Page 21 of Solo Stan
Dakarai’s expression was soft and discerning.
“It’s too soon, don’t you think?” Elias joked.
Narrowing his eyes at Elias, Dakarai replied, “I’ve got this one,” as he pulled out his flip phone.
His fingers moved swiftly over the keypad, pressing the “4” key three times with a soft clack, clack, clack .
Then “5.” Clack, clack. Then “6.” Clack, clack, clack.
Then “8.” Clack. Then his finger jabbed on the “3” key.
Clack, clack. And finally, “8” again. Clack, clack.
He turned the phone around to show Elias, displaying I Love U in a text meant for Bobby.
With all the effort it took just to send one text, they must be really close.
Elias took Dakarai’s flip phone to snap a picture as proof. Inadvertently, his eyes skimmed the previous few texts on the screen. He squinted, trying to stop himself from reading them, but they’d already imprinted in his mind.
Kai
FJSUW-IZNPO-KEGDP-DDECC-TW
Bobby Bae
maybe a numeric anagram or cryptarithm?
Kai
my baby’s so smart. Counting the days till we meet again
Bobby Bae
you must go on without me
Kai
I LOVE U
Baby? Elias drew back in surprise. A feeling of betrayal stung his chest for a moment. The scavenger hunt was their thing. Why would he ask Bobby Bae? He even has a cool name. Who the hell is this kid? Elias thought. He’d never heard the terms numeric anagram or cryptarithm in his life.
Guiltily, he handed the phone back with a quick blurted confession. “I didn’t mean to read your conversation,” he said, “but, damn, if that’s how you and your best friend talk, can I be your best friend too?”
Dakarai laughed it off, but Elias couldn’t shake the text exchange from his mind. Elias had been so sure that Dakarai was warming to him and receptive of his advances, even reciprocating them at times. But if that’s how Dakarai acted with Bobby, who’s to say he wasn’t just being friendly?
Dakarai wrote the number they received, 13 , on the back of his concert ticket along with the others they’d gotten so far. Elias then opened the next envelope.
Random Act of Kindness
Write a poem for someone and record yourself reciting it.
If there ever was a moment to make things right with Dakarai, it was this.
“I think there’s an alternate universe version of me that’s a SoundCloud rapper,” Elias said, squaring his shoulders and rolling his neck in preparation. “Let me do this one.”
Jogging a short distance to hop on top of the smooth surface of a tree stump with gnarled roots, he took a deep breath and tapped the record button. He held the phone steady as he aimed the front-facing camera at himself. Yet, his gaze remained fixed on Dakarai.
“You ready?” Elias asked, his voice lacking the usual self-assuredness everyone always accused him of having. He hesitated for another moment, running over the words in his mind before he began.
“I’ll never be like Bobby Bae,
But I’m better in so many ways.
I can’t define cryptarithm ,
So maybe I can never be him.
But just…give me a chance, okay?”
Elias’s jaw tensed slightly as he hit the stop button, his eyes immediately searching Dakarai’s face for any hint of what he might be thinking. Elias leapt down from his makeshift soapbox. Flattery was a good start, but it wasn’t enough for someone as kind and genuine as Dakarai.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Elias said resolutely.
“That could cover a whole bunch of things,” Dakarai said. “Sorry about what specifically?”
Elias’s phone chimed with a notification, but he toggled off the sound so it only vibrated. He took a steadying breath. “We never did talk about what happened at the bookstore,” Elias said, prodding further. “You know, before Moodie the Mood Killer walked in.”
“Nothing happened,” Dakarai responded almost instantly.
“But if Moodie had walked in a minute later, would something have happened?” Elias watched Dakarai with anticipation.
“It doesn’t matter,” Dakarai responded. “You were just trying to piss off Moodie.”
A sinking feeling struck Elias in the chest again. He wasn’t saying things right. This had nothing to do with Moodie. He wanted to tell him that, but it was like his mouth was gummed shut. “I’m sorry” was all he could manage to say.
“I’m not,” Dakarai replied, folding his arms over his chest. “It freed me. The old me would have named our grandkids already.”
The two shared a brief chuckle that gradually faded into a tense silence.
“If I ever had a chance with you, did I ruin it?” Elias asked after a few moments. He shook his head slowly as he watched Dakarai hesitate to answer. “I ruined my chance with someone who is literally in love with the idea of being in love. This has got to be one of my greatest achievements.”
It would have been easier if Dakarai were angry—anger he could understand. But the sheer disappointment on Dakarai’s face somehow hit harder.
Elias, unsure of what else to do in this moment, brought out his phone and impatiently tapped on the notification he’d ignored earlier, hoping for a distraction, while Dakarai jotted down the number 21 .
Random Act of Kindness
Give someone a compliment and record it.
“I’ll do this one.” Dakarai took the phone, turning the camera on himself without breaking eye contact with Elias. “You’re cute when you’re sincere,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he handed the phone back.
“Okay, okay,” Elias said, bowing his head to hide a smile of his own. Buzz, buzz. His phone vibrated in his pocket again, but he ignored it, too caught up in the moment. “I see I have more work to do, but you have to agree that this city would be a nice place for a date.”
Dakarai’s eyes lit up with a sudden attentiveness. “You think so?”
“Definitely. Of the two of us, you’re the romantic. You tell me.”
“I think it matters less about what you do and more about the person you do it with.”
“So, roses and a box of chocolates wouldn’t work for you, huh?”
“When someone gives me roses and a box of chocolates, I’ll let you know.”
“Noted. And for the record, I would take my date to the top of The Dalton for the view,” Elias said pointing to the hotel where they’d been earlier that night. “And then we would take a walk through the Art District.”
The neon light from a passing bus cast a soft pink hue onto Dakarai’s face. His eyes shimmered as he asked, “Then what?”
“Maybe rent one of those scooters and see where else the night takes us,” Elias said, gesturing to a few lime-green electric scooters parked at the corner. His smirk turned to a full smile when Dakarai laughed.
Buzz, buzz.
Another vibration in his pocket.
“You going to get that?” Dakarai asked.
“No.”
Buzz, buzz.
“It’s nothing important.”
Music drifted in from the concert a few blocks away, reverberating off the nearby buildings to create a rhythmic backdrop. Swaying to the music, he playfully bumped into Dakarai with each motion.
Buzz, buzz.
“You sure you’re not going to even check what it is?” Dakarai asked.
“It’s probably the app yelling at me because I haven’t opened the next envelope,” he replied. “We don’t have to open it just yet, do we?”
Dakarai raised an eyebrow. “I guess not,” he replied. “But I will remind you that we’re only doing this for you. I got to see CYPHR already.”
Elias looked at him, daring Dakarai to slip into old habits and fall for him.
Buzz, buzz.
“You’re doing all this to spend time with me,” Elias said.
Dakarai’s mouth dropped open in mock offense. “We have a whole summer of seven-hour shifts ahead of us. Why would I need to go through all this to spend time with you?”
“Because you know it’s not enough.”
Buzz, buzz.
“Just answer your phone already or turn it off!”
Elias sighed deeply. “Fine.” He pulled out his phone, finally checking the most recent in a string of notifications:
10:45 PM
Head to Second Chance Records for the biggest clue yet and a chance to access an exclusive unreleased track before the store closes at 11 p.m.!
10:50 PM
Time is almost up! Can you make it to Second Chance before 11 p.m.?
10:55 PM
Last call! Second Chance Records closes in 5 minutes.
10:58 PM
Only a few minutes left to reach Second Chance Records. Don’t let this clue slip away!
Elias blinked hard, only a single word tumbling from his lips. “Shit.”