this is totally the vibe for this chap. really spacey and 80's and i'm here for it
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It's finally happening. From the very corners of his small expanse of determination, Adrian has collected enough courage to talk to Daffy. Now, all that he has to do is wait. She'll be here any moment.
Adrian leans against the bar, his broom forgotten in his hand. His gaze rests on the bell above the door as a slow song drifts through the air, its tempo swings like a lazy hammock. Everything feels lazy today, even the sun. The weather forecast predicted temperatures to be in the 80's, but following the trends of today, the sun gives a small effort to bring the sidewalk up to 60 degrees. It barely reaches for the tan seats, conveying a heavy struggle in doing its job.
Something seems to be missing as streams of quiet customers float past him, all smiling as if they know he's finally made up his mind. Their gazes all stay on him for a few seconds too long. Adrian ignores their stares, laser beams for eyes on the doorframe. Any moment now.
Tapping the broom handle with the pads of his fingers, he takes a slow breath, blowing the air out of his mouth. Turning to the bar, he watches as Kimmy wipes the counter, stacking a few cups in her hands.
"Are we on a different radio station?" he asks, just noticing the change of atmosphere. The very air is wavy and fuzzy, like a retro television screen.
"Yeah, I decided to go all 80's today. What do you think of my hair?" Kimmy brings a hand up to a curly nest on her head, streaked with neon red.
Adrian's eyes widen.
"When did you do that?"
"You haven't noticed? I did it three days ago," Kimmy says, her tone falling in disappointment.
"What?" That isn't like Kimmy. What's going on?
Adrian purses his lips, glancing around his feet, just remembering a certain pair of crunch bar eyes. Not there.
"Where's Benny?" The fact that the little boy's absence didn't affect him, makes his insides crumple into knots.
"You don't remember?" Kimmy's eyes narrow. "Benny stopped coming to the diner when they moved."
"What?" Adrian stiffens, his grip on the broom tightening with the knots. "When did that happen?"
"What's the matter with you, today?" she says as she gathers the cups on the bar.
He screws his eyes shut, trying to restart his brain like a broken phone.
"I-I don't know. I don't know what's happening-"
His voice cuts off at the sound of the bell. He twirls on his heel, the broom awkwardly coming around with him.
The girl of his dreams walks into the diner. A smile spreads across her face as she looks about the room. The door doesn't shut behind her though.
Daffy looks over her shoulder as Levi walks up next to her, taking her hand into his. He then stuffs it into his jacket pocket as they make their way to her customary corner booth.
Adrian stays in his spot as the air expands around him, pushing him into a little space. His arms wrap around the broom as he brings his legs together tightly. Lining his feet up with each other, he tries to pull his eyes off of the tips of his shoes, but they are glued downward.
This isn't right. This can't be right.
With every inch of muscle he has, he drags his gaze up. Straight to them. Legs resisting as if cemented to the floor, they begin to carry him across the room.
Levi and Daffy look up at his approach, ignorant, maybe insolent faces greet his watery expression.
How do conversations begin again?
"Daffy?" Adrian's voice wobbles in and out as his mind contorts on itself. What is happening? "I thought you wanted to get dinner with me?" His brows furrow as he purposefully ignores Levi's presence. The passive-aggressive turn of events was yet another left in what was expected to happen today. What's the matter with everyone?
Daffy tilts her head, her locks glistening in the weak rays of sun.
"I did." Her eyes flit back to Levi for brief moment and then come to settle on Adrian. "But you didn't."
Adrian's lips part to release a surge of wordless feelings. Nothing but an inaudible sigh escapes from his still form.
"You don't get it, do you?" Daffy scooches closer to Levi in the booth. She turns toward him, giving a soft smile that Adrian thought was all his. "A girl's gotta move on. You should too."
Adrian's flitting eyelids fly open to the black ceiling. The fan twirls at a slow pace, ticking every other turn. A few clicks pass through the air as reality settles in his mind. He runs a hand through his hair, blinking hard.
Daffy's really going out with Levi? Is it true? It has to be true. It felt so real. Too real. No, no no.
"Just a dream, just a dream," he murmurs, fingers climbing the hills and folds of his blanket towards the edge of his bed. They meet a few leftover tissues from the remains of his cold that ate up all of last week.
A sudden need to find Irma overtakes him and he climbs out of his rumpled knots of bedding. Turning on the lamp in the corner, he treks the hallway, a hand grazing the textured wall beside him.
Finding his phone, he presses the contacts and scrolls down to D. Her number appears on the screen. It hardly registers that he found the green button with his shaking fingers. He continues to search the dark for his cat, listening to the long beeps trail in and out.
"Hello?" A groggy voice greets, a yawn tailing the last letter.
Her voice in his dream is nothing compared to this. It was staticky and shallow, but this... Wrapping his arms around himself, he sinks to the floor against a wall.
This is real-life-Daffy. It feels like being drizzled in honey. Warm and inescapably sweet.
"Daffy?" The name tumbles from his mouth ever so softly. Any louder could shatter this moment into a million pieces and he could find himself in bed again, staring up at a ceiling blanketed with morning light. Please don't be a dream. Please don't be a-
"Adrian? Is something wrong?" Daffy's voice grows in strength, catching up to reality. A sound of shuffling fills the background.
"I wanna get dinner with you," Adrian blurts. If this is a dream, at least get somewhere. Take the stupid chance and send it.
"What?"
"Don't go out with Levi. Please. Promise me."
"Okay?" she chuckles.
He lets out a big breath as if on the edge of drowning. What could he be drowning in? It can't be the honey...
"What happened? You sound a little off."
Adrian's heart hitches in a sort of painful way. His eyes reach across the floor through the dark, voice hesitating with his words.
"I miss you," he whispers.
"What was that? I didn't hear you." Daffy yawns again. Adrian pictures her face all droopy and puffy in the most beautiful way. What does she look like the moment she wakes up? Disoriented? Hair all fluffy and ratty like a bird's nest? His heart does that thing again.
"Are you alright?" the honey voice asks.
No.
"It's nothing, just a bad dream." His toes curl beneath themselves.
"Tell me about it."
Again, his eyes search the dark, looking for an answer in its inky abyss.
"You gave up on me," he finally states, voice going husky and choked. "You chose Levi. And Kimmy got a perm. And Benny moved. And I got super passive aggressive..."
Daffy breathes slowly.
"That sounds awful."
Her simple words of sympathy push a frog up into his throat. He tries to gulp it down, but it doesn't budge.
"Daffy..." he squeezes the letters past the roadblock. "Can I... see you?"
A pause of silence passes through the receiver. She takes a few breaths, more rustling and shifting in the background.
"Do you know what time it is?" she laughs again. "It's almost four. Can you wait?"
"No." Adrian panics. "I can't. I've done too much of that. I can't do it anymore. Please."
Perhaps it's something in his voice, desperation, pain, whatever it may be, another round of silence passes over the line, this time even longer.
"Alright... You have a key to the diner, right?" she sighs. "I'll only do this on one condition. You have to make me a waffle."
Adrian smiles, his chin resting on his flannel clad knees.
"Deal."
==============Sep-20-21=============
pub, Apr-15-22
repub, Jul-17-22
so, i was studying and i thought, "wouldn't it be crazy if i ripped the reader's heart straight outta their chest and handed it to them?" yeah, it would be crazy. and to think, i actually considered this idea to be for real, minus the weird vibes of the dream, of course.
your always-happy-ending girl almost chose to rip your heart out. it almost happened. i call that character development
(〃￣︶￣)人(￣︶￣〃)