2025-01-28 - Quick Catchup

Weekday evenings at the Vine tend to be pretty slow. Josh just got off shift and he doesn't seem very interested in going home just now. So he orders himself a salted caramel hot breve in one of those oversized coffee house mugs and sits down with a book, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. He's sure living la vida loca around here. In the prime of his youth and he's hanging out at work, reading a book, and drinking coffee.

"A pretty boy like you with nothing to do on a Tuesday night?" his friend and co-worker, Missy, teases him.

Josh scratches an imaginary itch on his forehead with his middle finger. "Gee, I'm so gratified that you think I'm pretty."

"Oh look what I found," Miss says, holding up a middle finger to Josh.

They both laugh. Idiots.

Theo must have had off tonight as he's dressed down, and there is no overcoat or garment bag with him. A gray sweatshirt, black sweats, and black tennis shoes on his feet. A green stretchy headband on his head as if to keep his hair from going all over the place.

This is one of the places he knows he can get coffee from outside Nora's, and he doesn't feel like going there. Closing the door behind him as if to take a moment to get used to his surroundings. Hearing familiar voices, he heads over to where Joshua is and gives him a tentative smile. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?"

When he hears Theo's voice, Josh looks up. He blinks in disbelief and then a wide, happy smile erupts on his face. "Theo! Hey, bro! Hell yeah you can sit. How you been?" Josh is only a few pages into the book so he just closes it, not really caring that he has no bookmark at the moment. He sits up straight and tugs his hair back over his ears on both sides. "How's work and stuff?"

If he has any hard feelings about how things turned out, he surely is showing no sign of it. His expression and body language seem to indicate genuine cheer at seeing Theo. You don't need to be an Empath to see that much.

Theo pulls the chair across from Joshua to sit down. "Me? I have been okay. Are you working? Or just hanging out?" Squinting at Joshua as he says this. He remembered the habits that Josh tended to have, and even without a week of talking, surely Josh hadn't changed that much.

"Work? Work is fine. Guests still enjoy me entertaining them. I am still trying to decipher their feelings so I can accommodate them. What about you?" Curiosity is seen in his features as he asks this.

Josh gets a little bit of a wistful expression. "I never did get to see your show," he says with a small shrug. "I guess I'm still too chickenshit to go over to Spellbound." He pushes a napkin around with a fingertip a little bit on the tabletop. "But I'm super glad that work is going well for you. I feel like you have a job that you have to be able to be switched on for. I just sell books to people."

He picks up that ridiculously-sized mug and takes a sip of the steaming, creamy breve. "Everything is fine here. Nice and quiet and predictable, the way I like it." He does another of his infinite shrugs. "I finished moving. I'm out of my apartment and living with Huck and Knox now. It's nice. They're both cool dudes."

"You are still welcome to see my show whenever you like and stay for the fireworks display after," Theo tells Joshua.

He doesn't order a coffee, even if that was the original reason why he came in. "You are not chickenshit. You handle things differently. And we all need people to sell books to us during our downtime, even if I tend to go the audiobook route." He grins when he says that last bit.

"Oh, that's cool. I don't know Knox. Glad you have cool roommates."

As a wide grin bubbles up, Josh says, "Well you can't miss him. He's a hot, really tall, muscular dude with literal horns on his head and big old hooves for feet. He works over on Fable Island making horseshoes and stuff like that. It's pretty sick actually. I went over there the other day to check it out."

He upnods in Theo's direction. "Hey guess what. Speaking of horse, I'm going to be taking up a new hobby to help me deal with anxiety. Horseback riding. I met my instructor earlier today. I'll be starting really soon. It's the first time in a while I've been really excited to start something."

Theo is trying to place Knox's name. "Oh yeah, that's right. Jett is working in his forge. Cool, cool. That's great. Hooves? So his magic is like Huck's?" Yes, Theo is still trying to figure out who does what, and he's been here for a while.

He leaned back in his chair. "Oh yeah, horses? They are pretty magnificent. You don't think you'll be afraid of getting on one?" Theo probably knows how to ride a horse and understands the freedom of riding, being from North Carolina; it was probably something that he and his friends did when he was living there.

Josh snorts out a small laugh. "Afraid of getting on one? Dude, I'm afraid to get on the toilet. Of course I'm gonna be afraid getting on a horse. But I'm a new man now. I'm tired of letting fear rule my life. And my new riding teacher, Grace, told me that people with conditions like mine can really do well with taking care of horse and riding horses." He does a, you guessed it, another shrug! "Besides, it beats getting high alla time."

And, in truth, there is a different air around Josh. He seems...it's hard to say...different somehow? Maybe a little bit more relaxed, a little bit more confident? It's a tough one to nail down, but definitely there is something different.

"I'm super glad you came around. I missed you," Josh says, looking at Theo directly. "Just cuz things didn't work out with us doesn't mean I stopped caring about you. I really want you to be happy."

When Joshua mentions the toilet, there is a stare and then a laugh from Theo. "Good for you, Josh." His words are sincere when he says that.

"Yeah, that is a name I do not know. Grace. Is she new?" There are a million people who work at the park, and he's well aware there are still a million people he does not know. "I am glad to hear that you are finding other coping mechanisms. Not that there is anything wrong with getting high to survive the day, but what happens if you run out? Then what?" Now it's his turn to shrug as he says that. He's no doctor. Just a friend who is listening.

His grin shows back up. "Really? I didn't know I'd be missed. It's only been a week. I just wanted to check in and ensure we were good since it felt like we didn't leave on the best terms. You are still a friend to me, Josh, and I would never wish anything ill towards you. I have the same wish for you. For you to be happy, and if finding other coping mechanisms helps, then I am all for it."

"I mean, it's not I'm getting high all the time and stuff," Josh says, maybe taking the tone of someone sort of coming to his own defense. "I don't even smoke every day. In fact, most days when I'm just at home or at work or out for a run, I'm totally fine. Being here on Crescent Island is really my safe spot." Suddenly something strikes Josh as funny. He shakes a little from some laughter, which then builds, until his entire body is bouncing from giggles. Finally he manages, "Can you believe I took a bus from LA to New York City alone? ME?"

He drinks down the last of his breve. It's amazing how quickly such a huge mug of beverage can go. He sets the empty swimming-pool-with-a-handle down.

"I think I'm gonna go home and start to wind down, man." Josh stands up from the table. "Is it okay if I hug you before I go?"

Theo stands up when Josh looks like he's on his way out. "Hey, I never doubted you at all, and I am not scolding you. If I came across that way, it was not my intention. Honest. That was brave of you. To get on a bus to New York from LA? Yeah, that's big and something to be proud of."

" Sure, man, you can hug me." He does step in to accept the hug. "I am glad I ran into you tonight. You still have my number. Don't be a stranger. Okay?"

Josh wraps his arms around Theo and gives him a genuine, honest-to-goodness hug. It's not a frat-boy back-clap bro hug. It's a genuine gesture of human connection. Then he takes a deep breath and picks up his book. "I will for sure. And you too! Phone works both ways." Josh squeezes Theo's shoulder fondly as he passes on his way to the door.

"Goodnight, Missy!" Josh calls out to the woman working the coffee counter. "See ya tomorrow."