Spine

Ayden was reading a library book on the crumbling excuse for a park bench, when a pair of legs appeared in front of him.

“Excuse me, have you got the time?” the owner of the legs inquired.

Ayden looked up, to see that the owner of those fabulous legs was, indeed, the man from the café. He grinned a stupid smirk, as he fought for control over the colour of his face.

“Yeah…” he replied in a mumble, admiring the man from below. Even the least flattering of angles didn’t ruin him.

The man began tapping his foot in that way that had driven Ayden wild at the café.

“Oh, right!” Ayden muttered. “Right, it’s ugh…” he looked at his watch, stealing another gaze down his legs in the process, “It’s half past five. Almost.”

“Yeah, well, how much is almost?” The man’s tone was cold. Far colder than what Ayden was hoping for.

He swallowed and looked at his watch again. “It’s twenty-six past five.” He looked up. “Sir”

The man nodded and muttered a “Thank you” before rushing off. As Ayden watched those legs disappear at a pace far greater than anything he could ever manage, he wished for something, anything, to have taken the cold out of the gap now between him and the man, whose name he didn’t even know.