Aubergine and Momoko #5: Weekend II

 

“It’s too loud,” Aubergine groaned as Momoko led him down the street. “Why do so many people feel the need to blast their base? And I swear the sun isn’t supposed to be this bright.”

“Nope,” Momoko said. “Sun’s just being its normal, sunny self. It’s your fault for hiding at work and in the apartment all day.”

Aubergine grunted. “It’s still too loud.”

The two soon arrived at Checkpoint Park. There, dogs were walked by their owners, bored teens filmed themselves doing stupid things for internet clout, and a preacher busied himself harassing anyone with dyed hair. The usual weekend crowd.

Momoko scanned the outlines of the park, forming their hands into binoculars.

“Oh no,” Momoko whispered, voice too weak to have it be anything else, “I told Julius to meet me at the ice cream truck, but it’s not here.” They pulled their phone out and that whisper turned into the barest squeak. “No, no, no. They don’t get here for another hour. I messed up the schedule, I--”

Aubergine’s hand landed on their shoulder. “Breathe, Momo. Now tell me what you’re holding.”

“My phone?”

“And what are phones for?”

Momoko felt like ‘Looking at pictures of dogs and cute anime characters’ wasn’t the correct response.

Aubergine sighed. “Calling people. Now call your boyfriend and tell him to meet us by the giant oak tree.”

“Right!”

Aubergine hung back as Momoko pulled out their phone and made the call. “Hey, I’m sorry. Like, I’m super sorry. Like, I’m ultra sorry, but could you meet us at the big tree instead? Again, super sorry about this. Bye!”

Even though he couldn’t hear Julius’s end of the conversation, Aubergine was sure he couldn’t get a word in with how fast Momoko’s motor was running. That was just how Momoko was when they were anxious.

Momoko’s eyes were already on the tree and they were about to sprint there, but Aubergine gripped their shoulder hard.

“Momo,” he said sternly, “Is Julius the type to get angry when you make a tiny mistake like that? Or are you just anxious because of past experiences?”

The fire prompting Momoko onward died down. “Past experiences.”

“Good. If he’s worthwhile, he won’t mind such a small mistake. Now let’s walk there, slowly. If he gets there before us, it’s fine. Okay?”

Momoko nodded.

“Great. Besides, the tree’s a better meeting spot anyway. It’s way too sunny.”