Letters to Caden

1. "The Unlikely Trio..."

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"Shit." The lone man whispered through a puff of smoke. His murky cobalt eyes watched the acute white clouds evaporate into thin air.

One thing Caden hated about being an employee was, yes, you guessed it... rush hour. Thank goodness those days were over!

Looking down at the many busy bodies polluting the streets of California, Caden relished in his freedom. It felt good to be where he was; at peace on the seventh floor of his company while watching the animated humans suffer in trafficked chaos. He used to be one of them; rushing from one block to the other, stressed about spilling hot coffee on himself, cursing at the smallest of inconveniences—

He clearly did not miss those days.

Averting his hooded eyes from the sea of individuals, he looked up to the sky. Absentmindedly, his left hand found its way to his black slacks while the other reached for the shortening cigarette. He hadn't smoked in a while. Not since—

"Caden, my man!" A distant voice shouted.

"Fuck me." The smoking man mumbled, eyes remaining on the blue sky. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. The sound of his pointy leather shoes gave it away. Or maybe it was the amount of steps it usually took his colleague to get to Caden. As you can see, this was a usual routine for the two men...

But it didn't make it a pleasant one.

Gripping Caden's left shoulder, "What a day, am I right?" The smoking man remained quiet. The chirpy colleague took no offence—he was pretty much used to it by now.

"Rush hour, huh? Fucking glad that's not us." The talkative man breathed.

"Yeah." Was all Caden said. His twenty minutes of freedom were ruined. 'Classic Tim.' He thought, rolling his shoulders back with a hint of annoyance. They stood casually in front of the rooftop railing as they conversed about nothing really (more so Tim than Caden).

"Hey!" A gruff voice yelled from the distance. Only Tim looked back. "Paradise Porn is almost over!"

Turning back around, "Get a load of this guy. Fucking Nate talks too much." Tim scoffed, lightly shaking his blonde lock of hair.

You're one to talk. Caden kept this thought to himself.

He wasn't a very talkative man and he preferred it that way.

Reaching the two young men in no time, Nate sandwiched himself between Caden and Tim, standing smack in the middle. Caden gave him a once over.

"What are you two barbies talking about?" Caden hated the way Nate joked. He spoke like he was into them or something.

"None of your business, you wanko." Tim bit, falling into the routinely habit of banter. This was a common jest between the bickering men.

"Give me a puff?" Nate asked Caden.  The request came off more as a command than a question. Taking his last puff, Caden handed it over to Nate and blew out his last smoke into the polluted air. At last, his right hand joined the left, sinking deep into his pocket.

Sharing a cigarette between men was as common as girl friends kissing each other on the lips as a greeting. There was nothing "sus" about it. It just was the way it was. No big deal.

An alarm rang out in the air. The silence was broken.

"Ah shit! Time to go back ladies." Nate said, adjusting the belt of his pants before throwing the short cigarette on the concrete floor. He snuffed out its light with the heel of his polished shoes. Nate always loved looking prim and posh. Polished from head to toe; gelled hair and all.

Caden never cared to assess the appearance of another man.

Not until now, that is.

He noticed something in particular; their height diffidence. He wasn't one to gloat about nonsense like that—only women cared about crazy things such as height. He wasn't the tallest in the company building but he was the tallest of the three. It could be because of his broad shoulders. Whatever it was, he never grew insecure about that bull.

Men just carry different thoughts from women. Logic over emotion.

"Oh fuck you!" Tim spit back to Nate's remark, earning him a chortle from the strictly muscled man. Nate was no bodybuilder but he was no plank either. He carried more muscles than both Tim and Caden.

Caden didn't mind. He wasn't lanky either.

Walking away from the bantering duo, Cade headed for the door leading him back to the reality of adult depression;

Work.