"What's your mom's name?"
Stefan looked at Vasil in surprise. Vasil casually licked his chocolate ice cream, as if he hadn't just asked a strange question. Stefan realized he should probably get used to his friend's odd questions. Before taking a bite of his vanilla ice cream, he answered, "Margaret."
Vasil thought for a moment. "It means 'pearl,' you know. And your dad?"
"David."
"That means 'beloved.'"
"... It suits him."
Stefan thought about his father, about the warm and unique personality that made others trust him quickly and easily. The exact opposite of himself. "How do you know the meanings of all these names?"
"I have a book on it," Vasil answered.
"And you've memorized all of them?"
"No, just the interesting ones."
Stefan asked, "What's your mom's name?" He wondered if it was okay to ask Vasil the same question.
"Irina. It means 'peace.'"
"And your dad?"
Vasil took a bite of his ice cream. "I don't have one."
"I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Huh...?"
Stefan looked at Vasil in surprise, while Vasil just stared back with a questioning gaze. Stefan wanted to say, *Because that's what you say when someone tells you something sad!* But before he could open his mouth, he realized something: Vasil didn't seem upset at all. There was something in his eyes that told Stefan he wasn't looking for an answer. It was Vasil's way of showing that it wasn't a big deal.
Vasil's gaze shifted to Stefan's ice cream. "It's melting!"
Stefan glanced at his ice cream and quickly caught it before it dripped. "Damn it!"
Vasil let out a small laugh. "You better eat it faster!"
Stefan shot a sideways glance at Vasil before turning his full attention to his ice cream.
Vasil had one of those faces that, when you looked at him, all you saw was childish simplicity, maybe even a bit of foolishness. Yet, there was something about his gaze, his movements, or his words that made Stefan wonder if that simplicity was entirely natural or not. Though it didn't seem like an act either. It was as if Vasil had chosen to close his big eyes to certain things that Stefan couldn't help but notice.
Stefan discovered something new about his strange friend every day.
***
When Vasil got home, his mother was already there. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw her sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands.
Irina lifted her head as she heard the door close and quickly stood up, so fast that the chair nearly tipped over.
Vasil took a moment to observe his mother. Clean clothes, the smell of food coming from the kitchen, and her worried expression all told him that the effects of alcohol had worn off.
Vasil smiled and headed towards the kitchen. "Hi, Mom."
Irina didn't say anything. Instead, she walked over and leaned in to inspect him.
When Irina's fingers brushed against the cut on the corner of his lip, Vasil suddenly remembered it. The cold from the ice cream had dulled the pain, but now, his mother's touch brought it back to life.
Vasil opened his mouth to say something. "Mom..."
But Irina cut him off, her voice trembling. "What happened to you? Didn't I... Didn't I d..."
Vasil interrupted her. "It's nothing, Mom. I just got caught up in something again, that's all."
Irina's eyes widened. "So it's those classmates of yours again?" She wiped away her dry tears. "Didn't I tell you to be more careful?"
Vasil quietly replied, "I tried."
Irina ran a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. It's not your fault."
She gestured towards the kitchen. Vasil followed the unspoken order and sat in the chair she'd been sitting in earlier. As Irina rummaged through the cabinets for the first-aid kit, trying to remember where she'd left it, she glanced at Vasil. "You know what? Maybe I should go to your school and talk to your teacher. This has gone on too long, and those kids are really crossing the line."
She slammed a cabinet door shut in frustration. "Someone needs to teach those little rats a lesson!"
Vasil looked at his mother in surprise and her sudden change of heart and then gently said, "There's no need, Mom. I don't think they'll bother me again."
She turned to him and asked, "How can you be so sure?"
Vasil touched the cut on his lip, a smile forming. "They just seemed... bored. I think they've finally grown tired of it."
Irina stared at him for a moment. As usual, she had no idea what was going on in this child's mind. Somehow, now more than ever, he reminded her of someone special.
In the end, she sighed and said, "If they bother you one more time, I'll come to school and beat them all up myself!"
Vasil replied, "That's a great idea! You can use my bag for it!"
"I... what?!"
***
*Present*
Stefan traced the edge of his glass with his finger, speaking to the girl who had just sat down beside him. "Funny, I thought I could be alone here for a while."
He glanced at Jane. "How did you even find me?"
Without taking her eyes off him, Jane said, "Your phone's location was on."
Stefan looked away from her. "I forget sometimes that you're a tech genius."
Jane rested her chin on her hand. "Yeah, just think of me as a pretty girl who plays the harps and forget all about my academic degree."
Stefan smiled faintly. "Well, you don't usually use it, unless it's to hack my phone."
Jane shrugged theatrically. "Not my fault your phone's security is basically zero. At least change your password from the date of your first successful case!"
Stefan took a sip of his drink. "It's not something you'd know!"
Without looking at her, he asked, "Vasil?"
Jane replied softly, "You know how chatty he gets when he's drunk, even after just two bottles of beer."
Stefan: "He talks a lot even when he's sober!"
He gestured to the barista and raised two fingers.
Jane said, "I'll have lemonade. And anyway, I didn't hack your phone. Vasil told me about this place before."
"Really?"
"After every success any of you two had, you celebrated here, didn't you?"
A short glass with a golden drink and a tall one with something green were placed in front of them. Stefan set aside his old glass and pulled the new one towards himself. "It was his idea. Sometimes we got so busy we couldn't talk for a month. This was Vasil's way of keeping in touch."
Jane took a sip of her lemonade. "Even if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought it was your idea."
Stefan stared at her. "You said, why are you here?"
"I called you, but you didn't pick up. I thought you might do something stupid."
"Like what?"
"Don't you know?"
Jane leaned back in her chair. "If anyone knows, it's me."
"Knows what?"
"That you loved him."
A cold silence settled between them. Stefan gripped his glass tightly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything stupid."
He drained his drink, took a deep breath, and said, "I've got something I need to do."
He looked at Jane. She could see the sorrow behind the anger in his eyes. "I'm not letting his killer get away with it."
Jane looked at him for a moment, then turned her gaze back to her drink. "I know you won't "