The solder conformed exactly how I wanted it to, never going outside the bounds I’d created. I gave it a line it couldn’t cross, and it didn’t. I controlled it. I alone decided how, when, and where it went, and through it all, something new and beautiful was created. Like stars when they collided. Like planets when they lined up and said hello, greeting the entire universe before them, inviting the others into their orbit if only for a moment. My hands had ruined so much, I couldn’t help but be in awe when I melted the last piece of solder.
Blue and green with silver edges, a transparent work of art waiting for the warmth of the sun. I was in them, riding the wave of a hundred oceans let loose for their color.
“Is this your first time?” A man came beside us, looking down at the leaf.
I looked up at him in surprise. “Oh, yeah. We were just trying it out.”
“That’s some good work there. Keep it up.”
I smiled to myself, hiding it from anyone else. If anyone was deserving of self-appreciation, it wasn’t me. But most of all, Emerson and I had worked together to make the piece. He deserved credit, too.
We added small hooks to the top of the leaf and fitted a chain through them for hanging. We were both proud of what we’d accomplished, wearing grins the entire way to the car.
Emerson gently set the leaf in the backseat before getting into the driver’s side. “Well, that was fun. I don’t think I’d do it by myself, though.”
I thought about it for a moment, watching the sun cross the clouds in the sky. Its rays were so bright, waiting to be taken by something whole and beautiful. I wanted to make something like that. “When I get a job, I want to save up for the supplies.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I really liked it. We made a good team, but I think I can do it by myself, too.”
“One hobby down, one more to go. Let’s get food first, though.”
I rubbed my stomach, listening to it growl just in time. “Fuck yes, I’m starving. I’ll pay, though.”
Emerson was already pulling out of the parking lot. “Why would you do that?”
“Olivia told me to take you out for dinner. I was thinking lunch would get the job done.”
He shook his head and sighed, but I saw a glimpse of a smirk on his lips. “Brat.”
Yeah, maybe I was a brat. But he was the only one who could call me that and get away with it. I’d never admit it, but I liked it when he called me that. It was our thing. I was Emerson’s brat, and he dealt with it because he was a great friend.
One hobby, one friendship, one happy day down. As Emerson drove to the nearest Italian place, I started to wonder just how many more happy days I’d have and if he’d be in them with me. Even if I never spoke it out loud, I still hoped he would be.
Chapter Thirteen
Moon was smilingas he opened his apartment door. It was the first, and hopefully not the last time he’d greet me like that. “I got the job!”
I made my way inside and wrapped him up in a big hug. “Oh, I’m so glad! I know you’ve been struggling for a really long time to find one.”
He pulled away, still wearing that big, imperfect grin. Seeing it made something flutter in my gut. That’d been happening a lot lately—the flutters deep below my diaphragm, damn near in my lower intestines. I’d only felt it once before, way back when Olivia and I had first met.
It was honestly extremely confusing to feel again. Especially for Moon, someone I saw as a friend. At least, I thought I did, anyway.
Moon flipped the light off near the front door and ushered us out of it, locking it behind him. We were headed out to my house today to do some packing, but I lived too far for him to reasonably ride his bike. It would’ve taken him at least an hour to get to me, so I offered to pick him up instead. Olivia and Kelly would be coming by later in the week.
I glanced at him. “So, this job is the one at the dentist’s office, right?”
“Mhm, my previous experience in receptionist and admin work seemed to really help there. The starting pay is pretty good, too. Better than my last job, honestly.”
“I’m glad. I know how much you’ve been stressing about this. I guess you’ll be able to save up for the stained glass stuff pretty quickly, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. I have a good bit of savings left still, so I should be able to get at least some of it after my first paycheck.”
Between the pottery and stained glass we’d tried out, Moon seemed to genuinely enjoy the stained glass a lot more. I didn’t connect with either of them very much, but it was fun to do. They were the kind of activities that were fun with or without another person. With how the workshops seemed to always be set up, though, you had to work in a group of two or more. I’d tried to go to a few of them, desperate to explore something new and exciting the old-fashioned way by getting my hands dirty with some one-on-one learning, but the idea of needing someone else or teaming up with someone I barely knew always put me off.
I didn’t have another person in my life I could just go and try out pottery with. Sure, I had Olivia. She was different, though. I wanted a friend, I guess. A real friend and the last real friend with no romantic attachment I’d had was Harrison. That only made it harder to conceptualize the idea of doing something as selfish as having fun when I knew of three specific people who’dnever have fun again. They’d be trapped for eternity, forever out of my reach.
