Drops of Heaven

08

It had been a month since they moved in and Stan had successfully gotten the job he'd applied for. He was in charge of working at the grounds of the wetlands and it meant he got a lot of time to birdwatch. It was about a thirty minute drive from where they lived, so Stan got dibs on the car and the others had to make due with walking.

Eddie and Mike had already started their community college classes, whereas the others didn't start until later that month.

They didn't have the same schedule, but they went to the same building so they often took the train home together. The public transportation wasn't the best in Portland, but it was better than walking or taking the bus. The trains were a bit more predictable than the bus.

Eddie leaned his head in his palm while he watched and sort of listened the professor drone on and on. He liked the class content; it was an intriguing economics class but the professor loved to drone and send everyone into a dazed stupor.

One of Eddie's classmates whom he'd sat by on the first day slid a piece of paper to him.

Bored?

Eddie raised an eyebrow with a small smirk as he looked over at his classmate.

The other boy didn't look at Eddie but Eddie could see the ghost of a smile on his lips.

I have a million things I could be doing right now. Listening to Professor Z drone on and on about tax brackets isn't something I'm really setting my heart on.

Eddie slid the paper back.

His classmate read the note and scribbled something before pushing it back.

We've been sitting side by side for nearly two weeks but I don't even know your name. I'm Daniel :)

Eddie.

Daniel put the paper in his bag and held out his hand to Eddie. "Nice to meet you," Daniel whispered as Eddie shook his hand.

"You too," Eddie responded, peeking up at the professor who had paused his talking but continued after taking a deep breath.

"Mind if we chat after class?" Daniel asked and Eddie hummed in agreement.

After class let out, Eddie followed Daniel to the Starbucks that was just up the street from their campus. He had an hour before his next class, so there was no point in heading back to the apartment and Mike still had class.

"So... nice to meet you. Again. Sorry, I'm kind of socially awkward but you seem approachable," Daniel said as they got their coffees and sat at one of the tables.

Eddie smiled. "Don't worry, I'm kind of awkward, too. I've had the same friend group since I was in middle school and the same best friend since I was five, so I'm not super accustomed to making friends."

"Well... I'll be your friend," Daniel said eagerly. "Did your friends all go to the same high school? I may have met one or two of them since I grew up in the area."

"Oh, the seven of us all moved from Maine, so I doubt it," Eddie responded, sipping his iced coffee.

Daniel's eyes widened. "That's quite the move."

"We'd been planning it for years," Eddie told him. "It's hard to want to stay in a small, racist, homophobic town for your whole life."

"Homophobic..." Daniel trailed off. "Are you... sorry, to be blunt or intrusive, but are you gay?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, so are some of the people in my friend group. Is that a problem?"