“So what’s he like?” Chloe asked for what was probably the hundredth time as we made our way across the car park towards the doors to the mall.

“Chloe,” I said.

“Is he handsome? Does he have a beard? Does he give smouldering, intense looks that make you feel like your soul is on fire?”

“Chloe,” I repeated, with a laugh, “come on, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend, who happens to be a boy.”

My sister shrugged, entirely unconvinced. “If you say so.”

“Besides, he’s certainly not handsome,” I continued, thinking about Josh and how I could describe him to Chloe. “He’s more like… Cute. Like a puppy.” Kinda makes you want to take care of him, I mentally added – I wasn’t about to say those words out loud.

“Alright, puppy. Got it,” she said. “So where do we meet up?”

“We’ve arranged to meet at the food court at four,” I replied; I pulled out my phone and checked the time. “That’s in twenty minutes.”

Just then my phone pinged: I unlocked it, and saw that Josh had sent me a message: I’m here. I know I’m early. I’ll grab something to drink and wait for you.

I smiled. “No, scratch that, he’s already here.”

“Oh? Let’s go meet him, then.”

The mall was about half an hour’s drive from our house: it was the only one in the immediate vicinity of our town, so it was quite big since it also serviced several other cities and towns in the area. Still, it took us only about ten minutes to reach the food court, where Josh was waiting. When we arrived I saw him sitting at a table, a can of soda in front of him, looking around; he waved at us when he saw us approach, but he also frowned.

“Hi, Wilson,” he said when we got close.

“Hi to you,” I replied. “What’s the matter?”

He seemed to hesitate a bit, but then replied, “Well, you’re wearing…” and waved his hands at my clothes – at the jeans-and-hoodie combination I usually wore at school, and which I was also wearing at that moment. “I was expecting something different.”

I blinked, but then I smirked at him. “What, are you disappointed?”

“Little bit,” he said, pursing his lips. “When I saw you at the clinic you were really cute, I was looking forward to seeing that again.”

The smirk froze on my lips; I felt the tips of my ears begin to burn in embarrassment. Cute. He’d called me cute again, and it looked like he actually meant it too. That…

I shook myself. “Well, sorry to disappoint, pal, but I just can’t wear that outfit whenever I like.” I leaned in and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Lots of people come to this mall, to shop or just to hang out. How would I even begin to explain it if someone from school saw me wearing a skirt?”

He looked at me for a moment, but then nodded. “Right. Hadn’t considered that.”

Behind us, I heard Chloe clear her throat.

“Oh, right, sorry,” I said, raising my voice again. “This is my sister, Chloe.”

Josh looked from me to her and back again, his expression suddenly worried. “Wait, did I fuck up?” he asked. “Does she…”

“She knows, yeah.”

“Oh, phew,” he said, smiling. “Okay, great. Nice to meet you, Chloe. Josh Woods.”

He extended his hand towards her, and she took it and shook it; still, she lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Wait, Josh Woods?” she queried, looking at me.

“Yes, that Josh Woods,” I said, nodding.

“Surprising,” she remarked.

“Uh, what? Which Josh Woods? Why is it surprising?” Josh asked.

“I may have mentioned your name a few times,” I replied. “Mostly in the context of how you were making my life difficult since you transferred to our school.”

“I have?” he said, and I nodded. “Uh… Sorry about that.”

“Water under the bridge,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. “That was before we even had a proper conversation.”

Chloe still hadn’t let go of Josh’s hand, and she turned to me again. “So, is he cool?”

I nodded again. “He’s cool.”

“Alright,” my sister nodded back, and she released her grip.

There was a brief moment of silence, then Josh asked, “So what do you wanna do today?”

Chloe and I glanced at each other, and then I shrugged. “Nothing much,” I said. “Mostly just wandering around, though there’s a few stores we wanna hit, like the music store, a clothing store to see if they have anything on sale, or the stationery shop, I’m almost out of ink.”

“Ink?” Josh said.

“Fountain pen ink.”

“You still use a fountain pen?”

“Yeah, of course,” I shrugged again. “They’re environmentally friendly, and they’re much better for long study sessions than ballpoints, they put much less stress on your hand. You can write more like that.”

Josh looked at me for a few moments, then said, “You really like studying, don’t you?”

“I do,” I nodded. “Got a problem with it?”

“No, I don’t,” he replied. “Rather, I think it’s nice. Having something you’re good at, and which you enjoy doing.”

I smiled a bit. “Thanks. Shall we go?”

“Yeah, let’s.”

-----

“Bottled ink? Seriously?” Josh asked as we looked at the shelf, lined with small cardboard boxes, each with a paper swatch showing the ink’s colour hanging beside it. “Aren’t cartridges good enough?”

“Cartridges mean plastic waste,” I replied. “Fountain pens are environmentally friendly because they last literally forever if you take care of them, and have zero waste if you use bottled ink.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Does that really make a difference?”

“Not much, but a little bit.” I smiled. “I’m doing my part.”

“You haven’t talked to each other much, right?” Chloe said. “My sister can be really passionate about this kind of stuff.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to realise that,” Josh replied. “We’ve only started talking to each other this week after all.”

“And besides,” I continued. “Bottled ink comes in literally every colour and shade imaginable, ballpoints don’t, they’re either black or blue, sometimes green.”

“Doesn’t our school require blue or black ink on tests, though?” he asked.

I made a face. “Yeah, they do, and that’s a shame. But I can always use coloured ink at home.”

“You should see her notes,” Chloe said. “So many colours. You can almost taste the rainbow.”

Josh frowned. “Wait, wouldn’t that require several pens?” he said. “I mean, you can only load a single ink in a pen at a time, right?”

“Yeah, that’s why I have five or six pens I use at once,” I replied. “I rotate them in and out of use, from my collection.”

He blinked. “Collection?”

Chloe nodded. “She has a whole shelf in her room filled with pens. Must be a couple dozen, twenty at the very least.”

“That’s… A lot,” Josh said.

I laughed. “It’s cute you think twenty pens is a lot,” I said. “I know people who have hundreds of them, it’s a really popular hobby.”

“Huh.”

“Come on, let me pay for this, and then we can move on to the next store,” I said, pulling a box of lilac-coloured ink down from the shelf and starting towards check-out.

“Okay,” Josh nodded, he and Chloe following after me. “What’s left? We’ve hit all the stores you said you wanted to visit earlier.”

“Not all of them,” Chloe interjected. “There’s still the music store.”

“That’s why we wanted to come to the mall in the first place,” I added, grabbing the paper bag the shop’s owner had put my ink in.

“Oh really?” he queried. “And why’s that?”

“Guitar strings,” Chloe said. “The ones I have right now are a bit worn, the texture is starting to bother me.”

“You play guitar?”

“She does,” I nodded. “She’s actually quite good at it.”

“No, I’m not,” Chloe said reflexively. “I’m just starting out, I’ve only been playing for a few months after all.”

“Our parents gave her a guitar for her birthday last year,” I explained. “And you are good, Chloe. And you’ll get even better. Don’t sell yourself short.”

My sister just clicked her tongue in response as we entered the music store; then, as she explained to the clerk exactly what type of strings she needed, Josh and I took a look around the shop. In short order Chloe was done, and we made our way back to the food court for a snack.

“You know, my cousins play too,” Josh said as we sat down at a table after buying some food. “Started a proper band and everything.”

“Really?” Chloe said, her interest immediately piqued. “What’s the band called?”

“Hang on, I think I have a video on my phone,” he replied, pulling it out of his pocket and tapping the screen a few times. “Ah, yeah, here it is.”

He started the video and placed the device on the table; a couple guitar riffs played, and Chloe’s face brightened.

“Hang on, I know this,” I said. “Chloe, isn’t this--”

“Yeah, it’s Sun Vulcan!” she exclaimed, a look of amazement on her face. She looked up at Josh. “Your cousins are Sun Vulcan?!”

“You… actually know them?” Josh asked, seemingly surprised.

“Are you kidding?” I said with a laugh, as Chloe’s eyes returned to Josh’s phone, as a happy and bouncy pop song came out of the speaker. “She’s done nothing but talk my head off ever since she discovered them.”

“Yeah, they’re awesome!” Chloe said, her eyes still glued to the phone. “They have a big following on Bandcamp.”

“Huh, I had no idea they were this famous,” Josh said. “They’re going to put on a live show soon. Next week, actually.”

“I know,” Chloe replied. “I found out too late though, it’s a small venue and the few tickets they had available were sold out.”

There was a moment of silence, then Josh said, “You know, I think I could manage to get a ticket for you. I’m family, after all.” Chloe’s head snapped upwards, and she stared at Josh, who smiled and shrugged. “If you want to.”

“That would be great!” she said. Then she frowned. “But I don’t know if Mom and Dad…”

“We’ll ask them when we get home,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll agree to let you go.”

Chloe nodded and smiled, and then returned her attention to the song playing on the phone, humming along and drumming her fingers on the table rhythmically.

I reached out with my hand, grabbed Josh’s shoulder, and squeezed it. “Thank you,” I said, when he turned to me.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” he replied with a smile.

I smiled back.

-----

After asking a few questions about the show (what time it started, what time it was supposed to end, and whether there would be alcohol served at the venue – “No, two members of the band aren’t of drinking age yet,” was the answer to the latter), Mom and Dad agreed to let Chloe go, on one condition: I would have to go too, to act as a chaperone, since Chloe was only thirteen after all. So I sent Josh a text, to ask if he could secure a ticket for me, too, to which he responded in the affirmative.

After that we just kept texting each other a few times per day: I’d really enjoyed our outing at the mall, and talking to Josh, even via text, was surprisingly nice.

A week later – during which we didn’t see each other in person, since we were still pretending to be on bad terms at school – the three of us met at the café Sun Vulcan would play at.

“Come on, come on,” Chloe said, jumping out of the car almost as soon as I’d parked it. “We’re going to be late!”

I laughed as I got out, too. “Don’t worry, Chloe, we still have ten minutes before the show starts.”

“We only have ten minutes, you mean,” she replied. “I hate traffic.”

“Sorry, can’t control that,” I said, checking my phone. “Let’s see, Josh said he would wait outside the front doors.” I looked up, and saw him waving us over. “And there he is,” I smiled.

“Hi, Wilson! And Chloe,” he added, smiling back. “How was the drive?”

I made a face. “Terrible. Seems all the idiots who don’t know how to drive are out and about today, we didn’t even make half the speed limit getting here.”

“Thankfully someone suggested we leave early, just in case,” Chloe said, elbowing me in the ribs.

Josh laughed. “Come on, let’s go in, the place’s already almost full.”

He showed the tickets to the girl who was standing just outside the door, and in we went. We took up position near the back wall, away from the stage, which we could still see clearly – the venue wasn’t that big after all, the band would be barely ten metres away from us.

We chatted for a bit, but before long the lights inside the café dimmed; the band stepped onto the stage, which was lit by a few spotlights. There were only three of them, but thanks to Chloe enthusing non-stop about them, I knew it was the full roster: Flynn on drums, Quinton on bass, and Ryan on guitar and vocals.

A hush fell onto the audience. Once the trio had reached their positions they played a few notes, and Ryan tapped the microphone to check that it worked, then they exchanged a nod and launched into a song – the same song Josh had played on his phone a week prior, actually. I knew it was one of their most famous pieces, and it pulled the crowd in almost immediately: soon everyone was bouncing and clapping in sync with the rhythm. It was actually amazing, seeing someone whom I knew to be barely older than me being able to have such an effect; and with an original song, not a cover, to boot.

After a couple minutes the song slowed, and then ended with a slow, drawn out guitar riff. As the crowd cheered Ryan leaned in near the microphone. “We are Sun Vulcan,” he said, clearly out of breath from all the singing he’d done, “and this was Big One.” He paused, and ran his eyes over the audience, then continued: “Thank y’all for coming here today, folks, we really appreciate it. To show our gratitude… Here’s Time Green.”

He strummed his guitar, and then began playing another song: it was slower than Big One, almost a ballad, somewhat melancholic; and I had to say, Ryan had a really nice voice.

As the bass and drums joined in on the melody, I glanced at Chloe, standing next to me: she was staring wide-eyed at the stage, clearly awed by the show Sun Vulcan was putting on. I smiled, and leaned over to Josh, who was standing on the other side.

“Thank you,” I said. “This really means a lot to her.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen nothing yet,” Josh replied. “I’ve prepared a little surprise for later.”

My eyebrows rose towards the ceiling. “A surprise?” I asked.

“You’ll see,” he said, with a cryptic smile on his lips.

I looked at him for a few seconds more, then turned my attention back to the stage, just as Time Green’s last notes played.

The vocalist took a swig of water from a bottle, switched his guitar for a different one, and started playing another song, which he said was titled Overdrive. As the show continued I enjoyed the band’s performance, but I also kept wondering what exactly Josh had meant.

-----

The crowd cheered once more, and Ryan smiled. “Thank you again, folks, that’s all for today. It was great having you here! This has been Sun Vulcan, we’re at-sun-vulcan on all the socials, give us a follow, listen to our music on Bandcamp, watch our videos on YouTube, and tell your friends about us.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Thank you for coming, we hope to see you again soon. Have a good night.”

“That was AWESOME!” Chloe shouted, as the audience began filtering out of the café. “I had so much fun!” She turned to me. “Did you have fun?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I had fun, Chloe, calm down.”

“Sorry, I think I’ll be pumped up for the whole night,” she said, shaking her head and smiling cheekily.

“Oh boy, I hope you can sit still during the drive home,” I smiled back.

“Before you go, there’s something else,” Josh interjected. “Can I have a moment of your time?”

“For what?” I asked.

“Well, I did mention I had a surprise for you, didn’t I?” he replied. He glanced around, leaned in, and whispered conspiratorially: “Do you want to meet the band?”

Chloe’s eyes widened, as big as dinner plates, and she gasped. “Can we?” Josh nodded, and Chloe nodded her head furiously. “Yeah, yes yes yes! I wanna meet them!”

Josh smiled. “Let’s go, then.”

We waited for a few minutes until most of the crowd had cleared out, Chloe bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet, and then Josh led us to the band, who were taking long swigs out of their water bottles while they chatted and laughed among themselves.

“Hey, y’all!” Josh said as we reached them. “Great show, congrats!”

“Thanks, coz!” Flynn, the drummer, said. “And thanks for coming.”

“Who’re your friends?” Quinton asked.

Josh motioned to me. “This is Wilson, we go to school together,” he said. “And this is Chloe.” He smiled. “She’s a really big fan of yours.”

“Is that right,” Quinton said, smiling back. “Glad to hear it. Did you enjoy the show, Chloe?”

Chloe nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, it was great! I really really liked it! Your songs are just…” She took a deep breath and continued, “I really like how everything comes together, and the main guitar melody is really good!”

“She plays guitar too, you know,” I remarked.

“Oh really?” Ryan said. “Wanna play with us?”

Chloe blinked. “What?”

“Yeah, come on,” Ryan continued; he reached over, picked up one of his guitars, and handed it to Chloe, who took it carefully as if Ryan was giving her a newborn baby to hold.

“But… I don’t know the chords,” she said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Quinton said, grabbing his bass as Flynn sat down behind the drum set. “Let’s do a jam session, you just play whatever and we’ll follow you.”

Chloe took a deep breath. “Um… Okay.”

She strummed the guitar’s strings, softly drawing out a series of chords; after a few moments Flynn and Quinton joined in, their music following Chloe’s, as Ryan picked up his other guitar and began playing, too.

Sun Vulcan were very good: they were following Chloe’s lead, slowly but surely pushing her forward, while being careful not to overpower the musical piece she was constructing bit by bit. Soon the music was in full swing, morphing into a happy, bouncy song.

I glanced at Josh: he was tapping his foot and bouncing his shoulders, a smile on his face. He noticed me looking at him, and he turned to face me, starting to move his body in a weird dance that was honestly a bit comical.

He extended a hand towards me, clearly inviting me to dance with him.

“No,” I said flatly.

“Come on,” he said, a goofy grin on his face.

“No,” I repeated. “I don’t dance. I’m no good at it.”

“Come on,” he said. “Join the fun!”

I looked at my sister and at Sun Vulcan, playing their instruments: they were all looking at me, an expectant look on their face.

I sighed. “Fine.”

I grabbed Josh’s hand, but I didn’t let him lead the dance: I immediately pulled him over and took the initiative, swinging him around, following the rhythm of the music. He was startled at first, but soon he began to fight me for dominance – both of us were trying to take the lead, to force the other to be the follower; I’m sure we looked really weird.

Slowly the music grew in tempo and volume, as Josh and I continued our weird dance, each trying to one-up the other, until it reached a climax and suddenly stopped; we froze too, my left hand intertwined with his right, my right hand behind his back, our faces inches apart, as we breathed heavily with exertion.

We stared at each other for a few moments, then blushed and separated, looking away in embarrassment.

“Woo!” Ryan cheered. “Look at ‘em go!”

“Be careful, guys,” Quinton added. “If you keep it up, someone will think you two are dating.”

“Not that there would be anything wrong with that,” Ryan said, elbowing Quinton in the ribs.

I looked at them for a moment, then let out a sigh.

“This was fun,” Chloe said. “Thank you so much!”

Ryan smiled at her. “No, thank you for being our fan, Chloe,” he said.

“Come on, sis, we have to go home,” I said.

She pouted. “Do we have to?” she said.

I nodded. “Yeah, we do. It’s getting late.”

She sighed. “Fine. But first…” She reached into her bag, and pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Can I have your autograph?”

-----

Later that night, after we’d said goodbye to Josh and his cousin and returned home, I was lying on my bed, thinking about the day, while I listened to Chloe plink away on her guitar in the next room over.

The show had been really fun: I’d really enjoyed the music, and Chloe had been very happy to meet her idols, and even get to play with them for a while. And Josh…

Josh.

For whatever reason, I couldn’t manage to get his face – his eyes, as he looked at me after our “dance duel” – out of my mind.

I wondered what that meant.