Chapter 32 - My City
The following day belonged to Elliot.
At least, that was what June jokingly called it.
The joke began because she finally had an afternoon without meetings.
No presentations.
No deadlines.
No emergencies.
For the first time since arriving, her schedule contained an unfamiliar concept.
Free time.
Elliot seemed almost suspicious of it.
"You actually don't have work?"
"No."
"No calls?"
"No."
"No emails?"
"I mean... probably."
"June."
"I'm ignoring them."
The look on Elliot's face suggested he considered this a historic event.
June laughed.
Then threw a napkin at him.
An hour later, they were walking through the city.
No destination.
No plan.
At least not one June was aware of.
Elliot seemed perfectly content to wander.
Which felt deeply inefficient.
The first place he showed her was a bakery.
Not a famous bakery.
Not an impressive bakery.
Just a bakery.
June stared at the building.
Then at him.
Then back at the building.
"This?"
"This."
"Why?"
"The croissants are good."
June blinked.
"That's it?"
"That's enough."
The answer somehow felt very Elliot.
Five minutes later, she was sitting outside eating the best croissant she'd had in months.
Which was annoying.
Because now he was right.
Again.
The rest of the afternoon continued in a similar fashion.
A small bookstore.
A quiet street.
A café hidden between two larger buildings.
A park overlooking the river.
None of them appeared in travel guides.
None of them seemed particularly remarkable.
Yet somehow every place felt connected to him.
Not because he talked about himself much.
Because he didn't.
The stories appeared accidentally.
A professor who used to annoy him.
A project that nearly failed.
A café where he'd once spent an entire weekend finishing an assignment.
A bridge he crossed so often he no longer noticed it existed.
Small things.
Ordinary things.
The sort of details people rarely shared unless they trusted someone.
June listened.
Occasionally asked questions.
Occasionally laughed.
Mostly she watched.
For years, Elliot had existed almost entirely inside conversations.
Now he had locations.
Habits.
Routines.
A life.
The realization felt strangely new.
At one point they passed a small square crowded with students.
Someone shouted Elliot's name.
Both of them turned.
A tall guy waved from across the street.
Then immediately pointed at June.
A dangerous sign.
Elliot closed his eyes.
June noticed.
And immediately became interested.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
The friend crossed the street.
Grinning.
Very much aware of something June wasn't.
"Elliot."
"Hello."
The friend ignored him completely.
His attention had already shifted.
"So you're real."
June blinked.
"What?"
The friend laughed.
Elliot looked like a man contemplating murder.
For several seconds, nobody explained anything.
Which only made it worse.
June folded her arms.
"I feel like I've missed part of the conversation."
"You've missed several years of conversation."
"Elliot."
"I'm helping."
"You are not."
The friend laughed again.
Then introduced himself.
The conversation lasted only a few minutes before he left.
Yet as they continued walking, June found herself smiling.
"What?"
Elliot sighed.
"You know exactly what."
"I don't."
"You're lying."
"I genuinely don't."
That, apparently, was the wrong answer.
Because Elliot laughed.
Not his usual laugh.
A smaller one.
Almost affectionate.
The kind June rarely heard.
"You really don't, do you?"
"No?"
For some reason, that made him shake his head.
Then change the subject entirely.
June stared at him.
Suspicious.
Yet the moment passed.
The city continued unfolding around them.
Hours slipped by almost unnoticed.
As evening approached, they found themselves sitting beside the river watching the water catch the last light of the day.
For a while neither of them spoke.
People passed.
Cyclists hurried by.
A dog attempted to steal someone's sandwich.
Life continued.
Normal.
Comfortable.
The silence settled easily between them.
Not because they had run out of things to say.
Because they no longer needed to fill every gap.
Eventually June looked toward the opposite bank.
Then back at Elliot.
"You know."
"What?"
"I always thought I knew you."
Elliot laughed.
"That's concerning."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
June rolled her eyes.
Then smiled.
For a moment she searched for the right words.
The realization had followed her all afternoon.
Quietly.
Persistently.
"You were always just..."
She paused.
"A phone?"
Elliot looked offended.
"A very handsome phone."
June nearly fell off the bench laughing.
The river continued flowing behind them.
The city glowed softly beneath the evening sky.
And for the first time since they had met, June found herself seeing something she had somehow missed for years.
Not Elliot the friend.
Not Elliot the constant.
Not Elliot the familiar notification that occasionally appeared in her life.
Just Elliot.
A person.
A real one.
Somehow, that felt more significant than finally meeting him.
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