Page 11 of Pursuing the Egoist
Watching the beautiful profile, Yugo searched for signs of fear. “Can’t sleep?”
“No.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t think I’m drunk enough to do this.” Noah lifted the bottle to his lips; his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Easy there.” Yugo snatched the bottle out of Noah’s fingers, took a swallow. Warm whiskey clogged his throat, making him want to spit it out. Forcing himself to swallow, he put the bottle aside.
Silence descended, only popping sounds from the fire disturbing it. “Who is Kuon? He lived in that room, didn’t he? Was he mentally ill? Why did you hold him there, in such proximity too? Unless he wasn’t just a prisoner… Who is he to you? Where is he now? Why did you lie? He isn’t dead, is he? Because I don’t think I can vie with the undead dead. Is it him you were thinking about today?”
Questions poured out of Noah’s mouth, and it looked like he wasn’t able to control the sudden rush.
“Stop…” Yugo rested his palm over his hairless shin. “Enough.”
Noah faced him, old eyes in the young face. “What did he do to deserve this?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s all irrelevant to you, and you should not fear. Nothing like that will ever happen to you,” Yugo promised.
Silence fell. Noah picked up a poker, stirred the coals, a faraway look emptying his expression.
“What are you thinking about?” Yugo broke the silence.
Flames dancing in the pale eyes, Noah drawled, “That I’m getting… hungry. It’s a bad sign.”
“Okay, I’ll fetch you something from the kitchen. What do you want?”
Head rolling to the side, Noah anchored his heavy gaze to Yugo. After a long silence, instead of answering the hanging question, he asked, “Have you ever lived in a college dorm?”
“Do I look like I lived in a college dorm?” An amused smile tickled Yugo’s lips; he never expected the conversation to take this route.
“No…” Noah said, looking somehow disappointed. “I’ve heard that in a college dorm, students sometimes make pizza with ketchup because it’s cheaper than tomato sauce. Have you ever tried it?”
“Slut, it’s an abomination.” Yugo shuddered, the mere thought revolted. “Who told you this bullshit?”
“Patrice. He and his lover in college used to make it because they had no money. He said that they even liked it back then…”
“Is this why you met the other day? To talk about ruined pizzas?”
Noah lifted a brow in a fake surprise. “Are you spying on me?”
“Nah. Greg is.”
“Seriously, he needs a life.” Noah snorted, averting his face. “Do you think he has a crush on me?”
“That must be it.” Yugo chuckled. When the boy reached to grab the whiskey, he moved the bottle, setting it behind himself, farther away from the heat of the flames and the boy.
“I think I’m going to college.”
“College?” Yugo echoed, sharply realizing that Noah was even younger than Mio. Often acting mature, the boy made it easy to forget about his age. In fact, Yugo couldn’t remember ever treating him like a kid.
“Yeah…” Noah shrugged. “I’m wondering if I should stay in a dorm.”
Yugo cocked his head, trying to follow Noah’s logic and conversation. “Is it a place where people live two in a room and have one toilet and shower per floor?”
“Don’t you know what a dorm is?”
“I was wondering if you do.” When Noah said nothing, Yugo teased, “Why do you even need college? You have already mastered the most important skills. Stay in my bed, and you won’t need anything for the rest of your life.”
