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Kyle grips the letter tighter. It crinkles. “I’m fairly certain my occasion far outweighs yours. Please go away.”
“Really? We’re gonna do this? You’re—” After another flicker of frustration, Elias seems to give up instantly, then gazes out at the horizon. “Okay, sure, I get it. You’re seduced by the breathtaking view. Mountains. Striking sky, with a sick amount of stars at night. A suspicious absence of scorpions and coyotes. The perfect place to come and hate Mom.”
“Yeah, it’s nice.”
“Nice?” Elias gestures grandly at the horizon. “You dare to call the majestic dreamscape of Nowhere, Arizona ‘nice’?” Even when offended, his words come out as soft and smooth as velvet. “No, sir, that’s no way to respect the best spot on Earth. Is that a burn on your arm? Should really take care of that.”
The sky is growing brighter, sun crawling up the back of the mountains. A mere handful of minutes remain, if that. “You are about to see a lot more of me burn.”
“I’m seeing way too much of you as is. Was that your shirt I passed on the way here? Admittedly, you’re pretty fit. What are you? A gymnast? Never mind. In case you missed it, that’s why I’m here, at my spot, to spend the sunrise hating my mom. What’s your occasion? To sit here and be miserable?”
“Go away.”
“You are doing an excellent job. A+. Top notch. Actually, you could scowl a little more, if you got it in you.”
“Do you want to die?”
“Not yet. Too many episodes of Dragon Ball I still haven’t gotten through.” Elias slowly slides his hands into his pockets. “Only one kind of person comes this far outta town for peace of mind au naturel. The damaged kind. So what’s your damage?”
“Everything.”
“I’ve been told I can be kind of intense. Do you find me to be intense?”
“Don’t care.”
“I get that a lot, that I’m intense. Didn’t play well with kids back in the day. Don’t play well with adults either, as is clearly evidenced by the condition of my face. I fly solo.”
“Why are you still here?”
“And I find myself special spots around the world to be all alone and reflect on my damage. Spots such as this one. Which you’ve brazenly stolen from me like a bandit—a naked bandit.”
“Not really in the mood to make a new friend.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing? Wow. I’m trying to get you to go away.”
“And I’m waiting to meet the morning sun.”
“C’mon, man.” Elias slowly paces around the rock. “There are so many other spots you can occupy. Look at this desert. This crazy big desert. From here to Vegas, a thousand spots you can choose. I’ll even help you find one. All I’m asking is to have this particular spot.” When Kyle says nothing, Elias’s voice hardens. “Look, nothing’s going my way today. I know my face looks like a train wreck, but really, you should see the other guy. Just kidding, I walked into a brick wall. Okay, just kidding again, I did get into a fight, it’s embarrassing, I’m not doing that great, all I want is to sit here with my rock.”
“I’m not moving.”
Elias crouches in front of Kyle, blocking the view, and he stares at him with intensity. Kyle gazes back. The young man has clearly had a day, from the injuries on his face to the heaviness behind his eyes that reveal emotional wounds on the inside. Elias’s eyes sit like coals, burning from a fire Kyle can’t see, but only sense.
What brought the young man to this town at this time, of all times? What brought the two of them to this very spot?
Does Kyle have to start believing in fate, too?
“What do I need to do to get you to go away?” asks Elias. “Are you mad at someone? Wanna scream at a wall? I know a perfect wall you can scream at. Want to break things? I can take you to a junkyard out of town, but you may wanna put on some clothes for that. Don’t want to harm your sensitive bits.”
“Stop trying to help.”
“Want to hit something? Want to hit me? A few already beat you to the punch, pun intended, but you are welcome to give it to me right in the kisser.”
“No.”
“Go ahead. Really. I insist.” Elias gives his cheek a dainty tap of his finger. “Make it count. Don’t disappoint me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you’re being offered here. Hell, do you even know how long the list is of people wanting to hit me? You are one very lucky guy, really, the luckiest.”
There is something deeply alluring about Elias’s coal black eyes. The way they burn. Their ferocity. Their vitality. Kyle is trapped in them, and not just because Elias is crouched in front of him like a wall, nearly straddling his lap, blocking the view.
