The water puddling beside the curb rippled with a gust of cold, damp wind. 

Rowan sat next to it on a patch of dry concrete, heels pressed against the tall curb. A thin stick that split into a short "Y" floated across the surface, meandering to one side before another gust blew it back to the starting point.

Dewey liked watching the lights in the puddles when it rained. Crusoe Street was always the best spot. Close enough to the city to get its lights but far enough away that cars didn't like driving down it, Crusoe was the perfect place to sit and grow old.

They found it years ago now when they were in the middle of trying to outrun Dewey's dad who had not taken to finding a Rowan-sized dent on the hood of his car very kindly.

Inwardly, Rowan smiled but it didn't make it to his lips.

That was done now. There wouldn't be any more watching lights in the puddles. Or midnight talks on Crusoe Street. They wouldn't eat their walking tacos here or feed the few squirrels that knew to wander over here now. There would just be this.

He crossed his arms across his middle and leaned against his upper thighs. The wind shifted colder.

Dewey chose a girl. Well, a woman. That made it better. River was an up-and-coming tech developer. Whipsmart and the kind of person to hunt down her dreams and win every time. She made Dewey happy. But Rowan liked that she made Dewey eager.

As long as he'd known him, which was a sizeable amount of time now, Dewey had been afraid to dream too big. It was like he didn't think it was for him. It only got worse after his dad died after driving drunk, taking the family dog Coop out with him.

So, Rowan did the only smart thing when he saw what River sparked in Dewey. He told him to chase 

 down. Keep her around. Dream big and dream with her.

He didn't think she'd ever tell Dewey to leave him in the dust.

Dark blue eyes watched the y-stick float toward him again.

Two weeks ago, he invited the pair over to make Christmas cookies like he and Dewey did every year. He was met with a weak apology and Dewey sheepishly telling him he was thinking about moving in with River.

"We...probably won't be able to talk as much."

All he wanted was one measly Christmas tradition. He wasn't asking for Rowan to spend all of Christmas Eve or any of Christmas Day with him. He just...wanted some familiar comfort. His mother died a few months earlier, stabbed on the way home from her shift at the Emergency Room, and all Rowan wanted was one stupid sliver of normalcy that made him think these holidays were worth living through.

And Dewey wouldn't give him that. Not two stupid fucking hours of his week. Not even that much.

Rowan swallowed around a sudden lump in his throat. It blew up into a fight after that and it came out that River didn't like Rowan. At all.

"She just thinks... Fuck, Ro! I don't know. She thinks you aren't going anywhere and are just gonna drag me down."

Drag him to the ER, sure. To family events, of course. Off a bridge? Always. But drag him down? Rowan looked down at his shoes. He only ever wanted Dewey to be happy. That Dewey could even think that he had anything but his best interest at heart hurt so badly he couldn't handle it.

Rowan closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the top of the tall buildings.

"Hey Ro," a soft voice said from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

Rowan tracked a small convertible as it pivoted around the corner and vanished onto busier streets.

"I thought you were busy tonight," Rowan said. His voice was duller than it normally was and stuffed full of disappointment.

"Ah, well. You know how things go. Plans change and all that."

"River isn't going to change her mind," Rowan said bitterly.

Silence stretched between them. He couldn't remember a time when it had ever felt so full. The silence between them was normally light and airy. Harmless. This was furious.

"Look, don't feel bad," Rowan said. "Just go do whatever it was you were going to do."

"I was coming to see you," Dewey said, an edge creeping into his voice. "But you weren't at the ramen shop or your place or..."

"Bet River misses you. Don't keep her waiting too long."

"Ah," Dewey said and Rowan could imagine him fluffing his hair as he said it. "I think she's gonna be waiting a while, actually. I, um, I broke up with her."

Dewey looked terrible. His wavy hair was knotted and messy, frizzing in spots and falling flat in others. His eyes were red and so was his nose but only in the way it got when he cried really hard.

"She wasn't going to change her mind. You were right. And I...I really wanted some Christmas cookies."

"No, don't start with that shit." Dewey sniffed and sat down next to Rowan, closer to the puddle. He plucked the stick from the puddle with a weak grin. "

 would I want to stay with someone who treats you like shit?"

Rowan snorted out half of a laugh and shook his head.

"Yeah," Rowan interrupted, rummaging through his coat pocket until he pulled out a bag of hard sour candies. "I always have them for you."

Dewey gave him a strange look and Rowan looked away.

Clem Onojeghuo

River Droplets

Another in the Dewdrops Series

The water puddling beside the curb rippled with a gust of cold, damp wind.

Rowan sat next to it on a patch of dry concrete, heels pressed against the tall curb. A thin stick that split into a short "Y" floated across the surface, meandering to one side before another gust blew it back to the starting point.



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River Droplets

Another in the Dewdrops Series

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River Droplets

Another in the Dewdrops Series

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