Seven Billion Years [UNFINISHED]

Chapter 7

80 DAYS

Trystan and I arrive at Ava and Co, with Laila already sitting down at the same table as last time. We say hi, and I introduce her to Trystan. After getting to know each other a bit, a waitress comes up to us to ask if we want anything.

Laila already ate, so I just ordered a latte.

"You want anything?" I ask, turning to Trystan.

"Oh, no, I'm not hungry," he says with a slight smile.

The waitress heads off, and we're left to talk amongst ourselves. I don't really have anything to say, and I'm mostly just worried about the conversation topic getting to AbiAbu, so I'm just relying on Laila to say something non-Abi related.

"Ugh, I had something to say but I forgot," Laila groans overdramatically.

She waits a few seconds, before bolting upright and looking to Trystan. "That's it! Trystan, I want to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Where do you live?" Laila asks, before releasing what she said. "Oh, wait, that sounds super creepy. I just mean... do you, like, live in apartments?"

"Um, yeah, I do," he says, looking from me to Laila, slightly confused. "Astra Apartments."

"Really?" Laila asks, surprised. "Is it like a thing to move into apartments or something our age or what?"

"Nope, I think just us," I say, glancing at Trystan. He lives in an apartment block, is there someone there that he doesn't like being around?

The waitress comes back with my latte, that I begin to sip while Laila keeps Trystan busy with non-stop talking. I'm not really saying much, because I'm trying to think of what could be happening with Trystan, and I'm starting to dig too deep. Is there a reason he flinched and froze on the spot when I yelled out to him when we first met? I decide that I should probably stop, and I'll ask him what's happening and if everything is okay at home when I get the chance to.

Searching for something else for me to do while Laila talks to Trystan, I look around the area, noticing every little detail about each person using my one of my Virtues, the same one I used to see Valentina's teeth and tongue from a far distance at AbiAbu's concert. I know I'm being a little bit snoopy, but it's not like I'm looking into their minds, just the news article they're reading on their phone or something.

I look across the road, at another nearby cafe. Cars and people get in the way this time, but I can still see what some people are doing, like a man on his phone, texting someone. I can barely read what he typing but I can see the name of who he's texting. It says-

Holy shit.

I almost choke on my latte.

No, that's not what it said, but my reaction. Laila and Trystan look towards me, surprised by the sudden coughing fit.

"Veda!" Laila yells, concerned. "Are you ok?"

After I stop coughing, I gulp in some air.

"Yeah," I say, and I cough a few more times. "Just went down the wrong way."

I stand up, putting down my now empty latte. "I'll be back in one second, sorry guys."

Laila and Trystan just watch, confused as I walk away, Behind me, I hear them still talking.

"Where is she going?" Trystan asks, his quiet voice barely audible.

"I don't know, sometimes she just disappears for a few minutes or something," Laila explains, and I'm just thankful she didn't mention me lying.