Secrets

Sel stayed put at the bus stop for a few minutes. The clouds parted and some sun hit his face, it felt nice and he closed his eyes to take it in. It soon felt colder again, as the light faded and he opened his eyes to see a new cloud covering the source. He sat still, listening to his surroundings. He held Flen in his hands and stroke his fingers through his fur. He could hear and feel the cat purr. He could also hear some birds, calling out to each other, and their calls echoing against the concrete and the buildings. He heard some vehicles drive on the street, a bit in the distance, and the footsteps of some students leaving the school. He moved his own foot, and heard the gravel and the sole of the shoe scrape against each other. After a short moment of this, he decided it was time to get a move on.

He put Flen back in his jacket, and walked around the corner of the closest building, to get to the parking lot in front of the school. He picked up his phone, to put on some music, but was interrupted by a text. He read it, and smiled. The small little heart at the end of it made him feel warm inside. He answered quickly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to type. Then he went over to his moped, and sat there, waiting.

Soon enough, after about fifteen minutes, a car drove in on the parking lot. It was the same one that Katkin had seen him interact with before. Sel watched as the car drove closer, and smiled at the thought that Katkin thought he was up to some shady deals. She wasn't completely off. It was maybe a bit shady, but it wasn't illegal. The car stopped right in front of him, a blue sedan, not too shabby. Instead of talking to the driver through the window, this time the driver turned the car off and exited. He walked around the hood of the vehicle, and walked up to Sel.

"Long day huh?" He asked and held out his arms.

Sel nodded, and let himself be embraced by the young man. He felt a faint bear stubble scratch against his neck, which he did not mind at all, and the smell of the air freshener from the car that lingered on the man's clothes.

"What about you?" He asked as they separated from the hug.

The man backed up a couple of steps, not to stand too close to Sel, they didn't know who could walk by and see them.

"It's been alright. We have some papers that are due before the winter holidays that we're getting started on. But other than that it's just classes and work and trying to keep up, you know."

Sel nodded as he listened. It sounded so nice to just have school to think about, and some actual engaging school work to do. A smiled started in the corner of the young man's mouth, as he could tell in what direction Sel's thoughts were going.

"You'll see next year. I have no doubt that they'll take you in, as long as you put in the application in time." He said, and poke Sel teasingly between the ribs.

The distance between them closed again, as Sel laughed and slapped his hand away. They looked each other in the eyes, a clear tension building up, neither of them able to stop smiling. Sel reached for his hands, and they stood still for a second, feeling the soft skin of each others palms. A car entered the parking lot, and the magic was broken. They separated again, and tried to look relaxed and cool.

"When are you going to upgrade yourself, eh? Or are you going to ride that thing all the way to college graduation?" He nodded towards the moped behind Sel.

"It works just fine. There's nothing wrong with it." Sel pretended to be hurt. "Or you know, you could start driving me." He nodded back towards the car.

"Or you could be a real adult and drive it yourself?"

"Would you let me?" Sel already knew the answer.

"Hmm, probably not. I would want to see you drive another car first, to see how you do." He winked at Sel.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Katkin and Dabria exited through the main entrance. They weren't talking, but had decided to walk together as far as to the bus stop at least. The afternoon air filled their lungs, after what had felt like some really slow lessons. Dabria stopped on the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath and looking up at the clouds. Katkin had walked down a few steps before noticing, but turned to her friend.

"You alright?"

"Just enjoying some peace and quiet. And fresh air." Dabria answered and walked down to Katkin's level.

"You wanna hang out or something? Or are you headed home to Almund and the rest?" Katkin offered, thinking that Dabria might need some company.

"Maybe… Doesn't sound too bad to just not go back there immediately." She thought out loud.

She looked across the parking lot, weighing her alternatives, and that's when she saw Sel. He was talking to some older guy, who looked to be around college-aged, maybe just two or three years older than them.

"What's going on over there?" She pointed out to Katkin.

Katkin turned to look at what Dabria was referring to, and recognised the car.

"That's the guy who supplied him with gunpowder." She said, not sure what that meant.

They watched Sel talk to the man, and saw that he seemed happy. They laughed and smiled a lot.

"They seem close?" Dabria asked.

"I haven't seen him before, just the car. I don't know who he is." Katkin shrugged.

"Should we go over there?"

"I don't know. Maybe not? He seems happy, and maybe that's good for him right now?" Katkin scratched her head, trying to make sense of the situation.

"You're probably right." Dabria agreed. "Do you wanna walk with me? I have a thought I'd like to share?"

"Absolutely, I can catch the bus from a stop not far from Thea's house. A thought about Sel or what?" Katkin nodded, but also didn't quite follow.

"Great. And no, a thought about Thea. I'll tell you on the way."

They walked down the rest of the stairs, and made sure to go well around the parking lot, as to not disturb Sel.