hometown

Reunion

The golden sunset does little to keep naked fingers warm, the crisp bite of a subtle autumn wind snap freezing any visible pieces of flesh, but the cardboard cup of coffee cradled between Josh's slender fingers is just enough to keep them from falling off, he thinks.

Golden, perhaps, wasn't quite the word Josh would use, no. The cooler hints of purples and blues show through casting a gorgeous sunset across Columbus, the clouds perfectly placed as dirty white streaks across the canvas sky, someone hadn't cleaned their brush when they painted them on, and now the colours would bleed into the white, causing the almost picture perfect skyline to appear more real than Josh wanted.

He had missed this sky, missed how the sun would create a completely different setting each night.

In the city, the sky would go from bright to bleak in the blink of an eye, no colour, nothing interesting to make Josh's nights just that little bit less lonely.

He, Josh, casts his gaze from up at the sky, down to his almost empty cup of coffee.

"So you're back for what? Work? Unfinished business?" Brendon, perched upon the same, battered, pale green park bench as he himself was, stares at his own cup, before he looks over to Josh.

The movement of his head catches the attention of Josh, he too, looks right back Brendon, a stoic, unsure expression on his face.

It was odd, Josh thought, to see Brendon in normal clothes, after previously seeing his flour dusted, coffee stained apron.

Brendon had indeed left his apron back inside the store, not wanting to wear it outside, he said it was unsanitary which Josh almost laughed at, knowing who Brendon used to be, it amused him to think that this Brendon, so concerned with hygiene, was the same Brendon who had a booger wall in his dormitory, and only ever washed his hands after using the toilet to shit.

That Brendon, and this Brendon, they were as different as the Ohio sunset, and the Las Vegas sunset.

In a way, old Brendon was the Ohio sunset, bright, unique, a bit dirtied but beautiful, and the Brendon he now sat next to, was L.A., bland, exactly the same as everywhere else, Josh thought it odd,  it comforting.

It means, that Brendon, has matured finally, and Josh liked that, he wasn't the L.A. sunset, no, Brendon was an aurora borealis, much more interesting now, but much more controlled.

Realising that Josh, himself, had been staring blankly at Brendon for way too long, desperately trying to think of how to change the subject, he clears his throat awkwardly, turning away from Brendon's own desperate gaze.

"Technically, I would consider it more of a, nostalgia trip, a way to get away, to clear my mind, and feel more secure with my work," Josh waves his hands around as he explains, as if putting emphasis on his bullshit excuse for reason would make it more believable.

Brendon cocks an eyebrow at him, clearly reading through his attempt to make it seem like he wasn't here to just scrap in more cash.

Josh glances at this gaze, and averts his eyes, gulping, but Brendon only stares harder, eyebrow somehow cocking harder.

"Okay yeah, fine, it's a boring business thing, I didn't want to catch up to discuss my work life though," Josh sighs, Brendon nods slow, sips upon his coffee, and then chuckles.

Josh looks at him, and watches as he chuckles a bit harder, swishing his cup around.

"What?"

"Remember when we planned to kill Mr. Turner because he would always hold us back on party night?" Brendon smiles, nudging Josh slightly with a pointy elbow, Josh sways, and he too, chuckles.