PROMPT: “Honestly, you’re kinda weird.” “Took you long enough to find that out.” “Honestly, you’re kind of weird,” Tarin mused, staring up from his coffee cup at the boy who had invited himself to sit at his table without any explanation. “Took you long enough to find that out,” the stranger grinned, wide and open as he bounced a little in his seat, sandy curls hanging around his eyes and sticking up like he hadn’t brushed his hair that morning. Which he hadn’t. Tarin raised an eyebrow. “It’s been five minutes, so I think I pieced it together quickly enough. I’m sorry, was there something I could do for you?” “Most people get there after two, but I’m flattered it took so long,” the blond teased back. “And no, I just like talking to interesting people and you looked like an interesting people. Person. You’re a person,” he rambled on, each word almost tripping into the next. “I saw you sitting here and you were doing this thing that you would start lifting your coffee up to your mouth and then your eye would catch on something in your phone, and it would just hover there until you put it down like you thought you took a sip and you didn’t and–,” “–Wow…” Tarin interjected, staring at the other boy in front of him. “That was a–,” “A lot?” he replied, finishing the stranger’s sentence. “Yeah, I sometime talk and I forget that I’m talking. Sometimes I get on these tangents because I think it’s happening in my head, but it’s coming out of my mouth. It’s why a lot of people think I’m weird.” Tarin’s lip quirked up in the corner, the environmental study he’d been reading on his phone forgotten as the screen had long since gone black. “I don’t think that’s why you’re weird,” he replied. “I think you’re weird because–,” The blond’s eyes flashed bright as he leaned in closer, making the faint freckles on his sun-kissed cheeks more noticeable. “Because I keep finishing your sentences,” he said, like a kid whispering conspiratorially about something he shouldn’t be doing. Tarin would have been lying if he said the odd twenty-something in front of him wasn’t intriguing. He wasn’t one for socializing, and he quite enjoyed not being bothered in public, but he couldn’t look away from the man in front of him. “Among other things,” he admitted. The stranger’s eyebrows twitched together a little bit. “What other things?” he asked. Tarin finally set his phone down, pushing one of his locs behind his ear. “Your shirt is on backwards,” he murmured. The lanky blond blinked, looking surprised a moment before he broke out in a loud, infectious, giggle, drawing the eyes of a few annoyed coffee-shop patrons. “Like I said, I’m an airhead sometimes,” he smiled, and damn if he didn’t make Tarin smile too. “I like you, Tarin. You’re fun.” Tarin opened his mouth to reply, but stopped, leaning back a little. “Did…I ever tell you my name?” he asked tentatively. The stranger shrugged and smiled, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Your coffee cup,” he murmured. Tarin snorted, shaking his head. “Fair enough.” As abruptly as he had sat down, the boy with the inside-out shirt was on his feet, fiddling with the hem a little bit. “I should let you get back to what you were doing, but I wanted to say hi because like I said, you’re interesting, and I like talking to interesting people, and I’m sorry for bothering you, but I’m glad I did.” Tarin frowned, surprised that he was sad to see the stranger go. “Wait,” he said, standing up quickly and turning, hip knocking against the table. As the coffee began to spill, Tarin grabbed the table and the table, the wood almost seeming to reach up and grab the base of the cup, righting it. It was almost too fast to see–anyone would think it was a trick of the eyes. Or, most anyone. The stranger paused, staring blankly at Tarin a moment before he stepped in closer, eyes wide and excited. “You are unlocked,” He whispered. “Circle of Earth, right? That’s so cool and that was an awesome trick and like…wow, I mean I thought you might, but I couldn’t be sure, and it’s not like you can /ask/,” he snorted. Tarin froze. Of course he knew other people were unlocked, but he’d never actually met someone else before. “You…you never told me your name,” he said quietly. “Hugh,” he smiled, biting his bottom lip. “Well, Hugh…I’d like to talk about this more,” Tarin murmured. “Perhaps we can get a drink tonight?” he asked tentatively. Hugh bounced a little excitedly, grabbing Tarin’s hand. “I’ll make sure my shirt isn’t inside out,” he promised. “I wouldn’t mind it if you did,” Tarin chuckled. Winking, Hugh reached up, pressing a finger to Tarin’s forehead. “You know my number now,” he murmured. “Call me.” And with that, he turned and left. “Mind,” Tarin murmured, watching Hugh practically skip out of the coffee shop. Sitting back down, Tarin unlocked his phone, eyeing the environmental study he’d been reading before pressing the home button and opening his texts. Opening a new text, he typed in ten digits instinctively. Hey weirdo. Hope I got the number right. Tarin lifted his coffee to take a sip when his phone buzzed. Where am I meeting you tonight? I was thinking about this place off of 50th? It’s tiny and kinda dark, and they have weird pictures of cats on the wall, and some of them are wearing bow-ties and… Tarin grinned, coffee cup still lingering close to his lips. Reading it over twice, he set the cup back down and set about replying. Sounds perfect.
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