Page 31 of Solo Stan
“Maybe our picture wasn’t good enough?” Kai suggested.
Kai was debating whether an arm on the shoulder or around the waist would’ve scored them more points when a second envelope, another random act of mindfulness, appeared with the simple instructionsEnjoy the view of the cityand a ten-minute timer.
Now, with a jumble of letters from the original post and the numbers1and0, Kai and Elias weren’t any closer to figuring outCYPHR’s message. At first, Kai thought it must be some kind of word puzzle, like sudoku or a crossword. It seemed unlikely now, however.
He decided not to wrinkle his brain too much trying to figure it out until they got more clues. Elias agreed, and they decided to enjoy the view as CYPHR directed.
There was a pergola made of industrial metal beams with café lights strung between the rafters. The rest of the rooftop was mostly barren, concrete slabs running from edge to edge. The disparity between the rigid design and the soft summer breeze created a calming balance. Elias walked to the edge and leaned over the cable railing, inhaling deeply as he observed the view. Kai followed his gaze to a few of the buildings that were brightly lit with a radioactive green.
“Why do those buildings look like somewhere the Green Goblin would fly out of?” Elias joked as Kai joined him.
Kai draped his arms over the railing and let them hang freely as he looked out over the skyline. “So, you do know a little something about comics,” he said, more of a statement than a question.
“If I do, does that mean I get a raise?”
“Can you name a publisher other than DC or Marvel?”
“Um…no?”
“Then no.”
The two sat with their legs folded in front of the view from the parapet. Elias’s skin glistened as it pulled all the purples and greens and blues from the city lights. They leaned back and had full view of not only the bright city lights but also the stars above. They were faint, but the formations were unmistakable if you knew where to look.
“So, why did you go to the concert by yourself? I hope youdon’t mind me asking,” Kai said after a few minutes of comfortable silence had passed.
Elias wet his lips with a flick of his tongue. “Still asking permission to talk to me?”
“Tell me why you went to the concert by yourself,” Kai said, more sternly this time.
A satisfied grin spread across Elias’s face. “I like CYPHR, and I didn’t have anyone to go with. Moodie also gave me a curfew, and I knew it would piss him off.”
He reallyisa little shit,Kai thought, remembering what Moodie had said.
“What about you?” Elias asked. “Why’d you go to the concert alone?”
Kai twisted his necklace around his finger as he spoke. “I had tickets for me and my friend, but he bailed last minute. Now it looks like I’m spending the summer by myself.”
“What the hell am I, a ghost?”
Kai pursed his lips. “I’ve known you for less than a day. I’ve known Bobby for over a decade.”
Elias raised an eyebrow. “You and this Bobby guy seem really close.”
“I feel like you’re suggesting something, and if you are, you’re wrong. We’re just friends.”
“Are you sure?”
Kai glanced over to see Elias’s reaction as he said, “We kissed once,” but Elias remained stoic, so he conceded. “It was years ago, though, and it made sense at the time. We were playing video games and eating a bunch of junk, and he kissed me. Honestly, it was awful, and it tasted like Swedish Fish, and it never happened again.”
Elias looked like he might say something for a second, but he just laughed instead. Then he pointed toward a cluster of stars, tracing a shape in the air as he connected the points. “That’s my zodiac sign.”
Kai incredulously followed Elias’s gaze and nodded. “Libra, huh? Tell me more.”
“Well,” Elias began, “Libras are known for their beauty. We’re also ruled by Uranus, the planet of humility.” Emphatically pointing toward the sky, Elias explained, “My Moon is in Gemini and my rising sign is also in Gemini. That’s why my face is so symmetrical and I’m twice as attractive. Gemini is ruled by twins, after all,” he continued.
“So, your beauty is written in the stars?”
“You tell me.”
