"Drop out of engineering."
Caspian had uttered the phrase like one would mention the weather. "It's a bit chilly out. I might need a jacket," or, "Nice day to walk down 324th to get a cup of coffee."
Fenton stared at the food in front of him. He had been played a fool. This wasn't about class or getting to know him. All Caspian wanted to do was make an excuse to get rid of Fenton. Whether it wasn't about protecting his career or he already had a lover on the side, Fenton didn't know or care.
"... I see," was all he muttered.
This is why his mark turned purple. It must have realized what a self-centered jerk Caspian was and knew that it had made a mistake. Pink and blue. Lavender. Lacey was likely the person that Fenton was supposed to be in love with, but his mark had become tainted with traces of Caspian.
Caspian's face became strained. "... You're really bad at math."
Fenton looked up at him with a hint of a glare in his eyes. "Hmm?"
"I looked through your school records," replied Caspian. "You took the minimum requirement of math classes in high school and barely passed them. It's been two years since you academically touched the subject and you skipped your first class of calculus last Monday. Why pursue engineering now?"
He had skipped calculus because he was feeling depressed and he needed his damn pizza. What was so wrong about that?
Fenton's hands were underneath the table, tensely holding onto each other. "There was too much competition in the art field. I originally wanted to pursue graphic design for advertising, but they don't have that here."
Everything in Blue Ginger was sold in minimalist, unbranded packaging. It had been like that in Fenton's first city too, but he had hoped that his was the only marked city that was like that. There wasn't a use for him in this world, and engineering was the most desirable degree for those looking to move to an inner city.
And he'd do anything to avoid being placed in a colony.
Caspian stared at him for a moment before replying. "Where are you from?"
"Mint Mellow. It's one of the low end cities." Similar to the place where Lacey lived.
Caspian shook his head. "Before that. Were you born in the real world?"
Real world? Was that how Caspian viewed it? Then again, Fenton fully believed that Caspian didn't find the "chosen cities" to be a real place. Anyone from the outside world would agree that dystopia and utopia are two sides of the same coin.
"Chicago. Both my parents were marked. I think they're still alive, but I haven't seen them in seven years. I don't want to go into the details, but I ended up living with my uncle in Mint Mellow."
The situation may have been similar to Caspian's. He hadn't wanted to come here. From the look in Fenton's eyes, it didn't look like he had wanted to leave Toronto either.
Caspian stood up and fetched the binder he had been working on. He held it out for Fenton to take. "I made this for you." He then winced, because he didn't mean to phrase it like that. "I mean, I have a proposal for you to consider." Proposal? Did he have to use proposal?
Fenton took the binder and set it down next to his lasagna. It was everything he needed to get a degree in architecture. What classes he should take, his study schedule, even lists of books he would want to use for references.
"There's still a lot of math involved," added Caspian. "But this allows you to stay in an artistic field. Urban planning and landscape architecture are important right now. There is still competition in the field, it'll still be four years before you graduate, but you'll likely feel more fulfilled in this field."
The class schedule still had Caspian's class listed in it. Fenton wouldn't have to leave. As for studying, he had plenty of time at the library. He looked through the weekly schedule that Caspian had put up. There were even slots for his job, so Caspian had bothered to see what Fenton did.
Then his eyes fell on Sunday. Six hours, one on one tutoring. Math or other subjects.
He wasn't trying to get rid of Fenton. This was Caspian's way of looking out for him while trying to remain professional. Fenton closed the binder. It was the first week of classes, he might be able to switch some around if he begged a counselor hard enough.
"I'll take some time to consider it," replied Fenton.
Caspian began to eat his meal again. "Let me know by Saturday what you want to eat for lunch on Sunday. I'll order and pay for it."
So he was still planning on tutoring Fenton, no matter what his decision was. "You already took care of the food for today."
"Taking care of you doesn't bother me," Caspian said in a nonchalant manner. It actually did bother him a great deal, but he had always been good at hiding his emotions. "One more thing though... I don't want to register as partners right away. It'll give you too much stress and your grades will suffer."
Registering as partners started the process of moving in together. Fenton moving would also cause Albert to find a new place. Being around Caspian made him nervous. Even if he was ecstatic about the situation, he knew he couldn't leave Albert alone. Not when Juliet was completely ignoring him.
"That's fine with me. I don't plan on moving anytime soon either."
Caspian smiled. "Great," he replied. "Go ahead and eat. Tell me about Chicago. I grew up in Toronto, but never had a chance to visit it."
They ended up having a decent meal. Fenton stuffed the architecture binder in his bag and thanked Caspian for his time. It was true that he had only taken engineering because Albert suggested it. Changing majors wouldn't be too much of a bother for him.
He retrieved his phone to ask Albert what he thought. Before he finished writing out his text, Lacey called him. "Hi Lacey, did you get lunch yet?"
"I haven't! I was going to ask you if you were available." She sounded cheery, which was different than Caspian. Caspian spoke in a monotone manner, making it difficult to understand how he felt.
"I just finished. Sorry." Fenton leaned his back against the wall. "I'm alone tonight if you want to catch dinner." Thursdays were date night for Rafi and Melissa, and Albert stayed out late with a study group.
"I can't," replied Lacey. "I have to take care of Zen first, you know? Hmm... But I guess it'll be hard for us to meet up for any lunch. How busy is it at the library on Saturdays?"
"We're open till eight. Sorry, I mean 2000. It gets a little busy in the afternoon, because that's when we pull out the chess boards, but I'm not in charge of that."
Honestly, he was a little terrified of the chess players that did show up. They were all very intense when they played. Front desk is where he felt comfortable and safe.
"Saturdays were always board game day for me and my family," replied Lacey. "I looked up a few groups, but they meet up on Sundays. Did you want to come with me then?"
"That's when my tutoring is," said Fenton. His ears were burning at the thought.
"Would it be alright if I brought a deck of cards with me to the library?"
"It'll be fine. You'll have to sit behind the desk with me so no one sees Zenfred, but I don't think any of the employees would mind."
"Great!" Lacey's voice squeaked when she said that. "I'll see you then!"
"See you then," replied Fenton before he hung up.
He didn't move from his position from the wall. Fenton's mind was still troubled by a single thought. Pink and Blue. Lavender. Was it possible that both Caspian and Lacey were meant to be his partner? Or was he just being hopeful? Or greedy?
They both seemed like people he would wish to know better.
But that's just it. What if both Lacey and Caspian were meant for him? That meant that one day, Fenton would have to choose... And he had no idea what would happen to the other. Would they be banished from living in a system territory forever?
Caspian would be just fine, but Lacey? Fenton shook his head. He had to force himself to stop worrying about it. That was Future Fenton's problem.
Future Fenton was older and wiser. He would be truthful with both of them and let them know of his concerns. Maybe Future Fenton would even know which one to pick. Or Lacey could've found her partner. Everything will likely work out on its own without Fenton having to do anything.
So why did it feel like Fenton was going to have his heart broken?