Niles was sleepily walking to work. They had stayed up late the night before getting ahead in their classes. Thankfully, they'd explored the area around their campus and office building in the weeks before school started, so they knew exactly where to go.
Niles went to the Starbucks on the side of the office building and ordered a small coffee with cream. Then they sat down at a table near the front window and spread out the contents of their book bag, including a sketchbook, an ASL textbook, and their laptop.
While they waited for their coffee, they let their mind wander. They absentmindedly picked at the corner of the textbook, thinking about how relieved they felt when they started learning the language to help with their nonverbal episodes.
Their gaze shifted to the window. Outside, Miles was making his way to the office building when he glanced into the window and recognized his friend, halting his trek. Miles seemed to hesitate for a moment, before walking up the steps into the café. He walked up to Niles' table while they organized their books, trying not to watch as he approached.
"Hey," Miles greeted. He glanced at the papers and books Niles was organizing and then looked up at them. "Could I sit with you?"
"Sure," Niles said, gesturing to the space they'd just cleared. "Go order yourself something, if you want."
Miles turned and walked up to the order counter, placed his order, and returned to the table where he sat across from Niles. "So, do you come here before work often?"
"Sometimes, if I need something," Niles replied.
"Cool."
"Yeah."
There was an awkward lapse in the conversation. Miles bounced his leg, and it gently hit the table each time on the upswing. Miles stilled himself and looked around the room, taking in the atmosphere, before finally staring back at Niles.
"So. What've you been up to?" Niles attempted to remedy the obvious lull in conversation.
"Oh, uh. Nothing much. Just came back from work, practiced on my longboard a bit, and then came here. And now I'm sitting at this table. With you."
"Oh, cool. Cool, cool."
"Yeah." Miles rubbed his fingertips together.
"Do you get around on your longboard a lot?" Niles continued.
Miles' neck snapped up at that, surprised that Niles was actually listening. "I mean. sometimes. It's kinda useful sometimes 'cause this city has good sidewalks. You know, back in my hometown, we had so many potholes, I couldn't even ride for long without getting a dent or a hole one of the wheels. And like, Jesus Christ, would it have killed them to spend some funding on a skatepark?" Miles laughed sheepishly.
"Oh, yeah, that sucks," Niles said. "Would you, uh," he continued, then swallowed awkwardly. "Would you bring it around here sometime?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"I mean, 'cause, maybe you could ride around after work?"
Miles smiled at Niles with a twinge of confusion on his face. "Sure. I mean, if that's not gonna be boring for you. It can't be all that fun just to watch, I'd imagine."
The two of them were interrupted by a barista's voice ringing through the café. "Order for... Kilometer?"
Miles left his seat to retrieve his drink.
Niles was laughing at him when he returned. "Really? Kilometer?"
"Shut up," Miles said, trying to hide his smile. He was failing.
