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Edvin Ryding didn't believe in superstitions.

Or luck. Or fate. Or any of that abstract bullshit.

Yet he found himself sitting at a bar table with a coin, letting his next step be determined on the fickle nature of kismet.

Heads or tails? Pssh.

He glared at it, as if making it disappear would would solve all the problems in the world.

"Mate?"

His brown eyes managed to move up to the face of the very familiar red-haired boy next to him, "Hm?"

"Just flip it, for fucks sake," groaned Stan, stuffing a handful of crisps in his mouth.

"This is stupid," Edvin huffed, trying to hand Stan the 5 Kr coin that he'd taken from the latter after Stan had retrieved the packet of crisps from the vending machine.

"Oh, it's yours," said Stan, stuffing some more chips, his voice becoming muffled, "Tuk a feu coyans frum yeh walet."

Edvin gave him an amused look.

"Vhot? Yure da ohne wit da jhob," shrugged Stan.

"You also have a job," Edvin riposted.

"Not until tonight, I don't...... Made a good place though, hasn't she?"

Edvin paused for a moment and took in his surroundings. The atmosphere was warm, with dim yellow lighting all over. The floors and ceiling was lined with dark brown wood, there were ropes hanging with huge tumblers in corners, the live band was running sound checks for the opening night and the seats on the bar table where the two were sat were in shapes of saddles.

Rodeo's.

Stan's elder sister, Astrid, had always dreamt of opening a place like this and finally at the age of 28, she'd used up all her savings on it and hoped that it turned out the way she'd imagined.

Lucky for her, it did.

Stan, who had graduated from high school the year before, was uncertain about what he wanted to do in college. So, he settled on a gap year. And now when the time had come to finally decide, he decided to work alongside his sister and abandon the idea of college all together. His parents were not happy.

"She has."

"Yeah, now come on, Edvin, we had a deal. You flip that coin and if it's heads you do what I tell you and if it's tails you don't."

"I don't need this," Edvin grimaced.

"Yes, you do," mumbled Stan as he swallowed the last of the crisps in his mouth, his hand inserting into the packet for more, "You've been a hard-ass for weeks."

"It's just been a little busy," Edvin sighed, "A lot of things have happened this year."

"Trust me," nodded Stan, finally placing the packet on the bar table and dusting his hands against each other, "I know— hit Netflix show, international recognition, bazillion interviews, crazy fans— I get it. This is the start of your career, man. Of course, you've been busy."

Edvin took another sip and sighed deeply.

This is the start.

He'd worked towards being an actor his entire life. This is what he'd wanted. The feeling he'd gotten when he went was chosen as the lead for the first time, at the ripe age of four, in a school play— it was phenomenal. Just the idea that he could be someone else for a few hours had enthralled him and yes, his previous acting gigs hadn't exactly been as big as Young Royals but he had to get his big break sometime, right? Additionally he had absolutely loved shooting the show, he really had. But it was what came after the show was released that he wasn't very well-equipped for.

He was exhausted. The interviews, the blowing up social medias, the booming congratulatory texts from friends and family, the turning of heads when he walked the roads; it seemed a little overwhelming.

"Edvin, you need to understand that things are going to get more hectic in the coming year. You have to start shooting in Spain for that new movie that you've gotten signed to and you have table reads for season 2 of Young Royals. You need a break. Even your manager agrees."

Edvin shook his head at his best friend, "I can handle it, okay?"

Stan gave him a look.

Fuck it, Edvin mentally cursed. He was a good actor but Stan was a better friend.

"Okay fine, it's a little exerting and I'm a little swamped with the fame but you know, I'm okay. December starts tomorrow and in twenty days, I'll go back to Stockholm for Christmas and mum's going to baby me for a few days and I'll start the new year, all..... y'know.... zen," he explained, pushing the strands of hair back.

Stan snorted, "Did you just say 'zen'?"

Edvin was about to retaliate when a voice beat him.

"Stan, I've specifically asked you to not bring food from outside, inside the restaurant! And oh my god Edvin, why do you look like the walking dead?"

Astrid.

"Cheers," dead-planned Edvin, "You always make me feel so much better."

She shrugged, "Do you want another beer?"

"Nah," Edvin said, picking the bottle, "I really don't like beer."

"Then why are you drinking beer?"

"Because that's what Stan gave me."

Astrid scowled at her brother, "I've hired you as a bartender, you need to make sure that the guests drink what they actually like."

Stan flapped his hand dismissively, "He's not a guest and if he wanted a fucking margarita or whatever fancy-ass shit he's into these days, then he should've been more specific than 'give me alcohol'."

"Yeah, that's my bad," Edvin admitted.

"Anyway," drawled Astrid, "You guys were about to flip a coin?"

"No," said Edvin but Stan simultaneously said, "Yes."

"Edvin!" Stan protested.

"I just.... I don't even know why you want me to go and take a trip on my own. Who the hell takes trips alone?"

"Lots of people," countered Astrid, leaning against the bar table, "Going to new places can be extremely cathartic, and from the looks of you, it could be exactly what you need."

Then she looked towards her brother in surprise, "This was your idea? Cause it was really smart and that's unlike you. Show me your temperature."

Stan scrunched his nose in annoyance, "Har, har, har, you're so funny, Astrid."

Astrid winked and then turned towards Edvin, who seemed to be contemplating something, "So, what'd you say, superstar?"

Edvin pursed his lips, "You said 'somewhere new'. I've already been everywhere in Sweden."

"Oh, come on! What's stopping you? We're entering the happiest month of the whole year and you have time, you have money, you have a passport, you are literally a self-reliant eighteen year old. Get the fuck out, see the world," laughed Stan, punctuating the last seven words.

Edvin bit his lip and pushed his hair back, "I mean, it doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Of course it doesn't, taking a break is never a bad idea. You manager has literally forced you to stay away from acting until the new year, it's the greatest opportunity ever!" Stan hyped.

"Yeah man, go find yourself or something, that's what all the cool kids are into these days," grinned Astrid.

Edvin smiled assentingly, "Okay, then why don't you come with me, Stan? I don't think I want to go on a trip alone."

"Fuck no," warned Astrid, tone getting strict, "Your first official day of work starts from tomorrow. Mom and dad are already mad that I'm supporting your decision to leave college and allowing you to bartend for me. If you don't even do that job properly, they'll loose it—"

"Chill down," interrupted Stan, "I know, okay? I'm serious about this. Besides, Edvin needs to do this alone."

Edvin groaned, "Why do I need to do this alone?"

"Because," started Stan, "You know how there are introverts and extroverts?"

Edvin nodded with a frown.

"Well you're kind of the bisexual of introverts and extroverts."

Edvin bobbed his head and widened his eyes and Astrid, looking absolutely horrified, said, "So you mean he's an ambivert?"

There was a small pause.

"What the fuck? They have a word for this? Is there some kind of a meeting where they decide all of this and don't invite me?!"

Edvin threw back his head and burst out into loud, raucous laughter.

Astrid shook her head, "I don't know if I'm disconcerted or relived that you're not going to college."

Stan scowled at Edvin, "Oh, shut the fuck up. Like I was saying, you're an.... what's the word?"

"Ambivert," muttered Astrid, suddenly looking around for something.

"Yeah, that. And your profession requires you to be extroverted all the time, like you practically need to look calm and cool and charming for all your interviews and with all the people that you have to hang out with, it uses up your extroverted side..... even hanging out with friends requires some kind of.... extrovert-ism. So, why don't you just, like, be introverted for a while. Just Edvin Ryding with Edvin Ryding."

"I don't know," Edvin said, still smiling, "Where would I even go?"

"Aha!"

Both Edvin and Stan turned their heads towards Astrid, who was grinning widely, a large paper paper in one hand and a dart in other.

"What's that?" Edvin asked curiously.

Astrid's face heated up, "A world map.... So, um, okay, it's like a pipe dream but I always thought that if my restaurant becomes successful, I'd start opening chains. Like I'm thinking way ahead but you know.... whatever."

"That's really cool, Astrid," smiled Edvin politely, "But, how is this related?"

"You throw the dart at the map and wherever it lands is the next destination," she grinned proudly, "I mean, when I bought this place here in Gothenburg, I bought it with a bigger aim. Like I have a map of Sweden and then a world map, so after I open 5 places in Sweden, Rodeo's goes international."

"Is it bad that I lack motivation and I'm happy like that?" asked Stan.

"Shh," whispered Astrid, "This is gonna be so cool. Throw the dart and you go for 15 days wherever it lands."

Edvin laughed, the crinkles by his eyes becoming more prominent, "Shit, I dunno, this is impulsive. And unplanned. I don't like things that are unplanned."

"You like Stan," smirked Astrid, "He was unplanned."

"I was not," snarled Stan.

"We have a 9 year age gap and I literally never asked for a sibling, of course you were unplanned," she said matter-of-factly.

Stan flipped his sister off and snatched the dart from her hand and handed it to Edvin, who didn't make any move to take it.

"Fine," said Stan as he took out a coin from his pocket, "Heads, you throw the dart and go through it, Tails, you live a tedious, uncomfortable life."

"Deal."

"Now, remember Edvin, a deal breaker is a shoemaker," sang Stan.

"That's not the saying," Edvin frowned and looked at Astrid who had opened the world map, "Is that the saying?"

Astrid sighed, "I don't even care."

Stan looked at Edvin, "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Toss.

Heads.

"That's cheating!" Edvin accused.

"No, it was fair, Astrid, it was fair, right?"

"Fair and square," she chimed.

"There. Now, here's the dart. Throw it."

Edvin scowled as he noticed the two siblings grin at each other.

"What if it lands in the ocean?"

"Edvin," Astrid whined, "Just throw the bloody thing."

Edvin sighed and aimed.

It could go anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing. Maybe it was a place he'd always wanted to go. Somewhere hot. With beaches.

The dart flew across and hit the map. Astrid quickly put it on the table, and there it was, unmistakably on a spot.

Limerick.

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