The next day was Saturday. John would have normally slept in, but he set his alarm for work, so he could go back to the coffee shop and see the blind man, Alexander as Laf had called him, again. He did not know why he felt so compelled to see him. Maybe it was something about his demeanor, how he seemed so angry at the world, as if it had done him some terrible grievance. John wanted to know what the world had done to him. Or maybe it was how he had looked so different from all the people he passed on his way to work every day. How his hair and eyes were so much darker than normal, giving him a kind of mysterious beauty.
John thought all of these thoughts while pensively staring at his turtle, Jake.
Jake bit John.
John yelped. "You're right buddy," he said. "I should get going."
Jake seemed to glare at John, and then turned his head pointedly to his food bowl, then back to John.
John looked in. "Oh, sorry." The food bowl was empty. John set Jake down and put some lettuce and other vegetables into the dish. He patted Jake on the head, avoiding another nip, grabbed his hat and scarf, pulled on his coat, and stepped out of his apartment. He ran down the ten flights of stairs that was the only way to get up and down the old building.
He named all the shapes that the water markings in the pealing floral print wall paper made. A cloud, a face, a dog, a turtle, a cat head a bunch of grapes. He had noticed all of these figures when he had first moved into this building, many work-wery years ago.
He reached the foyer of the building and burst out into late November air, carrying even more of a nip to it then the day before had. He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck and started his journey. The frigid air burned his nose and froze his lungs stiff when he inhaled. Needless to say, that made him even more eager to get inside when he reached Laf's shop. He came in, breath rattling in time with the jingle bells.
Alexander was there, typing away at his laptop again.
John leaned against the door, breathing heavily.
Alexander turned his gaze to him, one eyebrow raised. "Run all the way here?"
John felt his face heating up, and was glad Alexander was blind.
He seemed to sense it anyways. He rolled his eyes and went back to typing.
John walked up to the counter.
Laf raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but John cut him off.
"Shut up," he muttered, face heating up again.
Laf snickered.
John ordered his coffee and looked over at Alexander. He picked up his coffee and nervously drummed his fingers on it, hesitantly unsure of what to do. He heard Alexander sigh.
"If you want to come over and sit, just do so. Don't just stand there being awkward."
John walked over and took the seat across from Alexander, the chair legs squeaking obnoxiously when the chair was pulled out. Both he and Alexander flinched at the same time.
"Hi..." John said quietly.
"Hi," Alexander said. "Laf already told you my name, so now it's only fair for you to tell me yours."
"Oh, yeah, sure." John stammered awkwardly. Well that was smooth. "I'm John Laurens." It might have been his imagination, but John thought he saw Alexander stiffen, his dark eyes harden with tension. But he must have imagined it, because the next second, that look was gone. And Alexander was back to his normal irritating self again.
"John," Alexander said with a slight smile on his face. "I like it."
John felt shivers run up and down his spine when Alexander said his name. For the third time in under ten minutes, his face was lit aflame.
A/N: Anyone catch the Be More Chill reference?
