His fingers twitch in his lap, and I bump my fist to his knee.
His eyes meet mine, and I smile at him.
“This train takes us to Union Station,” I tell him. “Which is right by Scotiabank Arena.”
His eyes light up, and he smiles. I knew that would get him. We have tickets for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens game tomorrow, for his first live NHL game. And we’re both pumped to watch Montreal win.
“It’s going to feel pretty good to see the Habs win on Leafs ice,” he chuckles.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” I agree. “And we need to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame before the game. I still haven’t been.”
Silas nods eagerly, shifting to relax back in his seat. “And the aquarium?”
I smile at the serious look on his face. He’s been obsessed with that idea since he booked his flight. I didn’t get it at first, since he’s never mentioned aquariums before. But when he said it’s not the kind of landscape he ever gets to see in real life, it made sense. He’s lived his whole life surrounded by water, but he’s never been able to see and draw what’s under it.
“And the aquarium,” I agree.
As the train moves into the city, we talk about the things we’re going to do and see, just the two of us, for the whole weekend. But when steel and mirrored windows reach into the sky, catching the late afternoon light as we roll into downtown, Silas’s eyes widen, and he grips the edge of his seat.
His anxiety only seems to grow as we step off the train into the crowd at Union Station. The terminal swallows us whole as people flow in every direction, and we’re surrounded by shouting, movement, and the squealing sound of metal wheels on tracks. By the time we board the subway headed for my stop near campus, he’s standing rigid, gripping a pole and shifting sideways as another group pushes through the subway car.
“This is a lot of work,” he mutters.
I shrug. “Yeah, but… it’s kind of fun.”
He raises a brow at me with pure skepticism, and I can’t help but laugh. I knew he’d hate this part. This is a long way from hopping in his beat-up truck and rumbling down a dirt road to his destination ten minutes away. And I was scared of it at first, too. But somewhere along the way, this chaos started to feel… invigorating. There’s something happening everywhere, all the time. I’ve found my favourite coffee spots, weird little bookstores, and random places that make the city feel like mine. There’s always something new to explore, and always something to do and see. I never thought I’d like it this much.
This place never stops moving, and I want to keep up with it.
But it’s obvious this pace isn’t for Silas.
We’re just a few steps from my building when he steps off the sidewalk to avoid a group coming the other way and shakes his head.
“Just people… everywhere,” he mutters. He shoves his hands deep into his coat pockets and hunches his shoulders against the wind. “And it’s cold.”
I huff a laugh and reach for the door to my building. “Thought you were a tough farmer. Can’t handle walking in winter?”
He shoots me a look. “The winter I can handle.”
That I know. A PEI winter is a whole beast on its own, especially for farmers.
“Silas Gallant!” a voice booms as I push open my apartment door.
Silas glances up, startled, as Julien steps into view with his arms wide and a grin on his face.
“We finally meet the best friend,” he says.
Silas glances at me, then at Julien. “Uh… hi.”
“Come on.” Julien waves us in and heads for the kitchen.
I chuckle and kick off my shoes. Silas follows me inside, where Julien and Noah are waiting, already cracking beers and holding them out for us.
“In the flesh!” Noah says brightly, handing one to Silas. “Feels like I already know you, though.”
Silas chuckles and accepts the beer. “Yeah, same.”
I smile, glancing between them all. The two parts of my life, finally together in this room. Noah and Julien are my roommates and my people in this city. And Silas has been everything to me for as long as I can remember. I’ve been wanting them to officially meet off of FaceTime since I first got here last year. And now it’s happening.
