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Noah sat on the edge next to the cold concrete stairs that led to the beach, facing the ocean. He unwrapped the corn dog that was in his hand and began to feast, staring straight ahead.
He wasn't surprised when Owen plopped himself down close next to him, arms full with at least ten more corn dogs, swinging his feet against the wall noisily, and therefore didn't even bother to look. They'd been traveling together for a while now, this set up wasn't unlike others they'd had before.
"If you want one, don't be afraid to ask! I need to cut down anyway." He grinned, ripping the wrapper off of his first dog and chomping down. Noah couldn't help but glance over and smirk, knowing Owen could probably finish all ten of his before Noah was even done with his one.
"I'll be sure to let you know." Noah replied in his usual sarcastic tone, taking another munch on his dinner.
When he thought about it, he realized wasn't quite sure where they were, as the set they had last been on didn't really give them much details. But the evening was cool as the twilight sky stained the ocean, and the late-summer wind blew against their faces, and Noah knew one thing for sure: that they would once again find their way to another show, and try their luck for money once again. It was a strange pattern they had gotten into, but Noah had to admit, he wasn't sure he completely hated it.
Even if it was just the two of them, it might be better than being alone.
Owen burped loudly, and somehow sucked in an entire wrapper from a finished corn dog.
Maybe not.
Noah took a deep breath and watched vacantly as Owen coughed violently and choked on the wrapper, wondering how in the world they got stuck with each other in the first place. Out of every person on the planet, sometimes it seemed like Owen was the most incompetent. He was loud and obnoxious, and rushed into things often without thinking. They didn't have much in common, and they didn't have similar personalities.
Eventually, Owen managed to spit out the wrapper, and laughed weakly as he crumpled it up and threw it in a nearby trash can.
"Are you ready to go?" Noah asked, having just finished his corn dog.
"Huh?" Owen asked.
"It's getting late, right?"
"Well, yeah, but, didn't you want to stay out here and watch the sunset a little longer?"
Noah blinked. He didn't realize Owen noticed how absorbed he was in enjoying the scenery. To be honest, he didn't really care. When you've seen one sunset, you've seen them all. But something about tonight felt different, so Noah gave another smirk and faced forward once more, watching the sun slowly melt into the horizon. The two of them sat closely together, and Noah felt Owen's warmth against him, which was nice on a cool night like this.
And it was quiet.
There was the sounds of birds and waves, and bicyclers riding along the sidewalk, and cars driving past on the street behind them.
Still, it was quiet.
...
...
...
"Hey, Noah?"
After what seemed like hours but was only minutes, Owen's voice finally pierced the silence. It was different than usual though, he sounded quiet and gentle.
"What is it?"
Noah realized too late that he sounded annoyed. Bad habit.
"Can I ask you something?"
"What."
"Well I guess, like... Uhhh... Can I make a promise to you?"
Noah blinked.
"What are you talking about? You're not making sense."
"Let me promise you something." Owen said, smiling softly.
"Huh? ... Promise me what?" Noah asked. He was sure he had a confused look on his face.
What happened next took him by surprise.
Owen slid his arm around Noah's shoulder and pulled him toward him gently, using his free hand to gently stroke his hair. Noah was about to ask him what the heck he was doing, when Owen spoke up again.
"Someday, things might be different, right? I mean, we might not be on reality shows forever... You might get a job or something... And a car, and, oh! oh! your own apartment!"
As he spoke, he began to pet his hair more comfortably. Noah stayed silent.
"Some girl will fall in love with you--she'll be lucky to have you!!--You'll get married and have kids. You'll grow up and get old, and maybe be a grandpa!!" Owen stopped to laugh softly, and Noah was sure he was picturing it. "Maybe, you'll get so old, you won't remember me at all."
As Owen fell silent, Noah quickly opened his mouth to say something, but Owen spoke up again before he could.
"But, even if that stuff does happen, will you let me promise something?"
For the first time, Noah dared to move his head to see Owen's expression. He was surprised to see that Owen had the same cheerful look on his face that he wore every day, the light of the moon illuminating his features as he stared ahead watching the ocean as he began to speak once again.
"I want to promise, that no matter how much things change..."
Noah closed his eyes and leaned his head against Owen's shoulder.
"I promise that I'll always stay by your side."
Without realizing it, Noah let his weight be supported by his friend's.
"It's not a big deal or anything, you know? I just want to be with you."
Noah smiled, and finally spoke up.
"Yeah, I'm with you, big guy."
And they sat there, just like that, for a long while; Owen holding Noah while petting his hair fondly.
Noah was sure this wasn't something they were going to talk about again.
He was sure they were probably never going to bring this up.
And if it were any normal day, Noah would've pushed Owen away and told him to stop sounding like a weirdo.
After all, Owen was always so incompetent. He was loud, obnoxious, and always rushed into things without thinking. Noah was sure they didn't have much in common, and that they didn't have similar personalities.
But just for tonight, it was okay.
It just felt nice to be together.