"Have I been here before?" Oliver asked as they stopped outside a pair of big double doors. They were very thick and heavy with Victorian patterns carved delicately into the dark wood.
"Yes but you haven't been inside," Vinny let go of Oliver's hand so he could slide one door open.
As he did so, Oliver peered in behind him. He couldn't see anything because the lights were off. But when the vampire reached for the switch, his breath was taken away.
In this room, was a huge Roman swimming pool.
Oliver stepped onto the patterned tiles and looked around. The room was twice as big as any room he has seen so far. On the far left, there was a line of huge white pillars, standing tall. The walls were filled with mosaic patterns of blue, white and grey.
He looked down and into the massive swimming pool. He could see more mosaic patterns at the bottom of the floor, showing how clear the water was. To his side, there were sun loungers, towels and random other things placed neatly on metal shelves.
Oliver looked around the whole room as his eyes scaled the high ceilings.
"This is amazing," He breathed.
Vinny stood, watching him. He loved his reaction. He saw the surprise on Oliver's face and it made him appreciate what he has.
He then started to take off his shoes and socks before rolling up his trousers. His soulmate turned to see what he was doing and started doing the same. Vinny walked over to the swimming pool and sat down on the edge.
Oliver copied him but tried to sit quite close.
"I can't believe you have this in your home," The warm water surrounded his feet.
"Our home," Vinny corrected him before gently nudging his shoulder.
Oliver smiled. It sent electricity right through him.
He looked back up to the walls, to him they were incredible. So much detail had gone into one room and he didn't want to think about how long it would have taken to decorate the walls.
"Was this built when the house was built?" He questioned.
"The swimming pool and the pillars, no. But everything else, yes." He watched his soulmate's feet in the water.
"Did they come later in the centuries?"
"No, you're looking at an original Roman bath."
Oliver stared at him with all the interest he could possibly share.
"What like... thousands of years ago, Roman baths?" He asked.
The vampire nodded.
"We built the house around it because we owned the pool anyway and it was such a great feature to add to the home," He shrugged like it was nothing.
"How old were you when the baths were first built?" Oliver asked and looked over to the grand pillars.
"Well, it was built in the fourth century, so about sixteen."
Oliver's mind didn't even register it at first. Vinny was sixteen in the time of the Romans. The more he thought about it, the more he found it quite funny.
"What?" Vinny questioned suspiciously. He has never been around a human for so long.
"So, you're the oldest thing in the room?"
Vinny shook his head in amusement. He has to admit, that was a new one.
"In two thousand years, it won't be so funny anymore," He couldn't help but smile too. His soulmate's smile was so contagious.
But Oliver instantly stopped when he remembered about his new ageing process.
"Okay, that's weird."
Vinny gently chuckled at his sudden change of emotion.
"You'll get used to it."
Oliver nodded and kicked his feet about in the water.
A few moments went by of comfortable silence. Oliver's mind was stuck in the history of this room and Vinny's eyes were stuck on him. The vampire couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Oliver was going to be by his side for thousands of years. This boy sitting next to him will be with him forever. They'll share new and exciting memories as they go through life, they'll get married and maybe have children. They'll experience everything together and it was a little hard to process. But it was nice knowing he has someone to love and to grow old with.
"Can you swim?" Vinny asked.
"Yep," He smiled. He realised the water was actually really deep at the end they were sitting on.
"Do you have any valuables in your pockets, like a phone?"
Oliver patted his pocket's.
"No, they're empty. Why?"
They stared at each other for a long second before Vinny put his hand on Oliver's back and pushed him effortlessly into the pool.
Oliver barely had time to hold his breath before his whole body was suddenly swarmed in warm water. His mind was instantly blocked as well as his senses.
He kicked his legs to help him surface.
As he came back up, he shook his head to get rid of the water in his eyes. Vinny looked very innocent as he sat by the edge of the pool. Oliver swam over and moved some hair from his eyes.
"You're so terrible," He chuckled. Vinny smiled at his reaction, but it didn't last for long.
Oliver quickly grabbed his leg and pulled him straight into the water too. Just like him, his whole body went under. But they were both thankful it was warm.
His head surfaced to see his soulmate giving him a big grin.
"I deserved that," Vinny pulled on Oliver's hand, making him swim with him to the middle of the pool.
"You did," Oliver laughed and pushed on Vinny's shoulders, making them both go underwater.
Any noises were instantly muffled as water filled their ears. They both held onto each other's arms and allowed themselves to sink to the bottom. They had their eyes open as Vinny reached up and moved his hand through Oliver's hair so he could see.
Oliver's heart thumped hard while he put his arms around Vinny's shoulders so they didn't drift away from each other.
The silence and the atmosphere of the water created a calm state for their minds. Vinny was feeling the affection and he didn't want to waste any more time before moving his head in close. He wrapped his arm around Oliver's waist so it was easier for their bodies to stay connected. They rested their foreheads against one another. But he felt his soulmate's grip tighten on his shoulders. He pulled back to see him looking at his mouth.
They knew that this was the right moment.
At the same time, they both pulled their heads forwards again. They didn't stop until they felt the soft touch of each other's lips.
They pushed into one another, creating a kiss underneath the water of the Roman bath. They didn't realise how much they craved another kiss but Oliver couldn't hold his breath for any longer. He pulled his head back and pushed gently off the floor.
When they both surfaced, they took a few breaths and pulled each other in close again. Vinny wrapped his arms around his shoulders and Oliver wrapped his arms around his waist. They kicked against the water to keep themselves up as their lips connected once more.
They were caught in the moment and the heat rose in their chests. Vinny kissed Oliver delicately and all his mind could concentrate on was his comfort. He was kissing him again, he was kissing another boy again and enjoying every aspect of it.
Oliver kissed back, feeling the passion and the affection with every gentle peck.
Vinny loved feeling his soulmate's strong chest pressed up against his as he tangled his fingers into the back of his hair.
The situation suddenly dawned on Oliver and he smiled, making the vampire's lips press gently onto his teeth. He pulled his head back to see the love and the happiness radiating from him.
They both cherished this moment and took their time to embrace it. Vinny's black hair was dripping onto his face, making him look even more attractive than what he already was.
They both felt so in love with each other. If their aura was showing, it would be incredibly bright and be pulling them together with the strengths of their bond.
Vinny scanned Oliver's face before he slowly brought his hands up his neck and gently placed a one on the side of his face. He rubbed his cheek with his thumb.
Oliver loved that. He slowly traced his hands up Vinny's back and subconsciously kept their bodies together.
They stayed like that for a few seconds longer until Oliver suddenly splashed Vinny. The vampire flinched and felt him push away before splashing him back.
They both swam around, splashing each other and dunking each other underwater. They were having fun and not caring about anything else, or anyone else.
* * * * *
Almost half an hour passed and they continued to mess around in the pool. As Oliver swam back over, Vinny grabbed his arm and they both held onto the side.
"I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Vinny admitted.
"I'm having a really great time too," Oliver grinned and put his hand smoothly over his.
Vinny gently pulled on his t-shirt until he was close again. Oliver put his other hand on his shoulder to keep himself from floating back. They enjoyed feeling the rush of excitement when affection hit their chests. It was such a special feeling when they both got this close. It was one that would remain special forever.
"So, here's the pool room," The sudden voice of Madison made them both quickly looked up. Her, Duke and John had just stepped into the room.
"Wow it's amazing- oh," John spotted his son and Vinny in the pool, fully clothed.
They all stared at the boys as Vinny rolled his eyes, They ruined the moment. He pulled himself out of the water and turned to help Oliver out. He took off his wet waistcoat and walked over to their parents.
"What on earth are you two doing?" Duke asked and looked at their dripping clothes. He chuckled, so they knew they were not in trouble.
"Well, if it helps, we didn't do this on purpose," Oliver watched Madison walk over to the shelves and grab them a towel each.
"What do you mean?" She asked when they both took one.
"I pushed him in," Vinny said and dried his face.
"And then I pulled him in." They both glanced at each other with amused expressions. At least, they didn't walk in when they were kissing.
"So you just went swimming in your clothes?" John chuckled when his son finished drying his hair.
"Yes," Vinny couldn't help but watch Oliver. Images of their kiss flashed through his mind. It was a surprise at how much confidence he has developed in terms of showing his affection to his soulmate. But the love in their hearts wouldn't have it any other way.
He stepped closer until he felt Oliver's shoulder against his.
"I think we should get changed," He said softly and watched his big, green eyes.
"Yeah," Oliver chuckled and looked down to his damp clothes. But before they could even take a step, Vinny quickly turned and pushed him back into the pool.
He waited until his head re-surfaced, to check that he was okay before turning and walking out of the room. Oliver watched him, he'll get him back for that later.
He pulled himself out and picked up the towel again. John and Vinny's parents were watching him with raised eyebrows.
"You're not mad?" Duke asked.
"No of course not. He has pushed me in once already," Oliver smiled. He liked that they could be playful together.
"You know, we never see Vinny like this. He always distanced himself from any social events and his personality was non-existent. But he has known you for what? Two days, and he's already showing you who he really is," Duke beamed.
Oliver nodded. Vinny is different from what he first thought about him, which was before they even connected the bond. But he loved that the vampire felt comfortable enough to show him his true colours.
"Even though he's still moody to everyone else, I understand that it's just a part of him that won't change. But I like that he's blunt and a little hard to figure out. And now, I have to find a way of getting him back for that," Oliver smiled and walked to the door.
When he was gone, their parents looked at each other.
"John, I swear your son is an angel."