Darryl's Pov:

It has been over a week since I saw Zak. As I expected, he hasn't called me at all. But I don't blame him. I mean- who would just call a random stranger they saw on the streets who quite desperately gave them their number, wanting to be friends. And not to mention they hooked up with that stranger and expected to never see them again. Someone with common sense wouldn't call a stranger. Unless they are really lonely and are desperate for company. Though, even with all these factors, some part of me had some slight hope that he would call me. But he didn't.

I'm not lying when I say that I haven't stopped thinking about him. Especially now that I know his name. It's like I crave something that I don't know of. It's driving me nuts. I guess that's why I've kept coming to the main part of town in hopes of finding him again. That's actually what I'm doing right now. I'm aimlessly walking by the shops and restaurants, occasionally looking through the windows, and watching as people walk by.

Somehow, by miracle, I caught sight of the boy I was looking for. His hair is quite recognizable to me by now. Just like last time, he is sitting down. But this time, he isn't sitting at a table. He's sitting at a bench, just outside of a small store that seems to still be closed. It's kind of off to see a store closed when it isn't late enough for any store to be closed nor too early for a store to not be opened for the day yet. It's actually a bit over an hour past noon.

As I take a few steps closer, I notice that Zak is using his phone, so he isn't aware of me at the moment. I grin to myself at that. Once again, I boldly walk to his spot and sit next to him on the bench. That was enough to turn his attention to me. Just like last time, he doesn't look happy to see me. He's a bit stunned, but he seems more annoyed this time. He sighs in frustration and says, "Thought I could use some company again?"

There's a hint of a taunting tone in his voice. I then say, "Yes... unless you're expecting someone to come?"

For a long moment, he stares off into the distance in silence. Thinking over what to say. He finally shakes his head and says, "I would be lying if I said that I was."

So he was considering to lie to me. He then mumbles out, "And I hate lying..."

He said it so low that I could barely hear him. Though, I don't think he wanted me to hear that. So, I don't respond to that. After an awkward moment, I'm about to say something. But before I say anything, as if reading my mind, Zak says, "I'm not planning on calling you anytime soon. I actually don't want to at all."

"But there is a small possibility that you could one day, right?"

He glances at me for a moment but then looks away again. He doesn't answer my question but instead asks, "Why are you so desperate?"

"Like I said before, I want to figure that out myself. I hate not knowing something that I feel is important and that I should know."

He lets out a small scoff and says, "Well, if that's all you don't have anything else to tell me, you can go about your day now."

Disregarding me, he goes back on his phone. We just sit there in silence for a while, as I think about what else I could possibly say- anything. Because this interaction was way too short. I've barely gotten anything out of this. A thought then crosses my mind. I turn to Zak and say, "I do have a small question, Zak."

For a moment, he freezes in place. He seems stunned that I used his name. He regains his composure and looks at me with a raised eyebrow, gesturing me to ask the question. I then ask, "Why were you sitting here all alone? You aren't even doing anything."

"Ah... well, I'm actually waiting for the store behind us to open."

I then glance behind us to see the small store behind us still closed. I ask, "Did you only come for this store in specific? Why?"

"Well, I actually quite like this store. There's always something new in the store, so I like to come here when I'm bored to check it out. I like to be here early so that I can check everything out before any other customers come."

"What kind of store is it?"

"It's a bit of an odd and ends store, but they do have a bit of groceries there, and sometimes a few pieces of clothing. So it kind of has everything. They always have something interesting in store. If I end up buying something, it's normally food or clothes. It's rare when I actually buy an item. But it's always quite interesting to see what kind of items there are."

I make a small humming sound in understanding. We then hear the sound of a door opening behind us. We turn around to see someone with their keys entering the small store. They close the door behind them and then turn the sign that said 'closed' so that it reads 'open.' From the corner of my eye, I see Zak slightly smiling genuinely from joy. A look I never saw before. But when I turn to look at him directly, he has a serious face again. He gets up and says, "Looks like it's open now. I'll have to go."

I abruptly stand up and say, "Wait...! Can I join you as well?"

He raises an eyebrow at me and asks, "Don't you have other matters to attend to? I mean, this is the center of town, and you don't have any bags with you..."

"No, I don't really have anything to do. I actually just came here for a stroll. I wasn't planning on buying anything. Plus, I'm now quite interested in what they have in that store."

Though I did come here for a stroll, I'm not mentioning that it was in hopes of finding him. But from the look on his face, I think he already knows. I then add, "I also think this could be a nice experience for us. We could get to know each other better, and you could actually determine whether you like me or not. Plus, it is always nicer to go shopping with someone else." (How ironic that the author writes that, but I actually hate shopping in general)

He looks thoughtfully at me for a moment. Slowly, his confident smile appears on his face. He crosses his arms and says, "Alright then, sure. Let's see a bit of what you're all about."

He then gestures for me to follow him as he starts walking over to the store. I grin at myself and follow him into the store.