Night under the city

C1 - Blue Sky, golden sun

It was a blistering summer.

The ceiling fans in the office were blaring at max speed but they were not enough to get rid of the sticky and humid sensation in the air.

Ayin let out a sigh and loosened his tie.

He pushed against his desk and stood up.

"Giovanni, if they return, help me tell them that I am on break."

From a pile of documents, a hand slowly rose and motioned that it understood, before collapsing onto the keyboard.

Ayin glanced at the head of moss that was slumped on the table and turned to the cubicle in front of his.

"Do you want to come along?"

"Yeah!"

Benjamin, a youthful looking man with grey hair shot up from his desk. He stared intently at his computer screen.

"Give me a minute, I'll finish this part first..."

In the sluggish office, the rapid clacking of keys sounded almost inspiring.

"I'm done!"

Benjamin clicked a few buttons and pushed his office chair in, grabbing the coat on it. He patted it down and hung it on his arm.

"I'm ready, the same place as usual?"

"Mm."

***

In the stairwell of an abandoned school, Benjamin slowly pushed open the rusty metal door to the roof. The ear grating screech it created did not seem to affect either of them.

"The air here never seems to change, does it?"

Benjamin jogged over to the railing and looked over to the basketball court. The vibrant colours painted on it had long faded, leaving some patches of blue and red in some areas.

Benjamin chuckles and turns to look at Ayin, who took a seat beside him.

"Somehow, this place is cooler than the office."

"Because it's not enclosed."

Ayin took a bite of his ham sandwich and leaned against the railings.

The blue sky and its white clouds reflected within his golden eyes were as striking as ever.

It was as if nothing had changed.

It was as if they were still high school students, lying under the vast open sky, chatting about the most mundane but entertaining events.

It was as if they were still in their white and blue uniforms, walking down alleyways together, feeding any cat they came across.

"So, you can feel the wind."

A cool breeze brushed past Benjamin's face, a wry smile had formed at some point.

He looked away from the glimmering nostalgia within those golden eyes.

"Let's hope Daniel gets the air-conditioning fixed as soon as possible."

With the wind running through their hair, the pair ate in silence.

"How... How's Lisa and Enoch?" Benjamin asked.

Ayin paused and swallowed the food he was chewing.

"They are doing just fine. Enoch said he wanted to be a psychiatrist. He wanted to join the company. As for Lisa, although she never said it, I believe she wants to follow Enoch."

A soft smile hung from Ayin's lips as he spoke.

"What about Carmen? Are you still looking for her?"

Ayin blinked and looked at the half eaten sandwich in his hand. He held the paper material between his fingers and lowered his gaze.