'Tap tap tap' the sound of my footsteps goes. High, steel, semicircular walls hold on to the sound and then let it go again, making it echo through the hallway of the subway. Slowly the bright lights of the tram are coming in sight. No good, I should hurry. I start running faster, giving the walls more sound to echo. My heart is racing, allowing me to take the sprint. I push the button and the doors of the tram open. Relieved, I step inside. I'm incredibly tired now, but at least I caught the tram. I give myself some time to catch my breath before I have a look through the tram. I'm surprised by seeing how few people there are. In the back is sitting an old gray man. His eyes are closed and you hear him snore softly every time he breaths out. Then, a bit more in the middle, you have those two girls who are obviously good friends. They are whispering their stories to each other, giggling now and then. And last but not least, you have this boy sitting only two steps away from me. Well, boy? He's a adolescent, yet he doesn't give me the feeling I should call him a man. His warm brown eyes are gazing out of the window. His hair seems to have almost the same beautiful colour as his eyes. It's funny how one tuft of hair forms a curl on the right side of his head. With his right hand he supports his head, while his other hand is resting on the bench. Normally I don't really pay attention to other people but there is something about this boy which... interests me. With all those empty seats I could have sit everywhere, but I decide to take the seat opposite from the interesting boy. The tram started moving again, I'm just in time to hold onto one of the cold metal poles before losing my balance. Once it's safe to move again I take a deep breath and go straight to my goal. When I sit down opposite from the boy, the boy his eyes slowly go from to window to me. The boy must be surprised because a little questioning frown forms on his face.
"Hello," I try to start a conversation.
"Hello..." the boy says slowly while his eyes are curiously looking at me.
An awkward silence follows. The only sounds come from the moving tram, the sleeping old man and the soft giggling girls. The look in the boy's eyes gets cold, he must be irritated by the waiting.
"What do you want?" he asks with a bit angry undertone.
Again I let my eyes go over the boy, questioning myself what I want from him. Oddly enough, I don't even know myself.
"Nothing," I say before the boy gets any angrier.
The boy gives me one angry look before gazing out of the window again. Once again, neither of us speak. Suddenly, the old man gasped. For a moment I think something woke him up, but I know it didn't when the man starts snoring again.
"My name is Antonio. Antonio Fernández Carriedo, to be specific," I break the silence.
The boy doesn't even bother looking away from the window while giving me a short answer. "Aha..."
I'm expecting him to say his name, but he clearly shows he is not about to. I feel a bit sad about that, but it doesn't really matter. There are still so many other thing I can try to make him tell me.
"So, where are you from?" I ask happily.
"Nowhere," he says with a death sounding voice.
"And where are you going?"
"Somewhere."
I try to keep my smile on my face, to act as if I don't care he isn't telling me, but from the inside I do care. Something is telling me I won't get through the hard head of the boy, so I give up. I sigh and start staring out of the window just like the boy. Suddenly he starts talking, something I didn't expect to happen.
"Where are you from? You don't sound like you're from here."
I can't help the smile on my face gets bigger. He finally gave in.
"I'm from Spain. Barcelona, to be specific."
"And where are you going?"
I give the question a thought before I answer.
"Somewhere."
His eyes shoot from the window to me for a short moment, but then he gets back to gazing out of the window.
"Aha..." is again the only answer I get.
It is hard to keep staring out of the window, there is something about the boy which makes me want to stare at him for ages. Maybe it's because he's so... interesting.
"Is it nice in Spain? I mean, to live there?" he asks this time really sounding curious.
"I suppose," I say. "Yet there must be a reason I'm going away, mustn't there?"
"I guess," he tries to sound not curious, through the look in his eyes tells me otherwise.
The boy swallows, probably holding in dastardly questions. There is something about the boy which makes me so curious and by the looks of it he finds exactly the same thing of me. I'm not really a believer of fate, but this tingling feeling inside me is giving me the feeling we were meant to meet each other.
"Aren't you going to say your name?" I ask with a little amusement inside my voice.
"You shouldn't tell your name to strangers," the boy tells the truth.
"You make it sound like I have bad intentions with you. It's nothing like that. I'm just... curious," I defend myself.
I would swear I saw a light blush appear on the boy's face, but it was gone in the blink of an eye.
"It's nothing personal. I just don't tell my name to strangers."
"Then how do you get to know people? I mean, before your friend became your friend they were strangers too, right?"
Fire is rising inside his eyes. It gives me the feeling I hit a nerve.
"I'm not here to discussed about my friends and family. Thank you really much."
The girls abruptly have stopped talking. They shut their mouth and act like they are not there. Suddenly, the tram stops. The girls stand up and get out as soon as possible, walking pass the boy and me without making eye contact. As they get out the tram they start talking again, giving worried looks over their shoulder. The tram starts moving again. Now that the girls are gone I think it's safe to start talking again.
"I'm sorry," I say really meaning it. "I didn't know that I would hit a nerve. I didn't say anything about your family, though."
There is no longer fire in the boy's eyes, only some kind of sad expression I'm not familiar with and which I can't understand. The boy stares at the ground and it gives me the feeling that I should leave the boy alone, yet I can't get myself to do it.
"If there is anything you would like to talk about, I'll sit here and listen to you. If there is something I can help you with in any way, I'll be glad to help," I whisper, taking an 'older brother'-role on my shoulders.
"You have nothing to do with me, damn it!" he says while tears leave the corners of his eyes.
Again I look at the boy sitting in front of me, suddenly he looks so broken.
"Maybe that's why you should tell me."
More tears start to stream down the face of the boy. Roughly he wipes them away with his fists, like a little kid would do.
"It's none of your business. Leave me alone," he utters between his sobbing.
I take a tissue out of my pocket. I always have some with me, just like my little Band-Aids with animals of the zoo on them. You never know when you bump into a child with a bleeding finger or knee.
"Here," I say while I reach with the tissue to the boy.
The boy seems angry that I still won't leave him alone, but after some doubting he takes the tissue out of my hand. He blows his nose loudly and wipes the last tears on his face away. He seemed to have calm down a bit, but his narrow shoulders are still shaking.
"Better?" I ask a bit worried.
He gives me small nod, but he still seems really sad. Without my insistence the boy starts to tell his story.
"My brother left me. He fell in love with some German. Because of that, he moved to Germany one week ago. Don't get me wrong. I'm really happy for him and I'm glad he finally found that one special person, but..." He has to pause with telling for a moment because of his uncontrollable sobbing. "But he was the only family and friend I had."
I stand up from my seat and give the broken boy a warm embrace. For someone who doesn't want to tell his name to strangers, he clings on me a bit too fast, but I don't mind.
"It's okay. Cry everything out," I whisper inside his ear.
He does as I say and let all of his grief come out. He holds me even tighter, as a response I do the exact same thing with him. After he cried everything out, he lets me go, and of course I do the same thing. I take a new tissue out of my pocket and give it to him. Again he dries his face and blows his nose.
"Better?" I asks for the second time.
This time the boy doesn't give me a nod but a little smile. "Yes."
"Good," I say when I sit down on my own seat again.
"So is Germany where you are really going?" I ask.
The boy shakes his head. "No. I don't want to come between them."
"Then where are you really going?" I ask sternly.
"I... I don't know. I just wanted to go away. There are too many memories of my brother at home."
"Go back," I say with a low voice.
Shocked, the boy looks me in the eyes. Before he can ask why I interrupt him.
"Go back home. This is a dangerous world we are living in. There are enough street children who get abused, especially the sweet looking ones like you."
At first the boy stares at me with an overwhelmed look, but then his expression changes to angriness.
"I'm not a child anymore! I can take care for myself!"
"I know people like you, and believe me, you can't."
The next stop is announced, it is my stop. Slowly I stand up, looking down and the boy sitting opposite from me.
"Please go home. If you get in the hands of those criminals there is nothing left I can do for you."
Without saying another word I walk away, waiting for the tram to stop. The boy doesn't seem to have intentions to go after me, that maybe is the best for us both. Such a shame I'll never see him again. He is so... interesting.
"Wait!" the boy suddenly shouts.
He stands up and runs towards me. Suddenly, the tram stops. The boy loses his balance and pushes me against the ground. I hit the ground hard, a shiver of pain gets through my spine. When the pain is over I noticed the boy is lying on me, his and my head being awfully close together. The boy opens his warm brown eyes but before I am able to have a better look at them they are closed again. Soft lips brush against mine before they start moving gently. Shocked and confused by the boy's actions, I can only kiss him back softly before carefully getting him off of me. We stare into each other eyes, questioning what just happened. Slowly I come to a conclusion.
"Plan changed," I say while laying one hand on his face.
Gently I stoke his cheek, making a clear blush appear on his face. I stare into his warm eyes and see the same growing love inside them as I feel in my own.
"You're coming with me."