Life had been going well for the boys. Shane was now working part-time as a florist, around twenty minutes away by car from their house. It was a quiet little shop on the outskirts of the town. Not many people went there, but there were still enough sales for them to stay in business. People were pretty surprised when Shane got the job, but they weren't surprised by what job he got.
They all knew he would get a job that involved flowers, that was obvious, but they were surprised by how quickly he got the job. He had been saying he was going to wait a little longer till he got a job as he was nervous by the whole idea of having one; it was a big step into the adult world and he didn't know if he was ready for that yet.
But after a while of contemplating the idea of being fully independent, he decided he was ready and that it was time for him to go out there and make his own money. Everyone was proud of him for making this step- especially Ryland who had been working since high school at his father's bakery. He had told Shane that having a job really wasn't that scary, to which Shane obviously brought up the argument that Ryland was working with family and that he would be working with complete strangers.
But it all worked out in the end as Shane made a few friends at the flower shop- who had actually come and hung out at their house a few times, which was a new experience for both boys as they hadn't made many new friends over the past few years. It was a nice difference to see new faces and listen to new voices.
They had also recently bought a car between them, which they were very proud of. It was a cheap, run down car, but it was still a car, and it was theirs.
Things had changed these last few months, but it was a good change. It was a change that they both needed. Stepping into adulthood scared them at first but really it wasn't much different to their adolescent stage. They still had the same thoughts, they still pretty much looked the same and they still liked the same stuff. All that adulthood had changed was the fact that they now had to do things for themselves, which wasn't as bad as they thought it would be.
They were actually enjoying it- even the little things, like: letters being addressed to them instead of their parents, going out and buying their own groceries, mowing the lawn, cooking dinner, etc. But then there were the not so fun things like paying bills and cleaning toilets.
They kept their promise of visiting the flower meadow at least once a month. The first time they went there since the move they brought a picnic with them and had a chilled day, playing music and running around in the flowers. The second time they went, Shane brought his paints with him and painted the meadow on Ryland's back; which has now become his favourite canvas. Then the other few times they went they just relaxed under the sun till it set.
The drive to the meadow seemed a lot more exciting now that they had their own car and they weren't having to use a member of family's one anymore. Maybe that warranty would wear off in a few months, or maybe it would stay the same, but either way, turning up the volume to full blast was a lot more fun in this janky old car (even if the quality wasn't as good as before).
Not much had gone on today; they had already done all the chores that needed to be done and neither of them were at work today, so they spent most of the day playing board games which was one of their favourite things to do together, even if most games ended in an argument.
They especially loved the game Uno. They had even agreed that if- when- they get a dog, it will be named Uno, to commemorate their love for the card game. The idea of them getting a dog was coming up a lot more frequently, mainly due to Shane, who had wanted to have a pet dog since he was younger, but never had the opportunity to have one for many reasons. But now that all those reasons had been eliminated, there was nothing stopping him from having a little furry companion- well other than Ryland who still wasn't sure on the whole idea of them having a dog.
Having a pet was a big responsibility and took a lot of commitment from them both. But once Shane pulled his 'I know you want me to be happy and this will make me happy' look on Ryland, he had to think twice about it. But his mind still wasn't made so he didn't say anything to Shane quite yet. Though the possibility of a tiny friend running around their feet was becoming bigger and bigger with every passing day. But for now it was just them.
Shane was sitting cross legged in the middle of the living room, wearing just his oversized blue sweatshirt and some boxers. There was no point in wearing pants when it was just him and Ryland in the house. That was another great thing about not living with parents- he could walk around naked if he wanted to, not that he would, but he could. But he preferred to just wear a sweatshirt and some boxers. Pants were too uncomfortable.
And well, Ryland wasn't complaining when he saw his boy lounging around in little to no clothing.
The rest of the night was pretty relaxing too, other than the fact they both had to sort out a few things for work. But apart from that, they didn't do much. They spent the majority of the night watching different documentaries on Netflix, and that was it- well, other than making out, but they did that most of the day too.
They didn't have many days where they could just hang out like this anymore. Now that Shane had a part-time job and Ryland had moved up to nearly a full time job at the bakery. So it was nice for them to just lounge around playing games and watching tv together. It was one of the biggest things they missed about childhood, but it was something they just had to get used to.
