"Listen, I've got a proposition for you," Azure's firm voice flew across the soft wind of the graveyard, "something mutually beneficial."
Elliot stepped back slightly, "I doubt that."
Azure stepped closer and the street light flickered; he the...
"And this year the project will be done with partners."
What. He dropped his pencil.
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Are you serious?
"We'll assign partners tomorrow. Today just ruminate on the topic and figure out some sort of game plan."
The school jingle promptly rang soon after. Just have a school bell. He rolled his eyes.
Slinging his bag over his arm, Elliot began down the stairs. The elevators were always too crowded.
Despite knowing the project would be a pain in the ass, he decided to ignore it until tomorrow.
Today's Wednesday. He thought while looking up at the marble ceiling.
Like clockwork, he exited his building, bound across the street, walked by countless stores, and made it to the subway.
The subway was a sprawling district beneath the city. It was never quite clean but not significantly dirty either. To Elliot, the slight uncleanliness added a bit of charm to it, the collective mark the city left.
He had to admit, though, that some days the subway "residents" got on his nerves.
Though he supposed even the crazy subway riders had their pros when he remembered that cold fall night.
Luckily, today would go by without a hitch.
Standing in front of his station going west of the city, he soon felt warm wind blowing at his face as the brakes shrieked and the subway car slid into the station.
The car itself was always packed. Advertisements lined the ceiling while announcements constantly blared.
He took a short nap before quickly making his way over to a small café.
Inside, the café was warm with the scent of fresh coffee beans and soft earthy tones. A mix of contemporary and Victorian design lined the walls and everything blended seamlessly. The owner was a pleasant old man, Mr. Miller, and it was aptly named "Timeless."
Despite this, the café had been struggling for quite some time.
"Oh, Elliot you're here," the old man smiled.
"Ready to start my shift," he smiled back.
"How are you doing?"
"Good."
"That's a relief," he sighed.
"Why? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, we aren't busy today so you can start at the back first."
"Okay."
"Then I'll have to get going; thanks for everything. Oh, and your paycheck is in the back," he winked as he left.
Opening the second to rightmost drawer, he found a small yellow envelope. Inside, was a nice paycheck of $500.
$400 for rent and $100 for the rest of the month.
He then tinkered with the brewer, cleaned up a bit, served the few customers that came, nothing too unmanageable.
When the store got empty, he began his biology homework.
Respiration versus photosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
***
Eventually, he heard the jingle of the door bell and then footsteps.
Footsteps he despised and yearned for.
"Skipping practice?" Elliot asked without looking up.
"Yeah, it's more fun to hang out with you," a voice responded.
Elliot lowered his pencil slightly, before cursing at himself and jotting down a string of words.
He soon felt a warm arm sling around his shoulder. "Homework? How are you so responsible?" a melody of laughter drifted on the air.
"Kaden, you're just irresponsible."
"You're so mean, I can be responsible," Kaden pouted.
"You're literally ditching practice right now," Elliot rolled his eyes at him and glimpsed his familiar chestnut fluffy hair, cat tipped lips, and maroon eyes.
"Got me there," Kaden laughed again.
The two then sat together in comfortable silence with only the sound of occasional pencil scratches filling the room; it was another slow fall evening as Elliot did his homework and Kaden scrolled through his phone.
When Elliot eventually finished his homework, he began, "Kaden, I—"
But as he turned over, he saw Kaden looking at a post of her.
The look in Kaden's eyes as he gazed at her didn't need description; Elliot knew that he himself had that look — now and for the past four years.
The arm on his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.
"—Oops sorry, what's up?" Kaden smiled.
"Nothing, it's almost time to close. So you should get going," he smiled back.
"Alright, how about we hang out tomorrow?"
"I can't, I have to finish a history paper."
"Central Haven kids have it tough."
"Maybe the weekend?"
"Sure, I'll get out of your hair now," Kaden messed with his hair. "Oh and when you're successful don't forget me," he laughed and the door bell jingled, reminding the world of his departure.
