Elias didn’t want his futuristic painting; it was garbage, and he’d rather Ryan burned it, so he’d said.

And yet, it was Elias that opened the trunk for Ryan and the picture, and it was Elias that yanked the canvas out of Ryan’s fingers, and wrapped it around a cloth he had inside his trunk, all to place it, rather gently, right into it before shutting the trunk in a loud slam. 

Ryan observed it all with a smile — if he didn’t get to keep the painting, he wouldn’t mind at all. Maybe, he planned, he could conveniently forget it inside Elias’ trunk, and force him to grow fond of it some way or another. 

“This is a nice car,” Ryan mumbled, wanting to break the silence. They hadn’t spoken a single word on the way to the parking lot, just like last time, but Ryan couldn’t bear their surroundings to be so quiet, he just had to say something. Anything would do, really, and Elias’ car truly was a nice one. It seemed rather new, a silver SUV that would fit endless canvases of various sizes inside its trunk.

And in the back row, Elias had done exactly that. In a quick peek, Ryan could see numerous canvases stacked upon one another, some empty, some painted upon and forgotten. 

Elias never answered him, stepped into the vehicle without any eye contact, and made Ryan follow suit all the quicker.

And honestly, Ryan didn’t expect Elias’ car to be such a mess, when Elias himself seemed so composed, and so sophisticated. But his car was the complete opposite. 

The first thing Ryan sat on were numerous pencils and an eraser Elias had carelessly thrown onto the passenger seat, and then, in the cup holders, there were endless eraser shavings mixed with abandoned coins and thousands upon thousands of elastic bands. 

A hair band, too, similar to the one Elias just now pulled out of his hair, freeing it in the process, letting it flutter about freely, now. 

Elias’ vape sat inside the car’s console, but he never reached for it. Instead, his delicate fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as soon as he’d turned his car on, Ryan’s face now being blasted with air conditioning a little too cold for his liking.

In a clear of his throat, Ryan’s fingers reached forward to the console, wanting to shut down the fan that blared right into his face.

“Don’t touch anything,” Elias said before Ryan could ever reach the controls, and he flinched, his hand jerking back all the quicker.

“Yes, sir,” he whispered, keeping his hands obediently on his lap, but Elias grumbled, nonetheless, nothing Ryan did ever truly satisfying him. “Can I, uh … put my seatbelt on?”

“You think you’re really funny, huh?” 

“You told me not to touch anything,” Ryan chuckled, and Elias shook his head in an even louder sigh, now. 

“Why the hell did I let you in my car?” he whispered to himself, and he never looked at Ryan, never dared to turn his head towards him in the slightest. 

Pursing his lips into sadness once more, even though Elias never looked, Ryan clicked his seatbelt into place. “You’re so mean, after ruining my shoes…”

“That was all you!” Elias hissed right back. 

Elias was a bit too easy to provoke, wasn’t he? Ryan wasn’t sure whether he should keep it up, or tone it down, as he actively wrote his own death sentence, pushing Elias over the edge like this.

But what to do … Somehow, he enjoyed seeing Elias’ face flush in a different color, heating up so lively, when it was so cold most of the time. The blush, and the pitch of his voice changed that way, and Ryan liked it a little too much. 

“It’s starting to get warmer, isn’t it? I really enjoy the winter, but I’m looking forward to the summer, too. What do you like more? You look like a winter person, honestly, that wool coat suits you like it’s made for you! Do you have any plans for spring break—“

“Holy hell, please, shut up.” 

“I’m just …” Ryan frowned as Elias lifted the volume of his music louder and louder, making it almost possible for Ryan’s voice to be heard.

And his music … 

It was exclusively classical. Masterpieces from long ago, piano pieces too emotional, epic, and mesmerizing. Ryan reached for the volume switch, but was slapped away by Elias before he could change it at all.

“Is this what you listen to when you draw?” Ryan asked in a loud voice, but Elias stared onto the street, even though they were halted at a red light, and completely ignored Ryan’s existence, making him puff out his cheeks.

Elias parked in front of the shopping street they had nearby university, and in a grumble made efforts to get out of the car. Ryan followed right away, too excited for his own good, when dried paint had long seeped into his socks and crusted over his feet like cement. 

“What kind of shoes should I get?” Ryan mumbled, pondering to himself, scratching his chin while he did so. All the while, Elias quietly followed him throughout the store, never said a single word, when Ryan said every single one that existed within the dictionary.

“I usually buy shoes when they’re on sale. The full price is way too much these days, don’t you think? The same ones might be good, since they’re super comfortable to walk around campus in. Or should I go for something different … ?”

Elias couldn’t handle Ryan’s endless mumbling, and exhaled in an even deeper grumble, reached for a pair of sneakers on the nearby display and pushed them right against Ryan’s chest. 

“They’re just shoes!” he hissed, and Ryan scrambled to catch the sneakers he’d been bombarded with. “No matter which pair you’ll get, they’ll look terrible on your giant, ugly feet!” 

“Hey! They’re a normal size!” Ryan defended himself, blushing all over, the two of them already drawing way too much attention with their silly back-and-forth. 

“But,” Ryan mumbled, all the more embarrassed, now. The shoes Elias had given him … “These are too small, though.” His voice was a silent peep, and he pursed his lips, and for once, he got to look Elias right in the face.

Right into his dark, beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, as sharp as those of a cat’s. Ryan rubbed his neck and chuckled rather awkwardly, with Elias staring and staring, endlessly into Ryan’s eyes. 

And then, with another exhale, his lips curled up into a smile, mocking Ryan and his larger-than-average feet, and before Ryan could enjoy it enough, their eye contact was long broken once more. It disappointed him, but he continued on observing Elias, who now turned back towards the shelf in an effort to reach for the right size.

Ryan gulped, his eyes drifting lower towards Elias’ neck, scanning for the tattoo behind his ear, and silently enjoying the view before him. 

“You should smile more,” Ryan whispered, the words slipping out before he could even think. And immediately, it was as if Ryan could see the hair on Elias’ nape stand up, turning electric, like a kitten in its defensive stance. 

“That’s not the compliment you think it is, idiot.” Nonetheless, Elias tucked at the collar of his turtleneck, made sure to hide his skin, and adjusted his long hair once more. 

Going shopping like this, bantering with one another, only to go to a café right after … Though Ryan would never say it in front of Elias, not yet, at least, didn’t it feel like … a date?

Ryan’s heart thumped. 

It’s definitely a date!