Amidst The Reverie (boyxboy)

Chapter 16: Playground

As William Shakespeare said: The eyes are the window to your soul.

Looking into someone's eyes could make you see them for what they really are, their intentions, personalities, likes and dislikes. But no matter how long Eli looked into Mateo's eyes, he still couldn't quite figure him out.

He sat in shock and disbelief in the car as Mateo drive the both of them. They were about to shoot their project together but Eli's still rewinding the events that happened not long ago.

The anger within Mateo, the never ending muttered sorry from Luke. The palpable tension in the air. It's all too much for Eli.

He tried talking with Mateo about it while they were walking towards the parking lot but the boy changed the topic towards their project, telling Eli that they needed to shoot some parts of it now or else they wouldn't be able to finish it. Eli kept quiet after that. He didn't dig further, but he really really want to.

They didn't talk after that. The hum of the radio filling the silence between them, as they listened to the singer say 'I'm so tired of love songs' over and over again. Eli is also tired, not just of love songs, but of love in general.

The engine stopped. Eli focused his eyes outside, still afraid to look at Mateo.

They were at a playground, but there are no kids playing in the swings or in the slides. From what Eli could see the playground is old and abandoned, vandalism littered all over.

Mateo went outside, going over to the swings. Eli watched him as he walked in circles all around the playground.

Eli stayed in the car, his eyes following Mateo's every move.

"This is perfect!" Mateo mouthed at him through the car window. Eli nodded and retrieved the camera from the back seat.

He followed Mateo out of the car and trudges to the swing set where Mateo was.

"So, how are we gonna do this?" Eli asked, still extremely weirded out by Mateo's burst of anger earlier. He hovered near Mateo but he maintained a distance between them.

Mateo grabbed the camera from his hands, and Eli didn't want to admit it but his heart beats exponentially fast when their fingers touch. He immediately pulls his hands away. Mateo looked at him weirdly.

"Sit there." Mateo commanded. Pointing towards one of the swings.

"Here?"

"Yeah, then recite this." He pushes a folded paper into Eli's face. There was a highlighted phrase within the poem.

"And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school."

He sat in the swing, slowly moving back and forth. His hands gripped the chains, as they creaked because of his weight.

"Is this safe?" he asked, still not seating properly on the rusty swing. He was afraid that it's not sturdy enough to support him.

"Yes, it's fine! Trust me." Mateo exclaimed as he pointed the camera towards Eli.

'That's the problem, I'm not sure I do trust you, Mateo.' Eli thought, bitterly.

Sighing, he sit comfortably in the swing. He recited the phrase over and over again as Mateo videotaped him from different angles. He was self-conscious at first, but after the 5th take he grew tired and he just really really wanted to wrap it up.

"I think that's it." Mateo announced after they've been shooting for an hour and a half. The blue sky has now turned dark. Mateo opened the headlight of his car and that was the only source of light they have in the otherwise dark playground.