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Max was sleeping when he heard his name whispered in the dark. He covered his ears with the pillow, but he couldn’t keep the sound out. After thirty seconds of trying to block the noise out, he rolled to face the center of the room, anger radiating off him in waves. “What?!” he whisper-snapped.
“I’m sorry for waking you up, but—“
“Yeah, David, we’re already past that point. What the hell do you want?”
“Well, I...” He could practically see the nervous camper fiddling with his bandana. “I can’t fall asleep.”
Max groaned. “So you decided to make me suffer with you?”
“I guess? I just wanted to sit by the campfire but it’s really dark outside and I was scared to go alone.” The boy talked so fast Max could barely keep up. After processing for a split second he replied.
“So you wanted to go into the freezing cold but not alone, so you decided you wanted me to suffer with you?” David deflated in the darkness.
“Well, now that you put it that way, it seems awfully selfish. Sorry, Max.”
There was a sound of David getting onto the creaky bed, and then nothing. As much as Max wanted to sigh in relief and go back to his dream about robo-aliens, the guilt of disappointing his friend kept him from doing so. Eventually, he let out a ‘fuck it’ sigh and sat up.
“Put on a coat, dipshit. We’re going to the campfire.”
“Really?! Oh, thanks Max! You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for!”
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” he muttered, putting on his shoes and blue hoodie. God damn, he was already regretting this. Tomorrow was sports camp, and if he didn’t have enough energy he wasn’t going to be able to avoid it! He huffed and grabbed one of his Marlboros. He might as well make this trip worthwhile. “Ready?”
“Yep!” David practically skipped out of the tent. Max shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket and follow behind him.
Soon they saw the embers of the fire lit about half an hour ago. The lights in the counselor cabins were still on, but other than that, the whole camp was asleep. The whole world was asleep except them.
Max flopped on his favorite log and David sat next to him. “Isn’t it so nice out here? It’s like nature’s singing us a lullaby, and the moon’s our nightlight!”
The curly-haired camper scoffed. “A nightlight? Jeez, David; what are you, nine?”
“I’m only a month younger than you, you know.” The moon and embers of the fire illuminated Davey’s pouting face, and Max could help but smile. It was a lazy smile, but a smile just the same. He turned back to the fire and lit his cigarette on one of the red logs. His friend gasped. “Max, you shouldn’t smoke! It’s bad for you!”
“Says the person trying to make us both catch hypothermia.” Max took a drag and slowly exhaled the smoke, watching it swirl around in the air before it disappeared.
“That’s not true! I just—“
“Dragged us out into the freezing cold to look at ‘nature’ and a ‘nightlight’. An amazing decision, as always.” Max brought the cigarette to his lips again.
“...Max…” He stopped his second drag and sighed.
“I’m just teasing, David.”
“I know, but… sometimes it hurts anyway.” They sat in silence for a bit.
Max focused his eyes on the cig. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean to hurt you.”
David smiled softly. They sat in silence again, letting the cicadas and crickets and frogs talk to them and each other. It was an oddly calming sound, so calming that the bubbly camper was losing some of his steam. He watched the smoke swirl around the fire and float up, then looked at the stars.
They were awfully far away, weren’t they? Hundreds of years, at least. Golly, he couldn’t even think of what a hundred years was like. He was only twelve, and he only remembered bits and pieces of those years. His life had been exciting, but not nearly as interesting as grown-ups. He knew he still had a lot to learn and experience. Darla was… what, twenty? Thirty? She still had a long way to go to one-hundred, too. He wondered what she was like as a child. He wondered what he would be like as an adult.
Thinking about being an adult was scary. He didn’t know how to be an adult, didn’t know how to work or drive a car or go to a ‘bar’… at least, that’s what he thought Max called them. He watched the smoke again. Max was so much more mature than he was. He could curse and smoke and even trick the counselors. The only reason they were friends was because they happened to be roommates. But did Max consider them friends, or was he just putting up with him? Sometimes it felt like the latter…
But sometimes it didn’t. It didn’t when they talked together during meals, or in long hikes in the woods, or when Max grabbed his hand occasionally and wouldn’t let go no matter what. It didn’t when he fell asleep on Max and woke up to him petting his red hair, then pretending that nothing happened as soon as David opened his eyes(which could be up to five minutes after he had woken up; he liked the feeling). It didn’t when Max stood up to bullies, sometimes getting himself in trouble for David.
He guessed that Max just had trouble expressing his feelings well. He, on the other hand, was an open book.
“Hey, Max?”
“Uh-huh?”
“I like you. A lot.” He could feel the other camper’s lazy smile even in the dark.
“Yeah, I like you too, Davey.” His nickname? Max used his nickname only when he was being really honest... David beamed, yet there was a hint of nervousness to it.
“So, I was thinking…” He paused, unsure of how to phrase it.
“I’m dying from suspense.”
“Sorry! What I mean to say is, when we get older, will you take me out on a date?” Max huffed, and David, suddenly regretting his decision, desperately tried to backtrack. “I mean—“
“Davey, if you haven’t figured gotten it through your dense skull yet, I would take you to the moon if you asked.” He turned to David, the glow of the nearly dead fire in his eyes and the smoke on his breath. David’s breath hitched in his throat. “Of course I’ll take you on a date.”
The redhead beamed and threw his arms around Max, who was extremely stiff for a while before tentatively hugging him back. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, whatever you want.” And though there wasn’t a nickname, David knew he meant it. He slowly let go, savoring the warmth until it was gone, and even then missing it. He laid his head on Max’s shoulder. The smell of smoke and oakmoss put him to sleep quickly.
When he woke up, his head was in Max’s lap, a still hand in his hair, and a slightly bent over Max above him. He smiled. Today was going to be a good day.
––––––––
David was working in Le Cafe Parfait, his job when the summer was over. He put a heart in they ‘y’ of ‘Betty’ on a small coffee. “Caramel Latte for Betty!” The blond businesswoman came up to the register.
“That’ll be two fifty-three, ma’am.”
“Thank you, David!” She gave him three dollars, and, when handed the change, put it in the tip jar.
“Not a problem. Now go kill that conference call!” He beamed and she beamed back, leaving with a confidence she didn’t have when she walked in.
The shop was small, and every customer that came was a regular. Once they tasted Camille’s coffee and saw David’s energy along with the cheap prices, they were hooked. It was so good, in fact, that some people would even come on their lunch break, making it extremely busy from eight to one. David didn’t mind, though; he liked being a worker/co-owner of such an upbeat and exuberant place. He was also glad the day was winding down, though; even though he loved the people, he also loved cleaning up the place when it closed!
Another customer walked in, a handsome fellow that had never been there before. He walked up to the register, taking in the scene around him with a slightly approving frown on his face.
“Hello and welcome to Le Cafe Parfait, where we sell the perfect coffee, and some perfects if you like!” He beamed at the man, who only raised his eyebrow.
“I’m pretty sure selling student wizards is against the law,” he said. David laughed.
“No, no, it’s a play on words. Parfait actually means perfect in French!”
“I see.” The man gave a lazy smile back. “I’d like your favorite, please.” He beamed. It wasn’t every day someone trusted him enough with his favorite coffee, after all! But after taking a hard look at him, David decided that his favorite wouldn’t quite suit the oakmoss-smelling customer, and said so.
“I think you’d much prefer the passionfruit chocolate iced coffee,” he added.
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Really?”
“No.” The man gave him a lazy smile once more. “But it sounds good. I’d like a medium, please.”
“Sure thing!” David wrote down the information on a post-it note. “What name should I call?”
“Put it as ‘Knock Knock’, will you?” He nodded.
“Sure thing! It’ll be up in about two minutes.”
“Thanks.” The man in the blue hoodie nodded and walked out. David stared as he left. Well, that was an awfully weird encounter! He looked at the clock on the wall that was two minutes fast. It looked like the man would be the last customer for the day; it would be time to close up in a minute! Of course, he’d never kick the customers out, he would just make the door lock on the outside.
It took a bit, but when Camille was done with the coffee, wrote ‘Knock Knock’ on the side, making the ‘o’s little hearts. He scanned around, and seeing the curly-haired customer’s face, beamed and said loudly, “Passionfruit chocolate iced coffee for ‘Knock Knock’!”
The man stood up with a hand behind his back and walked over, approving frown on his face again. “Who’s there?” he asked.
It only took a second for David to reply. “I hope y’!”
The customer tilted his head. “I hope y’who?”
He beamed. “I hope you enjoy!” He was given a lazy smile once more.
“Did you really just come up with that on the spot?”
“Yep!” The man rolled his eyes, the smile growing wider.
“Oh my god, David.” He handed a five dollar bill to him with the hand not behind his back, which David graciously accepted.
He typed in a few things to the machine in front of him. “Your change is two seventy-nine.”
“Keep it,” the customer said, now leaning on the desk with his elbow. “Buy yourself something pretty, Davey.”
David’s smile froze. That was his—
“So,” the man continued. “How’s Camp Camp been without me?”
When gears finally clicked in his head, his eyes became the size of saucers. “…Max?!”
“In the flesh. Now, what were your other two wishes?”
David jumped over the cash register and tackled him in a hug. “Gosh’s goodness gracious, Max! I can’t believe it’s you!” He let go of the tight grip but kept his hands on Max’s shoulders. “How have you been? Where have you been?! What have you been doing? Tell me everything!!”
Max smiled lazily once more, but this one had a hint of nervousness in it. “I was actually thinking we could do that,” he pulled out from behind his back a bouquet of bright red and green flowers(the color of his hair and eyes!), “Over lunch?”
David’s smile grew until it couldn’t get any bigger, and then grew a bit more. “Are you asking me on a date?” Max shrugged.
“I promised you I would, didn’t I?” That’s right! All those years ago, when they were both twelve… Now they were twice that age. Adults, but not really. David blinked back tears.
“You remembered?”
“And I remember the cold I faked the day after, too.”
“D’aww, Max! Of course I’ll go on a date with you!” He looked around. Some people were smiling at him, others were engrossed in what they were doing. “Maybe another day, though…? I’ll have to clean up after everyone leaves, and I don’t want you to wait around for me.”
“I’ve waited half my life, David; I can wait for another hour.” He blinked back tears again, taking the flowers.
“In that case,” he said, his smile growing even more. “Where are we going to go to eat?”
Max shoved his hands in his hoodie, now no longer having to hold the flowers. “A nice little place that opened up about a five-minute walk from here.”
“Oh, that’ll be lovely! What’s it called?”
“Where I’m taking you?” David nodded enthusiastically. Max’s smile grew just a bit wider, too.
“It’s called ‘The Moon’.”
fin