Leave one patty out for me and I’ll cook it when I get home. Angie ate something before and I doubt if she’ll want to eat again when she gets home... Oh...”Mum’s voice trailed off into silence and I could hear her breathing over the background noise.“What is it, Mum?”“It’s nothing, sweetie. They wheeled the cutest little boy past me with ... well, never mind.”I decided that if it was bad enough to freak my mother out, then I really didn’t want to know about it.“Okay, Mum. Give my love to Angie.. He picked up the novel he was reading with a sigh. It was a printed book, one of those fading relics of literature printed on paper with a hardback cover, and produced by one of the largest publishers of Science Fiction. He much preferred eBooks, but this particular copy was a gift; one that was necessary in this situation. He settled in to read a page, upon finishing each page he took a quick glance around and then went on to read the next one. He’d been there long enough that the manager was. "Nice to meet you" I quickly said."Well you ready to get out of here?" Cole asked."Sure."As we arrived back at Cole's apartment I could feel the humid southern air clogging my pores, my hair stunk of cigarettes."I'm going to take a quick shower if that's OK." Sure, don't take too long, I have a birthday surprise for you."The hot water felt so good on my naked skin. The steam and fragrant smell of the soap as it ran down my body was so relaxing. I was so comfortable that I had almost forgotten. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, Topher. You've always been a little too sweet for the world."Topher found himself grinning into the phone. "Besides, I kind of assumed 'odd' was a given. Normal girls don't know what to make of me or vice versa. Allegra might even think I'm sweet. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to carry that burden alone anymore?" It's not just me." protested Estrella. "I heard your mother use it in relation to you once or twice." Well, yes," said Topher. "But always in.