"What do you want?"
"You," Alexei grinned.
For a second, Elijah thought the boy was playing one of those ridiculous campus dares. He'd seen the students shoving each other toward strangers just to see who could get the most awkward reaction.
Was this the same thing?
"Oh," he said mildly, nodding once.
And with that, he turned and kept walking toward the exit, certain that it was enough for Alexei to tick whatever box was on his dare card.
He expected that to be the end of their conversation as well.
It wasn't.
"That was such a dry 'oh' I've ever heard."
Alexei stepped beside him, and when he noticed him checking his phone, the teenager even slowed his pace to match their steps.
Elijah looked at him again and suddenly wondered why he was staring at his phone.
To Chase: "I will be out in a minute."
No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing that could be interesting for someone to stare at the screen so steadily.
"Is there something else you have to say?" If not, why aren't you leaving already?
With the way Alexei's gaze shifted from the screen to his face and a slight smile appeared, he seemed to understand the unsaid words more clearly.
"I do actually."
Elijah waited for it to make sense, but for that, there needed to be more words in the first place.
Apparently, for some absurd reason, Alexei stopped speaking. His smile turned into a smirk as if that should be an explanation enough.
Elijah nearly sighed when they crossed the corridor that led them directly to the car park rather than going all the way from where Alexei came.
He glanced at the boy and that smile was still there.
These were the moments when he would be reminded of his lack of social understanding.
Was he supposed to guess now?
Luckily, Chase was there, honking from the seat of his new red car. "Hop in. Oh, hey!"
Again, red. Elijah noted with mild amusement.
He was unaware of the glow in his grey eyes, like light reflecting from the smooth, untouched stone.
It was certainly something that made Alexei stare at his face with more intensity, if that was possible.
All the while, Chase waved at them, drawing even more attention.
The excited wave was for Alexei, of course.
"Wanna join us at Niko's?"
The question was casually thrown, and Eli didn't participate in the conversation. Either way, it didn't matter to him.
Both of them were aware of why they were going there.
Just as he opened the passenger window, Alexei reached in to stop him.
Assuming Alexei wanted the front seat, Elijah — being the older one — decided to ignore this childish antic and slid into the back seat.
Much to his surprise, this fluttering butterfly with a damp red shirt and equally bright hair hopped right next to him.
"I look like a chauffeur," Chase complained from the front.
"Nice ride."
A swift reply from Alexei, and in an instant, the grumbling in Chase's green eyes melted into a beaming smile.
"Right? Rosee's a beauty."
Elijah smiled at the new nickname.
"Dove?" he asked about the old Saxo VTS. It had been their ride for the last three years.
"She died," Chase said solemnly, stepping on the accelerator. "Ghost took her engine straight to hell. So… Rosee it is."
Elijah was no expert when it came to cars or anything that required an obscene amount of time for observation.
So, he hardly ever tried to learn about them.
Yet, the way the interior felt nice to sit in, and the almost silent hum of the engine, told him it was definitely an expensive one.
Though he doubted that the change had much to do with consideration for Glen's brother.
Elijah stared at the drops sliding down the window in an almost hypnotic haze.
That was until a sound jolted him out of his reverie.
The moment they crossed the university gates, Chase had put on a rock song, which Eli found mildly disturbing.
Melodies were supposed to be soothing. Were they not?
Who would even find peace with all these curse-filled lyrics? That was if he ignored the clumsy worship of certain body parts.
"Change it."
"Ah," Chase smacked his forehead. In a swift touch, the song was changed to a symphony without any words. "My bad. I forgot you didn't like these."
"What a monk," Alexei chuckled, finding the situation far more amusing than it was.
Elijah didn't take him seriously.
Kids his age were bound to get excited over something new. He had been like that once.
So, he merely turned to look back at the falling rain. The water is angry today, he thought, staring at the wetness splashing at the passerby.
The ride was smoother than their old Dove.
It would have been much better if not for the movements of the person sitting next to him.
The seat gave a quiet squish until warm breath brushed his cheek.
He turned only to nearly brush his nose on the pointed one. From this distance, he could even count those lashes framing the blue eyes.
"The Earl's Nook. You and me. Hot coffee… or whatever you prefer," Alexei said, wiggling his eyebrows. "You look like the type who prefers a fresh brew over clinking glasses with a Margarita."
Elijah blinked and then tilted his head to the side without being aware. His grey eyes showed an obvious confusion.
With almost childlike innocence, he asked, "Who is Margarita?"
Then, after a beat of silence, he added, "Why would I want to clink glasses with her?"