Ohioisonfire

Alan's P.O.V

“So,” I bit my lip nervously as Austin slid into the seat opposite of mine, the breakfast rush was finally over and we were both allowed to take our lunch breaks; most likely due to the fact that he was an incredibly fast learner. “Why exactly did you want to work here? It's hardly glamorous...” Austin took a small bite of his burger before sitting it aside and looking directly at me, I ducked my head down a sliver so he couldn't see the forming blush on my cheeks. “I don’t know,” he replied coldly, before turning his attention to his phone and back to his food; I should have known better than to try and befriend him; it was obvious he wasn't interested.

He didn't speak a word to me for the rest of the day, they gave him free reign, and that was the end of that. He didn't so much as glance my way, and for me, that was something I was used too. That didn't mean it didn't hurt. As I clocked out for the evening, Austin and Tino were cracking jokes and I had a horrible feeling they were about me, as the pair kept making brief eye contact with me as I walked out the door. It had just recently become a problem, my co-workers, for some reason they had begun to torment me and all around, make me feel as if I was the bottom of the barrel. I had never been “bullied” before; and I had always felt relatively lucky in that aspect; but now...I knew the true pain of what it was like to be the brunt of everyone's jokes. Tears stung at my eyes as I slipped my hood on, yet, I dared to give a glance back, only to find Austin standing in the doorway, his smug smile dropped to a frown. I turned away as fast as I could, finally feeling a tear slip down my cheek; I took a step forward, prepared to dash away but a firm hand held me in place.

“Alan, I...” he whispered, sympathy and regret seemed to surface in his voice, I hissed in utter protest as I whipped my head back around to look him in the eyes. Suddenly, not feeling self conscious about the liquid that profusely poured from them, or how pathetic I must have looked.

“Save it,” I replied bitterly, but he didn't back off, instead he took this as an invitation to spin me around and hold me at arms length, I had never felt more terrified. Austin had at first seemed like a giggly, happy person; he was quick to help and even offered assistance to the elderly customers who needed it. But in this light, he was hostile and aggressive, his shoulders were tightened in, showing off the muscle he held, even through his thick leather coat. His stature left him a good 6 inches taller than me, perhaps more, and the snarl on his lips was enough to make me shake like a leaf.

“Listen, I don't know why you take everything so damn seriously, but stop. I wasn't trying to be rude earlier...i've just had a rough couple of weeks. No reason to take it out on you though...” his snarl switched to a frown as he picked up on the tears that kept falling and the tremors that had turned to full blown shakes; he gave me a pitiful look. “Please, stop crying, Alan. I said that I was sorry...” he bit his lip before closing the gap in between us and bringing me in for a hug; I choked as he wrapped his arms around my small waist and held me flush to his chest. I felt a drop of rain land on my the top of my head, then another, but as I hugged him back I realized that It wasn't raining outside.

“Austin?” I asked cautiously, not wanting to sound as if I was accusing him; but as he responded “ Y-yes?” I knew my suspicions were confirmed. For whatever reason, he was crying too.

“What's wrong?” I asked, pushing out of his hold so that I could look up at him, his hands still rested lightly on my waist; my eyes dried on their own after a few seconds in the wind; he was shaking his head slightly from side to side.

“I'm going crazy,” he admitted with a terrified smile, and though I held my doubts; the look on his face let me know he was dead serious, he truly thought he was insane. My problems began to feel minuscule as I took this into account, I smiled numbly at him.

“I doubt that, Austin. Do you want to talk about?” I asked curiously, not entirely sure why I cared what was wrong in his life, I had my own problems; but being alone was one of them. Maybe befriending him wasn't such a bad idea, plus, I had written back to the Anonymous person who left me a letter. Maybe some people needed someone else, too.

“Do I have to tip you, again?” he laughed half heartily, as did I, before shaking my head 'no.' He let his hands fall back to his sides as Tino walked out the door, waving awkwardly in our direction before heading for his car; Austin shrugged while he wiped his eyes.

“Wanna go somewhere? Yours or mine, maybe?” he questioned as he rocked back and forth on his heels, I nodded my head.

“Either or, my apartments a hell hole though.” I replied, an apologetic tone in my voice, he smirked.

“Mine is too, no worries there. I live a block away, so you just wanna go to mine?” he turned on his heel to face the street he lived on and I quickly did the same. Soon after, we were marching down the somewhat bustling Columbus sidewalk, which was packed mainly with drunkards and party goers; thankfully, no one paid us much mind. I raised my eyebrows curiously as we approached a building that read “Riverside apartments” this was the same complex I had dropped my letter off, but yet again, it was a huge complex with probably 500 hundred to 800 flats. The lobby area was lit up but abandoned, the clerks having left for the day, I presumed. But as we neared the counter a sign that read “Gone for Vacation.” sat in their place.

“They leave every year for about a month, go to a different country every time; pretty cool if you ask me.” Austin chimed as he fished his keys out of his pocket whilst holding the elevator door open for me, I thanked him before slipping inside. This complex was still a shit hole, but it was still nearly twice as nice as mine; surely, he wasn't that bad off.

“Here we go,” Austin commented as he stepped off of the elevator and led me three doors down on the left, 315, read on the wall with a small mailbox attached to it's side. He wrestled with the door for a few moments before it finally swung open, he flicked on the lights as he held the door open for me once again. Well, while his complex was better, his furnishings weren't. The only nice piece I could see was a large flatscreen television; he laughed as he looked around. “Home sweet hole,” he joked as he took a seat on his couch, it groaned in protest.

“Have a seat, and do you want any thing to drink? Tea or water? Sorry I haven't been to the store lately, so I don't have much,” he answered nervously, as he scratched the back of his head; I smiled at him as I lowered myself on the other end of the couch.

“No, i'm fine, thank you though.” he nodded his head as a somewhat awkward silence fell over us, eventually, I got the courage to speak up. “So Austin,” my eyes trailed down to a small trail of blood that lead from a door in the back to what I presumed to be the kitchen, “Why do you think your going crazy?”