If Red Means No, Invert The Color

Chapter 5

"It's entrancing, tranquil. I love it."

Kieran couldn't stop staring at the sky, but Everest took this moment to inspect Kieran even more. His skin was a smooth porcelain, there were dark circles underneath his eyes. His tattoos were highly visible from underneath his tank top; they cluttered his arms and went up to his neck. His hair was pulled back behind his head in a black ponytail, revealing his clean cut jawline and strong features. He was thin, but he could see the muscles protruding his skin, he wasn't ripped, but he wasn't a twig either. His tattoos were all different; a collection of words and images covering his arms and shoulders, some even going onto his chest. Under the lighting of the street lamp, he noticed his skin was not smooth on his arms, it looked like there were lines going up and down his wrists and forearm, the tattoos painted over them. Strange.

"Everest?"

Kieran's voice made shivers go down Everest's spine. "Yeah?"

"Why did you bring me here? It seems like a special place, so why?"

Everest felt like he was swallowing an apple whole, he didn't want to tell Kieran why. It was partially due to guilt, he felt like he owed him for hitting him with his dad's car. It was an accident but he knew it could have been prevented if he hadn't been on his phone. The other reason was simple; he felt connected to Kieran in some way. He wanted to share his secret place with him. He never even showed Monica this place, and they had been together for over a year, he had only known Kieran for just a few months. "I just thought you'd like it"

Kieran looks at Everest, their eyes meeting. "But why me? Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend on a friday night?"

"Yeah uhm... I broke it off with Monica. We had a fight tonight and uh.. We broke up"

Kieran was in shock. He never pictured Ken and Barbie breaking up, not ever in his life. "I'm sorry" Kieran lied, "I bet you're hurting."

Everest sighed, looking down at the green grass that now appeared a sort of back-ish green colour with their current lighting. "Yeah I guess. I sort of feel relieved. I feel like I can start over again. Get a new start, maybe find someone I actually care about."

Everest looked at Kieran and a question burned in his mind. "Kieran, what are those scars, under your tattoos?"

It was almost as if you could hear a pin drop, Kieran went so silent for so long, but when he finally spoke, Everest felt like he had crossed a line. "I used to uhm.. Hurt myself. When I was about 16 I eventually got tattoos to cover them up."

"Why would you do that?"

Kieran sighed. "Okay well uhm. When I was young, some stuff happened to me and as I got older I couldn't find another way to cope. It felt like it was my only option." Kieran could see the confusion on Everest's face so he continued. "My dad went to Iraq when I was around 7. When he came back... He just wasn't the same. He began drinking heavily and became violent. He would hit me.. A lot. Him and my mother always were arguing. And he would always hit her. I'd have to help carry him to his bed when he'd pass out drunk on the couch. My sister would always lend me her makeup to cover the bruises. One night Katy snuck out through the bathroom window to see her boyfriend. When she came back, my dad caught her. And he hit her too hard... I found her, laying there on the bathroom floor, covered in her own blood. I was woken up by the sound of her head hitting the toilet. But then my dad woke up, and he beat the shit out of me. She lived. Barely.. She has severe brain damage and is now at Wilkinson's. My dad is in the state prison.

When he got arrested I was about 10 or 11. Soon after that, it got worse. My mom could hardly pay the bills, for us and Katy's hospital expenses. She took up several jb's, shipped Katy off, and the house soon fell apart. My mom.. She uh. She does other things than work at a diner. I know she's using. I know she's selling too. And it sucks. She has been for years. When I was 13 I began hurting myself. Bad. I got into a bad crowd early on. And made a lot of mistakes. But one day I just stopped. I'm not sure why. But I did. And I haven't done it sense."

Kieran looked to Everest to see his reaction, sort of scared of what he might say, but he didn't expect this to happen.

Everest looked up and caught Kieran staring at him, Kieran began to turn his head but Everest stopped him, placing a hand on his chin and turning it back to face him. His whole body felt like it was gravitating towards him, he had lost control it seemed. It was like he was being pulled to Kieran by an invisible magnet. His heart began to race and his head felt fuzzy as he found himself leaning in, pulling Kieran's face gently closer to him, his eyes going from Kieran's to his lips, he licked his own and closed his eyes, pressing his lips softly against Kieran's.

It was like his whole body had just burst into flames, but he liked it. His heart had stopped beating, the wind stopped blowing, the crickets stopped singing, it was like all time had stopped and it was just him and Kieran. And he loved every second of it. His lips sat dormant against Kieran's for a few moments before he felt Kieran begin to kiss him back. His heart was racing now, his head was spinning, he felt weightless as his lips moved in perfect sync with Kieran's. His hands cupped Kieran's cheeks, Kieran's snaked around Everest's waist, A different feeling flowed through Everest, he wanted more. He kissed Kieran harder, more passion between their shared kisses, but, it all came to a halt like someone had pressed pause on a song. Kieran pulled away.

Everest's eyes snapped open, his breathing was heavy and he looked to Kieran, feeling scared of what Kieran's reaction would be. Kieran sat there, his breathing heavy and his eyes looking at the ground. "I didn't see that one coming"

Everest couldn't help but sigh in relief, a small chuckle following it. "Me either."