Unexpected (BoyxBoy)

The oppressive Alabama summer heat pressed down, even in the late afternoon. Inside the gas station, the air conditioning struggled, a wheezing, ineffective hum that did little to combat the humidity. Caden, leaning against the counter, wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. The chime above the door sang its usual, lonely tune as Jace, his coworker, sauntered in, a wide grin splitting his face.

"Caden, can you take my night shift Friday?" Jace asked, his voice practically buzzing with excitement. "I've got a hot date with Brandy. Probably gonna score too! I'll take your shift tomorrow so you can be rested up. I know you don't normally work night shift, but this would be doing me a huge favor. I've been trying to get with her for a month now."

Caden sighed, the familiar reluctance to say no welling up. "Yeah man. No prob, but you'll owe me." The words were out before he could second-guess himself. More work meant less time to be alone in his small house, less time for the silence to press in.

Jace's smile widened. "Thanks man." He turned and walked out, the chime echoing behind him, leaving Caden to the quiet hum of the refrigerators and the endless stretch of an empty afternoon.