Happy

[010]

Zooey was at the Bar & Grill, despite it being ten to two in the afternoon. She liked the place, and she liked the people there. The people there liked her too, so it didn't really matter that she hung out on some days, bumming off free drinks. They were happy to give the free drinks to her – especially on days as such, when their normally chirpy and cheeky colleague was looking very clearly upset, weighed down by an invincible weight on her shoulders.

She sat on the bar stool, back against the bar and a bottle of Coke in her hands – for it was way too early to be drinking and she had things to do afterwards, as well as work that night.

Her eyes were focused on the telly that was placed in the corner of the place, but she wasn't really concentrating on it. Her mind was elsewhere, so she didn't notice when someone pulled out the stool next to her and settled down on it; forearms leant on the counter almost touching her elbows.

"Hey you." The familiar American accent flitted into her ear which was then preceded by a gentle shoulder nudge from her side.

Zooey turned, smiling when she saw him sat there. "Hi." She tried for a cheesy grin, but she failed.

"Is this the only place you come to?" He teased light-heartedly.

She shrugged. "I like it here."

"I would be sick of this place if I worked here every night."

"You do come here every night, though." Zooey pointed out, blinking her eyes as he rolled his.

"That's different." He waved her off casually; making her laugh softly under her breath as she turned away from him – eyes focused back on the telly. "Hey," he nudged her again.

"You okay?"

"Hmm?" She hummed distractedly.

"You okay?" He repeated, genuine concern glowing bright in his eyes this time as she looked him in the eyes.

She blinked, tongue darting out to run across her lips. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"When someone says they're fine, it really means they aren't. So come on, spit it out." He joked though there was an underlying tone of seriousness.

She managed a breath of laughter, breaking eye contact again as she looked down at the bottle in her hand. She opened her mouth, thinking about talking, but deciding against it. She popped her lips quietly before turning to look at him. He was already staring back at her – eyes filled with concern.

"Let's take a walk."

-----

"So are you going to tell me what's really wrong now?"

They had downed the rest of their chosen beverages before exiting the Bar & Grill, walking with no particular destination in mind. They stayed silent for the most part – Zooey looking as though she was deep in thought and disturbed by something while Alex was trying to be patient as he waited for her to open up to him.

He'd been patient for a good ten minutes while on their walk before he decided he couldn't take it anymore, breaking the comfortable silence that accompanied them on their walk.

She glanced up then, with a sigh. "I've to go to the hospital in a few."

"The hospital?" Alex echoed, frowning.

"Yeah." Zooey nodded. "My dad." She explained, and he hummed in realisation. "I visit him almost every day – like, once in two days, I've never gone longer than that without visiting him."

"What's different now?" Alex asked, eyebrows knotting together lightly on his forehead.

"My mum..." she trailed off, clearing her throat. "My mum said that the doctors don't know what to do. Dad's condition is getting worse day by day, and it's only a matter of time until...– " She gulped, shaking her head. "I don't want to say it out loud because that makes it so much more real. Right now, I – I find myself wishing that I'd just wake up. And that, maybe, by some miracle: Dad would wake up, too. I just – "

Alex blinked, mouth opening and closing, before he reached out to her; wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his chest. Both of his long arms circled her smaller body as her hands gripped the back of his coat, face buried deep into his front. They were in the middle of nowhere – on a bloody pavement – and they both had no desire to move. They were content in their embrace – Alex being happy to give her comfort, security; while Zooey was grateful for the comfort and security he gave her.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled into her ear, placing a kiss on her forehead. "That sucks, and no one deserves that; and I'm sorry."

"S'not your fault." She mumbled against the fabric on his chest.

"Yeah but... It still sucks." He shrugged lightly, using the most generic word ever since there was a lack of a better term. It made her chuckle softly, though, so he smiled a little wider, nuzzling his nose in her hair.

"More than a vacuum," she nodded.

"More than a prostitute."

"More than a kid with a lolly."

"More than me."

She pulled away then, eyeing him. "Sucked many things in your lifetime, then?" She asked softly, eyes still sad but a small smile present on her lips. It didn't matter to him that the smile was small – it only mattered that he could see the little sparkle in her eyes that was only present when her smile was genuine, the size of which did not matter.

"Yeah, quite a number, actually." He replied thoughtfully, before he paused; "We are talking about dicks, right?"

Zooey laughed then, and Alex broke out into a cheesy grin. It was always him cheering people up and helping his mates with their problems, only to have them pretend like his problems didn't exist when he needed help; when he was distraught and lost. But with Zooey... He was proud to be the one to cheer her up, because he knew that she'd never turn her back on him. Despite them only knowing each other for over a week, they'd gotten close and they had a certain bond that couldn't be formed with any other person.

It was the type of bond in which both parties knew that they were both going to eventually need the other's help and so they'd help when needed. In which they could talk about the most random shit ever, only to switch over to a serious topic moments later. In which they could trust each other to not say anything to anyone else about what they'd just told the other.

Bonds like that couldn't be forced. It was either you had it with someone, or you didn't.

Alex and Zooey had that bond – and they both knew it, thus why they told each other things as easily as talking about the weather or the game last weekend.

"Zo?"

"Hmm?"

"If you need anything – anything at all, and I mean it, – call me, alright?"

"'Lex – "

The young man in question shook his head stubbornly. "Don't ''Lex' me. You've been there for me since I came here and got fucked up and shit. At least let me be your friend."

"You are my friend."

"Then let me be the friend. Call me if you need anything, okay? I mean it. You want ice-cream from the truck later? Call me. You wanna go get drunk after you visit your dad? Call me. You just wanna sit on the couch and watch crappy tv for the rest of the day? Call me. You want to cry? Call. Me."

She looked at him for a moment before she breathed a laugh, shaking her head in amusement as she pulled away from him. "Yeah," she replied after a moment. "Yeah, I got it. Thanks 'Lex."

Alex smiled. "What for?"

Zooey shrugged a shoulder, burying her hands into her pockets. "For coming into the bar and being a whiny drunk on your first night back."

"S'no problem." Alex laughed. "Best decision I've made in quite a while, really."