ONE: Vanilla on My Hands

14: It's Not Always About Coming Early

Frank had come to the conclusion that he was very good at certain things in his life. He was good at what he did, and he was more than happy to admit that fact. The only few things he wasn't very good at though, had all ended up happening on Monday morning. The morning when he should have been completely 'on the ball' with his head screwed on. But no; it was like his head had been screwed on like a haphazard coffee jar in a busy office. He might as well have metaphorically fallen out of the wrong side of the bed onto his ass.

Today was a new week, a new day, a whole new career path for him, and it hadn't gone well from the moment that his alarm went off. The horrendously loud buzzer had persistently slammed against his eardrum and wake him with a start. The amazing dream was lost almost instantly as the shock of the alarm forced him back into reality. His hand shot out from under the duvet as he slapped down on the snooze button atop the wicked device that had disturbed him. Five more minutes, Frank thought as the room fell silent. A smile curled on his lips while he snuggled back under the warm blankets. Frank sighed, at that moment he was still half-asleep and barely worried at all about why he had set his alarm so early. It was six in the morning and he was so content and uncaring about anything. He was so comfy and warm that nothing else mattered at all.

"Frank, you up?"

The sound of his name being called out to him had Frank groan and turn, stuffing his face into the pillow. Of course, Ryan was awake and up at six in the morning. Ryan was clearly calling to make sure that Frank hadn't set the alarm off to go back to sleep. The early bird was up and far too energetic at this time of the morning. Ryan could spring out of bed with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step while Frank needed at least half an hour for his brain to kick in and realize that he was actually awake.

"Frank, you don't want to be late on your first day, honey-bun," Ryan called out in sing-song and Frank groaned unhappily, realizing that the events of yesterday were real; not a dream. His mind began to churn and start-up like an ancient computer, booting up with a slow-moving progress bar behind his eyelids. Frank almost expected the old 'Windows' sound to play through his skull, but it didn't and he immediately remembered what had occurred. Frank took in a long inhale of the chilly morning air and sat up in the bed, keeping himself up on his jelly-like arms. He grimaced at the taste in his mouth and mussed a hand through his hair.

"I'm up, Ry!" Frank called back, his voice cracking near the end as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned unabashedly, loudly. Now that Frank was up and awake, the ominous feeling was setting in his stomach. Like the first day of a new school, being the new kid.

"You want some breakfast, sweetheart?" Ryan called up and Frank winced, his lips pursing and pulling down at the idea of food. He could picture Ryan downstairs in the kitchen, probably smiling with excitement and cooking something special for Frank for his first day. Frank could smell that Ryan had been cooking and it smelled somewhat like pancakes. It was Frank's favorite and it was probably doused in syrup and strawberries. The idea of the food had Frank turning his nose up. He could never eat now, he was way too nervous.

"I'm good for now," Frank called back as he threw the covers off of him and swung his legs off of the bed. He then grimaced when he realized that if Ryan had made him breakfast already, his feelings would be hurt. He backtracked, "If you're making something, I'll take it with me!"

"Okay," Ryan called back, sounding relieved. Frank curled his toes into the soft beige carpet and ran his hands through his hair again. He knew that he could not fuck up on his first day, especially seeing as how he had already slipped up before in front of his new boss. And yet, he still offered Frank the job. The Congressman believed in him. Frank wanted to believe in himself but his nerves were doing a number in his self-esteem. He sighed as he picked himself up and headed into the bathroom to shower.