Map of your head (chapter 3)
Title: Map of your head
Fandom: U-KISS
Characters & Pairings: Elvin, Xander, OFC, other possible episodic characters.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Humor, Drama
Summary: "Because the language confuses, like computers refuse to understand how I'm feeling today."
Eli is new to this world. Kevin makes him feel like home.
Disclaimer: The title belongs to English rock-band Muse, as well as the lyrics, extracted from their 2002 album entitled ”Hullabaloo”. I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with the named group, or any characters presented in this writing. No copyright infringement intended.
Read: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Day three.
In the morning, Eli found himself lying on the floor, still in front of Kevin’s room. He had been so tired that he couldn’t remember when exactly he had fallen asleep, but the thing was that if Alexander or nurse Bess caught him like that, he would be in deep trouble. He took a glance at the watch on his wrist, only to see that it was barely 5:44 AM. The corridors were still covered in dark, although small strokes of light were beginning to peek through the upper windows.
He got up and stretched, his back hurting. The solid floor isn’t exactly the most comfortable bed replacement, that’s for sure. Eli then proceeded to open the door of Kevin’s room, trying to be as silent as possible. He took a cautious look-see through the crack, just to make sure his new-found friend was asleep. He had his back turned at him, but by the constant ascending and lowering of his body, he was pretty sure Kevin was in dreamland. He closed the door and went to the coffee machine nearby, to get another cappuccino.
**
‘So, how did you survive last night?’ Alexander asked laughing, after seeing his dark circles and moody facial expression, a few hours later.
Eli just mumbled something, too preoccupied with arranging dozens of bottles of painkillers on a shelf.
‘That’s the spirit. Go home and rest, I’ll finish these off. Then you can come back later, for round two.’ he grinned.
‘Things just get better and better, don’t they?’ Eli asked sarcastically.
‘And this is just the beginning.’
**
After arriving home, Eli simply crashed on his bed, not bothering to change clothes or take a shower, even if he was in desperate need of both. He simply left his shoes at the entrance, the backpack in the middle of the room and threw himself on the mattress, on his belly, with one arm hanging from the side of the bed. He didn’t know what to think about this new job, or if he had even made the right decision by applying there. If the program continued like this, he would be powerless by the end of the week. He started drifting with this worrying thought in mind, until he finally fell asleep.
Waking up eight hours later, he was surprised to notice that it was 5:02 PM. He had two more hours to cook something and eat it, take a shower, change clothes and get back to the hospital, to begin his night shift. Nurse Bess told him he would be mostly working throughout the night, although exceptions could be granted were needed. His stomach growled, making him get up faster and start getting ready. The asylum wasn’t that far away if you went by cab, but since he couldn’t yet afford paying taxis or buses to get there, he had no other choice than walking, which took approximately an hour. But Eli just figured he would prepare some quick sandwiches to quench his hunger, then packed a few extra for the rest of the night. He took a hot bath, dressed up with a pair of black jeans and a white shirt, combed his hair backward and took a small amount of money, while making a mental note to stop by the shop. Kevin was in for a surprise later on.
Upon his arrival in front of the building, he made sure the item bought at the kiosk wasn’t visible through his denim jacket, then went inside. For some weird reason, he couldn’t wait to see Kevin’s reaction, although the importance of his hidden item wasn’t really that significant, if you thought about it. He greeted a few of his colleagues, who were busy either with the patients, or with certain files, changed into the required white robe and made his way to Kevin’s room, clutching onto the small bottle inside his pocket. He knocked two times, but there was no answer. He then tried again, obtaining the same result. Finally, Eli decided to just enter, since he knew the younger boy wouldn’t get angry. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of getting mad, or at least experiencing a similar feeling, since his character was so sweet.
Surprisingly, Kevin was not there. The room was empty, and the window had been left open. He walked in, closing the door behind him and was instantly hit by a unique scent, something he couldn’t really grasp. He knew he had encountered that sugary smell before, but when trying to remember where, the memories just refused to appear. He took out the container he had been holding all this time and placed on the wooden table, then changed his mind and took it back. He was the one to give this to Kevin, since he wanted to see the expression on his face.
The next couple of hours seemed to drain so slow, Eli thought it would be forever 9 PM. Kevin hadn’t yet returned, so he spent his time interacting with other patients instead, trying to get to know all of them better. After all, he was required to treat and take care of everyone equally, regardless of their personality or compatibility with his own. Nurse Bess had been right, the majority of them weren’t that mentally challenged. They were capable of understanding everything Eli was telling them, stating their opinions and even expressing emotions, an aspect which he found very interesting. He also found out that there was a girl among them who could play the piano on an advanced level, a woman who knew five languages fluently and a boy capable of communicating through sign language, even if he had no physical handicap whatsoever. They were all unique in their own ways, making them quite a pleasant group to discuss with.
A quarter past 9, Eli found himself in charge of the second floor again, while most of the staff had already left. The few remaining had to verify the other floors, though, so this shift was going to be just as boring as last night’s. Since most residents were ahead in their rooms, he decided to visit the library situated at the opposite end of the hallway, to kill time by reading something. He passed the janitor, who was just about to finish up cleaning, then entered the large, oval room. Its shape reminded him of the famous White House’s Oval Office - he then remembered how much he missed America.
As he was about to pick something to read, he spotted somebody at one of the tables in the far back, apparently concentrated on the novel he or she was holding. The light was so dim, he had to get really close to realize it was Kevin, who didn’t even notice him approaching.
‘Kevin?’ he asked. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Oh, hi!’ he exclaimed, seeming more than happy to see Eli. ‘I was reading this, it’s really interesting. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but you should really try to see for yourself how -‘
‘You made me worry’, Eli said on a serious tone, causing Kevin’s smile to fade away slowly. ‘You’ve been here for the past few hours. Don’t you take breaks?’
‘I do, it’s just that it’s a really good book.’ Kevin said sheepishly, closing the novel and holding it up for Eli to see the cover. He looked so cute it was impossible for the older boy to be mad at him, so instead he just smiled, took the heavy book from his hands and placed an arm around his shoulders.
‘Come on, it’s late, let’s go to your room. You can finish that off tomorrow. Besides, I have something I want to give you.’
Kevin looked like he wanted to protest at first, but as soon as he heard the ‘something’ Eli mentioned, he widened his eyes and let himself led by him, while being held protectively.
‘What is it? Is it good? Is it something sweet? I like sweets, especially white chocolate. Nobody around here likes white chocolate, so whenever the doctors receive this sort of treat from their patients’ families, it always ends up to me. I can live without air, but I can’t live without white chocolate.’ he finished confidently.
‘Is that so?’ Eli laughed, closing the room’s door after both of them had entered. ‘Well, I don’t know if this is better than your wonder-chocolate, but…’ he trailed off, pulling out a dose of energizer.
Kevin remained confused for a moment. After realizing what it was, he rapidly changed his expression to thrill, then took the recipient and jumped on Eli, hugging him so tightly he felt suffocated.
‘Alright, alright…’ Eli started laughing, trying to get Kevin off of him, even if he didn’t really want to. His body felt warm and fragile, but at the same time perfectly suited for holding. After the younger boy thanked him so many times Eli couldn’t even count, he took a large sip of the bittersweet juice and closed his eyes contentedly, while the liquid made its way down his throat. He then offered Eli the container.
‘It’s okay, you have it.’ he smiled, pushing back Kevin’s stretched hand gently. ‘I get to drink this sort of stuff everyday, I’m actually starting to get queasy of it.’
That was actually a lie, since Eli almost never had the money to pay for sodas everyday. Come to think about it, water was the only fluid he had been drinking for the past year, and even if he wanted to slurp it all in one sip, seeing Kevin pleased as punch made him give up wanting to taste it.
They spent the next few hours on Kevin’s bed, talking shamelessly about anything that crossed their minds. Eli noticed how smart Kevin actually was - he knew all sort of historical and geographical facts, important wars and birth dates of famous people. He knew how to count from one to ten in several languages, possessed numerous fascinating pieces of information about the solar system’s planets, could name all the capitals of all states he was asked about and remembered the length of all big rivers in the world, which Eli found beyond stunning. But most importantly, he was the only person to have ever met to know so much about art.
He recalled his art classes during high-school, back in the States, amid the teacher was incapable of teaching anything coherent; the fact that Kevin could beat her in all art-related domains amused Eli. He found out many impressive insides concerning the Renaissance period, the development of Jazz music and the steps leading to the creation of the Eiffel Tower. Just as Kevin was finishing explaining one of Da Vinci’s theories to him, leaving Eli dumbfounded, he couldn’t help but ask:
‘How come you know so much? I went through one of the best universities in the world and even I don’t know that.’
‘I just like reading a lot.’ Kevin replied plainly. ‘I’m pretty much self-taught, since I had to leave school after completing only four classes. My family got me into rehab, hospitals and whatnot. And, well, now here I am.’ he ended his short monologue smiling sadly.
‘Can I ask why they did that? I mean, you obviously have brains. And I don’t see anything being wrong with you. You don’t belong in a place like this.’
‘Let’s just say I have my moments. They’re rare, but not pleasant. They occur every few days.’ he explained, looking somewhere past Eli. He could tell it wasn’t comfortable for him to talk about this, so he just decided to drop the subject for the time being and focus on something else, making a mental note at the same time to check his file later on. Then Eli stood up and went for a short check on the other patients, since no matter how much he enjoyed talking to Kevin, he still had to comply to his duties. By the time he got back, Kevin had finished the drink and was now happily sitting in the middle of the bed, with his legs crossed yoga-style, pleading Eli from the look in his eyes to close the door and reoccupy his place.
‘Aren’t you tired? It’s past 2 AM.’ Eli asked, yawning.
‘I’m not. I actually feel like running. I think it’s from the energizer. But just talking is nice, too.’ Kevin replied, positioning himself on his back and placing his head in Eli’s lap. That took him by surprise, since the younger was now looking directly into his eyes, smiling, apparently waiting for an approval for his action.
‘Yeah, it’s… it’s nice.’ Eli said softly, feeling a bit embarrassed. He thought of something to say to shake the awkwardness away, but couldn’t find anything suiting.
‘Do you want me to sing something?’ Kevin asked out of the blue, lifting himself on one elbow. ‘I like singing, but besides Xander, no one wants to listen to me. They can’t usually stand music, for them it’s only noise.’
‘That would be nice.’ Eli answered, remembering the last time he had heard him sing, and how beautiful it was. Kevin took a straight position, adopted a serious, yet soft expression and inhaled.
‘Saying that I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you,
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel.
More than words is all you have to do to make it real,
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me,
’Cause I'd already know.’
He finished off by carrying the last note lightly, which almost made Eli shiver. He looked directly into his eyes all the time, not even blinking. That had a weird effect on the older boy, making him feel like he had been put under a spell - a spell he had no intention of escaping from. Then Kevin started smiling again, lowering his head once more in his lap.
‘How was it? I know I have a bit of a problem on the fifth verse, but I think that if I practice enough…’
‘It was beautiful.’ Eli interrupted him, placing a hand on his hair and caressing slowly. ‘It was more than that, actually. Where did you learn to sing like this? And please don’t tell me you’re self taught.’
‘But I am’, Kevin blushed, then laughed slightly. ‘I know the song from Xander, he usually brings me things he knows I would enjoy. Music, books, all sort of stuff.’
‘Wouldn’t you sometimes wish to get out?’
‘But I can go out whenever I want. I just need a supervisor, and Xander is the one to normally take me.’
‘No, I mean out of here. Outside the hospital’s perimeter. When was the last time you went to an amusement park?’ Eli asked.
‘Never.’
‘What do you mean never?’ Eli’s eyes widened. ‘Not even as a kid? Didn’t your parents take you?’
‘They wanted to, as far as I can remember. But I think the doctor said it would be too dangerous for someone in my condition, so they just abandoned the thought.’
He felt like hugging him, right then and there. Kevin didn’t seem too happy talking about this, and he could tell by the look on his face, albeit he was trying to conceal it. Eli removed a piece of hair from his forehead, then asked what he would never have thought.
‘Would you like to go with me?’
There was a slight pause from both of them - Eli because of shocking himself, Kevin from not believing his ears.
‘Really?’ he stood up so fast, it looked like something stung him. ‘Do you really mean it?’ he asked excitedly, bringing his arms to his chest.
‘I mean it.’ Eli laughed, not knowing why the sudden decision, but not regretting it after seeing him so happy. ‘We’ll plan a day during the weekend, because it’s usually more fun during Saturdays and Sundays, and also cheaper. As far as the staff goes, I can speak to Alexander and nurse Bess, see what they say. But I won’t tell them where we’ll be going, though, since revealing the actual location might interfere with our plans. That means you can’t tell them either. I’ll think of something peaceful, like a park or so.’
Kevin started bouncing up and down, clapping his hands. He then jumped on Eli once more, kissing him on the cheek. This time the older boy didn’t feel embarrassed. Just happy.
Fandom: U-KISS
Characters & Pairings: Elvin, Xander, OFC, other possible episodic characters.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Humor, Drama
Summary: "Because the language confuses, like computers refuse to understand how I'm feeling today."
Eli is new to this world. Kevin makes him feel like home.
Disclaimer: The title belongs to English rock-band Muse, as well as the lyrics, extracted from their 2002 album entitled ”Hullabaloo”. I am in no way, shape or form affiliated with the named group, or any characters presented in this writing. No copyright infringement intended.
Read: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Day three.
In the morning, Eli found himself lying on the floor, still in front of Kevin’s room. He had been so tired that he couldn’t remember when exactly he had fallen asleep, but the thing was that if Alexander or nurse Bess caught him like that, he would be in deep trouble. He took a glance at the watch on his wrist, only to see that it was barely 5:44 AM. The corridors were still covered in dark, although small strokes of light were beginning to peek through the upper windows.
He got up and stretched, his back hurting. The solid floor isn’t exactly the most comfortable bed replacement, that’s for sure. Eli then proceeded to open the door of Kevin’s room, trying to be as silent as possible. He took a cautious look-see through the crack, just to make sure his new-found friend was asleep. He had his back turned at him, but by the constant ascending and lowering of his body, he was pretty sure Kevin was in dreamland. He closed the door and went to the coffee machine nearby, to get another cappuccino.
**
‘So, how did you survive last night?’ Alexander asked laughing, after seeing his dark circles and moody facial expression, a few hours later.
Eli just mumbled something, too preoccupied with arranging dozens of bottles of painkillers on a shelf.
‘That’s the spirit. Go home and rest, I’ll finish these off. Then you can come back later, for round two.’ he grinned.
‘Things just get better and better, don’t they?’ Eli asked sarcastically.
‘And this is just the beginning.’
**
After arriving home, Eli simply crashed on his bed, not bothering to change clothes or take a shower, even if he was in desperate need of both. He simply left his shoes at the entrance, the backpack in the middle of the room and threw himself on the mattress, on his belly, with one arm hanging from the side of the bed. He didn’t know what to think about this new job, or if he had even made the right decision by applying there. If the program continued like this, he would be powerless by the end of the week. He started drifting with this worrying thought in mind, until he finally fell asleep.
Waking up eight hours later, he was surprised to notice that it was 5:02 PM. He had two more hours to cook something and eat it, take a shower, change clothes and get back to the hospital, to begin his night shift. Nurse Bess told him he would be mostly working throughout the night, although exceptions could be granted were needed. His stomach growled, making him get up faster and start getting ready. The asylum wasn’t that far away if you went by cab, but since he couldn’t yet afford paying taxis or buses to get there, he had no other choice than walking, which took approximately an hour. But Eli just figured he would prepare some quick sandwiches to quench his hunger, then packed a few extra for the rest of the night. He took a hot bath, dressed up with a pair of black jeans and a white shirt, combed his hair backward and took a small amount of money, while making a mental note to stop by the shop. Kevin was in for a surprise later on.
Upon his arrival in front of the building, he made sure the item bought at the kiosk wasn’t visible through his denim jacket, then went inside. For some weird reason, he couldn’t wait to see Kevin’s reaction, although the importance of his hidden item wasn’t really that significant, if you thought about it. He greeted a few of his colleagues, who were busy either with the patients, or with certain files, changed into the required white robe and made his way to Kevin’s room, clutching onto the small bottle inside his pocket. He knocked two times, but there was no answer. He then tried again, obtaining the same result. Finally, Eli decided to just enter, since he knew the younger boy wouldn’t get angry. He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of getting mad, or at least experiencing a similar feeling, since his character was so sweet.
Surprisingly, Kevin was not there. The room was empty, and the window had been left open. He walked in, closing the door behind him and was instantly hit by a unique scent, something he couldn’t really grasp. He knew he had encountered that sugary smell before, but when trying to remember where, the memories just refused to appear. He took out the container he had been holding all this time and placed on the wooden table, then changed his mind and took it back. He was the one to give this to Kevin, since he wanted to see the expression on his face.
The next couple of hours seemed to drain so slow, Eli thought it would be forever 9 PM. Kevin hadn’t yet returned, so he spent his time interacting with other patients instead, trying to get to know all of them better. After all, he was required to treat and take care of everyone equally, regardless of their personality or compatibility with his own. Nurse Bess had been right, the majority of them weren’t that mentally challenged. They were capable of understanding everything Eli was telling them, stating their opinions and even expressing emotions, an aspect which he found very interesting. He also found out that there was a girl among them who could play the piano on an advanced level, a woman who knew five languages fluently and a boy capable of communicating through sign language, even if he had no physical handicap whatsoever. They were all unique in their own ways, making them quite a pleasant group to discuss with.
A quarter past 9, Eli found himself in charge of the second floor again, while most of the staff had already left. The few remaining had to verify the other floors, though, so this shift was going to be just as boring as last night’s. Since most residents were ahead in their rooms, he decided to visit the library situated at the opposite end of the hallway, to kill time by reading something. He passed the janitor, who was just about to finish up cleaning, then entered the large, oval room. Its shape reminded him of the famous White House’s Oval Office - he then remembered how much he missed America.
As he was about to pick something to read, he spotted somebody at one of the tables in the far back, apparently concentrated on the novel he or she was holding. The light was so dim, he had to get really close to realize it was Kevin, who didn’t even notice him approaching.
‘Kevin?’ he asked. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Oh, hi!’ he exclaimed, seeming more than happy to see Eli. ‘I was reading this, it’s really interesting. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but you should really try to see for yourself how -‘
‘You made me worry’, Eli said on a serious tone, causing Kevin’s smile to fade away slowly. ‘You’ve been here for the past few hours. Don’t you take breaks?’
‘I do, it’s just that it’s a really good book.’ Kevin said sheepishly, closing the novel and holding it up for Eli to see the cover. He looked so cute it was impossible for the older boy to be mad at him, so instead he just smiled, took the heavy book from his hands and placed an arm around his shoulders.
‘Come on, it’s late, let’s go to your room. You can finish that off tomorrow. Besides, I have something I want to give you.’
Kevin looked like he wanted to protest at first, but as soon as he heard the ‘something’ Eli mentioned, he widened his eyes and let himself led by him, while being held protectively.
‘What is it? Is it good? Is it something sweet? I like sweets, especially white chocolate. Nobody around here likes white chocolate, so whenever the doctors receive this sort of treat from their patients’ families, it always ends up to me. I can live without air, but I can’t live without white chocolate.’ he finished confidently.
‘Is that so?’ Eli laughed, closing the room’s door after both of them had entered. ‘Well, I don’t know if this is better than your wonder-chocolate, but…’ he trailed off, pulling out a dose of energizer.
Kevin remained confused for a moment. After realizing what it was, he rapidly changed his expression to thrill, then took the recipient and jumped on Eli, hugging him so tightly he felt suffocated.
‘Alright, alright…’ Eli started laughing, trying to get Kevin off of him, even if he didn’t really want to. His body felt warm and fragile, but at the same time perfectly suited for holding. After the younger boy thanked him so many times Eli couldn’t even count, he took a large sip of the bittersweet juice and closed his eyes contentedly, while the liquid made its way down his throat. He then offered Eli the container.
‘It’s okay, you have it.’ he smiled, pushing back Kevin’s stretched hand gently. ‘I get to drink this sort of stuff everyday, I’m actually starting to get queasy of it.’
That was actually a lie, since Eli almost never had the money to pay for sodas everyday. Come to think about it, water was the only fluid he had been drinking for the past year, and even if he wanted to slurp it all in one sip, seeing Kevin pleased as punch made him give up wanting to taste it.
They spent the next few hours on Kevin’s bed, talking shamelessly about anything that crossed their minds. Eli noticed how smart Kevin actually was - he knew all sort of historical and geographical facts, important wars and birth dates of famous people. He knew how to count from one to ten in several languages, possessed numerous fascinating pieces of information about the solar system’s planets, could name all the capitals of all states he was asked about and remembered the length of all big rivers in the world, which Eli found beyond stunning. But most importantly, he was the only person to have ever met to know so much about art.
He recalled his art classes during high-school, back in the States, amid the teacher was incapable of teaching anything coherent; the fact that Kevin could beat her in all art-related domains amused Eli. He found out many impressive insides concerning the Renaissance period, the development of Jazz music and the steps leading to the creation of the Eiffel Tower. Just as Kevin was finishing explaining one of Da Vinci’s theories to him, leaving Eli dumbfounded, he couldn’t help but ask:
‘How come you know so much? I went through one of the best universities in the world and even I don’t know that.’
‘I just like reading a lot.’ Kevin replied plainly. ‘I’m pretty much self-taught, since I had to leave school after completing only four classes. My family got me into rehab, hospitals and whatnot. And, well, now here I am.’ he ended his short monologue smiling sadly.
‘Can I ask why they did that? I mean, you obviously have brains. And I don’t see anything being wrong with you. You don’t belong in a place like this.’
‘Let’s just say I have my moments. They’re rare, but not pleasant. They occur every few days.’ he explained, looking somewhere past Eli. He could tell it wasn’t comfortable for him to talk about this, so he just decided to drop the subject for the time being and focus on something else, making a mental note at the same time to check his file later on. Then Eli stood up and went for a short check on the other patients, since no matter how much he enjoyed talking to Kevin, he still had to comply to his duties. By the time he got back, Kevin had finished the drink and was now happily sitting in the middle of the bed, with his legs crossed yoga-style, pleading Eli from the look in his eyes to close the door and reoccupy his place.
‘Aren’t you tired? It’s past 2 AM.’ Eli asked, yawning.
‘I’m not. I actually feel like running. I think it’s from the energizer. But just talking is nice, too.’ Kevin replied, positioning himself on his back and placing his head in Eli’s lap. That took him by surprise, since the younger was now looking directly into his eyes, smiling, apparently waiting for an approval for his action.
‘Yeah, it’s… it’s nice.’ Eli said softly, feeling a bit embarrassed. He thought of something to say to shake the awkwardness away, but couldn’t find anything suiting.
‘Do you want me to sing something?’ Kevin asked out of the blue, lifting himself on one elbow. ‘I like singing, but besides Xander, no one wants to listen to me. They can’t usually stand music, for them it’s only noise.’
‘That would be nice.’ Eli answered, remembering the last time he had heard him sing, and how beautiful it was. Kevin took a straight position, adopted a serious, yet soft expression and inhaled.
‘Saying that I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you,
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel.
More than words is all you have to do to make it real,
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me,
’Cause I'd already know.’
He finished off by carrying the last note lightly, which almost made Eli shiver. He looked directly into his eyes all the time, not even blinking. That had a weird effect on the older boy, making him feel like he had been put under a spell - a spell he had no intention of escaping from. Then Kevin started smiling again, lowering his head once more in his lap.
‘How was it? I know I have a bit of a problem on the fifth verse, but I think that if I practice enough…’
‘It was beautiful.’ Eli interrupted him, placing a hand on his hair and caressing slowly. ‘It was more than that, actually. Where did you learn to sing like this? And please don’t tell me you’re self taught.’
‘But I am’, Kevin blushed, then laughed slightly. ‘I know the song from Xander, he usually brings me things he knows I would enjoy. Music, books, all sort of stuff.’
‘Wouldn’t you sometimes wish to get out?’
‘But I can go out whenever I want. I just need a supervisor, and Xander is the one to normally take me.’
‘No, I mean out of here. Outside the hospital’s perimeter. When was the last time you went to an amusement park?’ Eli asked.
‘Never.’
‘What do you mean never?’ Eli’s eyes widened. ‘Not even as a kid? Didn’t your parents take you?’
‘They wanted to, as far as I can remember. But I think the doctor said it would be too dangerous for someone in my condition, so they just abandoned the thought.’
He felt like hugging him, right then and there. Kevin didn’t seem too happy talking about this, and he could tell by the look on his face, albeit he was trying to conceal it. Eli removed a piece of hair from his forehead, then asked what he would never have thought.
‘Would you like to go with me?’
There was a slight pause from both of them - Eli because of shocking himself, Kevin from not believing his ears.
‘Really?’ he stood up so fast, it looked like something stung him. ‘Do you really mean it?’ he asked excitedly, bringing his arms to his chest.
‘I mean it.’ Eli laughed, not knowing why the sudden decision, but not regretting it after seeing him so happy. ‘We’ll plan a day during the weekend, because it’s usually more fun during Saturdays and Sundays, and also cheaper. As far as the staff goes, I can speak to Alexander and nurse Bess, see what they say. But I won’t tell them where we’ll be going, though, since revealing the actual location might interfere with our plans. That means you can’t tell them either. I’ll think of something peaceful, like a park or so.’
Kevin started bouncing up and down, clapping his hands. He then jumped on Eli once more, kissing him on the cheek. This time the older boy didn’t feel embarrassed. Just happy.