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Interlude
Wendesday Afternoon Orion let Nathan pay because Nathan always paid. He let Nathan pick up his drink. He let Nathan find a table. It was Orion who spoke first. "How have you been doing?" he asked. "Fine." Nathan raised his mug but paused before it reached his lips. “You know, you never would have had to ask me that before. Before, you would have known." Orion waited. "We haven't seen much of each other lately." "I know." Orion took his own sweet time, pausing leisurely, as if he didn't even notice the silence. He held his mug lightly and sipped his hot chocolate. "Sorry," he said finally, "I've been busy." What he didn't say was more important than his words. Orion wasn't the type to spend too much time with school. He didn't have any extracurricular activities. He was only ever busy with people: watching them, knowing them, being with them. This time, it wasn't Nathan that he was busy with. "I noticed," Nathan said. He wasn't angry. "So how have you been?" "I've been great. Wonderful. I'm doing well." There were no more words between them. There was nothing worth saying aloud, because they both knew how Sophia was, they both knew how life was, they both had seen that girl, the one with the nice shirt and the funny hair. The important things had to be said silently or not at all, so neither moved to speak. There was music in the background: acoustic guitar, playing sad music too slow. They sipped their drinks and watched each other. In the silence too much was said; too much had been said. Too much time had passed, and the look in Orion's eyes was more than enough. So softly, so sweetly, Orion spoke. "We already know what happens now," he said. It was only a hum, only a noise, not even a word: "Yeah." "I know plenty of people that would be happy to meet you. You're nice, you know. You shouldn't be single." "No, that's ok. Don't worry about it." "If that's what you want." It wasn't what Nathan wanted. Orion knew that. Orion didn't care. |