Four To Two [Elisop]

Chapter 1

It all began on a fall day. The orange and yellowed leaves fell from the trees and landed gently on the ground. The sun was still shining on the streets, but the wind of the season prevented it from spreading its warmth. Near a large building, groups of students were scattered on all sides. In the middle of this crowd was a tall young man, about twenty years old. He was wearing black rectangular glasses and a long beige coat to protect himself from the freezing cold, and finally a scarf of a blue color similar to that of his eyes. The man seemed a little confused and looked around as if looking for help.

Suddenly, a hand came to rest on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it belonged to. Behind him was another man, slightly shorter than him. He was wearing a thick white sweater of a color similar to his eyes and his hair, although they were more in silver tones. He wore glasses similar to his own, but perhaps a little wider. He had an ear piercing and a sullen expression. Yet the blue-eyed man found the scene before him unreal.

"Can... Can I help you...?" the pale man asked in a calm voice.

"A-Ah ! Yes ! I'm looking for building A !" replied the other young man in a cheerful voice.

"Hm... You'll find it by turning left, it's the one with the red walls..."

"Oh, thanks ! Um... May I know your name...?"

"Aesop. Aesop Carl."

"Nice to meet you Aesop ! My name is Eli ! Eli Clark !"

"Hm... Nice to meet you..."

The one called Aesop seemed a little uncomfortable by the cheerful one named Eli. He helped him, so why didn't he just leave instead of standing there and looking at him with fried whiting eyes. A familiar voice then sounded in Aesop's ears. It was the voice of his best friend, Norton. The boy nodded to the blue-eyed one before leaving him. He took a few quick steps before joining the other man.

The difference in size between the two was quite striking. The latter was dressed in a jacket, a cap, and black glasses. He also wore a beige scarf around his neck. The tall individual was waiting for Aesop a little further, hands in his pockets with a nonchalant air. When the white man reached him, the two of them set off towards their destination, probably their next class.

Eli, meanwhile, was still where he had been left. Mouth wide open mentally. His heart was beating abnormally fast, it wasn't painful though. No, on the contrary, it was even strangely satisfying. There was something about Aesop's mystical and at the same time ghostly appearance that captivated Eli's attention. He couldn't explain what or how, but he was drawn to this young man he had just met.

Was it... What they call love at first sight ?

Eli's face flushed just thinking about it. No, really ? Just like that ? And for a man on top of that ? It seemed unbelievable. Nevertheless, a part of him wanted to learn more. What kind of person was Aesop ? He seemed to be rather reserved and quiet, but apart from that, what did he like to do ? His hobbies, the music he liked. He wanted to get closer to him. 

Just so, a month passed after their first meeting. Eli met Aesop a few times during classes they shared, history and French. They sometimes had brief conversations, although most of them were about studies. Eli learned that Aesop was a student in the art department while he was in the archaeology department. These were two completely opposite buildings to the young man's dismay.

In the meantime, Eli had made some friends as well. A certain Luca, from the computer science department. The latter was always dressed lightly with the same white and black striped top, one could only wonder how he managed not to get sick. The other sidekick in his group of friends was called Naib. He wasn't really talkative and when he opened his mouth it wasn't often pleasant.

He was not much taller than Aesop, maybe even shorter. Yet he was one of the best members of the campus basketball team. Outside of games, he walked around with his hoodie on and green glasses. So that was Eli's entourage, they hadn't known each other for long but he knew he could count on them in times of need. Many things had changed in that short period of time. But one was always the same, Eli didn't stop thinking about Aesop during that month...

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If you were wondering, "fried whiting eyes" is a french idiom that means looking at someone with affection but in a pejorative way, kind of annoying