Armed Enlightenment V2

Post Mortem

It's been getting hot lately with summer right around the corner. They gave their feet some slack right as their wristwatches buzzed, just in time for them to come across a vacant park bench and a vending machine. Adel put a foot on the bench and stretched while Avrora rummaged for coins in her belt.

"I'm buying. What do you want?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"I'm not feeling too fancy today."

"Oh. So you want me to grab a picture of the real deal?" there's been a lack of workout photos on her account.

"I'm getting a soda and spraying you."

Adel backed away, but she already got the energy drinks ready. Her dietician's going to kill her unless the heat gets to her first. And if he followed suit, the news is gonna twist it into a fanfiction.

"Thanks."

A cold bottle to ease off a late afternoon run always scratched a tickle Adel never knew.

"How does an evening jog sound like?"

"I'll need to invest in a multicooker," he might pass out before he could get the pan hot enough.

"Uhm," her lips pursed. "I can help with the cooking, you know? I– I'll even split the bill for groceries! We'll be practically married."

"Married? I thought you were supposed to find a girlfriend for me."

"I tried, okay?"

Adel scowled. "Av, you took that wheel when I said no."

"Don't be so grumbling," she pressed a finger to his cheek. "They had other ideas."

He swiped her hand away. "That tends to happen if you stick to me when they think I'm sticking to you. Or that time your gifts were on the spot and got me registered as a professional stalker."

She shrugged and made a circle with her finger. Adel turned around, and both used each other's backs as a backrest and a cooler. Half a decade of being friends with a toucher is one deep rabbit hole.

Their final semester was nearing its conclusion. In a world filled with misery and uncertainty, it is a great comfort to know that, in the end, there is light in the darkness. All those doubts coming from whispers and gossip were a thing of the past.

"Hey, I'm just worried about who'll babysit you once I'm gone."

"So I really was just poverty porn this whole time."

She snickered. "It's better than others thinking you stuck around me because of money. If anything, my future is uncertain. There's too much competition, you see. A change of management complicates things."

Adel couldn't see her face, but he could tell from her soft voice how scary it was. Some day, life hits them. All of this will just be one of the last stokes on the fire of their youth.

"Is this the part where I get kidnapped and beaten in front of a camera?"

"I wouldn't want you to push your luck."

Adel forced a laugh. He had to.

"You've always been a smart guy. Well-behaved, actually. So you should know when to step back."

"And how am I supposed to see if I'm headed in the right direction if I keep looking at the ground for potholes?"

Avrora sighed. "It's one of these times you talk like a third-rate poet."

Adel shrugged, and she turned around. It's not her first time wearing a glass slipper, and it certainly won't be the last.

"But yeah, I'm not going to repeat what I said, you hear? I know you know what I know about my problems back home, okay? I'm just worried about your safety, understand?"