Midnight City (boyxboy)

|One: Save Me|

It was the beginning of Fall in New York City, and Central Park had a beautiful hue of burnt oranges and dark yellows. As Sam looked around at his natural surroundings, he couldn't help but grin and think about how amazing this new chapter of his life was going to be. He was starting his third and final year of university, and then the world was finally his oyster.

Leaves crunched under his feet as he walked along the pathway, heading back into the city where his friends were meeting him at their usual spot. It was a small café in the city centre called Angel's Delight. It did the best desserts in the city, in his opinion of course. However maybe he was biased since his Dad was the owner.

The little bell above the door dinged as he walked into the café, seeing all of his friends already sat at their table. As usual the first person he spotted was his best friend Nick, who seemed to have already bought Sam's drink for him. He was sat next to Nancy, his girlfriend, and opposite him was Jenny who seemed a little irritated to have been third wheeling before his arrival.

"Happy Birthday!" They all sang in unison as he sat down next to Jenny, who slid a cupcake with a birthday candle stuck on top of the sticky icing in front of him. Chuckling, he shushed them all and checked to see if anyone was staring. None of the other customers seemed to be bothered by the momentary loud noise, so he sighed in relief and pulled off his denim jacket to hang over the back of his chair.

"Finally twenty one, how does it feel?" Nick asked, throwing an arm around Nancy's shoulders.

He just shrugged. "I don't feel any different. I suppose I can drink legally now."

Beside him Jenny giggled. "Speaking of drinks... You're still coming out tonight aren't you? You kind of have to otherwise we'll be celebrating nothing."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yes I'm still coming. And since when have we ever needed a reason to drink?" He pointed out, causing his friends to laugh and hum in agreement. He was about to add something else, but he spotted his dad coming out of the kitchen and into the café. When they locked eyes, he sported the biggest grin and headed towards his son's table.

"You sneaked away before I could wish you happy birthday," His dad tutted.

"Yeah sorry, felt like a walk," Sam explained. "But I'm here now."

"Yes, you are." His dad sighed happily, ruffling his son's auburn hair. He'd always hated his hair, and his whole appearance honestly. He wasn't a fan of the bright colour on top of his head, or the million freckles on his pale complexion. However he would never change them, he inherited those features from his mother. Almost as if he could read his mind, his Dad said, "Your mother would be so proud of you."

Sam smiled sadly, looking out of the large window of the café. His mom died when he was a baby, so he honestly didn't remember her. But from what he knew she was kind and caring, with the biggest heart and the purest soul. His dad described her as an angel, and he liked that he pictured her like that. Since she died he was raised by only his father, and Sam was so thankful for everything he had done for him.

"Thanks, dad," Sam softly said, standing up to pull him into a hug.

"We're going out after uni to celebrate, Micah. Fancy a bar crawl?" Nick joked.

"I think I'll pass, but you guys have fun. And be safe," Sam's dad replied, patting his son on the back before getting to work serving customers behind the till. On occasion Sam helped his dad in the café, but he also had another job to help pay for all of his student loans. Three nights a week he was a bartender in Brooklyn, though he couldn't lie he technically wasn't supposed to be working there until today. But he lied about his age to get the job, so hopefully if the manager noticed now, he wouldn't be fired.