sCene 57 - ꜱoᴍeᴛʜiɴɢ ᴅiꜰꜰeʀeɴᴛ

There was something about waiting for results that made me anxious. I was trying to be patient, but I also just wanted to have someone take my editing work away from me. I was having a hard time getting Nai-bu’s attention, not even because I was so busy, but because of Nai-bu’s studying. I ended up with openings in my day with no plans, and when I had no plans, my options weren’t great if I wanted to spend time in the world.

In an unexpected turn of events, Jason was also free in the middle of the week, so we made plans to just hangout. Well, I insisted it was one of his weird therapy session things, but basically it was hanging out.

“You don’t have any questions today?” I asked, surprised.

“Nah. I think you just need to relax actually.” He said this with an almost insulting level of confidence.

Jason actually took me to a cafe not too far from his work. I had always seen places like it in shows, but me and my high school friends never had the money to spend time anywhere other than outside, or maybe a cheap fast food place, and there was no way anyone would take me to a cafe as a kid. It was actually really relaxing, like a living room spread out with comfy seats and tables and very chill music. I didn’t feel as out of place as I expected.

We only ordered coffee and sat in a far off corner, but it gave me a chance to see the room, and notice Jason looking noticeably more relaxed. Growing up we just mellowed out as we matured, but I had never seen Jason’s expression look so calmed. Maybe he wasn’t kidding about wanting to keep the alien questions down today.

“Do you come here often?” I asked.

He looked glad I asked. “The owner is actually a client and my boss’s friend, so we get to sample their stuff a lot. But I rarely get to sit inside, so it felt like a good change of pace.”

I realized this was the first time we had done one of these things without alcohol. Or, at least without Jason drinking a beer. Maybe he only needed to drink if he was going to ask tough questions.

The quiet of the cafe made it easy to tell when someone arrived, but the atmosphere actually dulled my reflexes a bit, and I didn’t care to look. It felt nice to not be so worried, though the one time I relax is the time some retaliation would have helped.

When I actually looked up, my vision was soon blocked by the sight of a man in wrinkled clothes, standing way too close to me. Before I could even react to his boystink, Jason cut in between us with his arm, and pushed Kyle back.

“Do you normally approach women like that?” Jason asked, looking up at Kyle.

Kyle’s height felt exaggerated from how low the seats were. He just stood there, looking at me. He didn’t even acknowledge Jason. It felt like Kyle was maybe more distressed than usual. Like he was worried about something.

“Are you okay?” I asked, trying to keep my tone soft.

“I…I didn’t know how to ask if I could come too…” Kyle sounded like a scared child.

“You could have texted m–”

“You don’t respond to my texts.” He blurted this out like he had been holding it in.

He wasn’t…wrong. I just couldn’t handle how much he wanted to talk. I wasn’t even really sure how to respond to it.

Able to read the situation better than either of us, Jason stood up and sat Kyle down in his seat.

“Well now you’ve asked. So let me get you a drink.” He really was pretty cool when he wanted to be.

What I expected to be awkward silence was quickly cleared by Kyle explaining what he was doing there. He claimed he was already out and just happened to notice me getting out of Jason’s car, but I knew Kyle had a bad habit of driving around my neighborhood in hopes of making it look like he wasn’t trying to get my attention. If he weren’t so harmless, I would have probably asked Dale to do something about him.

Unless he’s actually working for Dale?

No, that wouldn’t make sense.

“Aren’t you supposed to just walk in and approach people you know when you go into the same shop? You could have just said hi.” I didn’t really understand the guy.

Kyle vaguely looked back at Jason, who was now chatting with some of the staff.

“I don’t really know your friend. So I felt awkward.” Kyle said, trying to be discreet.

I laughed a bit. “You literally had dinner with us! And he was also on Forgotten Station. His role was much more important than mine.”

Kyle sighed. “I only really liked your character. I don’t really care about the others.”

“Well you should learn to. Especially if you want to hang out more.” Not that I want him thinking about us as former child actors, but it is better than nothing.

When Jason returned with more drinks, as well as some creamer and milk, a silly idea came to mind. Kyle really didn’t keep track of what Jason was doing? So he didn’t know that Jason is Silver Justice either, right?

“By the way, how long have you been going to Silver Justice shows, Kyle?” I asked, giving a sly look to Jason.

“Oh! I only found out about him this summer! They’re fun, right?” Kyle actually sounded pretty excited.

Jason smirked. “What do you like about the show?”

“That’s a stupid question! I like that there’s a cool live action show with a likable hero!”

“Likable? I think he’s just okay.” I said smugly.

Kyle’s brows lowered. “Don’t you get it? He’s an ideal hero. Nothing too remarkable, but still dedicated to doing good!”

Leading Kyle on was a good way to get him and Jason talking, even if it didn’t seem like Kyle would clear the gap. The look on Jason’s face as Kyle complimented his work was hilarious, but it quickly turned into Jason talking about the hero characters that inspired him, and Kyle talking about the ones he was familiar with. It made sense that the two would get along, but the more they went on, the more annoying things became.

Days like this were fine, but I wished I was able to go somewhere like this with Nai-bu. Ever since she started studying magic, she’s seemed so far away. She’s not less affectionate, just less there. I mean, she’d be like this if she went back for a master’s degree or whatever, right? I can’t count on her to be the only reason I go places or do things.

I probably could have talked to Jason about those thoughts. But I didn’t.