Chapter 25

Andrew

L eaving Brandon’s apartment the next morning was borderline impossible. After he’d dragged me into the shower, it resulted in him dropping to his knees, and I had to remind him I still had a shift later in the day.

It was hard to break the high of finally having my best friend, finally making Brandon mine, in all ways. What I wasn’t counting on was the envelope taped to my door when I got to my apartment. My heart sank as I pulled it down and opened it.

“Lease Renewal Notice.”

I read over the terms and then my heart continued to sink when I reached the part that stated that my rent would increase again. Nothing in Seattle was cheap, and anything that was made you question how safe the area was. I was fortunate to find the place I had. The dollar amount taunted me as I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

I clutched the envelope to my chest and sank to the ground, closing the door behind me.

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been trying to get more hours at work, but I couldn’t get more hours until I got my tech license and I couldn’t get that until I got more training hours. It was such a weird, double-edged sword. I still had months to go before I qualified to take the exam at the rate they were letting me work.

“What the hell am I going to do?”

The notice fell to the ground as I cradled my head in my hands. My phone vibrated in my pocket and not even seeing Brandon’s name on the screen could make me smile. It was stupid because I should still feel ten feet tall, not like life was still kicking me around.

The message was a picture of Brandon’s smiling face. As beat down and defeated as I currently felt, it still made me grin. I set the picture as the lock screen on my phone and got up to get ready for work.

Today was going to suck. Rebecca was off and Todd was on shift. It meant that I’d have to deal with his growly ass all afternoon. At least I could look forward to seeing Brandon afterward.

To make matters worse, the computer systems were acting up when I got to the store. That was all our fault, of course. At least that’s what the customers wanted to believe. If I never had to listen to another person yell at me for something I couldn’t control, it would be too soon.

My feet ached by the time I made it to my lunch break. Todd had been casting me angry glares the entire shift, especially whenever a patient raised their voice about the computers freezing again. I didn’t like it when they caused a scene either, and I always did my best to keep them calm, but no amount of ‘ I’m sorry, sir, the computer seems to be stuck on the insurance verification screen ,’ seemed to appease anyone.

Instead of going to the break room, I went outside to get some fresh air. I left my jacket inside and the cool air made me shiver, but it also cleared my head a bit. My fingers twitched to pull my phone from my pocket to call Brandon to tell him how my day was going. Something told me he’d be upset to hear things had gone so sideways after I’d left him that morning.

I’d have to tell him at some point. Now was not the time.

I sank down against the brick wall of the side of the building, staring up at the cloudy sky. It looked as if it was about to pour buckets, which would only make this day perfect. A storm to even everything out.

By the time I realized my lunch break was over, my stomach let out a growl. I had eaten nothing, too consumed with worries about my apartment and what was going to happen. It wasn’t like I could ask my mom for help. When I’d moved out during college, it had lifted a tremendous burden off her. She never complained about taking care of me growing up, and Dad had helped a lot after he left, but it was never the same as if he’d been there. I sometimes wondered if she didn’t always tell him about some of our struggles so that he’d feel obligated to give us more.

The second half of my workday wasn’t any better than the first. If anything, it was worse because I was now hungry on top of it. My temper was running thin and when a customer got snippy with me about the wait time, I finally snapped.

“Ma’am, there’s nothing I can do about the wait time. We have a line of other patients waiting for their medications as well. Not only that, but we have to verify everything to make sure everyone is getting the correct medication. If we don’t, people can get seriously hurt.”

“Mr. Hernandez.”

I froze. Todd never addressed me by my last name, so if he was doing so now, I’d royally fucked up.

On autopilot, I excused myself from the front counter, another tech stepping in to take my place. I walked to the back of the pharmacy, where Todd stood with his arms over his chest.

“Yes?” I questioned, nerves skyrocketing to a new level. My rent was going up. I couldn’t afford to lose the job I had. No matter how sucky it was.

“Is everything all right?”

My shoulder’s relaxed, my urge to fight deflating. Todd didn’t seem mad. He was more concerned than anything. It was completely out of character for me to snap at anyone.

“It’s just a stressful day.”

Todd nodded, lifting a hand and patting me on the shoulder. “I get it, kid. Maybe take the rest of the evening off. Come back clear-headed tomorrow. ”

While I was grateful, I couldn’t take the loss in hours, either. “It’s fine. I can finish out my shift. I won’t snap at anyone else.”

Todd’s eyebrows raised as he shook his head. “Sorry, kid. Give it a rest.”

He might not have been my boss, but as a pharmacist, he had the power to dismiss me. I wouldn’t fight him on it. It wasn’t worth losing my job.

My eyes burned as I clocked out and hung up my smock. Leaving the pharmacy felt final. Like I’d screwed up my one chance at work. I’d struggled to get a job and was lucky enough to land this. If it didn’t work out, I didn’t know what I’d do.

The bus ride to Brandon’s apartment was quiet. I clutched my phone in my hand the entire time, debating whether I should give him a heads-up on my sour mood. He didn’t need to deal with my bad attitude, though he’d stated that he wanted to take care of me as well.

My body was numb as I climbed the stairs to his apartment. I could have easily taken the elevator, but I needed to gather my thoughts and put off the inevitable shit show I was about to unleash on him with my feelings about the day. How did a day that started off so amazing go so horribly wrong?