Checking his new phone, Aiden stepped out of the way of the doors to Tea Break and sighed. He was feeling...out of sorts today. Not for any particular reason. Life was-- it’d been great lately. He had a girlfriend, one who couldn’t get enough of him and vice versa. He had a new direction, his eyes set on making more of himself in this town than being another human being struggling to function. Not that he judged anyone that was. It was fucking hard. But he didn’t wanna just exist here anymore. If he was staying, he wanted to grow, to thrive, or something akin to it. And he had family...one of which, wanted nothing to do with him, but he wasn’t giving up on that. And the other? She was late, but he couldn’t chastise her for it. He’d texted her out of the blue and though he could help the burn growing in his chest, he knew he couldn’t expect her to drop everything and come running.
He paced, hand grazing the spot with a sigh, hating that his shoulders felt so heavy. He could’ve gone to Cordelia, snuggled up in her lap and let her fingertips flit through his hair until the feeling faded, but somehow this just-- it felt different. It wasn’t hers or anyone’s problem to handle. It’d fade...but until then, he wanted to catch up with Ryleigh, see how she was feeling. Their conversation about Laney hadn’t been great. It wasn’t a blow out by any means, but it left him feeling awkward and he thought some coffee flavored bubble tea might help smooth some things over. It wasn’t long before he saw a wispy blonde in the distance and he pushed off the planter he found himself leaning against and waved slightly, “Hey there, hummingbird,” he said the moment she was within ear shot. The burn in his chest seemed to knot, urging him to resist any physical contact, but he snagged a short hug anyway, “A friend recommended this place. Figured we could try something new. What’d’ya think?” @ryleighmeadows