The Space in Between || Ryan & Alain

It hadn’t taken long at all for Ryan to go stir-crazy in his room that morning. The sun had been to bright to go running. He didn’t have a shift for another few days, so there was very little reason to head out to Raleigh. And the desire to do something productive to waste away his time just wasn’t… there. 

Whatever was getting at him, he didn’t really know. So, in true Ryan fashion, he put it out of his mind.

When the day cleared and the sunlight softened, Ryan laced up his shoes and headed out, basketball in hand. He needed to be in motion, needed to be doing something. The destination he had in mind was his tried and true “happy place"—the river court. His feet tread the familiar path automatically, though the walk seemed longer without music playing in his ears.

By the time he finally reached the court, he’d managed to reach some sort of peace. Just the walk had been enough to do it, to clear his mind and give him something to focus on. But as he approached the concrete his eyes scanned the area, and stopped on a familiar figure. For a moment, he considered weaving back onto the sidewalk and keeping on past the spot, especially after the last pseudo-conversation he’d had with the girl. But he knew if he did that he’d just dwell and upset himself again, so he shelved that feeling too and kept on towards the court.