Salvage

Three - Part 2

"You said you're being friendly. Friendly is different than friends," Aurora said slowly, but she was fighting a losing battle against a smile.

"How so?"

Aurora was about to spout a light hearted answer, but his serious tone made her pause. "Um... Well everyone has different interpretations, I guess. But I see friendships as sacred, like you trust each other completely, and are always there for each other."

"Ah." He nodded solemnly. "I agree. But then what do you call people you want to be friends with in the future? Trust takes time."

Aurora blinked. What an odd conversation this was turning out to be. "I totally agree. So... I guess acquaintances. Friendly acquaintances."

"So, you wanna be friendly acquaintances with me?" He spread his hands wide. "Where's the harm?"

Good question. "I guess you're right." Aurora shrugged rattled off her number, watching as his fingers moved over the phone. He was clearly not too familiar with the device.

"Good. Very good. And what's your name, my new acquaintance?"

"Aurora. And yours?"

"Adam." He continued clicking at his phone for a few more moments, then shoved it back in his pocket and turned his gaze back to her, raising one hand to shake. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Aurora clasped his hand with hers. She kept her grip strong, and was glad, because he squeezed her almost too hard. His large fingers engulfed hers completely.

Adam continued to hold her hand for one long moment, then slowly dropped it. "Well. We should go. Got things to do, people to see, right Vader?"

"All right. Yes. It was nice to meet you. Both of you." Aurora bent down to give Vader one last pet, then straightened. "Have a good one."

"A good what?"

"Day, I guess."

"Ah. Then... Thank you." Adam flashed one last quicksilver grin, then turned and began to make his way swiftly down the muddy path, Vader loping at his heels.

Wow. Aurora let out one long, shaky breath as the intensity of his presence faded. Taking a long moment to calm herself, she thrust her key back into the door firmly, putting aside the strange scene. Certainly not how she had expected her morning to go. But as she came back in and hung her keys on their little hook by the door, her tiny apartment felt strangely empty. The bag of dog food was lying on the counter, only one small portion from last night's dinner removed.

No need to keep it. But she couldn't bring herself to toss it, either. Perhaps if she really was going to see Adam and Vader again, she could give them the bag. Might as well not let it go to waste.

Damnit. She meant to put them out of her mind. Determined to do so, she continued puttering around, removing traces of the dog that had melted her heart. Scooping up the blankets she had used to create a nest for him to sleep on, she shoved them in the washing machine and started it up. She gathered up everything Vader-related and tucked it all away in a canvas shopping bag together with the dog food under the sink.

She had a few hours to do homework before she had to go to work. She had the afternoon and evening shift four days a week at a gas station down the street, which was extremely convenient, as she could save money on gas by walking. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but it allowed her to live off campus, and support herself, and that was the important part.

Pulling out her thick Psychology 101 textbook, and her binder for note taking, she settled down and began to read. She loved the whole process of it, reading, absorbing the new information. Carefully selecting the specific color of highlighter, depending on the type of information she wished to draw attention to later. Scribbling down notes and page numbers for potential test questions. Drawing her own diagrams of body parts, or organizing information visually. It all fascinated her.

Psychology was one of her favorite classes, though anthropology was a close second. She knew things would get more and more difficult as she advanced in these fields, but it didn't frighten her away. She knew what she wanted. Sometimes she would overhear classmates or random students on campus complaining, saying they didn't know how to pick what their major would be, and that they wouldn't have to pick until their junior or senior year. Aurora may only be a freshman, but she knew exactly the courses and had plotted out every class and every credit for the next four years.

She wanted to be a social worker. More specifically, she wanted to go into Children's Protective Services. She knew it may be a bit of a cliche, but her own experiences in the system left, in her own mind, very little choice. She had to help other kids who were currently going through the same crap she'd had to live through her entire childhood. Sometimes, she felt the weight of that bearing down on her, stifling her, not allowing her to live free from it. But it was more important to her that she actually try to make a difference than try to forget it ever happened.

By the time she emerged from her books a few hours later, her own brain was swimming with various scientific terms, and she was glad to put them down and start getting dressed for work. It was a casual environment, so she wiggled into jeans and a T shirt, pulled on her trusty boots, and gathered her things. She was working the shift from three in the afternoon until midnight, so she shoved a mango into her bag for dinner. She could always supplement with some peanuts from the gas station convenience store.

It was only a ten minute walk to the convenience store if she used the main road, but Aurora preferred to take the back route through her residential neighborhood. There were a few neighbors working in their yards, and they waved to her as she passed. She liked the comfortable distance between them. They were a friendly face, and brought her a smile, but she would probably never know their names.

By the time she reached work, the walk had cleared out all the studying cobwebs from her brain. She approached the busy crosswalk, looking at the tiny little convenience store gas station across the street. There was the usual lazy afternoon traffic, drifting by at twenty miles an hour, and lining the streets up and down were various stores and shops full of trinkets. Aurora waited for an opening, then scampered across the street, waving at a car that had slowed for her. She used the momentum to keep jogging and burst into the small gas station, sending the little bell hanging above the door into conniptions.

"Jesus freaking christ, woman." Dylan, the guy who usually worked the day shift, clutched his chest and stared at her, looking wounded. "Scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry, sorry." Aurora grinned and came towards the counter, slinging her backpack from her shoulders. "That I'm a bad person because it was totally on purpose."

"I know it was. And I always knew you were evil." Dylan stooped to grab his own backpack and hooked it over one shoulder.

"Things as boring as ever?" Aurora waited as Dylan came out from behind the counter, then scooted in behind it.

"Yep. I'd stay and update you on the details but I gotta run. India and I are going to watch the new Avengers movie." Dylan grabbed a small package of pretzels from one of the shelves as he started towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, sorry!"

"No problem," Aurora called after him, barely getting the words out before the bell rang again, and the door slammed shut behind him.

Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hands through her flyaway hair. Their boss had told them they could study, but only later at night when hardly anyone would be coming in. So, she bustled around, wiping down counters, restocking anything in short supply, and taking inventory.

These tasks didn't take long, and still there were no customers coming in, just the usual people using the gas pump, paying with cards, and leaving. So, she was left staring at the clock and watching the seconds tick by. As her mind settled, and the distractions of study and work were gone, her mind flitted once more over the strange man she'd met earlier that day. He was just such an unusual person. It was like he paid attention to everything, at every moment. He paid attention to her. A sensation that, now she could think about it, was not entirely unpleasant, just unusual. People were usually so wrapped up in their own worlds, their own business, they didn't care what anyone else said or did as long as it didn't get in their way. But this Adam guy... He seemed different.

And as she remembered him, his mannerisms, generous mouth, strong jaw, and clear eyes, another thought came to her. Why did that face taking shape in her mind seem... Vaguely familiar?