Social in the City

James wandered slowly down the road from the school, checking his watch every now and then to make sure he wouldn't be too early or too late. He was wearing his glasses today, tired of the headaches his contacts still gave him, and as a result his bangs were pulled back by a haphazard collection of bobby pins to keep them from dangling over his glasses. Occasionally a lock of hair would work its way loose and fall in his eyes, and every time that happened, he'd have to work his hand out of the too-long sleeve of his thermal tee and fasten it down again with another pin. He was beginning to work up quite a collection.

He was nervous. Dorn was the only person at the school who'd really shown an interest in him, and now he'd asked him to come to the city for an evening, which would be fantastic if he knew what he was supposed to do or say to him once he got there. He wasn't used to having a friend, and while he felt comfortable when he was actually around Dorn, when he wasn't the thought of talking to him left him with butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

He stopped stock still, suddenly realizing that they hadn't exactly decided where to meet. Or, worse yet, what if Dorn had told him where to meet him, but he'd been so nervous he'd for gotten? He pulled his cellphone out to call him, remembering that he didn't know his number and putting it away reluctantly. What if Dorn was waiting somewhere for him right now, and he didn't know why he wasn't there already? James quickened his pace, and by the time he passed the school's gates he was almost jogging. He paused, glancing around to try to decide which road to take, eyes finally resting on a familiar figure about ten yards away.

"Dorn!" He waved one arm above his head to get the other boy's attention, lightly jogging the distance between them and stopping a few feet away. "Hey," he smiled, suddenly shy again. "Am I late?"

"Good idea," he agreed, slipping his cellphone out of his pocket and handing it to Dorn for him to input his number. "I was actually just thinking the same thing..." He stopped, not wanting Dorn to know about his miniature freak-out a few minutes ago.

He finished adding his number, handing the cellphone back to Dorn and drawing his hands back into his sleeves again. "Good. Quiet. No one tried to talk to me." And, as a result, he hadn't accidentally broken anything or began to levitate. The best days were when people left him alone, and he had no chance to make a fool of himself. He grinned, asking after a moment: "How was your day, big guy?"

He fell silent along with Dorn, scanning the streets and trying to figure out which way they should walk. "You've been here before - what's fun? What do you want to do?" He had no idea what Dorn had planned for the evening, if anything. What exactly did you do on a whatever this was?

"Ah... I will." He tucked the phone back into his pocket, a little embarrassed for reasons he didn't entirely understand. "And.. If you need help with something... I probably couldn't do much. But you can call me, anyway." He couldn't think of a problem that Dorn would need his help with, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" He wondered, glancing up at Dorn curiously. "I mean, forgetting to take your medicine. Since you..." He gestured vaguely at his chest, vague concern on his face. Dorn seemed like the kind of person who would forget to take his medicine, even if it might have a dire effect on his health.

He missed him? Jamie went bright red, ducking his head in embarrassment. The gesture didn't work as well when he didn't have any hair to hide behind, and he shifted his gaze to the side, instead. He wasn't used to people even acknowledging his existence, let alone missing him when he wasn't around. He had no idea what to say in response. "...Thanks," he finally mumbled, looking anywhere but towards Dorn.

"Dinner and a movie? Sounds like a date." He giggled at the thought, skipping a step to match Dorn's stride. "It's a good plan, though. I haven't been to a movie in a while."

"Good," he said, relaxing a bit. "I wouldn't want you to... you know. Anything to happen." He trained his gaze at his scuffed shoes, uncomfortable with telling Dorn he was worried about him but still wanting him to know. "Just don't ever forget or anything, okay?"

Dorn got all embarrassed and shy, which instantly made Jamie even more embarrassed and awkward. "I meant... I'm just not used to people missing me or anything." He paused, stumbling over his words. "So... Thanks. For hanging out with me. And missing me." He nudged Dorn's arm with his shoulder, a rare display of physical affection.

"I'm hungry, don't worry." He mumbled, distracted by scanning the menu posted in the window of the restaurant. "Could be... Yeah, it looks good." He pulled open the door for Dorn, grinning politely.

"Sweet?" He laughed in spite of himself, fingertips briefly poking out of sleeves to cover his mouth. "That's the first time I've ever been called that."

He nodded, suddenly wondering why it was, exactly, that he liked to be around Dorn. It was something he wasn't used to, actually wanting to be around another person. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so comfortable around someone else, to allow himself to relax as much as he did. He was never lonely by himself - in fact, he greatly preferred solitude to crowds, and yet the idea of being around Dorn was always pleasant. Dorn was just different, that was all. He didn't expect anything from Jamie, like interesting conversation or lightening quick wit.

James grinned at Dorn and sat down, attention immediately captured by the beautiful view from the window. He was silent for a few minutes, and then "It's weird," he said suddenly, breaking from his reverie somewhat and fiddling with the silverware, eyes still trained on the sea. "Having the ocean... everywhere. I'd never seen it before I came here."