Some notes: This is the first story that I write, ever. I also self-edit so please expect some mistakes. Feedback is important to me, so please speak your mind if have something to share. Chapter 2 is done, 3 and 4 are in the works.
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"Hey bro?" I asked Danny, who turned to me. "What would you name a book about Italian cuisine and Stoic philosophy?"
"How about 'The Stoic Kitchen: Spaghetti and Seneca?' It has a nice ring to it." he replied with a grin, taking a swig of beer.
"You know what, that's not half bad." I laughed, taking a sip of my own drink. "It's a bit long, though, what about something shorter?"
"Like 'Stoic's Savoury Stracciatella' maybe?" He suggested.
I shook my head at him. "I like it, but it doesn't have quite the same ring as 'Spaghetti and Seneca', try harder." I loved challenging his creativity, it always set him off.
"Really?" He raised his eyebrow. "Then how about 'Joe's fucking weird-ass book about Italian cuisine and Stoic philosophy'? That way you can find it easily on Amazon." He chuckled.
"Perfect!" I agreed, grinning widely, clinking my bottle against his. "You're writing the foreword."
"I'd love that, women love a good foreword writer." he joked.
"Really? That's the criteria they go by nowadays?" I raised my eyebrows skeptically.
"Oh yeah," he nodded seriously. "That and a fat cock."
We laughed hard and drank more beer. The cool breeze of the late May air was pleasant and refreshing. It was nine in the evening and the city was still alive. We were out on the rooftop patio of my apartment building, enjoying the silence, there was nobody else around. We were on our fourth beer each, just buzzed enough to be talking without thinking too much about it. Our Sunday nights were almost always reserved just for that.
"Hey bro, how come there are never any stars in New York?" Danny asked, staring up at the sky.
"Maybe because of all the smog." I offered. "Or maybe because people are too busy to look up."
"Yeah, that's probably it." he sighed, taking another beer from the cooler. "Ooh, this one has to be savoured slowly." he said, holding his bottle up to the light, then taking a swig. "This is so fucking good."
"Indeed it is." I chuckled, looking out over the cityscape. "Maybe that's why they invented beer. To make us want to slow down and look up at the stars once in a while."
"You think?" he asked, taking a long pull from his bottle.
"Well, I'm pretty sure some ancient Greeks thought so." I shrugged. "Did you know they thought that the gods lived in the stars?"
"Nah." he shook his head.
"They thought all the stars were beings, moving through the galaxy, living their lives." I continued. "And that the sun was a giant burning god."
"Those fucking Greeks." He laughed, shaking his head. "Always with the bullshit."
"Yup." I agreed. "But then again, I guess we're not really any different. We still believe most of the shit they did."
"Fuck knows what they would say if they saw the world today." he muttered, staring off into space. "I bet they'd be like... 'whoa, that's some crazy shit'."
I laughed and got up from my outdoor recliner. I moved to the edge of the roof and took in the view, I loved feeling small against the New York skyline. It made me feel insignificant, but it also made me realise how big the world was. It was a humbling feeling.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you for a while now." I said as I looked over the cityscape. "Why do we even live in New York?"
"For the food, obviously." He grinned, turning back to face me. "Or maybe the weather."
"Don't try and distract me." I smiled. "I'm serious. Why live here?"
He pondered this for a moment before replying. "Because everybody wants to be here." he said simply. "New York is the centre of the universe. You can be whatever you want to be here."
"There's more to life than being successful, isn't there?" I asked, taking another swig of my beer.
"Sure." he nodded. "But you gotta be happy doing it too."
I thought about that for a while, sipping my beer. I'd never really considered it, but I suppose he was right. But I knew deep down that I wasn't happy. I didn't know how to be, either. I returned to my seat next to him and stretched.
"Have you thought about your next gig?" Danny asked.
"I have, but I'm happy with what I'm doing now." I shrugged. "I can't see myself leaving the magazine anytime soon. What about you?"
Danny worked as a defense contractor, programming drone software and other cutting edge military machines. He made a six figure salary but rarely spent any of it on anything other than clothes, booze and records. I, on the other hand, had a smaller ambition. I worked for a magazine called 'The Review', it was moderately renowned and it paid well. They let me write about whatever I wanted, from food to music to philosophy.
"I've been thinking about taking a job with the CIA." he admitted.
"The Culinary Institute of America?" I asked with a smile?
"Nah, the other CIA, the ones in Langley." He clarified with a laugh. "An analyst position opened up and my manager recommended me. If everything goes well I start in September."
"Wow, that's great." I smiled. "Sounds like it could be a good move."
"It might." he agreed. "Best of all, I wouldn't have to move, it's based here."
"I'll never get why you love this place so much." I shook my head. "It's a dumpster fire, man."
He laughed and took another swig of beer. "It's where I met you, dude. This city has a lot going for it."
"I'll admit, you're right about that." I admitted. "But it's still a dumpster fire."
"Whatever." He laughed, finishing his beer. "You'd be surprised at how many people don't leave when they can. People stay, even if an opportunity opens for them to leave. It's a magical place, dude and it takes a special kind of dreamer to see that, you wouldn't get it" He smiled.
"Magic, huh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Hell yeah, magic." he nodded. "Think of it like this: everyone here thinks they're fucking special, everyone wants to be famous or powerful. Everyone wants to stand out, but no one really does. Just imagine what would happen if everyone decided to be average."
"I hadn't really thought about it like that." I mused, sitting back in my chair.
We finished the rest of the case, talking about random things until it was past midnight. We spent most of our free evenings on my rooftop, drunkenly debating life philosophies and whatnot. Talking to Danny while getting drunk was the only time I felt truly relaxed. This small area was my safe space, my Shangri-La, I could never feel bad here, it's like all my worries were left on the staircase.
"It's late, I better go." Danny said, getting up and stretching with a yawn. "I've got work tomorrow."
"Come on, I'll walk you home." I offered.
We made our way downstairs and onto the street. Danny's place was only one block away and he lived alone as well. We walked slowly, chatting about nothing in particular. As we reached his building, he stopped in front of me.
"Thanks for having me over dude, and for walking me home." he said, giving me a clumsy drunken hug. "I had fun tonight."
"Me too." I agreed. "See you tomorrow after work?"
"Yup, let's get dinner though, not sure I can handle two drinking sessions in a row."
"Fair enough." I agreed. "We'll find somewhere decent."
"Okay, sounds good." he agreed and entered his building. "Good night dude." he waved goodbye, smiling.
"Night." I waved back, watching him disappear into his apartment.
I turned, making my way back to my place. I really loved spending time with Danny.
We met in high school, after I moved to his neighbourhood. He was the type of guy that would just befriend the new kid and never tell him why. I was completely lost at first, but he helped me fit in. After a few months we started hanging out together outside of school, we both liked the same music, movies and books, and we quickly became best friends. It was a strange friendship, I couldn't ever remember us fighting. If anything, I felt like we were twins, despite being very different in most ways.
I made my way to the door and pulled out my keys, unlocking it and entering. I closed the door behind me and locked it back, then I took off my shoes and jacket and placed them in their spot before finally heading into the kitchen.
I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water, putting it on the counter next to my phone. I tossed some ice cubes into it and drank it down in one gulp once it was cold enough. Then I went into the bathroom and stripped out of my clothes, leaving them in a pile by the sink. I took a shower quickly, then dried myself off and got dressed in shorts. I brushed my teeth and headed back into the bedroom.
I fell asleep within minutes.
***
I woke up to my alarm ringing to the tune of 'I Got You Babe' by Sonny & Cher, I had it set like in the movie Groundhog Day, one of my favourites. I groaned and rolled over, reaching over to switch it off, then my phone buzzed beside it, vibrating on the side-table. I picked it up, seeing it was a message from Danny. He had sent me a link to a pub he'd found that also served food. I checked their page and read some reviews of it, it sounded great for a night out. I answered his message, agreeing to meet him there at seven.
I switched off the alarm and set my phone aside, pulling the covers over myself and falling back asleep. It was a Monday, but I was done with my articles and didn't need to work for a few more days.
I woke up again a few hours later, feeling refreshed. I made some coffee and ate a piece of toast, then sat on the couch and watched TV. Eventually, it was five thirty and I hopped into the shower, cleaning myself off. I put on some clean clothes and made my way to the pub.
I got there just before seven, finding Danny already seated at the bar. He was drinking a pint of draft lager. "Hey!" he smiled, waving me over. "Look who finally showed up."
"Hey Danny." I greeted him, grabbing a stool at the end of the bar and struggling to sit down on it. "How can you manage to sit on these things?"
"They're not that bad," he smirked, "if you've got the legs for it."
"I guess you're right." I laughed and turned to the bartender. "What do you recommend?"
"The Irish red ale is pretty good." she suggested. "Or you can always try one of our craft beers."
"Irish red ale please." I ordered, nodding to her. "And a double shot of espresso."
She nodded and went to fetch my drinks. I turned back to Danny. "So how's your day been?"
"Not too bad." he answered. "Worked on some drone software. Not much else to say, I'm programming the onboard AI. How about yours?"
"I did nothing all day and it was glorious. I might have to make this a regular thing."
"Living that vegetable life." Danny chuckled.
