They say I'm a walking dreamer, baby

 

Sweetheart was not in Alfie's vocabulary these days, but maybe Gage was right. He was spending far too much time with Oakley. Oh, she was the serious sort. True, he thought she was out to get information on him to report to the brother they both shared. Of course, she knew Boone best, yet she didn't say much about him. She might think Alfie might be trying to get the low-down about that Freshman a.k.a Boone at the University. Of course, some of the time Alfie doubted they didn't care. Why should he care? After all, it wasn't exactly a winter wonderland out there. Just cold. A cold wind that made him feel he was certain to catch something new.

And then he remembered he had some stuff to pick up at Poppy's. He'd been putting it off. Awkward came to mind. He just couldn't do it, but he decided it was time. So he showed up at the old apartment he'd shared with Poppy. He remembered there was a time when Simon and Steve were just across the hall. It felt like everyone was moving forward, but him. Not that he was going to have a pity party, but he knew he needed to go forward. But not with Oakley. Gage was so right. What was he thinking?

Yes, it would be good to make amends with Poppy perhaps. They could be old friends again. Like they used to be. And he'd talk about what she wanted to talk about. Not about himself. Oh, there were loads he could tell her, but he wouldn't. Not today.

Unfortunately, she wasn't there. Someone new had moved in. It was a slightly familiar face. Or so he thought. But then he couldn't quite put his finger on it as he looked at the young fellow. 

"Oh, don't I know you?" Alfie started with a smile. 

"I don't think so," the youngster had moved from Grand Island and started at some corporate place in the city. He said it was a straight shot when he went down Seventy-Second. No way did he want to live in the highrises there. It cost a fortune so he was out living not all that far from the dried-up cornfields.

"Really?" he seemed to have a lot figured out, way better than Alfie would have been thinking.

"Well...I used to live here," Alfie told him he'd been wanting to drop by. He guessed he should have called ahead. Alfie laughed. "I guess my stuff's not here." As he got into the livingroom to look around at a place that he guessed the guy rented to own. It looked new, and very trending.

"So, so you've got a lot of friends, I guess?" Alfie practically brushed his nose with the back of his hand as if he might know a little magic. Maybe. Alfie kept looking at the guy. Steve came to mind. Why did he remind him of Steve? 

"Not really, but then I didn't have that many friends back in Grand Island, either," he said about the matter. Finally, Alfie got out of him that his name was Phil.

Alfie's smile was open. Sure it was a cold-as-hell kind of a day. Nothing was melting outside in these below zero temps. "How would you like to go to lunch?"

"Lunch?"

"Really, I'm not trying to sell you anything," Alfie said it was on him. "You really do remind me of someone. But he's got a family now. We don't get to hang out anymore." He really did miss Steve. He was beginning to think that was the only reason why he was spending so much time with Oakley. "Besides, I'm supposed to meet this kind of friend of the family. And well, I don't want to be alone. I'm afraid she's getting the wrong idea."

"Well," Phil shrugged. He hadn't even had breakfast.

"I'll show you around." Alfie shrugged. Funny, how some days he couldn't stand the sight of strangers, but not today.