Page 24 of Solo Stan

Elias

Elias was completely lost in the moment. He nearly forgot where he was and what he was doing until Dakarai suddenly flinched. Concerned, Elias opened his eyes.

“Bathroom,” Dakarai mouthed, attempting to excuse himself.

“Hurry back,” Elias whined. Feeling much better thanks to Dakarai, he dreamily floated over to a nearby wall and leaned against it to wait.

Nia had always told him to open up more and be honest about his feelings. He’d never admit it to her face, but she was right.

He watched as Dakarai walked down a passage that led to the bathrooms. It was dark, which made it easy to notice when Dakarai pulled out his phone and held it to his ear, the glow of his screen illuminating his face.

Then it clicked—the thing that prompted this abrupt bathroom break was the vibration of Dakarai’s phone.

The best friend, Elias thought, his curiosity lingering. He folded his arms, looking out over the thinning crowd. Even though he had initially wanted to spend the evening alone, now, with the absence of Dakarai’s touch, isolation set in and he began to feel self-conscious.

“But I did everything right,” he mumbled to himself.

He’d listened to Nia and gone against every instinct to let his feelings about Dakarai be known—something he’d never done before.

He’d been honest and vulnerable, given a thoughtful gift, and kept an open mind about all of Dakarai’s interests that he normally would have belittled. And still, it wasn’t enough.

Elias pressed his index fingers to the same spots Dakarai had, and the sinus pressure let up slightly so he could get one full breath of air. “Who takes care of me anyway?” he muttered.

Restless, he decided to text his little sister instead:

Elias

wake your ass up

He picked the skin around his nails, waiting for her to answer. Even though it was almost midnight, insomnia ran in the family, and she had a habit of pulling all-nighters to play computer games.

Nia

What do you want?

He smiled inwardly. His relationship with Nia was the thing he was proud of most.

Elias

Nothing. I just wanted to see what you were doing.

Nia

I’m minding my own business. What are you doing?

Elias

I’m talking to you. Don’t you have school tomorrow? Go to bed.

Nia

It’s Friday. And it’s summer.

Elias

Maybe you should go anyway. I saw your last report card.

Before Nia could hurl another insult at him, he quickly typed out another text.

Elias

While we’re talking, if you were on a date, would you answer if someone called?

Nia

Only if it was an emergency. Why? Are you striking out right now?

He cringed at the fact that he was asking his thirteen-year-old sister for dating advice—not that this was a date—but this was something he had never been good at.

He’d had his first girlfriend in fifth grade, Xiomara Ruiz, and she had always accused him of yelling at her, despite him speaking in what he thought was his respectable inside voice.

Now that he thought about it, the issue was probably him not using his respectable inside words.

Elias

You gonna give me any advice? And don’t tell me to be myself.

Nia

Be someone else, then. What did they do to have you so pressed?

Elias thought a moment.

Elias

Do you remember that picture someone drew of me that we found at the park that one time? He’s the one who drew it.

Nia

You’re kidding. You stared at that thing for weeks.

Elias

I know. Even though he left out my most charming feature.

Nia

Your dimples? They’re not that charming.

Nia

And you probably weren’t smiling, dummy.

A drop of water suddenly hit Elias’s cheek.

He wiped his mouth to make sure he hadn’t spit, but then another drop fell, and then another.

Looking up, he realized the drops had come from the sky and were quickly turning into a drizzle.

It didn’t take long for the situation to devolve into a downpour, drenching him.

He took cover at a table nearby, hopping on top of it to get as much protection under its umbrella as possible. The diamond pattern dug into his knee as he propped himself up to scan for Dakarai.

He tried calling Dakarai but got a busy signal. He tried again, and the call immediately dropped.

Elias grew anxious, afraid he wouldn’t be able to find Dakarai when he came out of the bathroom.

The umbrella, designed for shade and not rain, bowed and buckled under the weight, spilling curtains of water all around him, further obscuring his view.

The people rushing for cover were indistinct dark shapes moving through the thick gray mist, as the café lights offered only a blurred glow.

He strained to keep an eye out for Dakarai, but it was getting even more difficult.