Chapter 13:
Me vexat pede
After settling into the church's momentum and schedule, Luca felt more at home than he had before. While his classes would start in another three months, he did not neglect his studies, purchasing a few law textbooks suggested online ahead of time to be sent to his new, temporary home. Felix would often walk out to the mailbox to greet the postman, taking the mail directly as he would sift through the letters and other items before he would drop off some of the mail with Heidi, and hold onto the rest. When a package for Luca came in, he would bring it to Luca's room, placing it down on his bed when Luca was busy hurrying around the orphanage, watching the children.
There was so little time for Luca that he felt as if he needed to grow another head to keep track of all the rowdy children on summer vacation. The local school had let out beginning in June, and now the children only had bible study and chapel to keep them in class, allowing them more free time to do things than before, which drove Luca mad.
"When I was younger, I always wanted children, thinking they were cute and gentle. But now, working with this group, I think I'm okay being childless for quite some time." Luca said as he laid on Felix's large bed, laying with his knees bent and his feet on the ground with his back sideways on the bed. He threw a small rubber ball in his hand. "Don't get me wrong, I love the children, but it's quite the reminder how much of a commitment they are."
"They can be quite the handful." Felix, typing away at his computer, lowered his glasses and laughed. "Why don't we take a break tomorrow? It's Tuesday, and the movie theatre in town is open."
"Won't Ms. Lowell be angry if you leave in the middle of the day like that?" Luca asked, turning his head towards Felix as he held the rubber ball in his hands.
"I've been meaning to take a day off anyway." Felix turned away from his computer, rubbing the space between his eyes as he took off his glasses. "Lately I've been getting headaches from looking at the screen too long, but there's just too much to prepare for the Fall. Maybe if I relax for a day it will ease a bit."
Luca, worried for Felix, was quick to agree. "Then it'd be good for you to take a day off. I'll check what movies are playing." He clicked away happily on his phone, looking up the theatre's website to prepare for tomorrow.
The sky had already darkened, yet Felix's curtain was still open, allowing Luca to look out the window at the dark blue sky. His face was lightly illuminated by the blue light of his phone, his eyes staring outside with a sense of longing. As he stared, lost in thought, Felix's gaze fell on the young man's face with a wistful sense of longing he had been trying so hard to hide.
He was always so beautiful. Felix thought with a depreciating smile, retracting his gaze before the other man saw it. Maybe this time, I can keep you by my side a little longer. He tapped a key on his keyboard, sending an email he had long since been mulling over.
His plan had taken action. Now it was his time to act.
…
While the town was not large, there was a small theatre nested near the back end of town. Ms. Lowell had taken groups from the orphanage to watch children's movies on special occasions, allowing the children some form of normalcy growing up. Luca had faint memories of the place, but as they pulled in, he got more and more excited. As Felix parked the car, Luca unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door, running out to stare at the old-fashioned theatre sign displayed at the top of the building in the front parking lot.
"Hey, Felix, look at this! It's just like it was years ago!" Luca shouted, pointing at the sign like an excited child.
Felix turned off the car and stepped out, looking at Luca with a warm gaze, feeling his eyes fall into soft crescents, a smile on his lips. How could I ever forget it? Felix asked himself, thinking of the many years before he had gone to this theatre with Ms. Lowell and the other children. Luca had run to the front of the theatre and pointed to the sign excitedly, dragging Felix by the arm as he stared at the flashing lights and fancy black lettering with excited eyes.
"This is amazing! Isn't it, Felix!" He remembered the young boy's sweet voice.
Felix began to slowly walk to Luca's side, staring up at the sign as he sighed in contentment. Soon, we'll be able to spend every day like this together, Luca. Just like old times. Once the pair was in front of the building, they walked in together, ready to buy the tickets for their movie.
As Luca hurried to the counter to buy the tickets, he was warmly greeted by the shy attendant, his face full of smiles as he greeted Felix in particular, but as Luca spoke, he was quickly disappointed.
"Huh, Ultra Mecha Earth Defenders 2 isn't showing?" Luca asked the clerk with some disappointment.
"I'm sorry." The young teenage boy apologised, "It's currently not showing, but the other movies available right now are 'Kiss by the Moonlight at Dawn' and 'The Sub Sandwich Killer'." He looked nervous, his freckled face red as he tapped onto the computer on the counter, most likely having been placed at the register for the first time.
Felix asked, "What are the movies about?"
Luca stared at the posters and responded with a frown, "Well, the one is a rom-com based on that one popular novel, and the other is a slasher film about subs."
"Submarines or sandwiches?" Felix joked.
"Either of those is more interesting than a rom-com." Luca laughed, "Two tickets to the Sandwich Killer movie, please."
The cashier rang up the tickets and Luca paid with the cash in his pocket, taking the ticket stubs in his hand as he carried the small pieces of paper in one hand, holding them up to read the seat numbers printed on the tickets.
As the pair walked towards the side of the theatre, moving to the small concessions booth, Felix turned to the side, staring at the popcorn machine as he asked Luca, "Do you want any popcorn?" Felix nodded his head to the freshly popped popcorn in the popcorn machine, wafting with the strong. tantalising smell of butter and corn.
Luca stared at the machine and thought for a moment before he shook his head, "It's okay. You and Ms. Lowell have been feeding me so well I might gain a couple pounds. No need to help it along." The extra weight could slow him down playing football, after all. "Come on. We got here late enough, so the movie should be starting soon!" Luca did not waste a moment as he began to walk to their showroom, leaving the slow Felix behind.
Looking at the back of Luca's head, Felix stared back at the machine before he followed Luca, who had already begun to walk to their showroom with a fast pace.
When he closed his eyes, he remembered the young man who had held open the small bag of popcorn he had gotten, sharing the warm, rich kernels of popcorn with a gentle smile. His small hands were full of popcorn as he shook the bag, giving him half of what was inside, just as he always had. His cheeks were bright, full of warmth. Even to Felix then, it was hard for him to look away from the gentle man in front of him.
His sweet young friend. His Luca.
The theatre was not large, and the pair quickly entered the theatre room with moments to spare before the movie began. The room itself was empty, and the pair was able to navigate through the dark room by walking down the narrow aisles until they found their seats in the back middle row, situated just under the projector.
"Best seat in the house." Luca laughed, pressing the bottom of the seat down as he sat on the worn faux-velvet chair. It was plush but half-stuffed, making his butt feel a little uncomfortable. He ignored it, however, and made himself as comfortable as he could, sitting in the chair with an excited look on his face as the picture on the screen began to darken.
Felix sat by Luca's side, leaning to the right, his arm resting on the arm chair as he unconsciously moved closer to Luca's side. Sitting with his arms in his lap, his expression full of a large, excited smile, Felix felt like he could not look away.
Music began to play, following with the sound of heavy rain coming from the black screen. The movie began with a dark alleyway, showing a panned out shot of a small deli, the shop adorned with a simple name, Ma and Pa's Deli. A light flashed inside the restaurant, a man standing next to a chopping block with a butcher's knife in his hand. His face was out of view, but there was blood on his knife, an unidentified piece of meat on his cutting board.
"Creepy." Luca muttered, his eyes glued to the screen like a child watching cartoons.
Felix sat next to him, his expression flat as he stared at the man. He glanced towards Luca, then back at the screen, bored.
The movie continued, chronicling the story of a young man that had just moved into a small town in the countryside, coming to the village to take care of his ageing mother who had retired from her longtime job as a nurse. The man was young, barely in his twenties, but he was somewhat gloomy, much like the atmosphere of the town.
As the main character heard about the killer from the locals, there was the sound of a phone vibrating in the small theatre. Luca felt in his pocket, patting the top of his jeans, but it was not his phone. Instead he turned to Felix, who had quickly stood up, nodded towards Luca, and began to walk out of the theatre room with his phone in his hand, his phone up to his right ear. He kept walking until he stepped through the doors to the theatre entrance, his face flat.
Standing outside of the theatre, Felix held the phone next to his ear, his voice quiet as he spoke to the person on the line, his eyes narrowed in irritation.
"How long will it take to finish the construction?" He asked, his voice low and cold.
The person on the other end paused and responded, "It may take an additional two weeks, at longest, sir."
Felix sighed, holding his fingers to his lips as he said, "We don't have time for delays right now." He was visibly frustrated, his eyes full of anger as he stared down at the ground, trying to rein in his emotions. "I will be there in two days for a progress update. I want answers then."
"Of course, sir." The person on the other end said in a low voice, feeling shame at being admonished.
"For now, I want your report. What progress has been made since my last visit?"
…
Nearly a quarter of the movie had passed since Felix had stepped out. What Luca had expected to take only five minutes gradually grew into fifteen, then twenty, and now twenty-five minutes. He kept looking down towards the front of the screen, towards the exit, but there was no movement, only the light of the screen reflecting on the ground.
What is taking Felix so long? Luca could no longer focus on the movie, finding himself more and more distracted by the empty seat next to him. As the main character in the movie attempted to confront the Sub Sandwich Slayer, he stood up from the theatre chair, the sound of the fabric seat moving up echoed in the empty room as Luca walked down the steps to the theatre main hall, his eyes wandering around for any trace of his friend.
As he walked out in the hall, he was greeted by an empty corridor, the desk unmanned in an unusual manner for such a small theatre. There was no one to take the unwatched concessions, however, and Luca walked by towards the main doors, seeing the shadow of a figure standing in the doorway, a phone raised to his ear as he nodded with a serious expression.
"Perfect. If that's all, call me again when the next stage is complete." The cell phone was spoken into for only a moment longer before it was lowered. There was a sigh from Felix, his expression dark, but before he could put his phone back into his pocket, he turned to see Luca standing to the side, staring at him with a confused stare.
"Luca? What are you doing here?" Felix's face was full of genuine surprise, as if he had not expected Luca to come to find him.
"What are you doing here?" Luca gestured towards his phone.
"Sorry, it's a church matter." Felix lowered his head in a shy manner. "I wasn't expecting to be gone for this long."
Luca was disappointed. "If I knew you were this busy, I would have just waited to go to the theatre with you. Why didn't you tell me?" He frowned, appearing upset.
Felix smiled, still holding the phone in one hand as he lifted his free hand and patted Luca's shoulder. "A nearby parish has been having some problems with a financial program and they've been asking me for help through the phone every so often." Felix's hand rested on Luca's shoulder with warmth.
Felix had always been busy, Luca knew that, but it felt as if he were fighting for Felix's time and attention lately. Rather than spending time they had put aside to spend together, it felt as if Felix was absent for nearly half of it. They were adults, it was understandable being busy, but Felix kept making promises he could not keep, and Luca found his patience wearing thin.
So many excuses… this isn't like Felix. What is he up to? Luca sighed, feeling some annoyance as he lightly shook his head, feeling arguing with Felix now wasn't worth his time. "The movie's almost over anyway. Let's go." Luca did not feel like watching the movie any longer, and he waited for Felix to start moving before the two of them left together, a short distance between them.
While the pair spent some time apart, Luca walking ahead of Felix, who had trailed behind the angry young man, a message was sent to Felix's phone, quietly vibrating in his pocket.
"It's time." A smile crept across Felix's face, his eyes full of warmth as he stared at the single line of text sent to the phone.
'The construction is nearly complete. We are ready to move into stage three. At your word, Father Felix.'
Pressing the call button on the dial pad, Felix held the phone up to his ear. "Commence with stage three."
There was no response from the other side as he quickly hung up the phone. Staring forward, he saw the back of Luca's head, hurriedly moving away from him with angry steps. Quickly, Felix followed after him, adding some speed to his steps as he pursued Luca, no longer allowing the man to run away from him again.
…
After the incident at the theatre, Luca spent some time away from Felix, feeling somewhat annoyed by the other man. Felix was his best friend, and they would rarely have spats in the past, but lately Luca felt as though something was forcing them to stick together like before, while their relationship had changed in the years that they had been apart.
"Did something happen between you two?" Ms. Lowell asked with a frown, noticing Luca sitting alone at breakfast with a bowl of oatmeal in front of him. The brown sugar oatmeal was half-uneaten, and it was awkwardly mashed with a spoon.
Luca blinked twice, looking down at his bowl before he said with a small sigh, "It's nothing."
Most of the children had already been ushered off to their next daily task, allowing Luca and Ms. Lowell some privacy to talk together. Seeing Luca's withdrawn demeanour, Ms. Lowell was worried and said, sitting at the table with the depressed-looking Luca, "Felix has been acting strange lately, so don't worry too much. After he started to learn Father Michael's duties, he's been working harder than ever." She lifted her hand and patted Luca's shoulder with a smile, "Don't let him worry you. I'll talk to him."
Luca smiled, "Thanks, Ms. Lowell."
As Luca spooned one more bite of the oatmeal into his mouth, Ms. Lowell asked, "You're leaving for law school soon too, aren't you? I think Felix is a little worried about sending you off." She sighed, shaking her head. "You're the only person he's close to like this, Luca. I think he missed having you here."
"You think so?" Luca asked, the spoon still held in his hands as he looked at Ms. Lowell, curious. "Lately he's been acting so distant."
"Now that he's taken Father Michael's position, he's been working round the clock to make sure the orphanage is still operating well." Ms. Lowell frowned, her brow knotted with worry. "I've tried to help him, but you know Felix, he won't take any help. He's always doing things by himself."
Luca played with the spoon in his hand with a thoughtful look. "Why doesn't he ask me for help then? I keep asking him, but he won't tell me anything. What else can I do?"
"He thinks of you like an older brother. Sometimes you'll have spats with your siblings, but you always remember to come home." Looking towards Luca, Ms. Lowell smiled, "You only have a little more time with us. Felix must be sad to see you leave and he must be acting out in his own way. I don't agree with it, but I understand his actions."
Hearing Ms. Lowell's words, Luca felt he understood Felix a little more as of late. He could only hold her hand and pat the back of her hand with his own, saying with a smile, "Thank you, Ms. Lowell. I'll try talking to him."
Ms. Lowell walked away, preparing to tend to more duties in her office as Luca lifted his bowl and walked to the garbage, throwing away the mashed oatmeal in his bowl with a frown. He hated to waste food, but his appetite had all but appeared, making him lose the will to eat, even though he could feel that he was somewhat hungry.
Maybe I'll eat something at lunch. Luca sighed to himself as he stared at his phone screen, reading the time before he lazily glanced at the date displayed on the screen. Strangely, Luca felt as if something was off, but the more he stared at his phone screen, simply displaying the time on his phone, the more he shook his head, feeling as though he was losing his mind slightly.
It must be my stomach getting to me.
After finishing his lunch, Luca cleared his plate and left the cafeteria with slow steps, feeling more tired than usual as he thought about how he should approach Felix, attempting to quell his anger before he approached his longtime friend. However, as he was thinking, a familiar figure called out to him.
"Luca, can we talk?" Standing in the middle of the hall was Felix, dressed in his black turtleneck and dress pants. He appeared so formal, but his expression showed mixed feelings of trepidation and concern, as if he had something important to say.
"What is it?" Luca could never stay angry at Felix, but for some reason, when he saw Felix at this moment, he felt a pang of annoyance, as if Felix was attempting to get in his good graces again.
Felix held his arm, appearing gentle as he responded, "Let's talk in your room."
…
___________________
Why I do I have a feeling you all read that last line and went like, "... go on." Ahahaha
Apologies for the late updates on this. I'm still working very, very hard on some side stuff (including facilitating three interviews this week. F), so I will keep this up as much as I can! Thank you all for reading and enjoying Misted Winds so far, and I hope to see you all soon~!
(YMtK readers, the chapter will be up tomorrow after I facilitate some interviews for work!)