TK tore his eyes away from Carlos before anyone could notice how weird he was being. This was Texas, not New York. You couldn't get away with stuff like that as easily here. And it was not the time for anyone to suspect something different about him. It was too dangerous.
But it would be a lie to say TK didn't have butterflies in his stomach. It was kind of nice to have something replace that anxious, roiling feeling that was his constant companion. The unease was still there, but it had shifted to more in the background.
"I'm Carlos," he introduced, keeping the friendly smile on his face.
"Yeah," TK nodded. He wasn't what anyone would consider a great conversationalist in the best of times, but right now it was like the connection between his brain and his mouth was lost.
"And you are?" Carlos asked, nodding politely at him.
"TK. I- uh, I'm TK," TK stammered, cursing his awkwardness. Carlos probably couldn't wait to get away from him. The first person TK wanted to interact with who wasn't involved in his family drama and he was ruining it.
"TK," Carlos repeated, tipping his head to the side slightly. "Interesting. I like it."
"Thanks," TK replied bashfully. He'd never heard his name sound so good before. He wished he could record Carlos saying it, then play that back anytime he had to introduce himself to someone. "Your name is nice too."
"Thanks," Carlos laughed, glancing away from him. Was Carlos getting bored? Of course he would, with this invigorating conversation they were having. TK probably wouldn't even get bored watching Carlos watch paint dry. He had to salvage this, before Carlos found an excuse to leave. Who knows if they would ever see each other again? He still didn't know who he was, besides Iris' friend. Did he have other reasons to be there? Could TK eventually become one of those reasons?
Before TK could figure out something else to say, the alarms in the station started to blare. He barely stopped himself from jerking in surprise. TK hated loud noises. It reminded him of his mother's tirades.
"That's our cue," Marjan announced, spinning Mateo around and pushing him toward the truck.
"It was nice meeting you, TK. Next time, I'll cook something for you," Paul said, trotting backwards to join the others. TK gave an awkward wave, not really knowing how to react. People planning on seeing him again in a positive way was a strange concept to understand. Counting down the seconds until he was gone was more common.
"What is taking so long?" Iris groaned, pulling out her cell phone and typing furiously into it.
"She's probably out saving lives," Carlos chuckled, rolling his eyes. He had amazing eyes. "I still don't know why you couldn't wait to tell her until after her shift."
"Because if I don't tell her I will literally burst. Especially after waiting this long to get the final word," Iris sighed, slumping dramatically against the counter before bouncing back up again. "You get it, don't you TJ?"
"Uh-"
"K, Iris. TK," Carlos pointed out before TK could. "Remember how much you hated it when your freshmen lit teacher kept calling you Irene?"
"That's because Irene is a gross old person name and not at all like mine. I know she was doing it on purpose," Iris pouted, perking up when the ambulance pulled into the station. "Finally! I'll be back!" Iris darted off without another word, barely waiting for the truck to stop before she was opening the back door.
"Iris is Michelle's sister," Carlos explained, drawing TK's attention back to him.
"Oh," TK nodded, flashing back momentarily to the woman who'd talked to him after he'd shown up at the station. He would never have guessed her and Iris were related, since they seemed so different, but he probably wasn't much like Judd either.
"Iris just found out she got accepted into a summer program for students who are planning on going into med school. It was a last minute thing and she had to work really hard for it, so she's pretty excited."
"That's great."
"It really is. I'm kind of bummed though, since she leaves in a couple days and is gonna be gone the whole summer. It's probably going to be boring without her."
"Oh." Boring sounded amazing to TK. Being bored had always been a luxury in TK's mind. A break from being constantly on edge or actively fighting for survival.
"Speaking of boring, I'm probably keeping you from something with my droning on-"
"No!" TK said quickly, before forcing himself to take a breath and stop being such a weirdo. He interacted with other kids in school all the time. This was no different. "I mean, you're not boring."
"Good."
"And I was just doing the dishes before everyone showed up."
"That's nice of you. I'm sure they appreciate it."
"Yeah," TK shrugged. He hoped it would earn him some grace whenever he made a mistake. Maybe it was sort of manipulative to do things for others just for brownie points, but he'd do what he had to do. "I should probably finish up though. I don't like to start something if I'm not gonna get the job done."
"Right," Carlos nodded, spinning the granola bar he was still holding in his hands. Maybe TK should've said he was bored, just to free Carlos from this awkward conversation. It would've been a kindness. But TK was selfish and wanted him to stay. Carlos was probably too polite for his own good.
TK grabbed one of the dishes he already washed, drying the last bit of water off of it with a towel. What did people his age say to make small talk? When he was in school, he'd let the other kids lead the conversation, since they would stick to safer subjects. TK was more likely to let something slip if it were left up to him. Intermittent fasting was a thing, but it became worrying if you told people you weren't allowed to eat at home at all most days.
"Oh," TK mumbled as he opened one of the cabinet doors to put the plate he was holding away. While he assumed it was the right one, all he found were mugs and glasses. Even though that helped for some of the other things he had to put away, it didn't help him at the moment.
"To your left," Carlos spoke up, pointing to the cabinet next to the one TK was currently staring into.
"Thanks," TK replied, sliding over and opening the one Carlos had directed him to. He was right, so TK put his dish away and went back over to the sink. "Do you hang out here a lot?"
"Sometimes. Mostly when Iris wants to see Michelle during one of her shifts. And a couple times when my dad had to talk to the captain about a case he's working on. He's a ranger."
"Cool," TK said, trying to stay calm as icy fear flooded his veins. Being a ranger meant having a gun, which meant it would be easy for him to shoot TK for sniffing around his son if he didn't take kindly to it. And having the means to cover it up. Even though Carlos was already never a possibility for TK, this set it in stone.
"How often are you here? I would've remembered seeing you around," Carlos said with a smile that turned from friendly to bashful. TK had to be reading into it. Set in stone.
"I just moved here. I'm sort of Captain Strand's son," TK confessed, figuring it would come out anyway. Carlos hadn't been there when Paul told Iris, but if she told him later, TK didn't want to seem like he was lying or trying to cover it up. It felt really weird to say out loud though.
"Oh, wow!" Carlos said in surprise, tilting his head to the side a little as he stared at him. TK tried not to squirm under his gaze. This is when all the invasive questions would come and he had no idea how to answer. There were still so many things he hadn't told Owen, even though it was only a matter of time before he forced the conversation. "I can see the resemblance."
"Really?" TK asked, relieved at the statement in more than one way. He was obviously glad that Carlos hadn't pushed for details, but he was also happy to hear he looked like his father. TK heard for years how much he looked like his mom whenever they were out in public together, and as the years passed, he hated it. His mom had started to look so sick and angry all the time and TK didn't want to look that way as well. He'd stare at himself in the mirror, willing his features to change. Maybe if things worked out for him in Texas, some of his dad's demeanor would start to rub off on him.
"It's the nose. And the overall face shape. Maybe the smile, but I haven't seen it yet." That was enough to startle a smile out of TK and he could feel his cheeks heating up, but Carlos didn't look bothered by it. This must've been typical southern hospitality because there was no way Carlos was flirting with him.
"That was corny," TK huffed, rolling his eyes.
"Maybe, but it got you to relax a little," Carlos grinned, eking another smile out of TK. This was the most he'd smiled in a long time. "You seem sort of stressed."
"It's been a long couple of days," TK confessed, keeping it vague. How could you explain the range of emotions you felt when so many massive things happened to you in such a short amount of time? Going from staring down a few more years of terror and abuse, to being completely alone, to finding a family you didn't think existed but had the potential to be the best thing you could dream of. Stressed was an understatement.
"I've only ever lived here, but I imagine that moving is a lot to deal with. Austin isn't so bad though. There usually isn't a lot going on, but I like the quiet. Being able to hang out in the open space and look at the stars."
"Sounds a lot different from New York," TK said wistfully. He had a love/hate relationship with the city. It was an easy city to disappear in, which probably helped his mom hide him away for so many years. Would she have had as easy of a time doing that in a place like this?
"You're from New York? Where's your accent?"
"Where's yours?"
"Good point," Carlos conceded. "I've never been to a place like that. I mean, I've gone into the busier downtown areas of Houston and Dallas, but I doubt it compares. I think it would be too much for me."
"Quiet sounds nice," TK sighed, leaning back against the counter. His summer plans before everything changed had been to spend as much time away from home as possible. That still sounded like the smartest plan now, so Owen wouldn't get sick of him, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get away with it.
"I could show you around, if you want?" Carlos offered. "I don't have my official driver's license yet, so I can't drive us, but we could bike or walk. And there's always ride sharing."
"Really? You'd want to?" TK asked hesitantly. He couldn't figure out what Carlos' angle could possibly be for doing this. Hazing the new guy maybe? Killing time while his real friend was out of town? Just for a laugh? It was impossible for everyone he'd met so far to be a genuinely good person.
"Sure! It'll be fun," Carlos said excitedly. "Showing someone around always makes the places you've seen a hundred times before feel fresh again. I have a few places in mind already."
"I don't know. I kind of just got here and I'm still trying to find my footing," TK said carefully, hoping his denial wouldn't offend Carlos. A part of him did want to say yes, but the thought of making plans with someone gave him a bit of a panic. Getting through each day as it came was all he could deal with at the moment.
"Of course! Take all the time you need to settle in. I'm in no rush and this is a standing offer," Carlos insisted, digging into his pocket and pulling out a cell phone. "Can I get your number?"
"No."
"Oh."
"I mean, I don't have one. I don't have a phone."
"Oh!" Carlos laughed, nodding his head in understanding. "Social media?"
"No."
"Email?"
"No."
"Address to send a carrier pigeon?"
"I'm sorry I'm so weird," TK grimaced. This was the part where Carlos decided he wasn't worth the trouble and left without looking back. TK wouldn't blame him.
"No way. It just means I'll have to come here more often to get to know you in person." TK stared at him incredulously, before huffing out a small laugh. Carlos definitely wasn't like the kids he went to school with. If anything inconvenienced them, they would drop it and move on. But Carlos was willing to put in effort for a complete stranger. Maybe TK could too.
"I'd like that," TK said, shooting him a soft smile. Carlos beamed back at him, looking so open and genuine that TK didn't know what to do about it. Even if this wasn't real, at least he got to experience it for a couple minutes.
"Great! First order of business is helping you finish these dishes."
"You don't have to do that!" TK insisted quickly. He wasn't going to let Carlos do his chores for him. "I can finish these myself."
"But it'll go a lot faster if I show you where everything is," Carlos argued, grabbing a handful of silverware before he could protest further.
"Only to help put things away," TK conceded, realizing Carlos was a bit stubborn. If he wanted something, he was going to keep going for it until you gave in. At least this way, TK wouldn't put things in the wrong spot and make everything angry.
They worked in tandem after that, with TK washing and Carlos drying and putting away. He explained where everything went as he moved around the space. By the time they were finished, TK had a pretty solid grasp on where everything was. It would be a lot easier for him to keep up with the chores whenever he was there.
"Thanks for your help," TK said, drying off his hands as the sink finished draining. He'd never done something like this with another person before. It was nice to have company.
"You're welcome, TK," Carlos replied kindly. TK didn't think he'd ever get sick of hearing Carlos say his name. Not like it was an admonishment. Not in a way that told him something bad was coming for him. Just like someone was happy to have him in their presence.
"Sorry that took so long, TK. One thing turned into another, but they shouldn't need me for a few days now. We can get- oh!" Owen stopped short as he walked into the kitchen, staring at both of them in surprise. "Carlos, I didn't know you were here."
"Good to see you again, sir," Carlos greeted politely, sticking his hand out for Owen to shake.
"And you as well. I see you've met my son, TK," Owen replied kindly, shaking Carlos' hand and giving him an extra shoulder pat for good measure. That was a good sign, right?
"We were getting to know each other. Iris is talking to Michelle and TK was nice enough to keep me company."
"Ah," Owen said knowingly. "You'll probably be stuck here until the next call comes in."
"Yeah," Carlos agreed. "When Iris gets excited, there is no stopping her." TK stood back and watched as Carlos and Owen talked. It looked more natural than pretty much all of the interactions he'd had so far. Would it ever get that easy for him?
"I was just gonna grab TK so we could run a few errands," Owen said, turning to face him now. "You're gonna need some clothes and toiletries, just a few things to tide you over for now. Sound good?"
"Uh," TK mumbled, feeling awkward again. He knew Owen was going to have to buy him things, but it still felt like too much. Too much to accept and too much to owe. But constantly refusing could make Owen mad.
"I'll let you get going then," Carlos said, backing up a few steps. "Maybe I'll get some more practice in with Iris' car while I have the chance."
"Say hello to your father for me."
"I will," Carlos agreed, flashing another smile at TK. "It was great meeting you."
"Bye," TK mumbled, willing his cheeks to stay a normal color. He watched Carlos walk out of the station, wishing he could disappear right along with him. Maybe the ground could open up and swallow him.
"Carlos is a nice kid," Owen said casually. TK peeked up at him, waiting for the punchline or actual punch. When neither came after a few seconds, he let out a relieved breath. Either Owen didn't notice the awkwardness or he was kind enough to ignore it.
"Yeah."
"So, how about we do a little shopping, then we can grab lunch?" Owen proposed, as if TK really had a choice. He would just make sure to get the cheapest things he could find.
"Okay."
"There is something else though." Here it came. "And if you're not ready, you can tell me."
"Yeah?" TK asked, bracing himself.
"How would you feel about going to Judd's house for dinner?"