sound of running water helped coax the tension from Rhys’ body. Just one morning in the office wound him up tighter than a guitar string.
The air always seemed fresher in the square. Rhys filled his lungs and the warmth of the strong sun sank into his skin.
Rhys looked at the people on the benches. From where he sat, he had a clear view of the entire square. It always filled up when the sun came out. As the only open space in Summit City, it provided an escape from the labyrinthine maze of alleyways and roads. A large patch of grass would have topped it off perfectly, but Summit City was a pure concrete jungle.
As always, Rhys faced The Alpha Tower. The matte black windows had a heavy tint to them that stopped anyone seeing in. From how dark they looked, it probably stopped anyone seeing out too. One day, Rhys would find out what went on in there. Something utterly unremarkable, no doubt—either that or the person who told him would be duty bound to kill him afterwards. A smile twitched at the sides of Rhys’ mouth. Like there would be anything that exciting in Summit City.
Rhys lifted his small rucksack onto the wall beside him and unzipped it. He removed the photo of Flynn from the back pocket; it was the one he’d had on his desk earlier. He stared at his boy’s dark brown eyes. He never went anywhere without the photo. “I love you, mate; don’t forget that.”
Rhys removed a lump of tree bark next. It had been painted in the way only a child knew how. The layers of paint, laid one on top of the other, had turned it a muddy purple. The varnish added a contradictory smooth finish to the rough item. The bark served as the perfect paperweight, so he laid the photo down next to him and placed the bark on top of it.
When he pulled his clear lunchbox from his bag, he popped the lid and peered inside. Sometimes, a morning spent in transit could make his lunch look like it had been through the spin drier. Today, his ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches had remained in tact.
The second he took his first bite—the bread slightly soggy from the tomato that had been in it all morning—Rhys’ phone buzzed in his pocket. He put his sandwich down. If it was the guy about his bloody car again… no way would he let that angry idiot ruin his lunch break.
It was a text message though; the notification on the screen sent a pang through his chest. The angry idiot would have been miles better. Before he clicked ‘open’, he stared at the heart next to her name. He should really change that in his list of contacts.
He pressed his thumb against the print scanner on the screen and his pulse raced before he’d even read the message.
I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier, but you can’t see Flynn this weekend. Something’s come up.
Something’s come up! Something always fucking comes up. The mouthful of sandwich suddenly tasted bitter. He typed his reply. What do you mean, ‘Something’s come up’?
Before he’d put the phone back in his pocket, it buzzed again. He wants to go to the zoo.
Perfect, I’ll take him to the zoo then.
No, sorry, Clive has already booked the tickets, and he’s sooooooo excited to go with him. :)
Like a fucking smiley face made everything okay. And of course he was excited; he was six years old and someone had promised to take him to the zoo. Unless she meant Clive; if she did, Rhys couldn’t give a shit about Clive’s excitement to go to the zoo.
The brief interaction had turned Rhys’ stomach to acid. With his phone in his hand, he looked at the water next to him. If he threw it in, it would only make his life harder in the long run, but it would stop that bitch from intruding with bad news any fucking time she wanted. A look down at the picture of his boy and he took deep breaths.
After a minute or two, Rhys replied. Please tell Flynn I love him. I think about him every day and I’m so proud of him. There’s no way Larissa would reply, and very little
The air always seemed fresher in the square. Rhys filled his lungs and the warmth of the strong sun sank into his skin.
Rhys looked at the people on the benches. From where he sat, he had a clear view of the entire square. It always filled up when the sun came out. As the only open space in Summit City, it provided an escape from the labyrinthine maze of alleyways and roads. A large patch of grass would have topped it off perfectly, but Summit City was a pure concrete jungle.
As always, Rhys faced The Alpha Tower. The matte black windows had a heavy tint to them that stopped anyone seeing in. From how dark they looked, it probably stopped anyone seeing out too. One day, Rhys would find out what went on in there. Something utterly unremarkable, no doubt—either that or the person who told him would be duty bound to kill him afterwards. A smile twitched at the sides of Rhys’ mouth. Like there would be anything that exciting in Summit City.
Rhys lifted his small rucksack onto the wall beside him and unzipped it. He removed the photo of Flynn from the back pocket; it was the one he’d had on his desk earlier. He stared at his boy’s dark brown eyes. He never went anywhere without the photo. “I love you, mate; don’t forget that.”
Rhys removed a lump of tree bark next. It had been painted in the way only a child knew how. The layers of paint, laid one on top of the other, had turned it a muddy purple. The varnish added a contradictory smooth finish to the rough item. The bark served as the perfect paperweight, so he laid the photo down next to him and placed the bark on top of it.
When he pulled his clear lunchbox from his bag, he popped the lid and peered inside. Sometimes, a morning spent in transit could make his lunch look like it had been through the spin drier. Today, his ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches had remained in tact.
The second he took his first bite—the bread slightly soggy from the tomato that had been in it all morning—Rhys’ phone buzzed in his pocket. He put his sandwich down. If it was the guy about his bloody car again… no way would he let that angry idiot ruin his lunch break.
It was a text message though; the notification on the screen sent a pang through his chest. The angry idiot would have been miles better. Before he clicked ‘open’, he stared at the heart next to her name. He should really change that in his list of contacts.
He pressed his thumb against the print scanner on the screen and his pulse raced before he’d even read the message.
I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier, but you can’t see Flynn this weekend. Something’s come up.
Something’s come up! Something always fucking comes up. The mouthful of sandwich suddenly tasted bitter. He typed his reply. What do you mean, ‘Something’s come up’?
Before he’d put the phone back in his pocket, it buzzed again. He wants to go to the zoo.
Perfect, I’ll take him to the zoo then.
No, sorry, Clive has already booked the tickets, and he’s sooooooo excited to go with him. :)
Like a fucking smiley face made everything okay. And of course he was excited; he was six years old and someone had promised to take him to the zoo. Unless she meant Clive; if she did, Rhys couldn’t give a shit about Clive’s excitement to go to the zoo.
The brief interaction had turned Rhys’ stomach to acid. With his phone in his hand, he looked at the water next to him. If he threw it in, it would only make his life harder in the long run, but it would stop that bitch from intruding with bad news any fucking time she wanted. A look down at the picture of his boy and he took deep breaths.
After a minute or two, Rhys replied. Please tell Flynn I love him. I think about him every day and I’m so proud of him. There’s no way Larissa would reply, and very little
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