Conner couldn’t stop his heart from pounding as he looked over towards the window seat of the bus. Erik was asleep, his hair pushed up against the glass. He had his arms folded across his leather jacket, sunglasses over his eyes.

He looked so cool.

Conner looked down at what he was wearing. He had spent twenty-three minutes choosing an outfit for the day and still didn’t look anywhere near as attractive as Erik. Conner groaned, remembering how he had pathetically waited for Erik to fall asleep, stumbling through the dark to pick out… 

‘Jeans and a sports jacket. Thrilling,’ Conner thought bitterly.

Conner wished he had the window seat.

He leaned over Erik to look out the window as they crossed the town boarder. Conner gazed up at the towering glass skyscrapers; it was beautiful the way they mirrored the clear sky. Some buildings even had outer walls of greenery to help produce oxygen flow. He craned his neck to see the thin glass dome that was a canopy over the entire city, keeping it temperature controlled. Conner grinned as he looked at the manicured lawns of grass and perfectly positioned trees along the side of the road. Everything was precise and immaculate.

As the bus entered an underground tunnel, pulling into the mall terminal, Erik stirred awake. “Hey, sorry,” he said groggily, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“That’s okay,” Conner said, smiling as Erik pushed his sunglasses up to hold back his bangs.

The bus came to a full stop, opening the doors. Everyone got up, beginning to file out the doors before the driver said, “Busses returning to Silverside Academy will depart at 4pm and 8pm. Do not miss the final bus.”

Conner barely heard her, saying 'thanks' before he pulled Erik off the bus.

Erik smiled. “Wow, you’re like a puppy. Excited?”

Conner grinned back at him. “Yes. Where should we go first?”

As if on cue, Erik’s stomach growled. “Uh, food would be good.”

Conner ate like a vacuum cleaner, Erik unwaveringly amused by Conner’s enthusiasm. Though he seemed excited, Conner was also determined to distract himself from the question burning through every other thought…

'Is this a date?'

“So,” Erik said, eyeing Conner, “what do you want to do?”

Conner thought about it for a moment. “I’d like to look at the greenhouse for the fern I was interested in, but we should do that last so I’m not carrying it around all day…”

Erik looked at the time on his phone, blinking back at Conner. “Well…we do have all day.”

Conner folded his hands together thinking. “We could walk around and see what stores they have here? Maybe there’s an arcade.”

“Sure, let’s do that. We can find a map directory, too.”

After walking around for an hour, window shopping and talking, they stumbled across a pet store. Conner was immediately glued to the window, stars in his eyes as he watched kittens tumble around their enclosure.

Erik stood beside him, laughing as he pointed out a kitten that was thoroughly entertained by an empty paper towel roll. Conner felt a pang of longing as he said, “I wish we could have pets at school.”

Erik sighed. “Yeah, they’re pretty cute…even if they’re not real.”

Conner was only half paying attention to Erik. “Not real?” he asked, distracted as a kitten peered at him through the glass.

He could see Erik shrug in the reflection. “You know, synthetic.”

Conner felt his brows twitch, “Everything's synthetic now, even our food. Besides, I think they’re more like primes; sentient. Doesn’t matter that they were man made, if they can think and experience emotion, then they're real, aren't they?” Conner said, squatting and tapping the glass lightly with his finger. He laughed as the kitten rubbed against the window by his leg. “And, they’re so adorable!”

Erik smiled. “Want to go in and hold them?”

Conner frowned, standing and backing away from the window. He looked at Erik, pouting. “No…I’ll just be sad knowing I’ll have to say goodbye. I get attached easily. They’re too cute.”

“Yeah...” Erik exhaled, his eyes gliding up and down Conner, finally locking onto his eyes. “Too cute,” he said, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smile.

Conner looked up at Erik, his eyes widening slightly as he saw the expression on his face. He felt the air disappear from his lungs, momentarily unable to breathe.

Erik changed the subject—unlike Conner—completely unphased by his words. “You know what we should do?” he said, already beginning to walk away from the pet store, “We should go pretend we live in the furniture gallery.”

Conner nodded, taking a deep breath, following Erik as he said, “Yeah… Let’s do that. Sounds fun.”

In the home store they tested out different couches, taking overtly posed pictures in the showrooms. Conner could only pretend to focus. His heart was racing, Erik’s words echoing in his mind. They were too ‘up for interpretation’. Did he mean the animals were too cute, or was Conner too cute?

Conner returned to reality, snapping a picture of Erik, with his sunglasses on, in a ridiculously small, six-thousand-dollar, jacuzzi tub. Conner smiled as Erik looked over the top of them. “Do I look cool?” he asked, winking.

Conner laughed. ‘You always look cool.’ He stopped himself; too flirtatious. ‘Not with all your clothes on—’ Way too flirtatious. Conner smiled at him, putting down the phone. “Maybe,” he said, snickering.

Erik got out of the tub, walking over to Conner as he looked at the pictures. “Damn, I do look cool.”

“Very humble,” Conner laughed.

Erik glanced around, saying rather randomly, “We should get a TV for the dorm.”

Conner rolled his eyes. “I’m worried about carrying around a houseplant while you’re willing to lug around an entire television?”

“It doesn’t have to be this very second…” Erik grinned, “But, c’mon. It would be nice not to have to watch a movie all cramped on my laptop.”

Conner turned red, looking at his feet as he murmured, “I don’t mind…”

“What?” Erik asked, unable to hear him.

Conner looked up at him with a sudden need to release some kind of tension. He was worried his heart would explode with all the vague comments Erik kept tossing at him. “I don’t mind watching a movie on your laptop,” he clarified, knowing he was blushing.

Erik looked at him, his pulse jumping in his throat. There was a moment of silence, Erik clearly going over in his mind what to say. Erik didn’t take his eyes off Conner as he said, “We could still sit together…even if we got a TV.”

Conner’s mind imploded. ‘Do you like me? Do you like me? Do you like me?’ It was the only thought that was left. “You mean, on the same bed?” he somehow found the courage to ask.

Erik stepped out of the way as someone walked passed them, shifting closer to Conner as he lowered his voice. “Yeah. I’d be okay with that.”

They looked at each other, Conner gritting his teeth. He felt a twinge of unjustified anger, hearing Erik’s words. “Are you teasing me?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

Erik’s face was calm, his amber-brown eyes softening as he looked over Conner’s face. “I’m not teasing you.”

He glanced up at Erik. “Then what are you doing?” Of all the places to slowly pry out the truth of Erik’s feelings, he had not anticipated it would be in the middle of a home wear store with a dozen other people looking at furniture around them. Though no one seemed to be paying much attention, Conner was wary.

Erik shrugged, his face serious as he said, “I don’t know…being honest?”

A middle-aged woman walked over to them, wearing a thick apron and a tool belt. “Can I help you gentlemen find something?”

Erik and Conner looked at each other, Conner nodding as he said, “Yes, where can we buy a TV?”