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“I don't know if I want to meet this guy. I'm kind of nervous.”
Henry rested a hand on my shoulder. “He's harmless. I promise.”
“Does Mr. Harmless have a name?”
“Not publicly. He prefers his clients to only know him as The Trader.”
“Where is he asking us to meet him?”
“Outside the base, in front of the train,” Henry stated.
I clamped up. “I don't . . . I'm not . . .”
“New places scare him. Why can't he meet us somewhere on base?” Edgar jumped to my defense.
“They don't allow him to bring magical items on base without inspection. Could take a long time. Us on the other hand? They won't blink an eye.”
I lifted a brow. “Is he on some watch list or something?”
“Kinda. Which I think is ridiculous. They've really given the guy a much harder time than needed. He's allowed on base to use the library and hotels, along with some other amenities, but he hasn't been approved for housing or college yet. It can be a long process for some.”
“That sucks,” Edgar said before I could.
“Yeah. Poor guy deserves a break. But look, if you're really worried about stepping off base and out into the open, I can make the trade with him.”
“I'll come with you,” Edgar offered.
“Great. He should be out there waiting now,” Henry spoke again.
“Y'all sure it's okay?” My voice shook.
“Yeah, don't worry about it, man. I want to see the new train anyway.” Edgar and Henry exited the house together, and as I waited for them to get back, I looked at my phone. Nova hadn't been online in almost two days. Why had I kept checking? It was more than wondering if he'd be online—I was hoping too. Which was strange, but a nice break from caring whether or not Layla would answer my last message.
At first, I’d considered not talking to him again, not sure what could come of it. But then I figured having a new friend wouldn't hurt. Did people use the app to form friendships too? Probably not often. After not messaging me again like he’d said, I wanted to hear from him more. It was silly. Maybe somewhere deep inside I felt like I was being rejected as a friend too. It kept happening in my world.
Not a big surprise for it to happen with creatures from another world too.
I was surprised Edgar had stuck around all these years. I had been difficult during the trip, so it was probably better not to speak too soon though.
An hour passed after browsing the app and reading over Nova's profile again. His favorite movie list had me smiling. The songs he mentioned were a mixture of different genres. To me, it said he was open to different things. In bold letters he had stated he was looking for a romantic relationship with a human that could mostly take place here.
Why here?
Nowhere had it mentioned also searching for friends. Nowhere did it say what kind of monster he was either. Even though it wasn't going to stop me from talking to him again, I couldn't help but imagine all the different possibilities.
My phone buzzed. I lit up inside when I saw virtual hearts were being sent from a certain someone.
Pieces of me: Miss me?
Me: Maybe. I looked for you the other day.
Pieces of me: Yeah, I was traveling for a job.
Me: You going to tell me what kind of job this time?
Pieces of me: Answer my messages tomorrow and I might.
Me: What makes you think I want to know that bad?
