Music To My Ears | 2gether Short Stories

I Prayed For You - Chapter 03

Tine sighed and leaned back. The meal had been immensely satisfying.

Wat had brought them to a hole in the wall eatery behind the Faculty of Medicine. It was little more than a scrubby, grimy opening through which an old man barked orders, a noxious cigar tucked at the corner of his lips.

Within, a woman and a young boy moved in a choreographed sequence within a tight space to produce some of the most scrumptious food on campus.

The boys had settled themselves on the grass in the medical faculty lawns, leaning against a tree.

Tine had loved the bahn mee recommended by Wat. It had texture and spice and flavour.

"What's your project about?" asked Tine.

"If I tell you, I'll have to kill you" joked Wat. Tine chuckled.

"I'm trying to build nanoparticles that will allow any material to self-heal. Can you imagine the possibilities?

Buildings that fill their own cracks, breaches in the hull of a ship or the body of an inter-planetary rover that bond and fuse by themselves.

Plants that can fight diseases or adapt to climate change. Human cells that can be regenerated or replaced."

Tine smiled. Wat had become animated and enthusiastic when talking about his work, no longer taciturn.

"Ohm said you have a company of your own. You must have bigger, better equipped labs than the University does" remarked Tine, thoughtfully.

Wat didn't answer immediately. "Uhm... It's... It's not my company, my parents founded it, they run it. I'm just a part of the R&D department.

The government is sponsoring a big part of this project. I get to spend some time with people my own age for a change and the University could use the money, so it's a win-win."

Tine sensed there was more behind the answer but he didn't press.

"Shall we make a move? I have a book to get started on that will most likely put me to sleep in the first five pages" said Tine, rolling his eyes.

Wat laughed. Tine thought it was a nice sound, bubbly and warm.

Wat stood up and extended his hand out to Tine without thinking anything much.

Tine hesitated half a second before he took the hand offered to him and pulled himself up.

He was brushing himself down when he heard a soft growl from Wat.

Wat's eyes were trained on a pair of boys who were laughing and headed their way. His fists were clenched, his nostrils flared and his mouth was a twisted gash.

The boys didn't notice Wat until they were almost upon him. One of the boys just nodded at Wat. The other one stopped in his tracks.

"Go ahead, Joss, I'll be right with you" said the second boy. His partner glanced at Wat. He didn't like what he saw.

"Are you sure?" he asked, unperturbed by the narrow-eyed glare that Wat threw at him.

"I'll be fine. Go. Please" the second one almost pleaded.

Joss gave Wat a warning look and stepped away. He kept glancing back at them even as he walked to the eatery.

"How are you, Wat?" asked the boy.

"Really, First? Him? He's a fuckboy and you know it" said Wat from between clenched teeth.

"Who I'm with is not your concern anymore, Wat. You made your feelings perfectly clear that night" said First, his voice steady but Tine could see his fingers trembling slightly.