It was a fact that customer traffic was slow in the summer. Not that Strings & Things was a hopping business in the first place, but it was the only one that fixed broken instruments in the area.

Cypress had taken on extra shifts at his summer job, to make more spending cash, but also to distract himself, and have a reason to decline hanging out with Orion more than necessary.

The deceit made him feel sick but it was much easier to stomach a known feeling than the twisted, odd one he felt the week before when Orion had held his hand. It was much easier to deal with it alone.

He was the only employee there that morning and had managed to forget to grab a coffee before work, so he wasn’t in a particularly good mood. It didn’t help that the summer heat had kicked up a notch and he was therefore prompted to pull his longish hair back into a small ponytail or otherwise have it sticking to his neck. He forgot to shave as well, as evident by a fine layer of scruff on his jaw.


A woman had come in asking for a recommendation on a guitar for her fiancée. Strings & Things also sold stringed instruments, from guitars to violins. It was a very niche market.

He led her up to the show stage where a handful of different models were on display. He was in the middle of showing her the Gibson Flying V when the bells of the front door tinkled and he heard his cousin’s obnoxious call of “GOOD MORNIIIIIIING SUNSHINE!”

He grimaced and wiped his hand over his face. He hadn’t spoken to Nick for awhile either. To be fair, Nick had been grounded. Clearly, the grounding was at an end.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” Cypress mumbled and brushed past her to deal with Nick while pointing down the stairs, “If you would like, there are some more electric models beneath the show stage you can browse.”


Nick was waiting jovially in the middle of the room with a coffee in hand. Cypress released a thankful sigh and leaned against a wall, “You know me too well, cuz.”

“Not enough. I didn’t think you woke up before noon during summer vacation,” Nick smirked and handed Cypress the caffeine. Cypress took a swig and relished the bitter taste and felt a little more happy than before.

“So why are you out and about like some kind of Mister Rogers in the neighborhood?” Cypress asked as he moved to take his place behind the register and set his coffee down, “And what on earth possessed you to do something as altruistic as to bring me coffee? Who are you?”


Nick crossed his arms, and looked away, his grin falling to contemplation–it was only for a split second before he met Cypress’s look of wonder, “Dude, You make it sound like I’m the most conceited human in the world.”

Cypress shrugged and took another sip.

“Anyway, I didn’t just come here to bring you coffee. Orion says you have been avoiding him. What’s that about? You are like two peas in a pod, bros for life and whatnot.”

Cypress fumbled with his coffee container and nearly spilled it before placing it back down on the counter.


“He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Nick’s brows knotted in concern.

Cypress swiped some of his lose hair from his eyes and frowned, “He held my hand…but...in an intimate way.”

It wasn't that Cypress was turned-off by the action, he just didn’t know what he felt about it. It wasn’t nameable, but he dreaded that his friendship was forever changed and didn’t know how to continue on.


“You need to call Orion and work this out because I didn’t bust my ass learning guitar for five years just to have the band break up over a little hand-holding. If you’re so worried about Orion catching feelings for you or whatever, just ask out some chick and that will put a stop to it. All the girls at school like you, it’s infuriating,” Nick crossed his arms and ranted, the jealousy in is tone was loud and clear.

Cypress sighed, he never paid romantic attention to anyone before. He had a comfortable, almost perfect friendship with Orion and that’s all he ever felt he needed in life.


But Nick’s idea had to have some merit. Cypress could ask any girl out and then Orion’s feelings, whatever they were, wouldn’t be able to continue. They could go back to how they were before, which was what he needed. He put his hands on his hips and nodded, “Fine.”

“Great, now all we need is a willing participant,” Nick mused.



The front door’s bell tinkled again, signaling a new customer. Both boys whirled around and saw a pretty girl with a braid, and she was vaguely familiar, like someone who they might have seen in the hallways at school if they had paid attention.

“Hi! I am running an errand for a friend who needs two guitar strings,” she approached and gave a salute of greeting before she fumbled with a piece of paper and read off of it, “For a…a..Fender Stratocaster?”


“This may seem a little random, but would you consider going out with Cypress Wellington? He needs a date,” Nick grinned and pointed behind him to where Cypress stood awkwardly.

She obviously knew who Cypress was, by the way her eyes went wide at the sight of him, then she blinked a couple of times, at a loss for words. She took a few steps up to the counter and studied him, causing him to give a nervous laugh and swipe another piece of hair back. Then her words came, “I guess I will if he really needs a date.”