Together - A Sequel

Chapter Two

Many days passed before I saw Gene again. It was chilly, like the first time he appeared before me. (Is that weird? I guess it's a little weird..)

I sat at a two person table with a warm Café au lait sitting in front of me. The window I was seated next to was a view of the street, busy people buzzing into shops and driving past. I sighed, and it almost felt like my longing desire for another person in my life had come back again. I hadn't felt this way since Penny. (The peace sign). She was my everything, the one person that made me happy in this world since I had become "weird" as the others described it. I'm not fat, but I maybe like food a little too much.

I don't think that's weird. Anyway, she fell in love with another guy. I gotta hand it to him (haha), he was a pretty smooth talker.

There was a rapid knock on the glass beside me and I looked over, only to see Gene standing there with a huge smile on his face! My heart raced. I never thought I would see him again! He ran around into the café and almost fell over sitting down on the chair across from me.

"High five!" He breathed. His hair was messy, but, like everything he did, it was perfect. He reached across the table and grabbed my thumb, his hand even warmer than the Café au lait cooling in front of me.

"Gene.." I whispered back, smiling at the thought of the first time we touched. I felt my cheeks warm up and I looked down shyly. Could I have finally found someone?

It almost seemed like Gene felt the same for a moment. He looked over to the counter where a bored barista stood and examined the menu hung above him on a dusty chalkboard. Eventually he got a frappuccino and a scone, both seemingly perfect for his personality.

"So.." He said and swirled the coffee with his spoon. "What brings you into town?" I wasn't surprised by this question. A few weeks ago when I first met him he asked me the same question, and I imagine that the question will continue to be an icebreaker.

"I've come into a habit of going to little coffee shops." I said, shifting in my seat. "This place is a frequent of mine."

Gene sipped his drink and nodded. "I can see why."

We sat in silence for a while before he spoke again. "I've been hoping I would see you again." I blushed. It's pretty obvious I felt the same way, and I could tell Gene was aware of that.

"Actually..." I said and finished drinking the rest of my beverage. "I've been meaning to call you but I don't have your number?"

Gene dug through his jean pocket and pulled out a little slip of paper. His number. I was surprised because, honestly, I never thought I could get it that easy. After all... Nevermind.

I grabbed the wrinkled slip and stuck it in my coat.

"I'd best get going." I said and stood up. "Thank you for sitting with me. And... this." I said and patted my coat pocket. I pulled out some money but Gene stopped me.

"It's on me." He said and winked at me, leaving the store. I stood there, almost in awe of what just happened.

On my way home, my mind raced. I couldn't wait to call him, because at this point there was no privacy on the train and no cell reception. My fingers anxiously held my phone, staring at the contact info I had entered in for him. His number buzzed through my thoughts, almost as if it had been burned into my head.

I stepped off the subway and ran up the stairs, soon discovering that it was raining. It was okay, though, because it gave me another excuse to run home.

My feet pounded against the pavement, the streets eerily silent. The door to my house clicked open, and I threw myself inside. I stood up, wiping my shoes off on the rug.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. Coincidental timing I guess.

I picked up the phone and held it up to my ear. Gene breathed rapidly over the receiver and sighed of relief when I said, "Hello?"

"High five." He said quickly. "Get a bag together of your stuff now. I'm driving over to come pick you up."

"What? Why?" I said anxiously and sped over to my room.

"The cops know that you are linked to Jailbreak." Gene said over the phone in a harsh whisper.

"How?" I said, confused. "I've only talked to her once."

"She must have made an anonymous call in to report it. You're on the watch list."

I closed my suitcase and looked around, quickly shoving my safe contaminants into my wallet. I saw a car pull up outside with Gene waving me in from behind the windows.

Hurriedly shoving my suitcase into the backseat, I looked up to see some cop cars round the corner. That's not good.

"Come on!" Gene shouted and started the car up. I hopped in and barely clicked my seatbelt together before he was already speeding away. He laughed and skidded around the corner. "I'd safely bet they couldn't catch us."

Despite the feeling of a soon death coming on me, I felt carefree. I looked over at Gene, seeing the same emotion on his face. Suddenly, we swerved into an alleyway next to his apartment.

This, fooled the cops. I heard their sirens go right past us.

Gene and I sat in the alley for a long time, but I didn't mind. The door to the driver's side clicked open and Gene got out and grabbed my stuff from the backseat.

"I can carry it, really." I said and reached out to grab my bags.

"I insist." Gene said and nodded towards the entrance. "It's only kind for a gentleman to show his chivalry when in the presence of such a lovely emoji."

Gene seems to have an enjoyable habit of making me blush.

We quickly went up to his apartment and shut the door. It was just how I had remembered it.

"Lucky for you," Gene said and set my luggage down. "I have a spare bedroom."

"I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here." I said. "There must be something I could do to.. To thank you!"

"I'll think of some ways." Gene said and winked at me. As weird as that was, I couldn't say anything about it. I didn't want to offend him, because that wasn't a good idea with the person who's letting you stay in their house. Gene's phone rang and he held it up to his ear, shooting me a worried look.

"What?" I said as he hung up the phone quickly and rushed over to the window.

"I'm so sorry..." Gene said and pressed his hand against the glass. I walked up to the window and looked around, but it didn't take me long to see that my house was up in smoke. Tears welled in my eyes and I turned away from the window. "This is all my fault."

"No... I... I just need to be alone for a moment." I said and walked down the hallway to... I guess my new room.

On a lighter note, the room was very comfortable. The bedsheets were plush and the mattress was adjustable to my needs. There was a large window and a television hanging on the wall. My suitcase sat beside the bed, the only thing left of my house.

"High five?" Gene said and knocked gently on the door. "Can I come in?" Truthfully, I realized this wasn't an option, but I said yes anyway. He opened the door and peeked around the corner, I guess to check and see if I was in the midst of a breakdown.

He put his hand on my back as I exhaled. This had all happened so fast that I had mostly spent my time in here thinking about how this all happened in a matter of a month or so. "It was my parent's house. The house I grew up in."

Gene sighed heavily and for a moment it was almost like he was angry, but not at me. "Again... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." I said and turned to face him, my eyes glistening with moisture. I wiped away a stray tear with the back of my hand and exhaled deeply. "Ah... Do you have anything to eat?"

He seemed relieved that this conversation was over and truth be told, I was too.

"Not really." Gene said and chuckled. "We can order in if you want?"

"Yeah that'd be okay." I said a fell back into the plush bed.

"Yeah."