A Borrower's Anthology

Safe

A quiet, Sunday afternoon allows Darius to explore his newfound curiosity.

...

There had been a few days where Darius hadn't had the pleasure of his guest, whether occupied by homework, friends, or the simple fact the borrower hadn't shown up, but the days he did spend with the borrower were fruitful to say the least. The borrower Nicholas was a receptive tutelage, or Darius was a great tutor. Either way, he'd been easily entertained by Nicholas' time spent learning notes and information he hadn't had exposed to him before.

As a borrower, Nick said, his time spent around the luxurious was limited. They stayed where necessary then returned home with haste. Not to mention it was hard for code to be deciphered when one didn't have the key or legend at their disposal. It was just a bunch of nonsense then, and never in his right mind had Nicholas thought he'd ever ask Darius for his help in that.

At least Nicholas was quick to grasp the fundamentals, Darius supposed.

Throughout their practice, Darius had been trying in vain to glean a little more information from the tiny young man, but he was stubborn in how many secrets he gave in return for Darius' teaching. At most, Darius learned he was right⁠-Nicholas had lived there for a while, and although he didn't say specifically how many years had passed, or if he had been there Darius' entire life, Darius was able to piece it together from bits that Nicholas let slip out. Nicholas had recalled a couple of details back from when Darius had begun learning guitar, back when he'd started high school, and he was already in his last year. They seemed inconsequential to the tiny being, but Darius couldn't help marveling the thought of some miniature colony having existed for at least three years, watching him and his family.

It was creepy in a way, but after mentioning so the first time and getting a nervous response out of Nicholas, as well as not seeing him for another day, Darius hadn't mentioned it again a second time.

Darius' room held all of their guitar sessions, typically separated by a leg of distance between them. Nicholas always curled himself up at the corner of Darius' keyboard. The only times he ever approached was when Darius was gesturing to the music sheets or trying to hear the notes Nicholas' handmade guitar sang out. With a full house, Darius had to be careful when he spoke. He could count on one hand how many times Nicholas had spooked himself back home when Elizabeth or Philip knocked at Darius' door, asking who he was talking to.

"Phone," was always Darius' short answer.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and for perhaps the first time in a month, Darius had the house to himself. His mother and Elizabeth were having a girls' day out, his father was at work, and Philip was out⁠-he didn't need to know what his older brother was doing, it didn't really matter. Either way, as Darius carried lunch upstairs with him to his bedroom, he wasn't surprised to see Nicholas there waiting for him on his desk.

"You're early today," Darius mused. "Couldn't wait to see me?"

A few chords responded for him, fluctuating in pitch as Nicholas constantly turned the nozzles. He'd taught him how to properly tune his guitar after a few trial and errors of explaining how the screws should have worked. Nicholas frowned at him. "I heard your parents were leaving," he said.

"They'll be back later." Darius set down his plate and walked over to his window, tugging the curtains partway. Clouds had banished the sun from immediate view, and if not for his ceiling light, Darius was sure it would have been rather dark in his room. His hands smoothed the drapery before he spun at Nicholas, not missing the way he jumped an inch off the table. "So, we're not going to have another lesson today."