Nothing changed immediately in his life after getting to meet Theo.
The routine was the same for Cecilio each day. He woke up, helped with breakfast, spent the whole day either in class or stuck at the university’s library, then went back home to rest. Plain and simple, that’s how he’d been living life ever since he has memory. On the weekends and free days, he helped in the store and managed to see that everything was in order—nothing was out of the usual besides stopping the silly hiding whenever Theo was around.
And he was constantly around. Cecilio didn’t understand how was it that there was always an 80% chance of meeting Theo whenever he got outside of his apartment. If he went to take out the trash, Theo was getting home. If he was reading in the park nearby while babysitting Danielle, Theo would appear and play with her. If Cecilio was going to the bodega to buy something, Theo again was there, casually befriending half a block while playing dominó next to the store. Every time he noticed Cecilio was there, Theo couldn’t avoid smiling and saying hi, calling his name.
There was something so strange about the way he said his name. The way it easily came out of his mouth made Cecilio’s skin tingle.
He didn’t dislike it but also wasn’t used to it. A thing he was used to since he had memory was the way people naturally approached him, something about possessing an inviting aura, that's how his grandmother explained it. Some people would consider it a blessing to have people approach them without trying, but Cecilio felt it was more like a curse. He never wished for people to get close, nor for anyone to make the wrong assumption that he wanted to befriend them. Cecilio held the belief that he was alright with the small number of people already in his life, and that to find someone else that fit his beliefs of what a friend could be wouldn’t exist besides the people he already knew and cared for. You see, bad experiences scarred him this way, it did not help that he was so stubborn either.
Yet slowly, without noticing, Theo made his way through that thick barrier no one else managed or even tried to break. Everything started when they met, and flawlessly progressed to the point where Theo would go to the store just to strike up a conversation with Amina and Cecilio wouldn't feel shaken by his presence. Amina and Theo got along better than anyone else, and Cecilio was a little jealous. Not of the way Amina laughed with whatever silly thing Theo said, but of the casualty with which they conversed.
Cecilio was, even if he didn’t want to admit it, terribly shy and anxious. Not in the endearing way that would make someone feel compelled to take the first step and initiate a conversation, but in the way where he owned this perpetual frown that made most people avoid him the moment they noticed it. Such a gift was properly used to keep people away and it worked wonders.
Only that said frown somehow had no effect on Theo. It seemed as if that boy made his life mission to see Cecilio smile again whenever they met.
“Hey, Cecilio! How’s it going?” exclaimed Theo as they met at the building’s door.
Cecilio analyzed him for a minute, his casual outfit of a grey t-shirt and jeans, a jean jacket, and white sneakers. He seemed to like that simple combination a lot, but no matter how plainly he dressed, he always stood out. Theo’s hair was in a half-up bun, it was so silky that some strands slipped from the top of his ears and he kept on rearranging them. On his shoulder he carried a red bag Cecilio imagined was his work equipment, when he stepped under the sunlight, Cecilio thought he saw Theo’s hair going red because of the light for an instant.
“Everything's cool,” he answered, closing the door behind himself. “Are you going to work?”
“Yeah! I got requested to take some photos of important buildings around town. And you?”
“Going to class,” he started walking and Theo promptly followed him.
“That’s cool!” he exclaimed in that loud tone common of his. “ I was curious the other day but you were so busy at the store that I didn’t ask what you study.”
Cecilio stopped and looked up at the tall boy that beamed him a smile as bright as the sun was that day, wondering why he was following him.
“... Literature. Where is that you are taking those pictures?”
“At La Fontaine university. That’s where you study! I’m just letting you guide me.”
Cecilio looked at him dumbfounded for some seconds before shaking his head and kept walking, being closely followed by his neighbor and his chatter. It was unexpected to have to do this trail he is used to doing by himself in the company of someone he didn’t know how to strike up a conversation with, but that worry quickly faded since Theo was fine starting and continuing a conversation by himself.
“So, you like what you study? I’ve always seen you with a book in hand… Though last time I noticed you were reading something about finances. Is that required for a literature degree?”
The way he said it so earnestly made Cecilio contain a chuckle. “It’s not required. I double majored and I got a degree in accounting last year, I was simply refreshing some things.”
Theo’s eyes shone as he kept following him until they reached the bus stop. “That means you must be really smart! Not a surprise though, you give off that vibe. And those are different fields.”
“... I pursued one being practical, the other because I was passionate.”
“I imagine accounting must’ve been your true love.”
Cecilio couldn't stop the short laugh that escaped his lips, this time louder, it ended up surprising himself. Thankfully it was only the two of them at the bus stop. Theo was quiet, waiting for him to speak now, and it made him realize he was more conscious about how much of a chatterbox he could be.
“Accounting was good, a shorter degree, and I use it a lot at the store, but literature has always been what I liked. I always knew I would do more than just read a book for pleasure.”
“Remember what was the first thing you read?”
Cecilio was surprised at the question but didn’t have to think too much about the answer.
“A lot of fairytales, I liked those the most, but if I had to say what sparked the interest for me was Memorias de Mamá Blanca. Grandma gave it to me on a birthday.”
With a short conversation, while waiting for the bus, Theo was able to understand some things about his neighbor. Cecilio even noticed the way his tone changed, and his usually loud and fast-paced voice was calmer on their way to the campus. There, Cecilio found out a little more about his job, and how he finished high school and immediately started working as a photographer for a travel blog that was getting physically published the next year. Since he was 18 he’d been traveling to different cities across the world and Teria was his 4th big project. It surely piqued Cecilio’s interest, to see someone so young be that far away from his home. Theo looked comfortable at the idea of living by himself and wandering the world. The only other place Cecilio had ever been was Venezuela, and the idea of leaving Teria terrified him.
They couldn’t be more different.
“Why this city?” asked Cecilio, looking through the window of the bus while trying to ignore how close Theo was sitting.
“Why not?”
“I never thought of this city to be that interesting for travelers.”
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy of getting known. For example, the fact that this is a valley and you could make a 1 hour trip by car and you’re already at the sea is quite the catch. The people here really love the city too, because never had I seen this much care for the many museums, art galleries, and architectural masterpieces in the city either. The nightlife is amazing and the food is so good too. Then there are those archeological findings on the outskirts of the city.”
“You like it here huh?”
“I love it and I’ve barely been here for 2 months.”
“Isn't that enough to know Teria entirely?”
Theo looked at him in the eyes and Cecilio could see the shine that enveloped him.
“Why? Want me to be done already?”
Cecilio usually would’ve taken that wrongly and end the conversation there. Instead, he stumbled with his words and tried to explain he didn’t mean it that way. Only Theo’s choked laugh made him shut up and sulk in his seat.
“Not talking to you again, then,” he muttered as he hugged his dark green backpack.
Theo covered his laughter with his fist before clearing his throat. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it. Please, talk to me again, I enjoy it when you do it.”
He gasped under his breath at such a declaration, but Theo didn’t seem to mind saying what was on his mind or caring much about Cecilio’s reaction. The more he spoke to Theo, the more perplexed he felt about this new neighbor. They parted ways when they reached the campus and Cecilio focused on his classes and practically being as much of a loner at his faculty as he was in his private life. At least he smiled and was friendly with his classmates, but it was a well-respected unspoken law that if you were reading in the hallway you shouldn’t be interrupted. Because of this Cecilio could be found reading a book more than usual, or sometimes pretending to read as he was lost in thought looking at words on the page until his professors arrived in the classroom. A perfect avoidance technique no one ever questioned or even interrupted.
No one except Theo who'd wandered outside the library and found Cecilio sitting on a bench in the garden close to the library and in front of a fountain with the 3 graces under a weeping willow. Only a small white cat that napped under the bench made him some company. He came towards him, tripod in hand and his professional and expensive-looking camera in the other that was also secured with a strap on his neck. Cecilio noticed that from the pocket of his pant hung a badge holder that said “authorized personal” that he probably got so security let him take pictures around. Only for him, he closed his detective novel that was just reaching the best part.
“Fancy to meet you again,” said Theo. “Hope that I’m not bothering.”
“Not too much.”
“That being said, could you please move away from the bench?”
He stared at him, amazed at the fact that of all the empty benches in the garden he came from who knows where only to ask him to move.
“Are you joking?”
“Is for something extremely important.”
The frown deepened and he took his bag and book then stood up. Theo thanked him with a smile and he started setting the tripod and his camera, focusing on the bench and the library’s arched window behind it, the cat sleeping under it and the way sunlight at that hour slipped between the willow tree branches. Theo showed Cecilio the finished product, and it was enchanting.
“I think this has to be my favorite picture today. Sorry to bother you then, see you later!”
And like that, Cecilio was left alone once more, and for the rest of the day, he thought not only of the picture but of the way Theo looked as he took it. That ingenuity and youthful charm that seemed to slip from every single thing he did suddenly disappeared when Cecilio saw the sharp profile of his face and his seriousness about his work. Theo was only 20, about to turn 21, and he seemed more in control of his life than he was.
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