"I don't know why my favorite place is closed today, so I brought you here," Alexei said while looking at the menu of a restaurant not far from his favorite one, which was closed.
"Just being invited to eat at a restaurant by you makes me happy," Noel replied, thinking about how he sometimes ate fast food during his lunch breaks.
"Have you ordered what you want?"
Noel put down the menu book. "I'll order whatever you order." He smiled sweetly at him on their first date.
When the waiter came, Alexei ordered two servings of buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and extra bacon. He also ordered apple juice and one black coffee.
As soon as the waiter left, Alexei said, "I'll treat you to more meals out together more often."
"Don't bother," Noel replied, throwing a smile at Alexei.
"I don't feel bothered at all. Besides, you look thinner than you did a few months ago, and I don't want my sweetheart to be malnourished."
Noel could only smile upon hearing this, without saying anything else. Then their order arrived.
*
That afternoon, Noel and Alexei lay on a stretch of green grass by the river. There was no hustle and bustle of the metropolis, only the rustling wind brushing through the leaves. A flock of sparrows were chattering on tree branches, flying up above the river's surface. They flapped their wings, skimming the water and creating golden ripples on the green surface. Both had their arms folded behind their heads as they gazed at the clear afternoon sky, bursts of orange painting the horizon in late July.
"Tell me a story," Noel asked, starting to feel bored.
"I'm not good at telling stories," Alexei replied simply.
A moment of silence. Noel said, "You can tell me anything, for example... about your childhood. Come on!" Noel coaxed like a child asking for a bedtime story.
Alexei sighed. "There's nothing special about my childhood. Maybe the only story from my childhood is about my father, who always left in the morning and came back in the morning from work."
"Weren't you lonely?" Noel was a little surprised; he never imagined that Alexei had a childhood not much different from his own—left behind by working parents and ending up lonely.
"Since I was little, I was often left alone by my father because of work, so I'm used to it." Alexei sat up and turned to look at Noel. "But now, nothing feels lonely anymore. It's because of you." At the end of his sentence, his lips formed a small smile.
"What about your mother?"
"My mother died when I was still a baby."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up." He regretted asking that question.
"It's okay." Alexei smiled, letting out a soft sigh now and then, while his lips still held a smile.
This time, it was Noel's turn to start talking.
"Since I was little... I never even got to know my mother. I don't have a single memory of her. When I asked my father about my mother, he wouldn't say anything, as if he had locked his mouth tight about anything related to her."
Noel also sat up, picked up a small pebble, and threw it. The stone skipped across the water three times before finally sinking. Noel continued his story. "Every Sunday afternoon, my father always took me fishing under the bridge. While waiting for the fish to bite, we always counted the passing cars. My father counted the black cars, while I counted the red ones. Whoever had the most of their color won."
"That must have been a lot of fun."
Noel nodded and smiled. "Yes, but I can't do that anymore. My father rarely comes home; he doesn't have free time for me anymore."
"Let's do it!" Alexei suggested, making Noel turn to him. "Fishing while counting passing cars—you can do it with me. How about it?"
Before answering, Noel hugged Alexei, his body on top of the young man's. "Yes, that would be fun."
"Next Tuesday I have free time. I'll pick you up."
"No need. I'm off on Tuesday, so I can just come by myself. Besides, my coworkers at the café have been wondering about you always picking me up."
"Really? Is anyone among them interested in me?"
"No."
"Really? What a shame that not one of them is interested in this handsome me." Alexei sighed, pretending to look sad.
"No, you're mine!" There was emphasis on the last sentence Noel uttered.
"Why? Are you jealous?"
"Why should I be jealous?"
"Because I'm yours." Alexei smiled, a brief peck landing on Noel's lips.
In an instant, he could feel his face flush. "D-do not kiss me here, what if someone sees?" Noel quickly looked around at their surroundings.
Alexei, seeing the reaction Noel showed from the kiss, also got up and put his arm around the young man.
"No one will see. Why is your face so shy?"
"..."
"Noel, your heart is beating fast."
"..."
"Noel!" Alexei called softly.
"Hmm..."
"I have a snack." Alexei showed a bag of potato chips he had taken from the backpack he had been carrying.
Noel's eyes immediately lit up. "Give it to me!"
Just as Noel was about to take the chips from Alexei's hand, the young man immediately hid them behind his back.
"Kiss me first!"
"No, I'll take them myself."
Right then, Noel pinned Alexei's body down, restraining his lover's movements to grab the snack.
*
A few nights later, rain fell without warning. Noel stood under the small canopy behind the café, backpack on his shoulder, his mind in turmoil. He had forgotten to bring an umbrella, and the last bus would leave in twenty minutes.
From a distance, he saw a figure running toward him. A black leather jacket soaking wet, light brown hair plastered to his forehead. Alexei stopped in front of him, out of breath, one hand holding a large umbrella that he hadn't even opened.
"You... why aren't you using the umbrella?" Noel asked, confused.
Alexei laughed, shaking his head like a wet dog. "I was afraid you'd already gone home. So I ran all the way from the bus stop."
Noel felt something catch in his throat. "Idiot," he said softly, but his hands were already reaching for Alexei's jacket, trying to dry it with the hem of his own sleeve.
"You're cold," he continued, exasperated.
"It's okay," Alexei caught his busy hands. The coldness of Alexei's fingers made Noel flinch, but Alexei didn't let go. "You're colder."
He opened his wet leather jacket, ignoring the biting cold, and hugged Noel under that small canopy. A hug that was warm even though it was wet. A hug that made Noel forget that the rain would pass, and that he had to go home.
"Next time," Alexei whispered in his ear, "I'll bring two umbrellas."
Noel could only laugh softly, burying his face in Alexei's wet shoulder, hoping this night would never end.
*
The weather in early August was quite scorching as it entered the summer phase. Noel Baluev sighed, enveloping himself in silence amidst the hustle and bustle of the city streets. The sun was reigning high, baking the asphalt with its hot rays.
Noel Baluev turned his gaze to the black asphalt road being trampled by various vehicles, chasing the ever-moving time. He looked at an incoming text message from his lover on the small screen of his thick Nokia phone. Briefly, it drew a smile to his lips. Fifteen minutes passed waiting for the school bus that never came. His legs were stiff from standing, while the bus stop seats were full of students chatting or busy with their own things.
"Noel!" A baritone voice called him along with a gentle tap on his left shoulder.
Noel turned to the owner of the voice, a rather pale-skinned young man, handsome with black hair. He was wearing what looked like a high school uniform.
That young man was Yuri Viktorovich, Noel's friend.
"Do you have free time on Tuesday?" The question came low from his lips, audible amidst the noisy roar of traffic.
Noel shrugged briefly before throwing out an answer accompanied by a question. "No. Why?"
The next moment, a thin smile spread. "I need your help to choose some art supplies."
Noel looked at him with slight surprise. "Do you like painting now?"
"Not really. The art teacher in class next week is going to hold a painting activity, so all students are required to bring painting supplies. And as it happens, you know a lot about painting, so... will you help me? I'll treat you to coffee, whatever you want." Yuri tried to persuade Noel while gently rubbing the back of his neck.
Immediately, one of Noel's hands reached out and put his arm around Yuri's shoulder. "You've come to the right person."
Yuri's brown irises widened as he realized how close his face was to his friend's. There was a tremor he felt in his chest. No, it was more than just a tremor. For a moment, Yuri stood silent, mesmerized by the bright smile of his childhood friend.
The roar of an engine from a bus stopping in front of the bus stop snapped Yuri out of his mesmerized feeling—at the same time as a hand pulled him into that hunk of metal. Several people who also got on seemed invisible to Yuri; all he saw was Noel's figure, telling him to move quickly to choose a seat, and they ended up sitting in the very back.
"Yuri, your hand," Noel scolded.
Yuri glanced at his hand, still tightly gripping Noel's, immediately let go, ending with a soft laugh from the young man accompanied by his own embarrassed chuckle.
*
The sun slowly shifted from the horizon, setting toward the west, signaling that the moon would soon ascend its throne along with the coming darkness to blanket the earth.
On the warm sidewalk, baked by the scorching sun, two pairs of legs belonging to the two young men walked side by side. They were engrossed in conversation, joking and laughing together. Meanwhile, both of their hands were full of their belongings—painting supplies.
"When you graduate, which university will you choose?" Yuri threw out a question while gazing at the blazing sun.
"That... I haven't decided yet." Noel shrugged briefly. "What about you? Where will you go?"
"York University," Yuri answered while glancing at Noel briefly amidst the roar of passing vehicles.
"That's a public university, isn't it?" There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Yes, I deliberately looked for an affordable university because I don't want my education costs this time to be fully borne by my adoptive parents. Even though I already consider them my biological parents, and they feel the same way, I still don't want to keep being a burden."
"Do they know about your decision?"
"At first, my mother refused. But in the end, they gave up. After I explained it gradually, they understood. My father was the first to say he would always support me," he said. Noel was still listening without intending to interrupt. Yuri continued, "After graduation, I'll rent a simple apartment and will work, like you."
"That's not easy." Noel was somewhat surprised by his friend's decision.
Yuri threw a soft smile at him. "Yes, I know. I'll try to fund my dreams." He stopped walking. "I want to become a detective."
Noel smiled as well, giving a gentle pat on his friend's shoulder to boost his spirits. "Good luck. Whatever path you choose, I will always support you, as your friend."
Friend, huh? Yuri pursed his lips in a smile. Noel wasn't perceptive enough to notice it was a bland smile.
[•°]