I Wish We Met Sooner (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 18

Daniel

I CAN'T REMEMBER THE last time I had a good time. In fact, I've never had a good time before. Today was the first, and I can't ignore the fuzzy feeling blasting in this unstable heart.

As I walked through the passageways back home, my mind wondered why Ollie wrote my name on a padlock. And according to him, it wasn't just any lock but a symbol of love. I try to avoid acknowledging that he likes me and simply take it as something humans do, which makes little sense.

But I just can't.

And what made me write his name on my padlock?

"FUCK!" the sewers echoed my voice.

This kid is contagious, and I can't get rid of him, no matter how much I ignore this odd feeling within me. The feeling I get when I see him and the yearning once we depart. If I recall, I felt this exact feeling back in high school when I met a girl named Zoey. She's the class's new transfer student, and the day she spoke to me, her tender voice that could sing me to sleep caught my attention. Her eyes were grey like the clouds on a stormy day, and her dark curls draped over her shoulders and back.

We talked for a couple of days, and that feeling just grew stronger each time, and when I returned home, she would be stuck in my mind as I attempted to call her. But my shyness always got the best of me.

Well, that was years back. And sometimes I wonder what's she doing with her life now.

I climbed up the flight of stairs leading to my apartment and reached the windows where I could see grandpa pacing back and forth in the living room. He approached the window when he noticed me.

"Get in now!" He panicked as he shut the windows when I stepped in.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, feeling a slight concern.

He skipped towards the door to ensure the locks were tightened, then he moved to the kitchen windows and drew the curtains shut. The same goes for every single window in this apartment. And now, we're standing in the dark.

"I've done it," he said as the ceiling lights turned on. He was standing in front of me with an opened briefcase in his hands. "Behold, the Nonexistent."

Inside the case was a diamond-shaped bottle the size of a palm. Clear bubbling liquid was filled with a syringe encapsulated in the bottle to the brim. As I got a closer look, I perceived blood-red liquid within the needle. It looked as if grandpa had killed someone and sucked the blood out of them with the syringe.

"You called me back for this?" I'm annoyed because he dragged me away from Ollie. When he called earlier, his voice was heavy, and I assumed he needed help, to which I left Ollie and rushed home. Turns out, he wasn't.

"Yes!" he chirped before setting it down carefully. "I've tested it out in the lab on a chicken, and I recorded the session to ensure I'll remember it shall I forget. And I did. The Nonexistent is a success. The gipsy warned me to take care of it, which is why I filled the bottle with hydrochloric acid. If it falls into the wrong hands, their skin will burn severely."

"Yeah, great, woo-hoo for you," I said sarcastically as I turned around and aimed for the window, hoping to make it back to the carnival and catch Ollie. But I doubt he's still there.

"Wait," he cried. "There's one more thing."

I turned around to meet his eyes.

"I'll be delivering the Nonexistent to the government tonight, and I was hoping if you could come along."

"Why?" I ask. "In case you forget, the government is after my ass. The entire state is."

"They're after the Red Demon, not Daniel," he reminded. "Word got around that the Nonexistent is finally invented, and people are out to get it. Bad people. I'm afraid to travel alone and get caught in danger, and I feel much safer with you by my side."

"You're just being paranoid, gramps," I assured. "Just get an Uber or something to take you to the government. The driver will keep you company."

"Why can't you come with me?"

"I'm... busy," I didn't want to let out my true purpose. I was hoping to see Ollie again tonight. "Besides, if you really were in danger, you wouldn't be standing in front of me all excited about your invention. You'd be dead by now."

His mouth fell open as he wanted to say something but didn't. Instead, he nodded and scratched his head with his eyes on the ground.

"You're right," he breathed. "I'm just being paranoid, yes. It's okay then. I'll make the trip by myself, Danny."

That was a quick change, not just his spirit but tone too. It sounded vague, but I didn't bother to ask further questions.

Somehow, the air felt heavy as a wave of silence took over. Grandpa closed the briefcase and let out a deep sigh that felt like he's been holding it in for a while. A wide smile flashed across his face as he turned around to meet my eyes.

"So, you kids had fun today?" He changed the subject as though the previous one had never happened.

"Who?"

"You and Oliver," he said.

"How did you know I was out with him?"

"You've been spying on that kid for days, so I figured you're with him since you're not home," he chuckled, but it faded as his eyes broadened. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No."

His eyes calmed. "Thank god," he pressed his hand to his heart. I often wonder why people do that. Why do they push their hands on their heart to calm it down as though it was that simple? It takes a lot of effort to calm yourself, and I should know. I've been trying to calm myself for so many years.

"Anyway, I'll be out tonight, so you'll have to find your own dinner, okay?" He reminded.

"Don't worry about that," my neck pans towards the wall on the clock. It's past five in the evening. "I've got plans tonight."

"That's a first," he chuckles before walking towards me, squeezing my shoulders. "Listen here, Daniel. I'm really proud of you regardless of what you've done in the past. Now, you've got a friend, and I couldn't be happier for you. I just hope Oliver can show you the right path as the time comes."

Our eyes are aligned, but his felt strange. I can sense something is off when I see those eyes, but I can't put my finger on them.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely," he squeezed my shoulders again, tapped it, and let go. "Don't worry about me, enjoy your life, okay? I'll go get ready for my trip, and I'll see you in time for breakfast tomorrow."

With that, he carried the briefcase with both hands towards his room and shut the door.

I was still looking at the door, trying to process what had just happened.

I shook off the doubts and headed to my room, opening the wardrobe to find something better to wear for tonight. Given that I'm a serial killer, I have close to nothing normal to wear. And also the fact that I'm not fortunate enough to shop for more.

My eyes landed on the loose black V-neck t-shirt folded by the corner and a pair of blue jeans below it. Aside from them, the others were armoured clothes made from materials such as leather, metals, steel, and bulletproof. All of these are unsuitable to use around someone innocent and pure as Ollie.

"T-shirt and jeans, it is," I muttered.

God knows what we're going to do tonight. Eat dinner? Go for a walk? Watch a movie? Or what else do regular humans do in their spare time? I got to educate myself if I wanted Ollie to stay. I'll have to do a lot for him to stay.

If there's really a God up there, I hope he leaves me alone tonight because for once in my life; I want to have a good time with a friend and not have karma thrown at me.