Vanilla Dusk ✓

Loop Part 4

They loved to hang around Tower Bridge, where they could walk aimlessly for a day, simply peer down at the brown, slow-flowing Thames, spot a ship or two in the distance and help the tourists snap a shot. It was hardly sunny in London. Every day, the sky was coated with a layer of thick, grey clouds. Sometimes it drizzled and the day got chilly even in the middle of summer. Erik loved the cold because he migrated from the North. He was used to the freezing touch of snow, the frosty breaths, the bulky garments and the sight of glaciers. He had promised to take Shayne to Norway during one of their holidays to show him the spectacular view of a cascading waterfall. They would bathe in the glinting crystal-clear lake water or row on a tiny boat along a river surrounded by towering mountains.

Shayne loved the rain because it made the already bleak atmosphere even gloomier by chasing away the pedestrians and tourists. The streets would be empty and it felt appeasing to be left alone, just the two of them. He would catch the raindrops and pull Erik close to him, claiming that it was much warmer to snake their arms around each other. The drizzle usually didn't last long but in those precious moments of tranquillity, Erik would indulge in the sight of water dribbling down the ends of Shayne's glossy hair and captivating lashes. They would lean against the fence of the bridge and one of them would be nestling his head on the other's shoulder or draping his arm around his waist. They would just stare at the river in utter silence, sniffing and taking in the aroma in the air. Erik always smelled of milk and vanilla, in Shayne's opinion. Shayne smelled of gel, caramel and coffee. It was always revivifying after bathing in nature's tears.

When they stumbled upon an ice-cream truck or store, Shayne would always buy a cone for each of them. He had a serious sweet tooth and was drawn to all kinds of sweet delicacies. Shayne would always buy a cone for each of them. He had a serious sweet tooth and was drawn to all kinds of sweet delicacies. He would order butter pecan caramel; chocolate cookies and Rocky Road and Erik would just settle with a scoop of vanilla.

'Three scoops again?' said Erik. 'At this rate, you're going to get diabetes.'

It was a wonder how Shayne kept his body in shape despite his obsession with sweet things. He had a slender build with small muscles and even some abs when all he ever did was swim, jog occasionally and go back to being a glutton.

'Will you still keep me then?' joked Shayne with a cherubic chuckle. 'If I get diabetes.'

Erik laughed and pinched him in his arm before stealing a large bite of caramel from Shayne. No matter how much he complained about its excessive sweetness, he would always latch his mouth onto Shayne's cone, 'to help him out a bit', as what he always claimed.

'Admit it,' said Shayne as he inched closer to Erik's face and planted a chaste kiss on his vanilla-coated lips. 'You like it when I taste caramel and chocolate.'

This Erik didn't deny.

They had started their first semester at King's and applied for the residence hall. They spent half of the days at Shayne's house when his father wasn't around and another half of the days back at their hall, where they each got assigned a tiny room with a single steel-framed bed, a rudimentary toilet and a study desk. The hall was closer to their college so they didn't have to take the Underground or drive. They could simply pass the Waterloo Bridge and reach their campus. The hall though wasn't as spacious as Shayne's house, so every time they dropped by each other's room, they had to squeeze themselves to onto the single bed and if they ever had to cook, they had to use the shared pantry. It was always fun to see which one of them rolled off bed first. They could fight each other all day with pillows or simply snuggle up against each other watching videos with their mobile phones.

Still, the hall was their private corner where they could simply stay away from everyone else.

They needed nobody.

Shayne's father was still hardly home and when he did, he was as harsh and fastidious as could be. He wanted Shayne to help out with most of the chores, considering that he had granted the boy almost everything he needed, from daily necessities to toys, accessories, branded clothes and the best education possible. Back at secondary school, his father also expected him to score above average in every test, always wear a set of neat uniforms, never get engrossed in video games, read and cook whenever he had time. His father had everything planned for him, even guaranteeing that he could secure Shayne a promising position in his company when he graduated but Shayne never responded to that. He hardly talked to his father and even when they did dine together on particular days, they just sat across each other and had their meal in awkward silence. Shayne would stay out of trouble by meeting most of his father's standards, as long as they were achievable. In return, his father gave him a certain degree of liberty by allowing him to hang out with Erik, on the condition that he would graduate with a First-Class Honours.

Erik's brother finished his PhD and was now working as a researcher and an assistant professor. They still lived together but they hardly talked. They were more like roommates than brothers. And sometimes, Jónar would bring home his own boyfriend, Márus, and the two would have their own very corner in the house, chatting, kissing, cuddling and more. Erik would lock himself inside his room and wait for Shayne's invitation to a date or stay in the hall with him.

They didn't know where and what they would be after graduation. Maybe they would move to another city, or town, or village, or even country.

That is – if they could keep on being together, nothing would go wrong.

But something did go wrong.

So very wrong.

They were having ice-cream again on one of their dates. Shayne wandered off to the shop, leaving Erik standing at the bottom of a steep road. A cargo truck sped down the road without a driver. There was no honk or screech. The vehicle rushed down the slope, spiralling out of control towards the end and directly crashing onto the pedestrian road. Only then did the driver appear on top of the slope yelling and flailing his arms frantically. He was dashing after the empty truck which continued down the slope, crashing through several shops. People dining in the open space immediately shrieked and leapt and darted around, evacuating themselves the best they could before the head of the truck struck them and sent them flying down the road. Tables and chairs and even huge umbrellas were squashed and wiped out in a flash and the truck showed no sign of stopping. The ropes were snapped at some point and the cargos came loose, rolling downhill alongside the accelerating truck.

Just then, Shayne returned from the shop with a few cones. When Erik heard the chaos, he looked up and caught sight of the enormous monster. Shayne reacted a few seconds slower and when he figured out what was happening, he was still clutching his cones, his feet nailed to the ground.

'Shayne!'

Erik's yell brought him back to senses. Erik made a quick dash. He was literally flying towards him, pressing his body against his and successfully shoving him out of way. Shayne got flung backwards, his cones floating in the air, and landed on the ground with a thud. Pain shot up his spine and before he could call out to Erik, the boy was sent flying by the truck before getting rolled over by the tyres and crushed into pieces.

The cones were stained red in the blink of an eye and Shayne's face was soaked with splashes of Erik's blood.

The truck crashed into a car parked nearby and ground to a halt, not before dragging Erik's body for another metre, leaving two long traces of his flesh and blood.