Iridescent

Two

"Thoughts - even fears - were airy things, formless until you made them solid with your voice and once given that weight, they could crush you."

- Kristin Hannah, Firefly Lane 

Lincoln Bach had a problem.

There was spinach stuck in between his teeth.

He was amid a reunion dinner with four other people, each of them piping in at proper timings during conversation with random updates of their lives, babbling about anything and everything from exes to current partners, to their daily lives to new eating and dieting habits.

And of all things that could've gone wrong, there was spinach stuck in his teeth.

So much for trying to be healthy, he thought to himself. I should've just gone with the steak.

Lincoln sat stiff and rigid as one young woman, Kimberly, he recalled her name to be, prattled off some rather impressive facts about her new job. The four people surrounding him ensued in a collective round of laughter, and Lincoln took the opportunity to mutter a quick 'scuse me, covered by a slight chuckle as he kept his head bowed down. Two of the four acknowledged him as the rest of them continued on with their laughter, while sticking their forks and knives into the expensive and exquisite plates of Italian food before them. 

His long legs carried him swiftly to the back of a restaurant where the restrooms sat, tucked away and hidden in a corner between an emergency exit and a maroon-painted door titled in black, bolded and blocked letters, Employees Only. 

Please be empty, please be empty, please be empty, he chanted to himself. Th'last thing I wanna do is pick spinach out of my teeth and have some random stranger watching. 

The soles of his worn loafers squeaked against the polished tile, and he winced as the high-pitched sound resounded through the clean and shiny restrooms. He sauntered farther inside, not noticing a single pair of shoes hidden within the stalls or near the urinals, much to his relief. 

He awkwardly stood in front of the mirror while his tongue fished around inside his mouth and poked and prodded at his teeth, and he distanced himself away from the black granite counter where two sinks sat with their pearly white bowls, as the entire surface of the shimmering black surface was splattered with droplets of water.

Lincoln's nose crinkled upwards as the piece of spinach seemed to edge itself farther into the space between his teeth, and he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration and crossed his eyes as he focused on getting the uncomfortably lodged piece of green leaf out from his teeth.

Before he could sigh in defeat, the piece of spinach finally loosened from the holds of his teeth and he nearly broke out into a victory dance. Lincoln leaned forward and bent over the sink, twisting the fancy silver knobs to get the water running before he spit out the piece of spinach.

He grimaced in disgust at the slimy texture of the vegetable, and he watched as the vibrant wedge of green swirled around in circles with the ripples of water as it travelled downstream and disappeared into the drain. 

A smile made its way onto his lips as he twisted the faucet's knobs into their original positions, his eyes fixated on the stream of water from the gleaming silver faucet head as it diminished into a gentle downpour before it became nothing at all. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and looked up, getting ready to spin on his heel and return to his beloved dinner, when his eyes caught his refection.

Lincoln Bach looked absolutely exhausted.

His hair draped over the center of his forehead limply and his forehead was dotted with blushing pink dots, pimples that accumulated onto his skin when he was stressed. He grimaced as his eyes skinned over the rest of his features; his eyes were droopy and he squinted his eyes, studying his reflection intensely before he widened his eyes, causing his nostrils to flare up. The shower of freckles that were scattered across his nose resembled uneven patches of skin, and he frowned slightly as the stubble he hadn't bothered to clean up that morning looked darker and more prominent than before. The bags beneath his eyes were a clear sign that he was not one to get enough sleep, and they resembled dark shadows tinted with the slightest purple hue.