22

22

“The first book I read by John Green was Looking for Alaska,” Eridan said as he took a drink from his coffee. “I’d heard about it online.”

“Same!” Cari enthused, sipping her coffee as well. “I usually don’t care for realistic fiction stories but I just love how Green writes.”

“He’s an amazing author. I’ve been looking to read Paper Towns but I can’t find it anywhere.”

“We could check the bookstore downtown,” Cari suggested, finishing off her coffee. “That’s usually where I get all my books if they aren’t at the library.”

“Sure,” Eridan said with a smile. He took Cari’s empty coffee cup for her and dropped it in the trash can with his as they walked out the front door of the coffee shop. Cari shivered from the cold air, even if it wasn’t chilly to most others.

“Are you cold?” Eridan asked her.

“Yeah, but it’s no big deal,” Cari insisted. “I’m usually cold no matter what.” She adjusted her sweater collar. Eridan stared at her as they walked.

“I notice you always wear a turtleneck,” he said lightly. “Do you like them that much?” He gave a bit of a laugh.

“Y-yeah, I guess they’re just my go-to outfit,” Cari replied, halfheartedly laughing. She shivered again. Eridan slowed his pace and still looked at her.

“Hey, Cari, are you alright?” he asked in a quieter voice.

“Hm?” Cari said, looking at him. “I’m fine. It’s just...” She paused for a moment. “It’s just really surprising to me that you even asked me to hang out today, nonetheless on a date. It feels weird.”

“Why do you say that?” Eridan asked. “Did you not want to hang out? I guess...I guess I just assumed that you wanted to because�"”

“No, no, of course I wanted to hang out with you!” Cari said quickly. “I just mean that I didn’t expect someone like you to even talk to me.”

“Someone like me?” Eridan laughed. “Cari, I’m not, like, some popular douchebag that has every girl right under his thumb. I’m pretty normal, I guess. I thought it was crazy that you even agreed to hanging out.”

“M-me?” Cari stammered, blushing a bit. “I’m nothing special.”

“See? We’re not that different at all,” Eridan said with a smile. “I, uh, I’m...glad you agreed to this date, Cari.” He blushed. “Er, unless I was just being pushy with that whole /date/ thing.”

“I’m glad I agreed to this date, too,” Cari said quietly, smiling at Eridan. He beamed and they both picked up their pace a bit. They were almost to the bookstore. The buildings were getting taller as they traveled farther into town, and there were more people as well. It was sometimes known for being rather unsafe because of pickpockets or muggers. Cari felt a little better traveling now that she was with Eridan; however she felt unease when she saw a surprisingly tall older boy dressed in all black walking towards them. Cari felt Eridan tense beside her. There was something about the boy that was unsettling. As he passed them, Cari looked back. He was carrying something in a bag. It looked like it was a gift for someone.

“That guy didn’t steal anything from you, did he?” Eridan murmured, checking his own pockets. “He looked pretty...sketchy.”

Cari checked her own pockets to find that everything was still there. “Nope,” she said, glancing back at the boy again. He turned a corner and disappeared from her sight, into a bakery on the west side of the road. “I don’t think he was trying to rob anyone.”

“You can never be too sure with these people,” Eridan snuffed. “He looked like he was pretty…poor.”

“Yeah,” Cari agreed, checking her pockets again. They approached the bookstore. She couldn’t help but wonder why that boy had looked so familiar, and why he was carrying a gift bag when dressed like a mugger. Then she thought about where the boy had gone: a bakery. Her mind started wandering.

Didn’t Amantis mention he was going to a bakery this afternoon?

Amantis kicked his feet anxiously at the rungs of the table as he waited in the bakery. The open door of the little shop let in a cool breeze, mixing with the scent of cakes and sweets already in the air. Amantis was sitting in a table beside the window at the front of the bakery. He could barely sit still.

He looked over at the door again for the tenth time that minute. His eyes widened when he saw someone walk in that was tall, had long black hair and was wearing all black clothes. The boy looked over and saw Amantis with an unreadable expression, although Amantis could have sworn he saw him blush a bit. It was Motavo, carrying a bag in his hand. He was even taller than Amantis remembered. He walked over to the table slowly and sat down across from Amantis. They both were silent, just looking at each other, unsure of what to say or do. They had both been waiting so long to meet and now that they were able, they had no idea what to do. Amantis fidgeted.

“Th-thanks for coming,” Amantis stammered finally, feeling his ears burn. Motavo looked at him quickly and nodded, not saying anything. He looked at the table. Although he looked as if he was completely calm, Amantis could tell that Motavo was just as nervous as he was. Amantis gulped.

“D-do you want me to order you something?” he asked Motavo, blushing when he realized he was raising his voice. He wasn’t sure how to start a conversation. He wished that Keevan would have been there with them to help break the ice. Motavo shook his head no. Amantis looked at the table and squirmed in his seat. What should he say?

“…I have something for you,” Motavo said suddenly. Amantis was surprised when he spoke. “I hope you don’t mind.” He took the bag he had been holding and set it on the table. He pushed it towards Amantis and gestured for him to open it. Amantis bit his lip. Motavo had gotten him a gift? He carefully opened up the bag and found a little box dressed with a ribbon inside. Slowly, he opened the box and blushed. There was a bracelet made of colored string and beads inside.

“It…isn’t anything spectacular, but it was special to me,” Motavo said. “I made it as a kid and I’ve worn it ever since I was little. Consider it an apology gift for taking such a long time to officially meet you in person.”

“Y-you’re really giving this to me?” Amantis asked, taking out the bracelet. “You don’t have to!” He blushed deeply.

“I want you to have it,” Motavo insisted, nodding. Amantis felt himself almost getting overwhelmed. He felt extremely flattered that Motavo had given him something so special already. He slid the bracelet onto his wrist. It was too big for him, considering it had belonged to Motavo for so long, but he still loved it. Amantis smiled wide at him.

“Thanks so much!” Amantis said happily, his cheeks still burning. He saw Motavo blush a little in return and glance away.

“It’s nothing,” Motavo said quickly. “I’m just sorry we’ve had such bad luck trying to meet before this.”

“I...I guess we have had bad luck,” Amantis agreed quietly, feeling anxious when he thought again about Vanus. What would Van do if he knew about Amantis seeing Motavo? He stared to panic, feeling his heartbeat go faster in a hurry. He clenched his fists and started to tremble a bit. He didn’t want Vanus to get angry again. He hated when Vanus was angry.

“Is something wrong?” Motavo asked, sounding a bit concerned.

“N...no, nothing,” Amantis said, shaking off his panic. He remembered that Vanus had hockey practice all afternoon that Monday and sighed in relief. He wouldn’t have to worry about Van showing up that day. “No, everything is fine,” Amantis said, smiling. He twisted the bracelet on his wrist, feeling a bit comforted by it.

“I like your nail polish,” Motavo said. Amantis froze. He had forgotten to take off his purple nail polish from earlier. He hadn’t wanted Motavo, or anyone else, to see it. He looked up at Motavo and blushed, hiding his hands in his lap.

“You don’t think it’s weird?” Amantis asked quietly.

“I think it’s cute,” Motavo replied without hesitation. “The color suits you.” Amantis felt his face get even redder.

“Th-thank you,” Amantis said in a tiny voice, looking down at his hands. He almost jumped when a waitress approached the table.

“May I get you two anything?” she asked politely. Amantis looked up at her. She was very pretty, with long blonde hair and a bright face. Amantis envied her beauty. He glanced at Motavo, who seemed to have not acknowledged the waitress at all. Amantis looked back to the girl.

“Um...one raspberry torte and an Earl Grey tea, please,” Amantis said shyly. The girl smiled and took down his order. She looked at Motavo.

“Anything for you, sir?” she asked. Amantis clenched his fingers into his seat, suddenly feeling jealous of the waitress. She was so feminine and elegant, tall and beautiful. Why couldn’t he be like that? Would Motavo have preferred someone like her?

“Just water,” Motavo said briefly. He didn’t even look at the girl. The waitress took his order and then smiled and left. Amantis felt a twist in his gut. Motavo had shown no interest in the girl even though she had been so beautiful. Did Motavo...not like girls? He gulped.

“How long have you known Keevan?” Motavo asked, breaking the silence again. Amantis looked up at him.

“Ten years,” Amantis replied. “We met in first grade. I was in class with her and Cari�"do you know Cari?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“She’s Keevan’s best friend. I wouldn’t expect you to know her; not many people do since she doesn’t have many friends.” Amantis gasped a bit. “Oh, that was really mean, forget I said that!”

Motavo smiled a bit. “That’s alright,” he said. “I don’t have many friends, either.”

Amantis felt a bit guilty. He realized that he didn’t know much of anything about Motavo. All he could gather was that he seemed like the kind of person with too many secrets to count. But that was alright with Amantis, because he was almost the same way. He definitely had his share of darkness, though he felt as if Motavo knew more about that than he did.

“How long have you known Keevan?” Amantis asked, curious to start learning more of him. Motavo glanced up at him from the table.

“Only a few weeks,” he replied. “We...met on the streets one night. She was very kind to me.”

“She’s kind to everyone,” Amantis said, smiling when he thought of Keevan. “She’s the best friend you could ask for!” Motavo smiled a bit as well and nodded.

“I was very grateful to her for being kind,” Motavo continued, “so…I felt as if I needed to go into that diner to help.” Amantis’s smile dropped a bit when he remembered what happened in the diner with Vanus. Motavo looked at him with a serious expression in his eyes. “It looked like you were in need of help, too. I wasn’t about to stand and watch it go any further than it did. I’m only glad they left you alone.”

“That...that was really nice, what you did for me and Kee,” Amantis said quietly, his cheeks burning again. “I never got to thank you for coming in and helping me. I couldn’t stop Vanus by myself.”

“It’s alright,” Motavo said gently. “I only wanted you to be safe.” He blushed a bit, glancing away. Amantis felt his heart flutter. He twisted the bracelet around his wrist again and blushed.

“I’m sorry about Van,” Amantis said in a quiet voice. “He’s...he’s my...”

“I already know that Vanus is your boyfriend,” Motavo said, “it’s alright, Amantis. I’m not going to get angry or upset.”

Amantis felt a pang in his heart. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at his feet sadly. Things were getting very complicated very quickly. He had developed a crush on Motavo but still loved Vanus despite his abuse. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t ever break up with Van. He didn’t know what would happen or what Vanus would do to him. Frankly, he didn’t even want to think about that.

The waitress returned to their table finally with Amantis’s cake, tea, and Motavo’s glass of water. She set them down gently and walked away, tending to the other people in the bakery. Amantis just stared at his food. Motavo took a drink of his water.

“We can still enjoy this time together, can’t we?” Motavo asked quietly, smiling. Amantis looked at him and couldn’t help but smile back. He took a small bite of the torte with his fork.

“Of course we can!” Amantis chimed, feeling happy again. He was with Motavo then, and that was all that mattered.

“Thank you for walking me all the way home,” Amantis said sheepishly as they approached his house, smiling. He lived in a very wealthy neighborhood and his home was the biggest on the street. Motavo had looked surprised when they had entered the neighborhood and Amantis had explained that he lived in a mansion with his extremely wealthy grandmother.

“It’s no trouble,” Motavo said. “Thank you for meeting up with me today. I really enjoyed meeting you for the first time, Amantis.” He smiled warmly.

“I enjoyed it, too,” Amantis said in a smaller voice. “Do you want to stay for a while? The chef is here tonight. You could stay for dinner.”

“I should be getting home, I have some things to take care of,” Motavo said, shaking his head. “But thank you for the offer. I’ll be sure to stay longer the next time we meet.”

“Where do you live? Around Keevan’s house?”

Motavo looked a bit caught off-guard by his question. He hesitated for a bit before answering. “I...live at the English Boy’s Home,” he replied. Amantis almost gasped.

“But that’s an orphanage!” he exclaimed, slapping a hand over his mouth when he realized how loud he had said that.

“Yeah,” Motavo said slowly. “It is.”

“You...you could always stay here! I have a lot of room and I could give you anything you needed, my door is always open, Motavo!”

Motavo smiled. “You and Keevan are both too kind,” he said softly. “I’ll be alright.” Motavo hesitated for a moment. He was quiet as he looked over Amantis, his expression unreadable. Finally, Motavo leaned down and kissed Amantis’s cheek. Amantis blushed intensely.

“Goodbye, Amantis,” Motavo said, backing away, his face light pink.

“G-goodbye, Motavo,” Amantis stammered, still shocked at what had just happened. Motavo ran off down the street and around the corner until Amantis couldn’t see him anymore. He was still blushing as he opened up the door with his key and walked inside, locking the door behind him. Amantis touched his cheek lightly. Motavo had kissed him. He felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach. There was no way his crush on Motavo was just a crush.

He couldn’t wait to tell Keevan.