"It tastes like sludge," this girl said beside me, tasting a sip of her boyfriend's coffee. Her nose was wrinkled in distaste.
"Yes, but it's caffeinated sludge," he replied, "Best kind of sludge you can get. Alexa, just because you like the most sugar-filled drink on the Starbucks menu doesn't mean everyone does." The girl kicked the guy hard in the shins.
"God, Dex!" she said, also smacking the guy in the shoulder. I felt bad for the poor guy. "I told you to stop calling me that! I'm not some unholy, creepy virtual assistant! Call me Alex."
"But Alexa is your name," he said, smiling, teasing her. He might just possibly be her brother by the amount of aggravation that was rolling off of her. I've learned from experience that only siblings can annoy you that bad.
"And your name is Dexter!" she said, "But no one calls you that."
"Because Dexter is just horrendous," he said, "At least Alexa is a name that Amazon approves of."
"At least Dexter is a name that Cartoon Network approves of," she mocked. Dexter gasped and held his hand on his chest.
"Dexter's Laboratory was a loved show," he said with fake hurt, "At least I'm loved."
"Bi-"
"Excuse me?" I butted in, tired of their bickering. No one in Joe's Coffee shop wanted to hear that ruckus at this early in the morning. The two looked right at me as I got their attention, watching and waiting for me to say something. "Shut up."
Oh no, was that too harsh?
The girl gained an angry expression, as if she was going to unleash her temper on my rude statement. However, the boy, who seemed much more reserved, smiled a playful, boyish smile at me.
Okay...I like that smile. I haven't had a hookup in a while, but something about this guy just screamed player. And after a while of having no sex, I was craving some. Maybe...Maybe I could score a night with this guy...
What the hell am I thinking?
"Sorry, man," the guy said, with full-on dimples to go with it, "I'll keep that in mind when I'm talking to my sister." He winked and then turned around, now talking quietly with the girl beside him.
Every so often she would shoot a nasty look at me from the corner of her eye. The guy however...he didn't even glance at me again.
So much for hooking up.
I sighed in disappointment, feeling extra lonely. Sometimes it felt nice to be alone, but today was not one of those days. I felt the need for affection, the need for someone to talk to...someone that wouldn't run away or undress me with their eyes.
Suck it up, I thought to myself, It's your fault you're alone in the first place.
I got on my phone and started fiddling with it in boredom, and then suddenly I was hovering my finger over my mom's contact. I thought about calling her- for a split second- before turning my phone off and placing it face down on the table. I couldn't call her. Not now. What would I say? I wouldn't know after three years of silence.
I then wondered if I should call my sister, but she was probably touring New York with her boyfriend at the moment. She probably didn't want her annoying, distant brother calling her up for a chat. In my opinion, the chat we had yesterday didn't end on a very happy note, and I didn't want to risk another lecture.
So I sat there, with my black-as-my-soul coffee, sipping the hot liquid carefully, taking in everything. Once you're alone for a certain period of time, you start to notice things nobody really notices. Like how there was a hummingbird sipping nectar from the flower boxes outside, but everyone was moving too quick to notice it's fast-moving wings and bright colors. There was a young woman sitting in the corner. She came here every day, I noticed. She always brought her sketch pad and watercolors, always stacked her paintbrushes from tallest to shortest, always sat with her legs crossed and her wild hair in a tight, but messy bun. That day there was also an older, grumpier man with a balding head and orange juice residue collecting in his grey mustache. And, of course, there were the two talkative siblings, who looked as if they were finishing up and, shortly after, left the shop.
It was a pretty peaceful place to spend your mornings. That is, if it weren't for the famous New York traffic blaring horns outside the store's front.
I was doing my morning people-watch session when I heard a ringtone sound. Confused, I looked around to see whose phone was ringing so loud, but to my surprise, it was my phone. My phone barely ever rang, unless it was a telemarketer. And, by the looks of the unknown number, it seems another one has called me.
I picked up anyway.
"Hey, is this Aaron? This is Emery. Adams. Emery Adams."
I almost forgot I gave him my number. I didn't expect him to call me that quick, but it seems he was more curious about ghosts than I thought. I wasn't sure what to say next, so I just answered his question.
"Yeah... this is Aaron," was all I said. I heard silence over the phone, some mumbles, and then I heard a loud scream.
"WEDNESDAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" I heard him yell in the distance before his voice was directed back to me, "Um...hey. Uh, I was wondering if I could come to your house today? If you're not busy. Please?"
"Uh...I don't know," I said, wondering inwardly if there was a person named Wednesday in the room or if he just hated that specific day of the week, "I was hoping you'd come tomorrow because my sister is visiting. You said you would tell her that you're my friend."
It felt like I sounded stupid saying that out loud on a phone in front of the quiet customers of Joe's Coffee Shop.
"...Well, then...I'll stay the night or something, okay?" he fumbled, "I just need to go somewhere and I have no one else to turn to. Which is sad, but I'm not exactly the friend-getting type and, so far, you are the closest thing I've got to a friend. And now I'm ranting because-"
"Okay stop right there. Your stress is stressing me out," I said calmly, "You can...stay the night...if you want. But you have to sleep on the couch because my apartment doesn't really have a guest room. And no stealing or I'll have my ghost haunt you to your grave."
"Thank you! Thank you so much- you have no idea how much I appreciate this, really," he said, so relieved I could feel his relief through the phone, "So...what's your address?"
I told him my address and he said he'd be there in twenty minutes, then we ended our conversation.
By the time I got done with my coffee and headed home, I realized how fast my "relationship" with Emery was growing. A couple of days ago he thought I was a demon, yesterday we ate frozen yogurt together, and now he was staying the night. Over the phone, he sounded so desperate for help, I couldn't imagine what could cause him to be willing to spend the night in- basically- a stranger's home.
I waited a couple of minutes in my living room before I heard a shy, timid knock on the door. I had a feeling I knew who it was.
And there he was. When I opened the door, there was Emery Adams clad with a backpack and his iconic extra-large hoodie and red converses. He looked sheepish when I told him to "come in" and awkward when he sat down on my small sofa. I sat down in the other chair, with my arms crossed. What do normal people say in this situation? Oh, wait-
"Make yourself at home," I said, but unlike someone else, I wasn't really smiling. My lack of smile seemed to make Emery even more uncomfortable. I wasn't born for this situation, so I tried my own approach. "So, why did you want to come over?"
"T-To talk with your ghost," he mumbled, looking down at his twiddling thumbs. I leaned back and kept my arms crossed. I knew it was a lie. No one would go to such lengths as Emery to talk to a ghost; especially when he had the ability to talk to Severus on any day he wanted. Plus, he didn't seem so confident in his answer either.
"Right," I said, serious but concerned, "What's the real reason you were so desperate to see me? I mean, I know I'm amazing, but still." Sarcasm was seeping into my system now. It happened when I felt any emotion, specifically if I was feeling extra frustrated or more depressed than normal.
"You're gay, right?" he asked, then as if surprised by himself, he quickly backtracked, "I-I mean, I'm not trying to assume but you-"
"Yes," I said, "I'm gay. I did mention that my ghost guardian was my ex-boyfriend, Severus, right?"
Emery blinked twice, then nodded. "Um, well then you wouldn't be judgemental of other gays, right?"
"No...?" I said slowly, "Why would I? That would just be hypocritical."
"Well, then...I'm gay."
Jesus, Lord, this kid will be the death of me.
"Nice to know," I said sarcastically, "And how does that explain you calling me up for a sleepover?"
"Well...I have a cousin who's a little homophobic- okay, no- a lot homophobic and he-he scares me," Emery said, shifting on the couch, "I'd rather be here than at my house while he's visiting. My parents said that, if I find a place to stay, that I don't have to deal with him. So...I found a place to stay."
"How long is your cousin going to be visiting?" I asked. I was only going to provide Emery a night's stay- what if his cousin was staying for the whole week? Where will he go after my place?
"Unfortunately for me, a whole month-" Ouch-"My cousin's doing this project on social diversity and since our whole family is pretty diverse, he chose us as his victims. But really, I think he's just there to torture my sister and I."
"Is your sister named Wednesday, perhaps?" I asked, "I heard you yelling at her in the background of our phone call."
"Yeah...she's a bit too much sometimes," he laughed nervously, "My parents thought it would be funny to name their children after the two kids from the Adams Family show. My older sister and brother got named Wednesday and Pugsly. Thankfully, I was spared."
I let out a little breath that could surpass as a laugh.
"Well, I'm glad you got spared," I said, "You have a nice name."
Okay, that was probably the stupidest thing I have ever said to someone, I thought. But he blushed and sank further into the sofa, which made me feel like I did something right.
"And...if you want," I continued. I couldn't believe I was about to say this. "You can stay for a week- but only a week! No longer than that."
"Really?!" he asked, eyes alight. He sat up from his slump with excitement.
"Yeah, you need it. I know what it's like to deal with judgmental people. Plus," I added, "I need a friend anyway. I think I've been alone for too long."
"Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything, but your apartment does seem very lonely," Emery nodded, looking around, "...and depressing. How do you live here every day?"
"By being lonely and depressed," I muttered.
"I can relate," he sighed, "M-Maybe we can keep each other's company?"
I think I actually smiled a bit. It sounded nice. I could have company, and that company could not remind me of my past. He wasn't from Texas, he wasn't family, and...he was in the same lonely, gay boat as I was in.
For once, I was okay with his suggestion.
"Sounds like a deal," I said, nodding, "Um...want to watch Harry Potter?"
"I-I've never watched Harry Potter before," he admitted. My eyes widened. Although my heart was seized by sadness, it could not crush my passion for the wizarding world. It was now my duty to convert Emery to the Harry Potter fandom!
"Well, then, vamos muchacho! I must show you the magical world of wizards and witches!" I said, plopping myself onto the couch beside him, "You will love it! OOH! I have a great idea! Let's have a Harry Potter marathon!"
He giggled at my enthusiasm for the movie and book series. I was satisfied with his giggle; it was cute and very unintentional on his part.
"Let's watch it then!" he said, catching onto my contagious enthusiasm. I could tell he was still a little uncomfortable, but he was ready to watch some movies.
Now it was time for me to re-watch the Harry Potter series again, but this time, I wasn't as lonely as before.
Comments (0)
See all