Emilio's POV:
It had been three days since I've seen him smile. Three days since his mother kicked him out. Three days since he'd last seen Ash. Three fucking days.
Oli gently rocked back and forth on the park swing, resting his head on the thick metal chain. His eyes were faraway and vacant, their once-sparkling blue now dull and murky. Ash and Oli used to come to this park together all the time; I sensed he was feeling nostalgic. I wasn't happy that he'd brought us here, especially since Ash had been ignoring his calls for the last few days, but Oli had insisted. I thought it better I come with him than he go alone.
"Oli?" I tried to bring him back to reality but he didn't acknowledge me. I moved from my perch on the rail to straddle him on the swing. His eyes rose to meet mine and a smile touched his lips. I grinned mischievously, trying to take his mind off everything that had happened recently. He was really hurting. I stroked his hair away from his eyes and he smiled. A genuine smile. My own smile widened and I couldn't help but childishly giggle. I'd missed that smile; I hated seeing my best friend unhappy.
"Emilio, can I ask you something?" Oli spoke for the first time in hours. I nodded eagerly, "Do you- Do you think that... Actually, never mind. It's stupid." He forced a smile, shrugging off the thought.
"What is it, Oli?" I pressed, desperate to know what was bothering him. He sighed and shook his head.
"I don't think Ash wants to be with me anymore, Leo," He sighed, exasperated, tears threatening to swell from his eyes. "I don't know what I've done wrong. We're growing apart, I feel like he's not interested anymore."
The sadness in his voice tugged on my heartstrings. I felt so sorry for him. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly before pulling away to look him dead in the eye.
"Oli, I won't pretend to know anything about Ash, but I know his type. He's hurt you before, he's likely to do it again. You want to trust him, I understand that, but you need to be careful. How do you know he's not already cheating on you? How much can you really trust him after the way he hurt you?" I knew it hurt Oli to hear this, but I couldn't let Ash destroy him. I had suspicions that Ash was cheating on him, but I had no proof so I couldn't just blindly accuse him.
Oli took in a deep breath, absorbing my words, but didn't exhale for a while. Anger flashed in his eyes, his jaw clenched, he opened his mouth. Then slowly closed it again. He slipped into thought, his face relaxing as he pondered whatever idea he'd had.
After a few seconds, Oli smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me to him with a deep need for human contact. His smile faltered slightly and he squirmed underneath me, growing anxious. A determined look settled on his face - my God, he was so adorable - and he put his cold palm to my cheek. I rested my head into it and we stayed like that, grinning at each other for the longest time.
"Thank you, Leo. You're such a great friend," Oli said weakly, innocently, emotion brimming from his words. Only, there was one word which made me frown. Friend. I wished he thought of me as more than that.
"Dude, you're crushing my dick!" Oli suddenly yelled, writhing and squirming beneath me, snapping me out of my daze. He started choking on his laughter.
"But you wuv me!" I cried, wriggling my butt harder into his crotch.
"Rape!" Oli shouted loudly, giggling madly, rattling on the chains of the swing, causing the seat to rock wildly.
With a shocked gasp, Oli unbalanced himself and tumbled backwards, taking me with him. We both screamed on the way down and Oli hit his head on the ground sharply. I landed on top of him, our legs tangled together, and we both broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. I buried my head in his chest to muffle my snorts, then I rolled off of Oli, onto the floor beside him. I stared up at the cloudy sky, trying to slow my breathing. Oli nestled his head in the crook of my neck to muffle his own laughter and rolled over until he was on top of me. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he continued to laugh. He took a deep breath.
Before I could register what was happening, Oli crushed his lips onto mine passionately, grabbing my hair in his grazed hand while his other hand caressed my chest. Euphoria exploded inside of me and I demanded entrance into his mouth, needing to be as close to him as possible. The taste of his lips was like Ecstasy. An addicting drug I could never get enough of.
I'd been waiting for this moment since the day I first met Oliver Keaton. I'd dreamed for years about long walks on the beach, picnics in the warm sunshine, romantic dates in classy restaurants. Holding his hand in public, talking for hours about our future, kissing him as deeply as I desired without the fear of being caught. I'd fantasized about the electricity of his fingertips on my bare skin: tingling sensations coursing through my body; Oli's sweaty body pressed against mine between the sheets; heavy breathing in a dim room.
Oli's hands explored my body, my own fingers entwining themselves in his thick hair. We forgot we were in a public place, too caught up in the moment to remember that anybody who happened to be walking across the field could see us making out. The kiss left me breathless. Even when Oli pulled away, his smile never faltered. Never before had I been as happy as I felt right now, in this moment with Oli. Nothing could bring me down; I was too high on his kiss. Nothing could take this boy away from me.
Shit.
Except maybe his boyfriend.
I gently pressed my lips to Oli's once more, relishing in the moment because I knew it couldn't last forever. I searched Oli's eyes, watching the guilt consume them. My heart thundered in my chest, deafening me. I couldn't believe we'd just done that. Anybody could have seen us. I scrambled to my feet, fighting to catch my breath, and ran. I ran as far away from Oli as I could. Why had he done that? Why had he kissed me? I'd never told him I was gay! Then again, I did try to kiss him a few weeks ago. That might have been a giveaway.
Although I was happy to see the spark in Oli's eyes again, I couldn't help but fear for him. He'd never acted like this before. So reckless and impulsive. I know he's hurting, but we aren't certain Ash is really cheating on him yet. I had just suggested it as a possibility, and he'd decided to cheat too. There must be a reason for this strange behaviour. I'd known Oli for many years and he wasn't the kind of guy who'd hurt someone on purpose. Not unless he had a good reason...
***
Oli's POV:
I watched Leo go, my heart and mind crumbling like sand through my shaking fingers. I got up from the cold floor, sat back on my swing and pushed myself gently, head resting on the metal chain again. My mind wandered to the kiss. The hollow kiss that bounced around my hollow heart. I felt alone. Empty. I longed to feel whole again but the void inside me couldn't be filled by Emilio. A part of me had known all along. I belonged with Ash. But one truth refused to be ignored; I'd cheated. I'd kissed Leo.
Oh my God, I'd kissed Leo. It had felt so wrong. But also really, really right. I couldn't kiss Leo, I had a boyfriend! A lying-ass scummy boyfriend, but a boyfriend nonetheless. Was he really cheating on me? Possibly. Did it matter? Probably not. He would. If he wasn't already, he would. I can't let him do that. I can't let him hurt me. Not again. I knew the kiss with Leo meant nothing: I don't like him in that way. Or maybe I do. No, I definitely don't. I'd felt no spark, no fireworks, nothing that I feel when Ash kisses me. I miss Ash.
I shouldn't have kissed Emilio. It was cruel and unfair on both him and Ash. But I could always tell Ash that Emilio had forced himself on me. Ash would believe me. Ash loves me. Actually, I don't care if I hurt him. No, I really do care. This would really hurt Ash. Then again, he hurt me worse. Only, he had the excuse of a homophobic father. What was my excuse? Oh, that's right, my real fucking father! The asshole who'd abandoned me before I was born. The asshole who now, after all these years, wanted to see me! He had a lot of nerve...
This guy hadn't even spoken to me directly; he'd rung my mother. Well, she wasn't my mother... Rachel. He'd rung Rachel, who had rung me yesterday to pass along the news. When my caller ID had showed Rachel was calling me, I'd desperately wished she'd tell me she'd changed her mind. That she was wrong. I wanted to be at home with my mum again. Sadly, as I'd expected, that wasn't the case. She'd been cold and distant on the end of the phone, no trace of the woman I'd used to love. I was shocked to say the least that my dad wanted to get in contact with me. I'd asked many questions about him, including his name, but Rachel had ended the call abruptly without answering any of them. All she'd told me was when and where to meet him. That was a scary concept. For all I know, she could be setting me up to meet with a serial killer. I'm sure she didn't hate me that much... But, just to be safe, I'd take Leo with me.
For back-up, in case this guy was a psycho.
Leo had been downstairs talking with his mother when Rachel had called, and I'd neglected to tell him in case he was angry at me or Rachel or my real dad. I was due to meet the stranger in six days and I still hadn't told Leo. I knew I had to tell him soon, but I wanted to make sure he forgave me for kissing him first.
I was angry and scared to meet my father, but I couldn't deny that I was also excited. I was really going to meet my father. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe he had a good excuse for not being a part of my life. Though I highly doubt it.
I took a chance and rang Kara, hoping she'd pick up. I pressed my phone to my ear and waited. Luckily, Rachel hadn't yet realized she was still paying my phone bill. The phone rang for ages and I was just about to end the call when Kara picked up.
"Ayo." Kara's voice crackled through the receiver. Excitement raged inside me at the sound of her rich, sleepy voice.
"Oh Kara, I was scared you wouldn't pick up!" I exclaimed, relief flooding my voice, "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Yah, I took a nap. I've had a few sleepless nights." She sighed. I'd missed her so much.
"Kara, I need your help-"
"Yah, Leo told me 'bout your mumzy kicking you out. Never liked her. Stupid bitch." I laughed through the phone, glad that Kara didn't hate me.
"There's more to it than that, K. Can we grab a coffee or something?" I played with my bracelets nervously as I waited for her response.
"Sure, let me just get changed. Meet me at Starbucks in ten." She said, sounding more awake now. I could hear her moving around her room, yelping when she tripped over her cat, Moggy. I laughed again, jokingly demanding she apologize to Moggy. Kara told me to go fuck myself. I could sense she was sticking her middle finger up at me through the phone. We said goodbye and hung up, and I began a slow walk into the town center.
Twenty minutes later, Kara and I were ordering our drinks in Starbucks. London was busy today and the coffee shop was full to the brim with businessmen, teenagers, gossiping women, and couples on dates. Kara took our drinks from the counter and grabbed us the only available booth, which was luckily in the far corner of the cafe, hidden from the view of everyone else. The table was small yet big enough for the two of us to place our drinks on. I'd ordered a hot chocolate and Kara had, typically, ordered a Caramel Latte. I made a disgusted face as she took a sip from her tall cup.
"How can you drink that? Coffee's gross." I grumbled, taking a long, exaggerated gulp of my hot chocolate.
"You're gross." She countered childishly, sticking her tongue out. She used her finger to scoop a dollop of whipped cream from the top of my hot chocolate and she flicked it at my face.
"Ewwww," I wriggled in my seat, wiping the whipped cream from my cheek at throwing it back at her. Kara ducked and we both laughed, "That was icky."
"You love me really." She shrugged, a mischievous smile on her lips, "So... Tell me this really long and boring heart-wrenching story about the woes of your homosexual teenage love life."
"You make me sound much less heroic than I'd like." I muttered, frowning. She stuck her tongue out at me again and I playfully punched her on the arm to shut her up.
I took another gulp of my hot chocolate and I launched into a long, detailed description of the events of the last few weeks, leaving nothing out. Time flew by as we chatted and ranted, catching up and offering each other advice on various topics. Between us, we'd drunk four hot chocolates, three lattes and two slices of coffee and walnut cake. I may hate coffee, but I love coffee cake.
"Well, you need to tell Em about your dad," Kara concluded, finishing off her fourth caramel latte, "And you need to tell Ash about the kiss. As much as I can't stand the kid, he has to know." She offered a smile, taking my hand in hers.
"You're right," I admitted, "But I'll tell Ash after I meet my dad."
"Oli..." She warned, knowing I'd try anything to get out of telling Ash the truth.
"I promise! I'll tell him straight after I meet my father." I promised, squeezing Kara's hand so she knew I was serious.
"Love you, babes." She smiled, giving me a big kiss on the cheek.
"Love you too, Funshine." Kara chuckled at the nickname, rose tinting her cheeks. Kara had used to have an obsession with Care Bears when she was fourteen that only Leo and I knew about. I'd nicknamed her after her favourite bear, Funshine Bear, and occasionally I'd still use the nickname.
We walked out of Starbucks together holding hands, hugging tightly at the door as we said our goodbyes. Kara had told me that I could stay at hers if I ever needed to, and I'd gratefully thanked her. I may need to, depending on how Leo acts when I next see him. After Kara had left, I walked around town aimlessly for a while until it started to get dark at around 8.pm. Begrudgingly, I realized I'd have to go home and confront Emilio. I mentally prepared myself on the walk home, running through scenarios in my head, aware that this whole mess was my fault. I sighed again, eyes downwards as I picked up my pace. It was starting to get cold and my stomach was growling.
"If you keep sighing like that your soul will escape." An Australian male voice said from somewhere in front of me.
"Thanks for the advice." I muttered, continuing to walk without glancing up.
"Hey, wait." A boy stood in front of me, blocking my path. I menacingly raised my eyes to meet his. The boy's wide smile faltered slightly. I blinked a few times, taking in his appearance.
The stranger was tanned, dark haired, roughly my own age. He wore a Thousand Foot Krutch t-shirt with electric blue skinny jeans to match his electric blue eyes which were brushing over me. His fringe hung over one eye, similar to the way mine did. I noticed he had a small stretcher in one ear, and snake-bite piercings in his lower lip. He was definitely hot, no doubt about it. His arms had just the right amount of muscle to be sexy without looking out of place with his Emo-type appearance. I bet he had a six pack under that top. The stranger was a few inches taller than me, but I refused to back down. He didn't exactly seem threatening but I knew something was off. Why was he talking to me?
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice was less intimidating than I'd have liked.
"Ah, you're Australian too." He complimented, nodding approvingly. "Do you live here?" I nodded cautiously, waiting for him to continue, "I'm staying for a week with my mum and dad. Well, step dad. We flew in this morning." He shrugged.
His smile was a beautiful mixture of innocence and allure. I softened under his gaze, feeling my defiance drain out of me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. He seemed to remember something and pulled a phone out of his pocket.
"Could you- uh- tell me where this hotel is?" The boy asked, showing me a text that read the name of a nearby hotel. I recognized the name and nodded, directing him as best as I could back towards the town centre. He listened carefully to my instructions, his eyebrows creasing in concentration.
"Thanks!" He said, smiling brightly at me. I smiled back and bit my lip nervously, nodding my head once at him before heading back to Emilio's place.
Strange kid. Strange enough to pique my interest, that's for sure.