The Lost Angel [BxB]

rory

It is a great misfortune to be alone, my friends; and it must be believed that solitude can quickly destroy reason.

'The Mysterious Island'
[Jules Verne]

♡ ♡ ♡

3: RORY

The little home Lalo had made for himself fulfilled the aesthetic of a lazy summer dream. Wild flowers sat in jam jars, piles of dusty books about the stars and the Greek gods formed mountains on the floor, a sleepy black cat was curled up at the end of the bed, and the smell of an apple pie sitting on the counter filled the warm air. Rory noticed that there were no photos. No traces of family or friends or even old pets. Nothing.

But he had a far more important question in mind. "Do you mind if I ask...?"

"Why I sleep here rather than in the house?" Lalo finished for him, his brows raised in anticipation.

Rory shrugged, "Why settle for for this — for a shed? There's eleven bedrooms in that house. You could have your pick of any one of them."

Lalo chuckled, "It's too big. There's...too much house."

"Too much house?"

"You're rich, you wouldn't get it." He said, hoping he didn't come across as rude. "I'm more comfortable somewhere smaller." He explained. "Lemonade?" Lalo offered, changing the subject as he pulled a glass jug from the fridge. The cool liquid swirled and clouded as slices of lemon floated carelessly on the surface. Lalo poured out two glasses without waiting for Rory's response, dropping a few ice cubes in each.

"You made this?"

Lalo nodded, "There are lemon trees everywhere."

Rory had an endless stream of questions for the mysterious boy, starting from, "Is that cat yours?"

Lalo perched on the end of his bed and ran his fingers through the cat's warm silky fur, "She's a stray. I feed her and let her stay here."

"Doesn't sound like a stray to me."

"Well, then, she used to be a stray. I call her Carmelita."

Rory nodded in understanding, finishing the rest of his lemonade before flashing Lalo a forced, dazzling smile. "Thanks for the drink, mate." He stood to leave, flicking his blond locks out of his gemstone eyes, "I should go. I gotta find the most inhabitable room to set up in."

With Rory's hand on the door knob, ready to leave, Lalo blurted out, "How long are you planning to stay?"

Rory turned around, hesitating for a moment, "I don't know."

"You don't...? You don't have a return ticket booked?" Lalo queried, umber eyes soft in the dim lighting.

"No." He replied truthfully. "In all honesty..." Rory sighed, "I have nothing to go back to. I finished university six months ago — got myself a useless degree in fucking Business Studies and Economics — since then, I've just been...frolicking around, doing nothing with my life. When my parents told me that they had bought a house in Spain, I left London and came here. I'm still not entirely sure why. I'm not gonna get in your way, am I?"

Lalo stared at him, chewing on his lower lip thoughtfully. 'I have nothing to go back to.' Rory would never understand how much that resonated with him. They were from different worlds, had contrasting lives, and saw reality through separate lenses. And somehow, they had both ended up here, so incredibly far from everything they've ever known. In the middle of rural Spain, shadowed by the dark past of a tall house, surrounded by acres of wild land. They were in paradise. They had successfully located the most peaceful, the most beautiful, and the most freeing place in existence. If there was somewhere similar, they didn't want to know about it. This was all they would ever need. Lalo put on his best smile. "No." He said. "No, you won't get in my way. Don't worry about it."

Rory returned the grin. It appeared as though a weight had been lifted from his chest. Whatever had been crushing him, anchoring him to Earth and restricting his breathing, it had now faded away in the cool Spanish breeze. He was free to float up to the clouds, only to be brought back down by the smell of banana bread, lavender tea, and strawberry jam. The world moved at a slower pace here, and that was exactly what Rory had been searching for. "I'll see you later. You gotta teach me how to make that lemonade sometime."

"I'd be happy to." Lalo assured him, "Let me know if you need anything. I can show you around the grounds tomorrow morning if you'd like?"

"That sounds good. Thanks, Lalo."

He opened the door for him, watching as Rory stepped out into the warmth of dusk. Light was draining from the day and little pink clouds of cotton candy fogged the pale sky. "It's gonna be dark soon. You okay unpacking? Do you want anything to eat before you go to bed?"

Rory shook his head, smiling faintly in amusement. "Your hospitality is admirable." He teased, "But I'm alright, honestly. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Rory. Hasta mañana. ¡Buenas noches!"

Rory said his goodbyes and faded into the night. Lalo watched him walk across the grounds until he disappeared into the house, then finally shut the door. Rory was a fuzzy cloud of confused puzzles. Why was he here? Why did he have no idea when he would be leaving? What was he planning to actually do here? It hardly made any sense. Rory had dropped whatever life he had back in England, travelled to an abandoned mansion his parents had bought in the middle of nowhere, and decided not to book a ticket home. Maybe he would stay for the entire six months, cleaning the house and getting it up to scratch while Lalo worked in the garden.

Lalo twisted around at the sound of Carmelita purring softly. "Yeah, I know." He sighed. "He's very attractive."

Like always, Lalo awoke at five AM the next morning. He changed into a pair of scruffy ripped jeans, a discoloured shirt, and a pair of black gardening boots. He worked for two hours in the garden, then cycled into the village to buy bread, milk, eggs, and butter. After buying some fruit from the usual makeshift stand in the town square, he took his habitual trip to the library, gathered a pile of books into his arms, had a brief conversation with the owner, and then left.

It was eight thirty by the time he returned. He made some jam using the raspberries he had purchased, then picked some of the lavender that grew by the pond to make lavender lemonade. He wasn't sure whether Rory had brought any food with him, or whether he had arrived directly from the airport yesterday, so he didn't make breakfast yet, deciding to wait for Rory to wake up first. On a normal day, Lalo would then continue his work in the garden after breakfast, but today would be a little different. Today, Rory was there too.

There was a tired knock on his door at nine AM. Rory was stood there with blurry eyes and scruffy hair. Seeing another human on the empty land he had become so familiar with was strange, but the sight of Rory wasn't a bad one. Lalo's face fell into a smile, "Buenos días."