[color=9e0b0f][centre][h1]Marcus Ainsworth[/h1][/centre][/color] [centre][h2]His Apartment Friday Afternoon[/h2][/centre] Interactions: [@MissCapnCrunch][@Almalthia] Small Collab section with MissCapnCruch (Dustynn) [hr] A familiar sight had Marcus’ focus that morning. The ceiling of his bedroom. He laid there for hours after he woke up, not wanting to get out of bed and face the world. He felt flat and drained, despite having been in bed for more than twelve hours. His phone sat on his bedside table, buzzing and flashing repeatedly, begging for Marcus’ attention, although, he ignored it. He had the day off, so it couldn’t have been work, and he doubted that it would be Reya, considering the last conversation that they had. [color=9e0b0f]“Dammit Marcus…”[/color] He said to himself before letting out a heavy sigh, as he thought about what had been going on over the last couple of days. As always, he had gotten ahead of himself, and rushed headlong into a situation far too quickly. He had tried to move to fast with Reya, getting a little too clingy, and scared her off. He knew he should have chilled out about it. It was way too soon to be trying to start a new relationship anyway, he was still getting over Hanna… But still, he rushed in, and ruined what could have been a good thing, and had only himself to blame. A soft groan escaped Marcus as his phone went off again. [color=9e0b0f]“Leave me alone…”[/color] He mumbled, before rolling over and grabbing his phone, groggily checking his notifications. The most recent, was one that completely caught him by surprise. It was from Ethan Aster. [b][color=ed1c24]Marcus we’re looking for another guitarist. You in? You know what they say about doors closing and all that.[/color] [/b] [color=9e0b0f]“Um… What..?”[/color] He mumbled to himself with a confused look on his face, staring at the message for several moments. [color=9e0b0f]“Is… Is Ethan asking me to join The Sirens?”[/color] He sat on the side of his bed, staring at his phone in disbelief. He didn’t know how to respond. The Sirens weren’t exactly his cup of tea, musically, but they’re a world touring band, and touring the world playing music had been Marcus’ dream for as long as he could remember. He took a few minutes to think of the right way to word his response before replying. [b][color=9e0b0f]“Hey Ethan. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “doors closing”, but I’m so surprised by this. I’ll have to take some time to think about it, but I’ll let you know ASAP. Thanks again!”[/color][/b] He sighed softly again after hitting send, before starting to look through his other notifications. He had several messages and missed calls from several people. Leo, Dustynn, Chris, and his mother. They were all about roughly the same thing. He sat there, his face going blank in disbelief, his heart sinking to his feet. [color=9e0b0f]“No… No fucking way… This can't be real…”[/color] His hands were shaking so hard he nearly dropped his phone, tears starting to well up in his eyes. Club Aether. His work place, that he loved, had burnt down overnight. He had only just started working there, and already, just like that, it had been taken away from him. From all of them. He sat there for several moments, reading through the messages he'd been sent. Leo had already arranged for him to get a temporary job waiting tables at a restaurant while he works to get the Club up and running again. He also had the offer to join The Sirens. Now he knew what Ethan meant by the doors closing comment. He didn’t know how to handle all of this information at once. It was all too much. He bit down on his bottom lip softly, trying hard to keep himself from crying. He knew that the others probably were having a rough time with the news as well. He took a few deep breaths, wiping the tears from his eyes as he calmed himself, before calling Dustynn. He wanted to check on her, make sure she was okay. The phone ring was a bit rattling as she quickly pressed the button to silent the noise. Her mother had already left the living room retiring to her bedroom, while Dustynn reached over and muted the television set. [color=fe697b][b]"Hey hun."[/b][/color] Dusty said answering the phone, her voice a bit quiet and dazed. She didn't know what was going to happen with all of this. Even though Leo had gotten Marcus and her a job waiting tables waiting tables, she couldn't help but feel a bit lost on what to do. She wondered if he felt the same. [color=fe697b][b]"I'm going to ask how you're doing, even though I probably know the answer."[/b][/color] [color=9e0b0f]"Hey Dusty..."[/color] Marcus replied as she answered the phone, his voice soft and deflated. He was still hurting, but hearing a familiar, caring voice was a little comforting at least. [color=9e0b0f]"I, uh... I'm... I don't even know, honestly... There's just so much going on... I don't know how to handle it all..."[/color] His voice was shaky, as if he was on the verge of tears. The tone of his voice almost made her cry, as she let out a nervous laughter, [color=fe697b][b]"I know what you mean.. this is all just so crazy, and not everything makes a lot of sense."[/b][/color] she admitted, picking up the remote and turning the tv off completely. She leaned back on the couch, [color=fe697b][b]"You wanna get together or something? I'd have to get dressed and all, but it'd only take me a little bit of time. I'd have you come over to my place, but it's pretty..uh, messy."[/b][/color] she looked around at her small trailer home. She had never had friends over before. A slight smile formed on Marcus' face, as he stood and walked out into his living room, holding his phone to his ear. [color=9e0b0f]"That would be great... I think we both could really do with some company right now. You can come over to mine, if you want?"[/color] He suggested, starting to tidy up a bit with his free hand. [color=fe697b][b]"Perfect. I'll get dressed and be over soon. Text me your address. Love ya. Bye."[/b][/color] She ended the call and sat on the couch for a moment. Too lazy and depressed to get up and get going, even though she knew it would be what is best for her, best for Marcus too. Hoisting herself up, she dug through her clothes to find something warm and appropriate to wear, before heading to the shower to get freshened up. About forty five minutes later she would be ready, and on her way over to Marcus' place. [color=9e0b0f]“Okay, see ya soon.”[/color] Marcus replied before the phone call ended, and let out a soft sigh of relief. He was still completely rattled from the news, with his mind racing a million miles an hour, but knowing that Dustynn was coming, definitely helped calm him a bit. They’d only known each other a short time, but working together formed a fairly close bond between the two, and he always found himself in a good mood when she was around. Too bad she was dating Leo… Marcus sighed again and shook his head, silently cursing at himself for having those thoughts, and continued tidying up.