The Smell Of Spray Paint

Eight.

I washed my hands in the public bathroom I was in, I didn't often leave when Gilbert was out but today I hadn't gotten a chance to use the bathroom, by now I really needed to go.

So, when the door opened and Gilbert entered beside me I got a bit of a scare, turning to him, startled.

"Mattie!" He grinned as he noticed me backing away to the wall, "Hello!" He waved.

"Gil'," I relaxed a little, he didn't seem that mad that I left all our stuff alone, "I-I was just taking a trip to the bathroom..."

"Yes, I did not expect to see you." He unzipped his pants and I pretended to fix myself in a mirror, too embarrassed to watch him.

"Sorry!" I cried, "I only left for a second!"

"What?" His confused tone echoed off the tiled walls, "What are you sorry for?"

"I shouldn't have left our stuff like that! I'll run back right now..." I turned for the door, pulling up my hood.

"Wait, hold on..." I heard Gilbert's fly zip shut and deemed it okay to look at him, "You do not need to worry about that!"

"But it might get stolen..." I watched as he washed his pale hands.

He waved his hand, uncaringly, "Everybody knows that they cannot mess with me!" He flashed me a smile and laughed, "I am too tough!"

"Still..." I cast my eyes down.

"Do not worry, I went a very long time before you got here and I have only been stolen from once and that was some beers."

"But if it happened again then it would be my responsibility..."

"No it would not, I am the homeless one."

"And I insisted that I should live with you..."

"And I said yes in the end! And now I say that you can go and leave freely and not think about it, you pay a rent, it is all okay, you do your part already with that."

"Well..." I sighed, "Thank you... But we are wasting time here."

"That is correct! Let us leave and go somewhere fun." He walked past me and out of the door, opening it for me.

I fixed myself and took off my glasses as I walked out, "Don't you have work?"

"Yes but I got bored... And since I bumped into you it must be fate that I ditch it and go somewhere cool."

Admittedly, that did sound like a nice idea, "Like what?"

"We could go anywhere! How about we take a train to Potsdamer Platz? Oder...Checkpoint Charlie!?"

"Well... Um..." The fact that I knew where both of these were probably meant that they were pretty popular and kinda busy, given that my face was frequenting the newspapers on a regular basis that wasn't really appealing now that I had decided I'd rather not be found.

"I have some train money we could use and I could buy us a drink at a bar!"

I stopped thinking about how to hide in such a busy place for a moment and blinked, "A drink!?"

"Ja!" He smiled as we wandered down the street together, "Like a few vodka shots."

"How old do you think I am?" I was a mere seventeen year old boy!

"I do not know..." He looked me up and down, "19?"

"Gilbert, I'm seventeen years old!"

He looked stunned and I suddenly regretted telling him my age, any interest he had in me was probably gone right about now. He was a a twenty-two year old man.