Born for Sin

2: Pretentious

The sound of birds in the morning had always fucking irritated me. I don't know what type of latte-sipping, pompous, 5-in-the-morning-ass person could enjoy the squawk of a crowd of birds every morning; but it I am not one of them.

It wasn't necessarily the fact that I wasn't a morning person. Maybe I was - I woke up just fine most mornings. But, when you're sleeping in a park, it's like they're solely there to fuck with you. Screaming and carrying on, rubbing your own misfortune and lack of privacy in your face... Assholes.

Kol had evidently shared in my distaste for the winged creatures; his grunts and groans sounded like clockwork after the louder squawks.

"Fuck off, bird," I heard him mutter under his breath, as though they understood. I couldn't help but laugh in response.

"Is that you, love? These fuckers got you up as well?" he directed at me.

"They sure did."

"Pesky little bastards," he groaned as it sounded as though he was pushing himself up from the ground. "Are you decent?" He queried with more manners than I'd expected from any other homeless stranger; making sure I was okay with him opening the tent up.

"Yeah, you can come in."

He pulled the zip up carelessly, the fabric of the tent floor crunching beneath his boot as he stepped inside and hastily planted his behind onto the ground. The tent was tiny; certainly not big enough for standing. It felt cramped with just the two of us.

I sat myself upright and facing towards him as his eyes scanned me curiously.

"Did you sleep well, love?" He asked. "And by well, I mean by homeless standards."

"Yeah, I did. I actually fell asleep for a little while last night, which I don't usually do when I'm sleeping rough." I shrugged.

He laughed in response, raising his eyebrow as he spoke. "I know you did. I heard you snoring the bloody tent down."

"I did not!"

"Did too. Doris was absolutely devastated," he laughed- and I couldn't help but laugh, too.

My first day out of prison had been something I had feared immensely for a long, long time. And yet, it had turned out very different to what I'd anticipated.

"Now, lets get down to business," he said, folding his hands into his lap as though he'd initiated formal conversations just like this before. "When are we going to pay Arch Enterprises a visit?"

"You were serious?" I asked awkwardly. "How the hell would I even get in there? Are they even hiring?" I asked; having a million more questions in my mind ready to throw at him.

"Deadly serious. I've got a way to get in there, and that man is always hiring. He's got skyscrapers across the city, they could always do with a bit of help I'm sure."

"What's the point, Kol?" I asked in a flustered tone. "I'm not getting a job in an affluent place like that, and you know it. I'm going to head over to some of the department stores around the city and try to get in there."

He shook his head in response, somewhat like a disappointed father would do when their children were acting up.

"You can't win the race if you're not in it, love." He said tenderly. "You need to bet on yourself and see where it takes you."

I sighed. "But what if I just embarrass myself? And waste my time?"

"Then you embarrass yourself and waste your time. Embarrassment is short term and you'll move on from it, and we can make up for the time wasting." He shrugged. "Hell, if it all goes to shit, we'll go straight to the department stores afterwards and land you a job by the end of the day. Criminal record or not," he finished warmly with a smile.