"I can't believe I didn't ask for his name."
"...Because you were an idiot?"
"Yes, exactly! I see the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life—so intelligent and so sexy—and what do I do? I just stand there like an idiot, staring at him instead of asking for his number. Now he's lost."
"Maybe you'll find him again."
"No, I won’t," Sirius said in a defeated voice, still obsessing over the only topic he'd been able to talk about for days.
After a few moments of silence, while Sirius contemplated his existence and James sat beside him, always ready to listen, Sirius looked up.
They were standing right in front of Baker Street, watching people rush by, all covered by their umbrellas on a rainy day in London.
"You may find him again; you just need a sign."
"Exactly! That’s exactly what I need, Prongs!" Sirius said, dramatically extending his hands to the heavens, begging. "Please, let me find the beautiful boy in the middle of London, where thousands—no, millions—of people live. Please, let me run into him again so I can at least ask for his name!"
While Sirius continued his theatrical prayers, a boy was walking toward the station, too distracted to notice. He wore a long black raincoat, his natural brown curls slightly frizzy under the rain, and walked carefully, trying not to poke anyone in the eye with his umbrella.
"Uh… Sirius?" James said.
"Respect, James! Can’t you see I’m praying to every god that has ever existed?"
"Well, mate, now I definitely believe in them, because there’s your sign… walking right into the station."
"What?!" Sirius snapped his head down, scanning the crowd until his eyes locked onto the very guy he’d been praying for.
"Go! Go, go, go!"
Without thinking, Sirius’ feet started moving. The boy was walking fast, but Sirius didn’t lose sight of him, fumbling to pull out his card.
The boy got on a tube and sat down, the seat beside him empty.
Another sign, Sirius thought.
He stepped on, not caring where it was going, and walked directly toward the boy.
"Hi!" he said, a little breathless. "I'm Sirius."
The guy looked up, surprised, his brown eyes wide and a rosy tint creeping onto his cheeks.
"Uh… hi?"
Sirius saw the confusion on his face—he needed to do something, fast.
"Sorry, it’s just… maybe you don’t remember me. We met at the bookstore the other day. You helped me pick a book."
"Oh! The Aeneid."
"Yes! That one!" Sirius said, way too enthusiastically.
Silence fell between them. The guy kept staring, still surprised by the encounter, and Sirius couldn't take it anymore.
"God, I’m sorry, okay? It’s just—I haven’t stopped thinking about you since that day. And I was an idiot! How could I not ask for your name? I was too stunned looking at you, I forgot how to talk, and then when I realized my mistake, you were already gone. Vanished! And you definitely seemed like a bookworm, so I figured the bookstore must be a usual spot for you. Great deduction, Sherlock! But nooo, because when I went back to ask about you, they had no idea who you were—just that you bought a poetry book. So you weren’t a regular! Maybe you don’t even live around there, maybe you were just passing through, which made things way more complicated. Or maybe you just moved and you’re still getting to know your neighborhood, so should I stay around? Would you come back? At the end, I had to leave, and you never came back. And since then, you’ve been on my mind, and I’ve been praying for a sign, and here you are! It’s you! You—wait, what’s your name? I’m not making that mistake twice!" Sirius said, all in one breath, wildly gesturing.
The guy blinked at him, eyes even wider than before.
"Uh… it’s Remus."
Sirius gasped. "Oh my god! That’s another sign!"
"Another sign?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Isn’t it Virgil who wrote about Romulus and Remus? Your name has been around me this whole time—I already knew it!"
Remus stared at him, even more surprised.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know this is weird, but this is my chance. So, yeah, I’d really like to know more about you… if that’s okay?"
Silence.
Sirius held his breath, waiting for Remus to say something.
Then, finally—
"So… is it another sign that your name means the Dog of the Sky and mine means Wolf?" Remus asked, smirking slightly, a faint blush on his cheeks.
Sirius burst out laughing, feeling all the weight lift off his chest. He nodded eagerly.
"I guess it is, yeah."
They looked at each other, and Sirius finally asked, "Uh… where is this tube going, by the way?"
"East London," Remus replied.
"Another sign!" Sirius declared.
"Why? Do you live around there too?"
"Oh, no! But I know a café I’d love to invite you to, if that’s okay."
Remus blushed even more and said, "Yeah. Let me just call my friend—I might be late. Or… I might not see them at all tonight."
"And why’s that?" Sirius asked.
"In case another sign crosses our path," Remus replied with a smirk.