"So, what do you want to do?" I tried again. We had been sitting on the park bench for half an hour going back and forth with this same question. Normally, I'd have decided something and done it by now but the concept of 'hanging out' with my personal stalker and whatever hit he had on him killed my decisiveness.

He shrugged, one of many he had done. Great. I sighed kicking at the leaves on the ground. We were back to Silent Joe. A gurgling noise broke the awkward silence.

"Damn I'm starving," I groaned, rubbing my stomach. "How about we find some food? There's a pretty good restaurant around the corner that makes the best fries hands down."

He nodded.

This late in the afternoon, the restaurant wasn't busy and we sat ourselves down near the window. Eskil--boy, did it feel weird to know his name--studied the restaurant with such scrutiny I couldn't help but laugh. 

"Geeze, ever been to a restaurant before?" I teased picking up the menu.

That blank look of his instantly killed my smile. Maybe he hadn't. He was such a strange guy. On the walk here he was confused by how the traffic lights and walk signals worked and even tried to cross a busy street when it was red. I had to yank him back to the crib to a chorus of honks and cursing and explain it all to him. How he made it to my school without dying was a miracle and a mystery in itself.

But, seriously, what if he's never eaten in a restaurant before? Better yet, what kind of person does that make him to never have? Maybe he wasn't even a person.  He was so expressionless and cold, maybe he was some kind of futuristic humanoid robot that escaped a research facility and--

"Hi, my name is Sarah! What can I get for you today?" A bubbly waitress greeted. 

I didn't blame her when her eyes subconsciously zeroed in on Eskil, who was slightly frowning and reading the menu, but a little zap did go through my chest. I wouldn't call myself conceited, but it hurts a guy's ego to be so bluntly ignored. I've gotten my fair share of attention from girls before so I knew I was horrendous or anything, but Eskil seemed to overshadow any of my attractiveness. That bastard. 

"I'll have a coke, a double burger with no onions, and a side of fries," I said handing her my menu. She wrote it all down before turning to Eskil, who did nothing but stare at me, which was starting to get on my nerves. Didn't the guy look at anything else but me? 

I didn't realize how many belated seconds ticked by until the waitress nervously cleared her throat. I didn't even think about it before, but maybe Eskil wasn't answering because he couldn't read  English.

"Uh, he'll have the same as me," I added on. She bit her lip, obviously as confused by the whole ordeal as I was, but like a good waitress said nothing, picked up his menu and left.

"So...," I said, drumming my hand on my thigh. "Tell me about yourself."

Great. I sounded like we met on a blind date or something.

"My name is Eskil," he informed.

"Yeah, well, I already know that." Personal fact number one: he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box apparently. "Tell me something else. Like, your favorite color. Mine's green."

"Blue." Personal fact number two: not a fan of long sentences.

"Okay, favorite band?" Silence. "Movie?" Silence. "TV Show?" More silence.

 Personal fact number three: he's lived in a hole in a cave on a desert island his whole life. I sighed. These questions weren't going to work. I needed another topic.    

"Okay, what about family? Any siblings?"

He nodded.

"Tell me about them."

He gazed out the window and folded his hands together on his lap. I was sure he wasn't going to say anything more, but he surprised me by turning back.

"My parents have been deceased for many years. I had a brother before he passed too. There is no one else."

To my utter relief, the waitress interrupted us with our drinks. What was I supposed to say to that information from a stranger? "Sucks" was the only thing that came to mind, but that seemed insensitive. So I took the route I usually did: avoidance and denial.

"I have two sisters. Hailey, she's fourteen and she's really into reading. She'll read anything from Faust to those Japanese cartoons. My youngest sister, she's two, Gabby. Well, Gabriela, but we all call her Gabby. She likes anything puppy. And then there's me."

"What do you like?" His question shocked me and those red eyes bore so focused, so intently into mine as if he actually cared what the answer was. But I was probably reading it wrong in a hunger-induced craze. It was ridiculous. We just met.

"I guess I like soccer. I used to play, but I messed up my leg pretty good dirt biking and had to stop. Just never got back into it. I also like rock-climbing and hiking, pretty much if it's active and outdoors I'll do it. I hate being trapped inside. What about you."

"I do not have anything."

"Oh, come on. You have to like something. I mean, what do you do for fun then?"

"Instruments."

Yep, I thought taking a sip of my Coke, totally saw that coming. He had that refined aura about him.

"What instrument do you play?"

"I am very...gifted with instruments. I play many," was his simple answer. I pursed my lips. Personal fact number four: he was some kind of musical prestige. Couldn't walk across the street or read a menu but hey, he can play many instruments. I wonder what his parents were thinking. 

"Two hamburgers with no onions and a side of fries, yes?" The waitress appeared carrying two trays. Halleluiah.

"That's us," I chirped and she set the steaming food down. Damn, the smell of those fries did something to me.

She hesitated a second, nervous, before she spoke. "I know it's none of my business or anything but I—the staff—was wondering if the two of you were on a date."

"No!" I about leaped out of my seat at her, all thoughts of the glorious food annihilated. She flinched back. "I mean, no. We're just friend. We're not—I'm not—I don't swing that way."

"Oh. Sorry." She squeaked and scurried off.

"That's definitely coming out of her tip," I grumbled picking up my burger to see the idiot smiling at me again. "What's gotten into you?"

"You called me your friend," he whispered.

Had I? I hadn't meant to. At least, not yet, not when I barely knew the guy. Ah, it was too late to change it now. "Whatever. Wipe that smile off and eat the burger."

***

I should have known that my stalker wasn't dumb enough to bring cash with him and that I'd get stuck paying for him. It was utterly humiliating, especially when I had insisted that it wasn't a date. I'd never be able to go there again with my head held high and they had the best fries in hand. God must hate me.

I sulked over the loss as we walked back to the park. I didn't know where Eskil lived, but the park seemed like a safe separation place especially in daylight. Hopefully, no trouble would follow him here.

"Well we hung out, we got to know each other, and we're tentatively friends. I think it's time to call it a day," I said.

"I would like to see you again," he stated bluntly.

"Like I'd be given a choice," I muttered under my breath then cleared my throat. "I've got a lot of things to do and get done, so it probably wouldn't be the best idea if we see each other anytime soon." I didn't hate Eskil. If I allowed myself to think over it, I'd probably realize I liked the guy, weird quirks and all. But that didn't change the fact I knew nothing about him or the fact that something about him set all my warning alarms off. He was obviously in some deep shit that I couldn't afford to get involved in.

He cocked his head and took a solid minute before responding.

"I have a gift." He reached around his neck, unhooked the chain that laid there, and removed his necklace. I caught a glimpse of it—a large, ruby gem surrounded by gold—before he grabbed my hand and it around the gem.

"Dude I can't take this," I stuttered. The thing must have cost a fortune!

"Return it to me when we meet again," he amended. "Until then let it keep you safe."

"You mean you want me to keep it sa—and he's gone," I grumbled seeing the desert playground around me. I opened my hand. The gem was icy cold as I stroked. It was weird, but oddly it reminded me of his eyes. I shook my head. Crazy. That's utterly crazy. I was going senile thinking a guy's eyes looked like a jewel.

That craziness is why I answered the phone without checking caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Kyle Nickolas Harris, why is it when I come home your sister, who you're supposed to pick up from school, is standing at the end of the driveway alone and tells me that you haven't picked or dropped her off at school all this week like I told you to?!"

That bitch. She sold me out! Oh, revenge will be sweet indeed to that little twit!

"But Mom!" I complained dropping the necklace into my back pocket, forgotten. "I can explain!"