He was flipping through his notebook again, the one that was labeled "Conspiracy Theories." Arthur wondered what type of theories were in it, but he never had the courage to go up to that lad who owned the thing and ask.
The guy's name was Alfred and he had moved to London from Oregon. That much Arthur knew. Beyond that, zip, nada, zero. He never hung out with anybody around school, kept quiet in class, and was constantly flipping through that notebook, either writing something in it or just reading. On occasion, Arthur thought he had even seen drawings, pictures, and newspaper clippings in there.
Arthur had promised himself that he would talk to Alfred one day. That day was not today. Obviously. For obvious reasons. The stars weren't aligned. The gods weren't smiling upon him. The temperature was a bit too cold. Clearly, today wasn't the day for obvious reasons that weren't excuses for Arthur's hesitancy to look like a fool. Of course not.
Tomorrow then.
Or not because Arthur had just been caught staring. And now Alfred was staring at him. Good job, Arthur, Arthur thought to himself, this is exactly what you had planned for the day. The bell rang and the rest of the class sprang into action to leave as quickly as possible. Arthur found it himself to tear his eyes away from Alfred's to clear his desk. When he looked back, Alfred was standing already, notebook in his arms.
Arthur got in line to leave the room, wishing he had reacted faster to avoid the after-class traffic at the door. Instead, he found himself standing next to Alfred. Should he say something? Apologize for staring? Do people do that?
"Do you like conspiracies?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin. "What?" Alfred was looking down at him, which wasn't by much, but Arthur had always had an inferiority complex due to his older brothers. It made him slightly more uncomfortable than when they had both been sitting.
"You stare at me a lot," Alfred explained, shrugging. Arthur flushed. He hadn't realized he had been caught staring multiple times. How embarrassing. "I figured it's 'cause ya like conspiracies, too." Did Americans always slur their words around like that?
Arthur cleared his throat as they finally managed to walk out the door. Alfred stayed by his side even though their next classes were in opposite directions. "Not particularly," he admitted. "But I do wonder what's in that notebook of yours. You're always going through it."
Alfred smiled. "I like to go back and reread through my notes to make sure I haven't missed anything. I'm confident I can solve one someday."
"Solve one?"
"Hmm-hm," he hummed cheerfully. "Conspiracy theories are just mysteries waiting to be solved."
That was certainly original. "If you say so," Arthur replied noncommittally. They were almost to Arthur's class and he was positive Alfred was going to be late to his. "How close are you to actually 'solving' one?"
Alfred stopped walking and looked at him thoughtfully. "Will you eat lunch with me?"
"What?"
"I'll tell you if you have lunch with me today." Alfred was smiling brilliantly, waving his notebook around like it was a carrot. He was literally dangling a carrot in Arthur's face.
Arthur didn't have to think twice before he accepted the invitation.
A/N: Day 3 of Anime Expo! Gosh, yesterday was amazing! I got to see the creator of Blue Exorcist and voice actor Michelle Ruff. Also, I bought something. :P I wonder what I'm going to do today. Anybody want to take a guess as to why Al is from Oregon? Thank you guys and have a lovely day! :)