* | * a l e s s i a * | *
I look down at the phone in my hand, rolling it around and around. The cool air wraps around me, but I ignore it. Something about the cold fits me just right.
But, for some odd reason, today, I barely notice the cold. Usually, it's on my skin, freezing down to my bones and making me want to move. But today...I just feel like sitting. All I feel like doing is sitting and staring down at my stupid phone. A few numbers, a few presses. Words. They usually come so easily...but today...I struggle with the simplest thoughts. It took me twice as long to finish the grocery shopping.
Must be the weather.
Should I call Magnus? Should I leave him alone? I glance back at the apartment door - leaning on the balcony over the entrance, I see Phaedon and Kaida. I consider waving to them, but since I'm not really that close to either of them...it'd be awkward, wouldn't it? I turn around, so that my back is to the scenery stretched out before me and sink to the floor.
Finally, I dial Magnus' number. What should I say to him? When had I started worrying about this? Screw it. Magnus was my friend - he was my best friend. I could tell him anything and everything and he'd know exactly what I meant. Screw age differences. He was Cayman's age, and I seemed to know quite a few people my cousin's age. The apartment door opens and, speak of the devil, Cayman appears. His orange hair is a mess, but his bright green eyes find me in the shadows almost immediately. He doesn't say anything, doesn't question why I'm still here even though I said I was going to meet Magnus. That's the thing I like about my cousin. If he can tell you don't want him to nose around, he won't. But if it's debatable whether or not you want to keep your secret hidden, Cayman tries to sniff it out like a bloodhound on the trail of a missing child.
He heads next door - no duh. I swear, Cayman spends more time over at our neighbors' than in our own apartment. Briefly, I wonder where Adalene wandered off to. I hadn't seen her in a while.
I look down at the screen. Magnus' number is displayed there, my fingers having typed them from memory. With a small sigh that reflects nothing of how I really feel, I press the SEND button and hold the phone to my ear.