The Sight (bxb)

Chapter 54 - Just A Coffee - Part 1

Half a week later, Ryan managed a miracle. Instead of Evan hiding at home again as soon as he could, Ryan took him out for coffee. Just the two of them in North Hallson at a small coffee shop near the Saunders' house.

Evan was nervous about this, even though it wasn't a date, but with him alone with Ryan in public, a lot of things could go wrong. Angie convinced him to wear something other than his typical black hoodie, and since it was cold outside, he opted for a ribbed velour sweatshirt with a small logo on the chest instead. It was unusual, but he was still wearing black, so not that much.

Ryan planned to pick him up at the bus stop, but after he texted him that he wanted to go for coffee, Evan texted him back saying they'd meet there. It was pointless for him to take the same route twice, and Evan managed to entertain himself for those few minutes that the walk took.

Moreover, today was a little better than the previous ones. Lola gave him a small smile and even exchanged a few words with him in the corridor. Clara took the same bus to school as him and sat next to him, although she had headphones in her ears as she did most days. But the biggest success was that he failed to avoid Kieran for the first time, and they passed each other in the corridor, and Kieran looked a little better than before. Evan could only hope that the fact that he had seen him didn't deject him again.

He got lost in his own thoughts again and had to quickly bring himself back to reality. To the one where he was in North Hallson and not Marwell. Here he still had reason to be unhappy, such as his relationship with his family, but at the same time, his problems were smaller and easier to forget than at school, where he was constantly being watched.

He was in quite a good mood, better than he had been in the last few weeks, or rather he had been able to maintain it longer. Knowing that he had four close people on his side (yes, he counted Michael as well) reminded him that all was not lost, and he held on to that.

And so now his steps were lighter and his stance more even as he made no attempt to hide.

He arrived at the cafe in a short time and thought for a while whether he should go straight in or find out how Ryan is doing, but then he decided on the first option. After all, he was in North Hallson, where everyone knew him anyway, and he had nothing to worry about.

A small bell above his head announced to everyone that someone new had entered, and he quickly looked around the interior for an available seat. He didn't have to look for long as his eyes quickly landed on the raven-haired boy in the corner by the window. He waved at him, and Evan's footsteps moved in his direction.

"Hi." Ryan immediately gave him one of his signature smiles before he could even settle down.

"Hey," he greeted back, taking a seat across from him. Ryan seemed to be in good spirits, but Evan hardly ever saw him unhappy.

"I wanted to order for you since I can guess your order, but in the end, I decided to wait for you," the black-haired boy admitted, fidgeting with his hands as if he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say. Only now did his true nervousness show, and Evan felt a little better that he wasn't the only one unsure of being alone in the other's presence.

"You could order for me too, I wouldn't mind," he admitted with a small smile. He assumed that Ryan remembered his order from that one meeting at the Rock Pop Diner, and since Evan always ordered the same thing, it wouldn't hurt anything.

"I'll remember that." Apparently, his answer encouraged him, and his fidgeting stopped.

Before Evan could answer that, a waitress came to take their orders. As usual, he ordered a strong black coffee with a lot of sugar, and Ryan ordered a plain one with milk but without caffeine. And although Evan found it odd, he chose not to comment on it. However, his expression clearly gave away more than he thought, and Ryan noticed his surprise.