door.
"See ya around, dad." I said, giving Winston a final wave. His smile broadened.
I returned to my vehicle, started it up, and let out a long sigh. I closed my eyes and gripped the steering wheel. I looked over at my phone, seeing my lock screen of Humphrey and I. The screen went dark, and I reached over for it. The time displayed '9:42', indicating that I managed to spend over four hours with Kate.
To say that it was timed strangely would be fitting. I unlocked my phone to see that Kate had opened the contacts app and entered her phone number.
I smiled and huffed.
"Sneaky." I whispered.
I put the phone down and put the car into drive. Perhaps I'll go to the gym now, I've definitely got a few things on my mind.
Damn near 6,000 words. Oof. Those of you that made it this far, thanks for reading the first 'chapter', I suppose you could call it.
If you have any thoughts regarding the story please feel free to leave a review, I'd be glad to receive feedback.
I know this 'chapter' may have been rather slow rolling, I apologize. I enjoy the details, but if it seems TOO slow, let me know.
Also, if you enjoy long 'chapters' like this one, let me know. If not, they will deflate to around 1 or 2 thousand words each.
Thanks again!