Look Closer

1

The circumstances of our first meeting were less than ideal. The coming of the spring season had also brought on torrential downpours that lasted for weeks. It was during one of these weeks in the middle of May that we happened to cross paths. With thunder and lightning raging overhead, I was eager to return to the warmth of my home. Umbrella in hand, I moved at a brisk pace down the unusually empty street.

However, as focused as I was that day, something out of the corner of my eye halted me in my tracks. I stood in front of an opening between two buildings, staring down the alleyway with a slight squint. There, barely noticeable and shivering just a few yards away, was a young boy. he was soaked from head to toe, and sat against one wall with his head buried in his knees. I could have just ignored him and moved on. I'd seen plenty of homeless and unemployed people before now, and this wasn't any different.

But for reasons I still can't explain, something inside me moved me to approach him. I walked toward him slowly, pausing a few feet in front of him. Before I could even think of something to say, he had lifted his head to look at me. The moment his gaze met mine, I stiffened. Something about the distant look in his clouded, jade green eyes drew me to them. I would learn about the secret behind those eyes soon enough, but for now, they only enthralled me.

For a while I just stood looking at him in stunned silence, unable to tear my focus away. But my trance was broken when-

"Who are you?" The flat, tired tone of the boy's voice brought me back with a start.

"O-oh, uh... Sorry. I'm... James. I wanted to see if you were alright. This is a hell of a storm to just be sitting out in like this. Easy way to catch cold..."

I stopped myself before I could ramble further. The boy just sighed softly and looked away.

"It's fine. You don't have to bother with me."

For some reason, hearing him say this upset me. He made it sound like I'd be wasting my time by helping him. This sent a whole array of thoughts shooting through my head, all of which lead me to the conclusion that I couldn't just leave him here.

"It's not a bother at all! I'd be more than willing to let you stay over at my place and get out of this rain."

Upon saying this, the boy's empty expression flickered to one of surprise. I held my hand out to him. He didn't seem to notice at first, only turning his head to look back at me.

"It's perfectly alright, I swear." I said, doing my best to be reassuring. the boy sat without moving for a few moments more before cautiously grabbing my hand. He looked almost... relieved when grabbing my hand, as if he was glad enough just to have touched it. I didn't dwell much on it at the time, I simply helped him up and started to head back to the street. he was quick to keep up, seemingly not wanting to risk losing me.

"It's not too far from here." I said, gesturing to the apartment building a few blocks away. He didn't really look where I had pointed, just nodded briskly as he did his best to stay under the umbrella. The rest of the walk I stayed silent, and so did he. I let out a small sigh of relief when I finally opened the front door of the apartment complex.

"Alright." I said, closing the umbrella before heading toward the staircase.

"Now we just have to get to the second floor and we're all set."

I heard the kid suck in a sharp breath. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw he had stopped by the door and was looking tensely toward the steps.

"Uh... something wrong?" I asked. With a start, he detached his focus from the staircase and gave me a brief shake of the head. Once he started moving again, I just shrugged and re-initiated my journey to the apartment. The trip up the stairs was never really a long one to begin with, so I was on the second floor within a minute. With another glance behind me, I saw the boy making his way up the remaining steps at a cautious pace, his hand gripped tightly to the handrail. At this point, I was starting to wonder what his deal was.