Aurelio's Dilemma

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO:

Today the summer heat gave Aurelio a break. The air was cool against his cheeks, and he walked along the pavement underneath a canopy of clouds threatening to weep. He looked up and sighed. If only his headache could give him a break too.

Eventually the local donut shop they'd agreed to meet at came into sight. The bell overhead rang as Aurelio pushed the glass door open, and the scent of warm, fresh dough overwhelmed his nostrils. When he looked to his left, his girlfriend, Blair, waved at him from where she stood by a booth across the shop.

Aurelio walked over. "Hey," he said, meant for his girlfriend and Leslie, but his voice faltered when he noticed a third person there: Leslie's boyfriend. A living, breathing manifestation of Aurelio's insecurities. "Oh. Hey, man," Aurelio quickly continued, trying to play it off cool. "Didn't know you were coming too."

"Yeah, I'm here." The boy smiled. "Come on, have a seat."

Aurelio did. Blair sat next to him then scooted closer and hugged his arm, just about pushing herself up onto his knee. He tilted his head towards her and smiled. She leant in, pecking his lips. Aurelio's cheeks turned pink. They pulled away from each other, noses an inch apart. And for a split second, staring into her hazel eyes like that, Aurelio felt a chill cross his spine. A strike of unfamiliarity. A strange feeling of fault.

"What's wrong?" Blair asked, frowning. "You zoned out."

Aurelio shook his head. "Nothing." He straightened, stretching his spine, maybe trying to look taller. "Where's Matt?"

"Late," Leslie said. "I tried waking him up on my way, but I'm sure he's still sleeping."

Matt's phone was always on silent, so by I tried waking him up, Aurelio assumed Leslie meant passing by his house and knocking on his door or bedroom window as loudly as possible.

They'd already ordered the food and set it up. Leslie and her boyfriend picked donuts and started eating. Aurelio leant back in his seat. Blair sipped her coffee. The silence was bearable, for Aurelio, but apparently not for Leslie's boyfriend because the genius decided to break it, and not by mentioning the weather.

"Did you hear about the car crash on Fifth Street?" he asked, eyes on Blair and Aurelio, then back on Leslie. "It was terrible."

"Yeah," Blair said. "Head-on crashes are the worst. Can't imagine what the victims' families are going through."

For God's sake.

Aurelio let out a shaky breath. Only Matt and Leslie, his childhood best friends, knew about his fear. For a fleeting second Aurelio wondered why he'd never told his girlfriend. But it didn't matter right now, because the words had already been spoken, scene starting to assemble in his head.

"It's been all over the news," Leslie said. "You think we live under a rock? Of course we heard." Her eyes passed over Aurelio, worried. He gave her a grateful smile even though his heart was pounding already. "How's violin practice going, Elio?"

"He plays the violin?" her boyfriend asked.

Aurelio nodded. "Yeah." The topic redirected his focus. He straightened again, but this time not to impress. "I used to take private lessons. Now I just practice alone."

"You should hear him play," Leslie told her boyfriend. "He's so talented."

"Yeah," Blair agreed and leant her head on Aurelio's shoulder, entwining her fingers with his. He set his eyes on his lap, bashful. Compliments about playing the violin were always great, but he still didn't know how to react.

When Aurelio lifted his chin, he noticed that Leslie and her boyfriend had readjusted their position. Now he slung his arm around her. Aurelio stared at his hand as it played with the ends of her shoulder-length black hair.

The door swung open and the bell rang. All of them peeked over, trying to catch a glimpse. And it was none other than Matt, walking in with his chin high like he wasn't late for no reason, skateboard tucked under his arm, with tousled dirty blonde hair and blue eyes too vibrant for a person so dead on the inside.

"I'm here," Matt said. Like Aurelio, he froze when he noticed Leslie's boyfriend, then he functioned again and gave an acknowledging nod. "Hi everyone except Leslie."

Leslie smiled knowingly. "Something wrong?"

"Yes. If you knock on my window like a moron one more time, I will lose my shit. Your plan isn't even working. I'm still always late. The only thing you're doing is pissing me off."

Cranky Matt. Typical Matt.

"Good," Leslie said. "Suffer until you learn punctuality."

Matt shot her a dirty look. Leslie laughed, and Matt shook his head while he set his skateboard by the table. Then he hazardously squeezed himself between Blair and Aurelio's knees and the table, trying to reach the other end of the booth. As he did, he held onto Aurelio's shoulder to steady himself. "How are you?" he asked in a low voice when he finally plopped down next to him.

"I'm okay." Aurelio looked at him. "You?"

Matt shrugged. "Alive."

It meant that he wasn't feeling so good today, so Aurelio gave him a pat on the knee. He dragged the donut box closer to his side. "Donuts?"

As Matt grabbed one, Blair leant over, glancing at him past Aurelio. Her blonde curls spilled over the table. "Where'd you get your skateboard from?" she asked.

Matt frowned mid-bite like he'd never been asked that question. He put the donut down. Mused. Then he looked at her. "Dunno." He shrugged. "It was a gift." Aurelio frowned too now; he should know who'd given him his skateboard. He should remember. But he couldn't grasp the memory-too far, too pixelated. "Why?" Matt asked.

"I like it. It's cool."

"You skateboard too?"

"Yeah. But with how much it rains, I barely get the chance."

"I know, right?" Matt said, voice exasperated. Like that their conversation went on and on. Two people and a common interest-a bond in the making. Aurelio relaxed in his seat, eyes on the ceiling. Their voices tuned out of focus. He glanced ahead again, and his gaze landed on Leslie and her boyfriend. Leslie had already been looking at him.

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a/n: first impressions about these guys? their relationships and interactions are suuuper important :D thanks for reading/voting/commenting <3