Three days later, Wednesday. ‘Maybe, I don’t know. Should I’ve had called him?’ Timothy asked himself. ‘And… should I keep going on with this?’ He held a pack of cigarettes in his hand. Laid forward, his head turned to the ground, no real focus in his eyes. And his hands were shaking. ‘How is this even possible… never planned to be here by now.’

He wore a blue vest and hat. As well as a name tag on his right chest and a headset. ‘A dream life, right now.’ As he laid backwards and looked to the sky, a big, yellow sign was on the roof of the building behind him. Fast food, the only last-minute job available at the moment, for someone without any perspective. ‘McB’s… I always hated fast food…’

Two persons came outside, his co-workers, the same uniform. The left one, Kris, blond, curly hairs and a little three day beard. Some freckles on the cheeks, turquoise colored eyes. Around his twenties, just like Timothy. ‘Always a pretty nice, decent guy, but… .’ Kris smiled at him, even though it was only short and weak. Beside him walked Bethany. Short hairs, shaved on the sides, and styled like a wave. Pink colored, with black highlights. She had a little scar above the right eyebrow. ‘He is way too clingy. Poor guy.’ Timothy thought. Bethany glared at him, her glance was full of anger, fury. Her eyes were a bright, blending silver. ‘Wonder what’s behind those contacts.’

She wanted him to leave, Timothy kept sitting. And shook his head.

They walked toward him. “Why don’t you just get lost? Piece of sh*t!” she said. Pretty harsh words, out of the blue. “A nice greeting for the new co-worker,” Timothy said. Rumors were actually the worst for any situations. “I heard everything, you're trash.”

Timothy scratched his forehead, tried to ignore her, which did not improve her mood at all. “Just keep down Beth, or at least listen to his side, maybe?” Kris said to her. A nice try to deescalate the situation, just not enough. As he thought, a nice guy at heart, just a bit too clingy. He looked concerned about Timothy, but most of his focus went to Beth, a desperate try. “You’re right, why not? Then tell us, how was it? Or can't you? Wanna do the same to us?” She came close to him, stared at his face, his eyes. By a glance at his colors, she flinched a bit. “Just leave me alone. I’ve had enough of this bullshit.” He stood up and went inside the restaurant.

Bethany said nothing again. The look of Kris was full of pity and anxiety.

After the end of his shift and a traveling three stations with the bus, he was standing in front of his door. And hesitated to go inside. Looking around, he saw the hallway, old and rusty. None, neither the walls nor the ceiling were renovated. Everything was full of mold, or flaked off. The lights flared. It looked cold and everything but inviting.

“F*ck my life,” he said before entering his apartment. It was cramped. Left of him the kitchen, like a meter wide, with old, black fat over the wall. After that, a small bedroom. A bed, probably not even big enough for a little teenager, let alone a fully grown man. Right in front of him the bathroom, with a shower full of… mold. On the right side a wardrobe in the wall. “Home, sweet home.”

He laid down in his bed, and reflected about the day. And about, what waited in the future. “Should I call him already?” he asked himself while looking at his phone. The sign of ‘no messages’ haunted his mind. ‘Does he even think about it?’ Was it even worth, to keep this going on? With another guy that he knows for like four days? But a certain feeling kept sticking to the memories about Chandler. ‘When his face comes to my mind, this electricity I felt comes back.’ A feeling that warms ones heart.

‘Or maybe…’

He rubbed the back of his head. ‘How could it be after only few sentences?’ Then he stared out the window. A little rain shower fell down, the sky had some clouds, but a few spots where bright blue. ‘It looks just as torn as I’m right now.’ He started writing.