"You're doing work at the beginning of the semester break?" Hera tossed a soft ball in the air before catching it with both hands as he laid on my bed.
I had my back turned to him as I continued to hunch over my desk, the blank space on my laptop blinking continuously as I struggled to find the words to start my paper.
I didn't even know what structure I would write about.
"Yeah, well, it's good to have something started with so I won't have to struggle deciding what idea to go with later on. It's not like I'll finish the entire 15 page paper tonight," I said, flipping over the pages of a book with Memorable Structures through the Ages.
Statues, museums, temples and the likes came one page after another. I tapped mindlessly on the book. If I chose a popular structure, there's no doubt most students would also write the same things I would. And if I choose something too uncommon, the professor would give me a scolding for being so shallow. Plus I doubt there'd be much information out there about an unknown structure.
Behind me, the ball Hera continued to toss made a repetitive sound that echoed in my room. Then it suddenly stopped, and I heard a chair being dragged beside me. I paid no mind as Hera threw a look of scrutiny at the book. I continued to type one letter on my laptop before deleting it, again and again.
This is no good. I have no passion for any of these structures at all! I scratched my head with both hands out of frustration.
"You know, if you're having such a hard time, why not visit some of these sites? See for yourself, and maybe you'll get some type of inspiration!" Hera said, spinning on his wheeled chair. I paused. That didn't sound like a bad idea at all.
"There's an old church just a 3 hour train ride away from here. What do you say we go check it out this weekend?" Hera offered with a huge smile, "And if we have time, we can stop by that new seafood boil restaurant near the station before our ride home."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me this is just a scheme to try out that new seafood restaurant. If you so badly wanted to go there, you could've just asked anyone, stop bothering me so much." A small laugh escaped my lips as I pushed my own chair against his, the wheels rolling to a stop as soon as we collide.
"No!" Hera cried, wiping away fake tears, "Of course not! Also, if I take any one else, I'll have to act clean and proper. Clean and proper isn't actually how you get when trying to fully enjoy a seafood boil, you know?" Hera said, hands making motions of using both hands to bare handedly eat seafood boil.
"I can taste the lobster already."
That might not be such a bad idea. But I already had plans to set up the party decorations for Hera's birthday. Adelai even promised to help me out that day.
"Fine, just give me a second. I have to tell Adelai first,"
Hera's face fell into a frown, but the look of surprise on his face was immediately wiped away and went completely unnoticed by me. "And...why would you need to do that?" He asked.
I shrugged, completely unaware of the change in his tone as he forced a smile. "We had something going this weekend but I guess I'll have to change schedules." I answered as I typed a message informing Adelai of my plans with Hera. Almost immediately I got a message back of words of encouragement. Adelai had replied saying he was rooting for my date with Hera.
My face flushed as I read the message on screen and was about to type a reply denying his words when I felt Hera's prying ocean blue eyes staring with a fixed look on my phone. Not wanting him to find out about the surprise party I planned to throw for him, I immediately put my phone away without sending a reply to Adelai.
Unfortunately, that was a wrong move which only made Hera more curious than ever, and he asked, "Oh? What plans did you have with Adelai? Care to count me in?"
Like a puppy expecting some pat on the head, he leaned close to me as he waited for some expected reply.
At this rate, he might find out about the surprise. And that's the last thing I want to happen. For my birthday, Hera had completely thrown me off guard with his surprise. I wouldn't want to lose to him for his birthday.
I shook my head, "It's nothing big, really. Just some architectural related thing, you know?" I brushed it off, hoping Hera would grow disinterested and drop the matter. Fortunately, he did, and he pulled away, leaning back on his seat. "Oh. Okay,"
I sighed with relief. Completely unaware of Hera's disappointment after that. Even with the unusual silence that followed, I failed to note his change in attitude, thinking he had just grown sleepy.
"So," Hera spoke, cutting through the silence. I hum in acknowledgement as I looked up the old church we'd be visiting. My eyes never leaving my phone.
"You and this Adelai kid have grown quite close, huh?" Hera asked, his gaze turning to me through the corners of his eyes. I nodded my head, thoughtlessly. My mind was too busy booking train tickets online for our little trip. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. He might be the only person in all my classes who hasn't approached me to get close to you. That, and the fact that he's easy to get along with."
It seems there are two seats left for a train departing first thing in the morning. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any other rides departing to that area.
I was too preoccupied with settling the tickets that I had completely cast aside the conversation Hera initiated. Seeing my wavering attention, I was taken by surprise when my chair was spun around. Now blue eyes stared into mine with all the focus they could give. Hera had grabbed the armchairs of my seat, forcing me to come face to face with him.
By the looks he was giving me, it seems I had ignored something he said that fell into deaf ears. Confused but more surprised, I set my phone down. "W-what's wrong?" I ask, with the small distance between us, I could feel his breath blowing on my skin. Seeing as how he refused to let go of my chair, I leaned back into my seat to put some distance between us, hoping I didn't look as flustered as I felt.
"If..." Hera began, "If you were to choose between either that Adelai guy or me, who would you choose to go out with?" He asked. The question completely threw me into a different void of confusion before I got the mind to answer.
"I'd...hang out with you both? What kind of question...?" I replied, still not wuite understanding what Hera's deal was all of a sudden.
He didn't seem quite satisfied with that answer as he opened his mouth to say something. But he paused, pursing his lips. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate.
"That's not what I meant..." Hera shook his head, "Never mind! What if you can only take one person with you to hang out with, who'd you pick?" He asked, his grip on my seat growing anxiously tighter as he spoke.
"Then I'd cancel my plans? I don't want to offend either of you by choosing one over the other." I said, "But if you both want the hang out so bad then I'd suggest you two proceed with the plan without me instead. It'd be great if you two got to know each other. Adelai is genuinely a fun guy,"
Hera finally let go of my seat as he slumped back into his chair. Blue eyes staring at me, defeated, for a reason I have no clue about.
Just what exactly was he getting at that's getting him so worked up?
"This is no good..." Hera buried his face into his hands, "Then I have one last question."
Peaking through the gaps of his fingers, Hera's blue eyes sparkled like the waters of shore on a sunny day. His sharp and thick brows furrowed into desperation, arched like crescent moons in the night sky.
Unconsciously, my hand twitched at his undivided attention, and I found myself waiting with bated breath at his words.
"What if it's a planned hang out trip that this Adelai guy wouldn't find interesting at all, and something that he wouldn't want to take part of, would you choose me then?"
I froze at his words. What kind of question was that?
Was he just trying to have a one sided rivalry with Adelai on who could be a better friend? That would definitely be something Hera would fixate on. So that's what this is all about.
"Alright," I said, trying to play along with his antics, "If so that happens, then yeah. Of course I'll choose you." There. I gave him exactly what he was asking for. That should make him happy, right?
Is what I thought but seeing his thins purse into a thin line made me think otherwise. Hera turned his head away, looking deep in thought, "I'm not particularly satisfied with that but I'll take it."
I laugh. Part of me has always found this side about Hera so endearing.
"Do you think I could crash here for tonight?" Hera asked, out of the blue after our conversation had just ended.
I shut my laptop off and walked towards the bed where I then charged my phone on top of the head board. Since there weren't exactly any other tickets available for the weekend, I immediately got the last two tickets I had checked out previously before they sold out.
As I sat on my bed, I turned to Hera who looked at me with expectant eyes on the chair.
"Isn't your apartment just nearby? Why not brave the cold and start walking now?"
Hearing this, Hera grunted loudly in the room as he spun on the chair.
"Why do you hate me so muuuuuch!?" He whined. "I want to stare here! I'm so tired, I don't want to walk outside!"
"Fine, you can crash here!" I relented, hoping he'd shut up before the neighbors start complaining. "Geez, if only people knew how much of a whiny brat you were, you'd lose majority of your fans." I said but Hera only grinned in satisfaction, unbothered by my words.
That night I had slept peacefully on my bed as I let Hera take the futon out of the cabinet and settle on the floor. As the moonlight bounced across my sleeping face, the warm hand that pushed back my hair off my closed eyes had passed by, unnoticed. The blue eyes that rippled like still waters stuck on me for the rest of the night.