Page 55 of Solo Stan
Elias paused for a moment but then kept going. Separating the strands into three sections, he began redoing the braid.
Dakarai hugged on to Elias’s leg as he continued, “If we’d gone to Berkeley together and been roommates, we would have only hung out with each other, and I would have never met you or anyone like you, for that matter.”
Elias tied off the braid and pulled the rest of them back, securing them in a rubber band as they had been before. He took Dakarai’s face in his hands. Dakarai tried to shrug him away, but there was nowhere for him to go. “There’s no one like me.”
Dakarai pushed his leg away and laughed. “Man, you know what I meant.”
Returning the smile, Elias led Dakarai to the approaching bus. Hooking his finger into Dakarai’s back pocket, he playfully pulled him backward as he went to board. “Me first,” he joked, going ahead.
A chill ran up Elias’s back and neck when Dakarai drew him in by the waist while the driver scanned his phone. His breathing became shallow, and he nervously picked at his polish-less nails as Dakarai wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. They waddled together, still connected, down the aisle of the bus and chose a spot toward the back.
Elias settled in first, immediately lifting the armrest between them. Dakarai leaned his cheek against Elias’s hair as they waited for everyone else to take their seats.
30
Kai
5:15 a.m.
It didn’t take long for the bus to fill up, and then the driver took his spot, and away they went. Kai absentmindedly stroked Elias’s hair as the bus ticked along down the road toward home. Eventually, his eyes started to close. He was someone who could sleep almost anywhere, Bobby would say. If they were in the car, Kai was out within a minute. If they went to the movies, Bobby would always have to explain the end to him. If they were in class, Bobby had no choice but to wake him up because there was no way to cover up the sound of his snoring. This time, however, he tried to stay awake so Elias could get some sleep. He didn’t mind; he felt rested just watching the way Elias slept peacefully against his chest.
He found himself getting angry at the unevenness in the road and resentful of anyone around them who was talking too loudly. He used his arms to shield Elias from the overhead lights and tried to surround his body more in a weak attempt at blocking out some of the noise.
The bus station back home sat behind an abandoned restaurant. There was grass growing from every crack and crevice in the brick and concrete, and there was a full-grown tree that had broken through the windows. Despite it being the time for the sun to rise, the rainy weather from the night before persisted. The sky was still dark and the air muggy, lightly misting their skin as they zigzagged through the shared parking lot, dodging potholes and broken asphalt. Elias’s eyes were barely open as he trudged along behind Kai. He had remained asleep throughout the entire ride.
It was only a short walk back to Moodie’s shop, so without hesitation, Kai stooped low and gestured to his back, signaling for Elias to hop on. Apprehensively, Elias jumped up, and Kai hooked his arms around Elias’s legs before straightening up and adjusting his weight. Elias slumped completely over Kai’s shoulders, his light stubble creating a delicate abrasive sensation against his own cheek. The closeness and shared warmth of their skin made it hard to focus on anything else. Their clothes brushed against each other in movement.
“Do you think we’ll make it to work today?” Kai asked.
“We’re surrounded by caffeine. I think we’ll manage,” Elias replied, his morning voice low and husky, as he absentmindedly swung his legs.
The two continued along the charming Main Street. The converted row homes, made of brick, had cobblestone sidewalks that were uneven under their feet. Kai pointed out his favorite record store, where he used to spend time after school, a few places where he liked to people-watch and sketch, and the only other bookstore in town that Moodie considered competition.
It was his home, but it somehow looked different to him today, like he was seeing it in a new light.
31
Elias
5:58 a.m.
Back in New York, everything was loud but in a different way than it was in Moodie’s little town. Of course, there were always cars and horns and people yelling in the street outside Elias’s apartment. And the upstairs and downstairs neighbors and the ones to the left and right all had their specific noises that contributed to the soundtrack. But here, it was mostly crickets screeching into the night and loud whirring of industrial air-conditioning units. It wasn’t like New York, where there were thousands of separate AC units and thousands of different voices and stomps and horns that made one unifying sound. It was like the separateness of each noise here made everything seem louder than all the collective noises put together.
From the way Dakarai spoke about his hometown, it was clear that he was in love with it, and it was becoming increasingly apparent why he had decided not to leave. Yet, Elias was still suspicious of how calm the town was and how peaceful it seemed. He didn’t trust it.
“I guess the ride’s over,” Dakarai said as they approached the bookstore.
“Five more minutes,” Elias protested, tightening his legs around Dakarai’s waist to hold himself up.
“You’re never beating the baby koala allegations,” Dakarai joked. He then poked Elias between the ribs, and he immediately let go.
Digging through his bag for his keys, Elias handed them to Dakarai.
“Don’t you think we’re moving too fast?” Elias asked, folding his arms, his bottom lip poking out. Dakarai immediately started twisting his earring around. “I mean, I already gave you the key to my place.”
Dakarai’s shoulders relaxed. “We’re outside and somehow you still manage to suck all the air out of the place,” he teased.
“You talk too much for someone who can’t breathe.”
