After Dark

Twenty-five

"Okay." Liam sits up too. He rolls his shoulders back, feeling his shoulder blades shift and a little sting at the stretch. "How long is it gonna take us to get back?"

Ian slides off the table and stands on the ground again. "I don't know. We're quite a ways away."

Liam slips off the table and comes to stand next to Ian. He doesn't say anything as they start moving. Ian leads the way, staying only one step ahead of Liam.

"So, how often do you go to your mom's? This is the second weekend you've showed up." Liam asks once he feels like it's been quiet maybe a little too long. Even if the silences are comfortable, he craves conversations with Ian. He finds himself wanting to talk to the boy any time he can when they're together.

"I don't know. I love her so I make time whenever I can but she also always encourages me to live my teenage years to the fullest. So, because of that the times I see her can be a little more lenient. I'm usually over there every two or three weekends."

"Oh." Liam nods. "Well, feel free to crash at mine whenever."

Ian smiles. His smiles are always big and nice. Liam smiles back, not as big but just as genuine.

The silence grows again. Liam finds himself wanting to talk. He wants to hold onto what conversation he can. The only problem is, he's not too sure on how to talk. What's he supposed to say?

"What's your favorite color?" Liam blurts out suddenly.

Ian chuckles a little. "Orange. There a reason you're asking?"

Liam feels his cheeks heat up. "Um, no, sorry. I was just, I wanted to make conversation. I'm not skilled in talking to people though so I asked the first thing that came to mind."

Ian smiles. "Alright then. What's your favorite color?"

Liam blinks, slowly processing the question. He smiles once he realizes this is just Ian helping him carry on the conversation. Then, he thinks over the question.

He's never thought about what his favorite color is. His mind ponders through different colors. He searches through images of things, trying to see if there's something that sticks out to him.

He thinks anout the green of the grass when the morning dew slides off it and the blue of the sky when the sun shines brightly in the midst of it. He thinks about shiny yellow cars, vivid red lights adorning a bedroom wall, and fluffly, purple carpets.

He thinks about a gray office chair sitting in front of a desk. He recalls a gray comforter sitting atop gray sheets on a bed with matching pillows. He thinks of the gray carpeting covering his floor.

"I don't think I have a favorite color." Liam finally says. "I like them all. All except gray. Anything but gray."

Ian's smile looks a little sadder when Liam glances at him. He repeats Liam softly, "Anything but gray, huh?"

"Yeah." Liam nods, speaking quietly. A chill understanding seems to flow between them.

"What hobbies do you have? Anything you like to do in your spare time?" Ian asks. He bumps their shoulders lightly. "You wanna keep the conversation going, right?"

"Oh, right." Liam nods. "Uh, I don't know. I like reading sometimes. It used to be one of the only things that helped pass time at home."

"What books did you read?" Ian looks over, tilting his head to the side a little.

"Mostly classics. My dad owns four copies of The Catcher in the Rye. It was probably my favorite when I was around twelve to fourteen. In middle school I'd spend hours in our library, my sister would recommend books for me a lot since she also was in there quite a bit."