10 Days to Prom

The Evening Date

"You are not going to come school today?", Dave asked, the next morning, during breakfast.

"Nope. I have to clarify something today myself.", Rohan said, stirring his cereals.

"Looks like he's got a lover!", Henry's mom said, noticing Rohan.

Henry, Dave and Rohan looked up at her,  alarmed.

"I knew it!", Henry's mom said pointing at Rohan, with a wink.

"Mom! That was amazing. How did you know?", Henry asked, almost getting up from his chair, but sitting down immediately, glancing at his father at the head of the table.

"Well... it's a mother's talent!", she said and smiled proudly.

Dave started clapping, Henry and Rohan joined. Henry's mom got embarrassed and hushed them signalling them to continue eating.
Henry and Dave hugged Rohan so tight before leaving for school, that he had to inhale deeply for a few seconds. He was so busy in his thoughts that he didn't realise how he got home so fast. He saw his mom, aunt Lily and his uncles in the driveway, preparing to leave for work.

"Oh hey! There's Ro! How was the sleepover?", asked uncle Neil.

The rest of them stopped for a while to look at him.

"Fine. Why do you ask? It's not the first time.", Rohan asked, confused.

"True. But the first after you got a boyfriend!", said aunty Lily, with a laugh.

"You will not be going to school today, right?  Lunch is in the fridge, microwave it before you eat.", said Rohan's mom, getting into the car. Rohan nodded and stood by to see them leave.

"Good morning, Roro!", a very high pitched voice said behind him. He looked back to see Elena.

"Shut the fuck up, Eli! It's disgusting.", Chris said, angrily.

Rohan stifled his laugh. Uncle Dan, shocked at the sudden usage of the word, shouted,

"Did you just use the f-word, Chris? What the f-", he went quiet checking his own usage of the 'f-word'.

"Oh no.", said Rohan's mom, stifling her laugh.

"We're getting late, get in the car, Dan.", uncle Neil said, sternly.

Uncle Neil always called uncle Dan 'babe'. The sudden usage of  'Dan', made him hesitate and he got in the car. Chris and Elena got in at the back. School was on the way to their workplace so they went together. Rohan saw his mom waving at him through the window when the car went away. He waved back and then got inside the house.

The house was big and it felt more quieter than ever. He never stayed back home unless necessary. He had been awarded for full attendance since he was little. And skipped only a few times when he got ill but one of the elders used to stay back with him. He went to the band practice room after a shower. He had time till lunch. His mom and her friends had formed a musical band together before Rohan got adopted. They still play gigs in some clubs for charity. They were a bit famous locally. They also played songs at the school, another reason for being popular in school. The son of the main vocalist. Rohan saw it all growing up and started playing the instruments too. Having realised that he didn't play anything for a while because of the exams, he decided to do it today. Rohan saw the papers with incomplete songs. He heard they were preparing a few for the annual function at the community center. He sat and started playing them one by one to see how they were.

---

At school Mike couldn't listen to Ricky and others attentively. He was waiting for school to end and the moment when he would see Rohan's face. One year...it took a whole one year for him to get noticed. He had been thanking God since then for bumping into Dave that day. He never imagined to be with Rohan even for a day. And now it has been a week together. No, he thought, he wouldn't be sad if Rohan didn't wish to continue dating him after graduation. He was happy for his last week at school to be the way he wished it to be. He was so delighted to go on his first date with Rohan, he couldn't sleep last night.

"Yo, chubby Micky! You listening?", Ricky asked.

"Umm..yes. What did you say?", Mike asked, coming out from his thoughts.

"Bro...you so in love that you didn't hear the lunch bell ringing. Move your ass. I am hungry.", Ricky said, shaking Mike's shoulders.

"How is it going with him?", Pavel, another friend of them, who sat next to Ricky, asked.

"Good! Real good.", Mike said and nodded to himself, realising that it really went beyond his expectations.

"So Maria's conclusion was right. Rohan is gay.", said Lucy, Ricky's prom date.

"No. He said that he didn't need to be gay to like me. I didn't understand what he said at first. But then I understood that he meant he is just interested in me.", Mike said, monotonously.

"So that means Rohan is Mickysexual!", Pavel stated.

All of them started laughing at this sudden fact check.

"Let's go grab some food now.", Lucy said and tugged at Ricky's hand.

---

"Where are you?", Rohan asked Mike, on the phone, looking here and there.

Mike had already sent him the location. It was a new book cafe near their school. Since they won't be coming to this area anymore he decided to visit it before graduation. People were talking about the place a lot.

"Behind you. I am here.", Mike stopped running and started panting.

Rohan put his phone down and looked at him. Why the hell was he running?, he thought.

"Hi!", Mike said smiling brightly.

"Hi! Let's get you something to drink first. Why the hell did you run?", Rohan said, patting Mike's head and walked inside the cafe holding Mike's hand. After finding a table and placing their orders, Rohan said, looking around,

"Did you want to talk about books today?"

Mike gave a hearty laugh.
"Not really", he said, " I just wanted to make some memories before I graduate. Don't you like this place?"

"I just wanted to see you. I don't care about the place. But yeah...I am learning about your preferences this way. So it's okay.", Rohan said with a satisfied smile.

Mike stirred his coffee ignoring him and said slowly, "Do you want me to bring some books?"

"Only if you want to read them aloud to me. Poems will be preferable.", Rohan said crossing his hands.

"You and your way of talking!", Mike said getting up with a jerk.

"I got it from my mom.", Rohan said, proudly.