Oliver's eye was twitching by the time his shift ended. His back was aching from lifting heavy boxes and bending to stock shelves, his patience having long since run thin after helping customer after customer buying their groceries. His bed was calling to him from across the street, and he couldn't get his apron off quick enough in the back room. He knew that he wasn't going to go to sleep any time soon, though. He refused to waste the rest of the day with sleep and wake up only to have to go back to work soon the next day. Instead, he vowed to sate his stomach at the diner he lived above and maybe exploring the rest of the town.
Once his apron was placed in his locker and he had his phone, wallet, and keys, Oliver turned to exit the employee's lounge. He caught his reflection in the mirror that was placed next to the doorway and paused for a second, taking in his dark hair and tired blue eyes. He had had trouble sleeping off and on for months now, and it showed. The baggage under his eyes was next level. His hair was disheveled and had definitely lost its sheen. His plain black shirt was wrinkled and the jeans he had been wearing the past week were accumulating stains and a slight smell by now. He knew he should be taking better care of himself, but most of the time he couldn't find it in himself to care enough. He had finally gotten away from the constant disapproving eye of his mother and the stress of having to look "presentable" every day, regardless of what he was doing. Oliver had definitely let himself go too much once the pressure was gone. A little voice inside his head told him that he should go to the laundromat today and maybe clean up his apartment, and with a sigh he silently conceded to doing those, regardless of how much he didn't want to.
Oliver walked through the door and through a small hallway before appearing at the back of the store. He made his way between the aisles, his mouth set in a frown and his eye twitching again when he spotted some of the items he painstakingly arranged on the shelves. The wooden floors squeaked every now and then under his shuffling shoes and he prayed that the blonde employee and whoever came to take over the register wouldn't try and have a conversation with him. He just needed to get out of here. The amount of human interaction Oliver could handle had almost reached its peak and it was only a couple of minutes past one in the afternoon.
Thankfully, no one tried to stop him as he exited the store, a tiny bell tinkling above the door. Oliver took in a deep breathe of air, enjoying the slight breeze that kissed his cheeks. That was one thing he did enjoy about this town so far. The air was clean and cool here; the sky was clear and blue in the daytime, not sullied by smog. There wasn't muck in the air that dirtied his skin and made his head pound every time he was outside for too long.
Oliver stretched his arms over his head, groaning and wincing as his back popped multiple times. A yawn ripped across his face and he squeezed his eyes shut before reluctantly opening and lifting them to examine the diner across the road. Graham's Diner was settled between a bookstore and an apothecary, and was everything that you would expect of a stereotypical diner. The brick building looked like a piece of history. The large windows were shaded with a red and white striped awning. Red neon flickered the store's name above the double doors and painted letters on the glass advertised free Wi-Fi, the only indication that the retro establishment was of this place and time. Honestly, Oliver found it charming, but he would never say so out loud.
Sighing, Oliver looked both ways before crossing the street. Internally, he rolled his eyes at himself. Why look both ways when the streets are practically deserted? He reached the other side and made his way to the right of the diner, walking down the tight alley until he reached the back of the building. He fished his keys out of his pocket once reaching a nondescript door on the left side of Graham's and shoved the key in the lock, struggling a little to turn the key in the old door before it finally gave way. Oliver flipped the light switch to the right of the entrance, illuminating a short flight of stairs in front of him as well as a door to the right that lead to another set of stairs and the second apartment above the diner. He continued up the flight of stairs, wincing as the door he just came through slammed shut behind him. At the top, Oliver unlocked a second door and relief flooded his body when he closed it behind him and he was finally left alone in his small apartment.
