#alecnolan

“How long have you been standing there?”

Nolan jolts, biting down hard on his lip as he turns to face the boy who just spoke to him. He doesn’t think he’s broken the skin, although it throbs a little.

“Because,” the boy continues, taking no heed of Nolan’s surprise. And that’s what he is; a boy. He can’t be any older than Nolan himself is. “You were there when I had my break, and that was three hours ago.”

It’s then he clocks the uniform the boy is wearing; it’s for the coffee shop next door to the florists he’s having an existential crisis outside of.

And it’s then he clocks the boy himself, actually. He’s a little shorter than Nolan with dark, messy hair and eyes just as dark, yet there’s a warmth within them. There’s a scar through his right eyebrow which probably has a story behind it.

“Do you want me to walk you inside?” the boy asks, as a cold flush washes over Nolan. “I’ve done it for other people, before. They said it helped.”

Nolan shudders, sneaking a glance over the road at the building which has been the object of his attention - and anxiety - for the majority of the day, the sign over the door subtle yet imposing.

Beacon County Youth Hostel

“I’m...” Nolan clears his throat, dry from disuse, and wrings the straps of his duffle bag between his hands. “I’m not ready,” he says under his breath, verging more on a whisper, but the boy hears him anyway.

“That’s fine.” The boy isn’t looking at him anymore and Nolan is somehow both relieved and disappointed.

“It’s like-” Nolan starts, immediately cutting himself off in surprise. He hadn’t intended to speak, but his body has apparently decided this boy is going to be his confessor. “It’s like if I go inside, that makes it real.”

The boy nods like it makes sense to him, even though it barely makes sense to Nolan himself. “I’d better get back to work,” he says after a few moments of silence. “I finish up in an hour though. My offer will still be here if you are, and I’m sure I could find a coffee cup with your name on it.” The smile he gives Nolan is so genuine, so bright, that it helps to unfurl the knot of anxiety in his stomach just a little. “I’m Alec, by the way.”