Maze

42

Boarding the bus as we barely caught our breaths, the moment I informed Edward we were on our way, his text of acknowledgement arrived at the speed of light. Well, it perturbed neither of us that he was already waiting at the designated stop—it was such an Edward thing to do.

"Did you have fun with Edward yesterday?" That was Aly's next topic of discussion as we plopped down in our seats. While our sharp breaths eventually died down, she still failed to stifle her giggles from slipping out. "He was practically dragging you out as soon as you guys finished classes! Must have been something important."

Without second thoughts, I nodded, not bothering to resist the smile shooting across my countenance. What was the point of concealing it from her, anyway? "We went out to the park and chilled at the secret base," I said, finding myself chuckling at that nickname Edward had given to the gazebo. "We get to catch up with our lives and all."

Aly's piercing eyes mellowed before they gravitated towards the moving scenery outside. Her smile was still apparent as she rested her chin on her hand. "The fact he trusted you and confided in you... makes me so happy. He wants others to paint him as this majestic and strong man, but no matter how desperate he is in bottling up every single complication he faces, he seriously sucks at hiding his vulnerability."

She paused with a faint sigh before she peered straight at me. "As much as the accident changed him, that guy craves for someone to be near him, to support him; being left to tend to himself is his kryptonite. I'm sure he's gonna straight up deny all of this, but I can see through his mask."

And that was why he showed so much appreciation of Seb and Lynn yesterday. Regardless of their busy lives as well as having their own social group, they defended his dignity. Even as Edward tried ditching them back then, they did not disappear.

"And you're probably the reliable person he's looking for," Aly declared so potently that the entirety of my body froze.

Me, reliable? Sure, in my dreams. I straightened my lips and stared at the salt bread rolls I had packed inside the paper bag. Our bodies swayed in some rhythm as the wheels of the bus collided through potholes, and people gripped tight into the handrails to steady themselves.

"You've been friends with him longer than I do. I feel like you know him so much better than I do..." I murmured.

"I may know him inside out, but you understand him better," Aly corrected. "Two different factors, y'know."

I muttered no remark, my boring gaze casted upon the floor. If that was the case, then... I would have been more careful not to break his promise of not spreading a word regarding his eye. I would have been able to answer his supposedly stumping question—why I befriended him—effortlessly. Why am I always like this... disregarding all of my friends' encouragement?

When the bus slowly halted, this was when I realized this was the stop we should disembark. I immediately leaped out of my seat, which recoiled Aly but she also stood up as she quickly hastened after me to the opened doors.

"Wait, wait, this is the stop?" She asked behind me. "We're here already? Aw man, I want to get some naps!"

Her questions merely lingered in the air as we hopped out, but that air was unfortunately blasted up with smoke particles exhumed by the retreating bus. As a result, two simultaneous sneezes reverberated throughout the vicinity when the dust tickled our nose hairs. Ah yes, nothing beats a morning getting blown by vehicle fumes.

"Good lord, this effin' smoke!" Aly groaned.

Well at the very least, while we cleaned ourselves up, Edward popped out from behind the shelter, as though he had heard us. While his hood was over his head, his iconic golden hair hung loosely. His shoulder was strapped with his bag, probably his laptop and all of his notebooks as well. He slightly bobbed his head on me before Aly, who reciprocated with a small smile.