Standing in the Dark – Chapter Fourteen
"What the hell are you doing here?"
An eerie hush falls over the strangely crowded coffee shop. It's almost one o'clock and a lot of people are on their lunch break. The shop isn't exactly a celebrity hot spot, but almost every table was occupied by college students who were still exhausted from morning classes in desperate need of a latté and a few businessmen and women who all seemed to have the same navy, black, or khaki pantsuit attire.
The customers stared at the three men that had entered the shop, looking more curious than shocked by the outburst from one of the workers behind the counter. The man who stood in the center of the three, a tall blonde, nervously gazed at the customers before turning his eyes to the counter. His eyes were still adjusting to the dim light of the shop as the speaker made their way around the counter and finally came to a stop in front of the three.
"Well?"
Kendall could see him now. It was the man who had practically knocked James and Logan to the ground the day before. He felt anger rise inside of him but he pushed it back. He wasn't going to let his anger get the best of him anymore. He wasn't going to make things worse. He wasn't going to be his father.
Locking eyes with the brown-eyed man in front of him, Kendall was silent for a moment before gesturing towards himself and the other two as he introduced himself, "I'm Kendall. This is James and Logan." The introduction was brief, but the blonde's heart was racing so fast he could hear the blood pumping in his ears.
The man who stood in front of him narrows his eyes and crossed his tan arms in front of his chest. "I know damn well who you are." The comment stung, and Kendall winced, but he watched the man intently as he continued to speak. "I asked why the hell you're in my shop."
The customers had returned to their own conversations, the four men forgotten as they resumed their afternoon lunch break. Most of them only got thirty minutes after all.
Kendall, James, and Logan did not answer the man immediately. They knew by his harsh tone that he knew exactly who they were, what they had done, and obviously had a strong but low opinion of them. Logan exchanged a worried glance with James, as if afraid of saying the wrong thing. This might be their only chance to find Carlos – they didn't want to blow it by making this guy any angrier with them then he already was.
The man sighed and let his arms fall to his sides in defeat. He looked more exhausted and defeated then angry now, and the three men in front of him relaxed. He held an arm out in Kendall's direction, locking eyes, "Bradley Owens."
Kendall took Bradley's hand and shook it, giving him a weak smile as he did so. Before he could say anything, Bradley continued, "Carlos told me that if you three ever showed up, I should make you leave immediately."
Logan noticed the way the blonde's voice faltered as he spoke, sounding like his mother when she used to worry about him when he was a child.
"So you're friends with Carlos then?" James questioned, feeling relieved that Carlos hadn't been alone in the three years that they were apart. Bradley's eyes flickered from Kendall's face to James', a flash of anger burning in his brown orbs.
"Yes, I am." Bradley muttered through gritted teeth. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't want to push it, so he kept his mouth shut.
Kendall let his gaze fall to the tile floor beneath his feet as he shifted on his weight nervously. His heart was still racing and he wasn't sure if it was from suppressing his anger or the knowledge that this guy could kick them out at any moment. Why hadn't he anyway? He'd just told them that Carlos wanted them thrown out immediately. "We're here to apologize to him."
James and Logan nodded in agreement, watching as Bradley scanned over the three of them. His expression changed so quickly, it was hard to keep up. For a moment he looked angry, then sad, then… relieved? The relieved expression was gone so quickly; Logan almost missed it, and was replaced once again with anger.
"The three of you, listen to me." Bradley began, looking almost disgusted. "It's been three years since you guys dumped him on his ass for a god damn popularity contest. It's been three years since Carlos showed up right where you're standing, drenched in rainwater, and looking like hell on legs. I've been his best friend for the past three years and he's gotten back on his feet and he's finally getting better."
His words stung all three of them. Logan noticed how James and Kendall tensed as Bradley practically spat the words 'popularity contest', and Logan cringed when the man referred to Carlos as 'hell on legs'. It was their fault that he had been that. They had thrown him in to hell for a popularity contest – and they hadn't thought twice about it. But this is what they were here for. To apologize.
But what did Bradley mean by he was finally getting better? Logan wanted to ask, but he kept his mouth shut in fear of making things worse. It was like walking on eggshells, and they hadn't even spoken to Carlos yet.
Bradley narrowed his eyes and glanced at the customers. Even though none of them were paying the four men any mind, he didn't want anyone to overhear this conversation. He took a step back and motioned for the boys to follow him with a nod of his head.
Leading them past the counter where a newbie was trying to work the whipped cream machine, Bradley walked into the hallway that lead to the staircase that lead to the studio upstairs. The hallway was empty and the walls were covered in dark mahogany wood, the only light coming from a small dome-like light fixture attached to the ceiling. The hallway was quieter than the shop, which made having the conversation much easier.
Leaning against the dark wall and staring at the boys across from him, Bradley bit his lip and averted his gaze to the end of the hallway where there was a dip in the wall that lead to the staircase. He knew Carlos wouldn't come down, but he was nervous all the same. Looking back at the boys, he spoke, "Why did you pick now to ruin everything?"
Kendall cleared his throat before speaking, a bit offended by Bradley's words, "We're not here to ruin anything, Bradley. We're here to apologize, like I said."
"Don't you get it?" Bradley snapped, causing the three boys to jump, "Apologizing will just make things worse." His voice was shaking, and he bit his lip again, but he refused to continue.
James exchanged a glance with Logan and Kendall before speaking up, heart pounding in his chest, "What do you mean, make things worse?"
Tears brimmed Bradley's eyelids, but none fell as he almost broke the skin on his lip with his teeth. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them and letting out a drawn out sigh. Looking back up at the boys, he shook his head and spoke quietly, "It just will. I think you should leave."
"But we need to apologize. He was our best fr-" Kendall was cut off as a shout came from the end of the hall, towards the front of the shop. A tall man with long dreadlocks and a uniform similar to Bradley's was eyeing the four of them with a cross between a frown and an amused smile. It was a strange look that seemed to confuse even Bradley, who eyed the man.
" 'Ay, Brad, the newbie's gone n' made 'nother mess. We be needin' some help cleanin' it up." The guy spoke; jumping over his words with so much energy it was tiring just listening to him. Bradley shook his head pulled away from the wall, making his way towards the man.
"Nate, you were supposed to be supervising him." Bradley growled as he pushed past the man and eyed the splattered whipped cream that covered half of the small kitchen. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Bradley didn't even look back as Kendall, James, and Logan walked into the kitchen.
Logan placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, "We need to talk to Carlos, man."
Bradley turned around and glared at Logan, inches away from his face. He locked eyes with Logan for a moment, anger flashing in his brown eyes again before he broke away from Logan's gaze and glared at all three of them. "Get out. All of you."
"But-"
"Ya' heard him. Get out!" Nate was frowning now, all hints of amusement gone from his expression now as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Bradley, obviously recognizing the boys now. It was obvious that Nate was friends with Carlos as well. And he shared a very similar opinion with Bradley about the three of them.
James and Kendall backed up, but Logan locked eyes with Bradley again. He was desperate. He couldn't leave without contacting Carlos. He couldn't live another day without apologizing for what he had done to one of his best friends. "Could we at least leave him a note? A message? Something?" He begged.
The angry look on Bradley's face softened and pity overtook him. "No. But I'll give me your phone number. I'll talk to Carlos and if he wants to talk to you, I'll give you a call. But if he doesn't, then you'll have to live with it."
Logan nodded quickly and watched as Bradley pulled an old sticky note off of the bulletin board that hung on the wall and flipped it over, offering the paper to the raven-haired man along with a pen. Scribbling down his phone number, Logan shoved the paper into the blonde's hand before turning away.
"That's it? What if he never calls, Logan?" Kendall protested as the raven grabbed him and James by their sleeves and pulled them out of the shop, the door chiming as it swung shut behind them,
Nate and Bradley stood in silent for a moment, staring at the door. The blonde let his gaze fall to the yellow paper in his palm with the number written in black ink. He closed his fingers over the slip and tucked it into his pocket.
"You're not gon' call him, are ya? After what they done to Carlos." Nate asked, watching as his friend tucked the paper away.
Ignoring Nate's question, Bradley turned around and observed the mess. The newbie, a seventeen-year-old junior at a private high school just outside of town, was scrubbing at the messy counter with a wet dishrag. Feeling sympathetic, he turned to Nate and whispered into the man's ear, "Help the kid clean up. Don't give him a hard time about it. I'm going to go see what Carlos is doing."
Nate nodded; looking slightly upset that Bradley had completely ignored his question, before walking over to the newbie and beginning to help him.
"Carlos?"
The sound of his name was followed by a knock at the wooden door that separated his studio from the rest of the shop. Looking up from his tan palms, Carlos gazed at the door for a moment. He recognized Bradley's voice and took a deep breath. "You don't have to knock, Brad."
The door opened with a creak and the tall, dirty-blonde man stepped into the studio. A white backdrop hung against the far wall and light stands surrounded a black camera that was perched on top of a tripod. Framed photographs, all taken by Carlos, of course, lined the opposite wall and the windows beside them looked out unto the city. Carlos was sitting on the floor beside the windows, watching the town with sad eyes.
Bradley sighed. Seeing the boys yesterday, even briefly, had taken a toll on Carlos. The past three years had been rough. His friend refused to be official diagnosed by a psychiatrist, but Bradley knew he had fallen into depression. He was slowly getting better, though, but seeing Kendall, James, and Logan yesterday had triggered something in Carlos' mind, and it drove Bradley crazy to see his best friend in so much pain.
He was a lot better than the first year, though. The latino used to go days without sleep, stare at nothing for hours, and barely ate at all. The pain from losing his best friends, being shamed by the town that put him down constantly for 'leaving' the band, and the trauma from being nearly beaten to death had dragged Carlos into a deep depression. It had taken a lot of work, coaxing, and motivation, but Bradley had finally gotten Carlos to function again. He helped his friend enroll into the photography school a few blocks down from the shop, and Carlos nearing the end of his second year there, and Carlos had begun to get better.
He still had about two years left at the school before he would be able to actually begin his career as a photographer, but in the meantime, he took photos for a few magazine advertisements, wedding photos for a few lucky couples, and basically took any job he could find to get himself some experience. Slowly but surely, he was getting better – at photography, at overcoming his illness, everything.
But seeing his older friends hadn't helped much at all. In fact, it had thrown him at least a mile back on the road to getting better.
"I know, but I wasn't sure if you were working on something." Bradley said as he crossed the room, careful not to step on any of the paper and film that littered the floor. He reached Carlos' spot by the windows and knelt down beside him, gazing out the window as well. "What are you thinking about?"
"I don't know."
Crossing his legs, Bradley rested a hand on Carlos' shoulder, rubbing circles into the tense muscles with his thumb. "I know seeing them was hard but-"
Carlos pulled away from Bradley and quickly stood up, staggering across the studio and ignoring his friend's words. "I got a job today. A lady who came to the shop a few weeks ago and saw my photography advertisement on the bulletin board. She said she wants me to take pictures at her son's birthday party. Apparently it's supposed to be a huge party. The kid has a role on some hit tv-show and the entire cast is going to be there."
Bradley sighed but remained where he sat. Flashing a smile at Carlos, who turned to see what Bradley though of the job, he responded, "That's great! The cast and crew might see your pictures and see how amazing you are and get your name out there."
Carlos smiled and looked at the ground, all bad thoughts gone as Bradley's compliment rang in his ears.
It was no secret that the there was something between the two of them. From Nate, who had been one of Bradley's best friends since grade school, to one of the most rare of customers, who barely came to the shop once a month, knew there was something there. They knew it too, but for some strange reason, they never acted on it.
Hell, they hardly even thought about it. The fear that there might be something more than friendship between them scared them both – and they had no idea why.
"But, Carlos, we need to talk about what happened yesterday."
The latino frowned at his friend and Bradley gave him a pleading look. The way the boys had practically begged him to let them apologize was tearing at his nerves and he knew he had to do something. Maybe their apology would help, rather than hurt.
"I don't want to." Carlos turned away and walked a few more steps, the two of them on opposite sides of the studio now. There was a small, dark cabinet that sat against the wall, and as Carlos pulled open the door, Bradley watched with sad eyes as he pulled out a half empty bottle of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.
Watching as Carlos took a swig from the bottle, Bradley turned away from him and looked back out the window. He closed his eyes as he heard Carlos take a few more drinks from the bottle before he looked back and saw his friend swaying on his feet. He was smiling with eyes closed, bottle hanging loosely from his hand. His mouth opened slightly and words spilled from his mouth like syrup.
"You know, the more you drink this stuff, you really don't mind the taste."
And he took another sip.
As promised, here is the newest chapter!
I know it's shorter than my most recent chapters, but I wrote this on Sunday and I was going to revise it before posting today but I had to write three essays for the state exam this morning in four hours so... yeah I'm not going to do that.
Anyway, I really hope that you guys like it! I hope that I haven't lost too many story followers since I abandoned this story for so long, but I'm happy for all of those who stayed! I have another exam tomorrow so I probably won't post anything for a few days but hopefully I'll get something in this weekend or sometime next week?
And thank you for all of the reviews that you guys have been leaving for me! I read them all and appreciate all of the feedback! Keep them coming!
That's all for now ~ Carnie
PS: I BOUGHT PRESALE TICKETS FOR THE CONCERT IN DALLAS ON JUNE 29TH AND I'M REALLY EXCITED! I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M TELLING YOU GUYS THIS BUT IT'S REALLY AMAZING OK THIS WILL BE MY SECOND TIME SEEING THEM IN CONCERT AND THIRD TIME I'VE MET THEM OR SEEN THEM IN REAL LIFE OK I JUST SLKFNLSDKNGLKASNGLKDSNALGK