JONATHAN BYERS

Small town boy living in the big city. There was a time he believed dreaming wasn't in the cards for him, now he lets himself dream.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙳𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙵𝚁𝙰𝙼𝙴 / 𝙺𝙴𝙴𝙿𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙾𝙽

Wanted peace ended up dissecting
the things that consume us.

𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 ︳𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿 ︳𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

ɴᴏ, ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴇʀᴇ
ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴀ ᴍɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ʙᴜᴄᴋꜱ

Traded being a small town boy for the city.
Sometimes dreams can be reached.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ town boy in the 𝐁𝐈𝐆 Apple.
Some girl last night at a bar approached
pointing out that two freckles looks like
a bite from a vampire and then proceeded
to ask if she could bite him…

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

“Maybe I can take you to a show or something” he offers figuring one way to really experience New York would be seeing something on Broadway.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Legs stretched out in front of him, back resting comfortably against the wall, he listens as she talks. She doesn’t have to explain any of it why the Herald picked that hotel, how it all came together but he loves that she does. Loves the way she rambles when she’s thinking

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

Nancy nods even though he can’t see her, her curls brushing against the pillow she was resting against as she stretched out on her couch. Her eyes lifted across the small space of her mediocre living room, staring out the windows as glass started to pelt against it outside.
-

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

he’s reminded of something steady and certain. That behind all the darkness there had been something lighter. Beneath the ugliness he had found something beautiful. He had once been in love and more importantly he had been loved. After a second he clears his throat.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

now sit with his back leant against the wall.

“I’m going to assume that the Herald is going to book you at some swanky hotel?”

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

“Think it’s the other way around” he smoothly states and by no means is he trying to sound smooth, he just doesn’t need to think about it because it’s true. Out of the two of them, he’s going to be the lucky one to be in her presence. Reaching over

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

Pretty huh? She almost said something about that, teased about how was he certain that her ‘age’ wasn’t getting the better of her or reminding him that she could hold a conversation as well. Not that she wasn’t ancient by any means and he certainly didn’t need a reminder of her -

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

he swipes his notepad from the counter along with a pen and jots down the days that she just listed.

“Whatever works for you” he’s flexible, he can make it work. Setting the notepad down he slowly sinks to the floor, the extension of the phone cord following him as he

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

relieved she can’t see him over the phone. “I’m sure beer is enough payment but I’m fairly certain once I pass on that you’re really pretty, he’ll definitely jump at the chance.”

Pausing for a moment and letting out a light chuckle.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Slowly he shifts his body now leaning his back against the wall. His smile only growing as Nancy jumps into explaining the reasoning she’s being sent to NY. He can hear the excitement in her voice while she explains about the premise in her assignment. He finds himself

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

Waiting on pens and needles, fingertip gingerly curling around the cord of her phone as she moves to flop down on her couch, kicking off her shoes as that suck of breath travels over the telephone lines from the big apple to her humble Bostonian apartment. -

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

grateful to this CEO and more importantly her boss wanting this story because it’s giving him the opportunity to see her.

“Well you’ll definitely get the word out” he adds in. When she revisits about the tour guide he can barely contain the goofy smile on his face and he’s

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

“As luck would have it, I might know a guy who would be more than happy to be your tour guide.”

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Funny, time passes but the way she says his name still causes butterflies or something to flutter in his stomach. When she inquires about if he got her message he nods his head. He then shakes it because it’s not like she can see it. Mustering up whatever strength he has

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

Nancy paused, hearing breathing on the other end, clearly a man. Was this some sort of prank call or one of her male co-workers trying to get under her skin? Why weren’t they saying anything?

Her fingers wrapped around her hip in annoyance, foot tapping on the ground as she -

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

and reminding himself he shed that shy, shrivels into the background skin he sucks in a breath.

“Yeah, something about you seeking out someone who can give you a real tour of the city.”

Pausing for a moment and then letting a sliver of a smile stretch across his lips.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Who is this? An easy question and yet who is he? The guy who is still hung up on his ex? The guy who feels a pull everytime he catches sight of the scar on his hand? The guy who, shutting the internal dialogue off he opts for simple.

“Hey uhh, it’s me, Jonathan.”

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Fairly certain she had picked up on the first ring. Hearing her on the other line causes his breath to hitch for a second. Literally he had just heard her voice seconds ago coming from his answering machine, and yet he’s still completely affected by the sound of her voice.

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

Nancy had barely hung up the phone, wincing at herself and wondering if she should’ve even called. Was it too much? Too soon? Did she sound like herself or weird?

Before she could dig herself too far into a spiral of overthinking, her phone was ringing again.

Not even-

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

His heart beats rapidly as she reveals she’s going to be in the city, his city. Minutes pass, his eyes cutting between the number and the scar, torn and yet not because he knows what he’s going to do. Without a second thought he’s calling Nancy.

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

Eyes trained on the number scribbled on his hand and then darting to the faded scar. The symbolism doesn’t go unnoticed by him. Past and present colliding, the pen more pronounced while the scar fades with time. He walks over to the rotary phone, urging himself to make

[𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 @ArmedWheeler]

She leaves a message for @LowerEastLens.

“Hey…might have an assignment I can take that would bring me to the city. Know someone that might be willing to accompany a girl to dinner. Show me the real local places?”

[JONATHAN BYERS @LowerEastLens]

the call, to let this be the moment he closes the door on the past and focuses on the future but just as he’s about to close that door 𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 he lets the answering machine get it and the second he hears the voice from the other line he stumbles backwards.