Most Wanted

Chapter 6

"Can you be my escort?"

Hugo was startled. He hadn't heard Varian walk up behind him. Yelping, he turned to him.

"Sorry," Varian apologized.

"No, no, you're good... Why me? You know, specifically?" Hugo asked.

"I can get someone else if you want me too-"

"No!" Hugo said too quickly, and his face grew red with embarrassment. "Er... I mean... I'd love to go to town with you."

"Great!" Varian grabbed his arm and tugged him along.

For the first time, Hugo actually saw a genuine smile glow on Varian's face. He almost looked like a child on the way to the toy store for the first time in ages. Now that he thought about it, he probably wasn't that far off at all.

Varian took him to his room where he grabbed his back and a pair of rollerblades. Hugo grinned. "Hold that thought."

Leaving Varian confused, Hugo returned with his own pair. "I have a pair too! It's been awhile though."

The boy's eyes lit up. "Hey, so we both can skate? That's great! We can see who's better when we get to town."

The blonde smirked. "Challenge accepted."

When they reached the town, they strapped on their rollerblades. "I like to skate while I'm in town because it makes me feel more free. I'm not sure why, but it does. I never found an escort that would skate with me if they even knew how to skate. Most never learned. It is a more recent invention anyways."

"I know the woman who made them," Hugo bragged.

Varian froze. "Wait... really? What was she like?"

"Very enthusiastic, kind, sweet... you know, she kind of reminds me of you minus, well, the um..." He was going to say 'trauma', but he decided against it. Luckily, Varian didn't wait for him to find a replacement of what he was originally saying.

He laughed. "Yes, you did meet her then. That was my mom. She invented them for me when I was little to make it more fun than walking to go to school."

"Wait, that was your mom? Heh, Donella said she was an old childhood friend of hers. She took me over to Ulla's for a little bit and Ulla gave me a pair fro my birthday. I've recreated them in bigger sizes ever since."

"Oh, cool! You made those?"

"Yes, I did." Hugo smirked.

"They're not half bad." Varian gave a mischievous look as he stood up.

"Excuse moi! These are a custom, one of a kind rollerblades. They are more than that," Hugo retorted as he stood up.

"So I guess we better put it to a test then?" Varian crossed arms with a smirk.

"Oh, you are so on!"

"Great! Race you to the post office then?"

"You got it!" Hugo started skating without him.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Varian chuckled as he chased after him.

Hugo touched the wall of the building first. "I win."

"No, no you didn't, you big cheater," Varian laughed, punching the blonde's arm. "Hold on, I'll be right back out. I gotta mail this letter."

"Take your time," Hugo said.

"Right, you need to catch your breath," Varian teased.

"You probably do too, genius."

"Nope! I'm up for another round." He winked before going inside, leaving a blushing Hugo behind.

Even if he had been warned a couple weeks before when he first started working there, Hugo could feel himself falling. He could feel himself falling hard for Varian. Varian just desperately wanted a friend, and Hugo was glad that he chose him to lean on. However, he wished they could be more, but it wasn't like it could ever happen, could it?