The Park

 

“Comet! Come here!” 

Oscar ran down the park after his puppy. 

He groaned softly when she disappeared down the long concrete tunnel that was embedded in a grassy mound; the tall slide was supported by the mound. 

Toddlers and small children, who loved running through it, used the tunnel when they came down to the park with their nursery group. 

Unfortunately, Comet also loved the tunnel, and Oscar was now too tall to fit inside. 

Oscar fell to his knees in front of the tunnel and peered in. 

Comet was sat inside, her long tail wagging happily, her pink tongue lolling out. 

“Comet, come here,” Oscar ordered, his voice stern. 

Comet flopped onto her belly, content to ignore him. 

Oscar felt about in his pocket, and found a dog biscuit. 

“What’s this, Comet?” Oscar asked her, trying to sound excited about the biscuit. “Come on. What is it?” 

Comet’s floppy ears perked up, but she didn’t move. 

“Come on, Comet. Look. Yummy biscuit. Mmm!” 

“Need a hand?” A soft voice behind Oscar asked. 

“Ouch!” Oscar whacked his head against the top of the concrete tunnel as the voice made him jump. He scrambled to his feet, brushing his knees down quickly, and turned towards the voice. 

“Are you alright?” 

Oscar nodded dumbly. 

A tall boy, a couple of years older than Oscar, was stood at the base of the slide, watching him with amusement. His green eyes, half-hidden by a shaggy fringe of thick black hair, were twinkling merrily. 

Oscar blushed under the boy’s deep scrutiny. 

The boy looked at him for a moment longer, before he knelt down in front of the tunnel and held his hand out towards Comet. 

“Come here, Comet.” He commanded firmly, clicking his fingers gently. 

Comet obediently trotted out to sniff his fingers. 

The boy picked her up, ruffling behind her ears, and held her out for Oscar to clip her lead back on. 

“Thanks,” said Oscar quietly. 

He gently tugged Comet’s ear, and put her back on the ground to sniff happily at his feet. 

“What’s your name?” The boy asked. 

Oscar looked back at him. 

“I’m Oscar,” he answered after a moment. 

The boy didn’t offer his own name in return. 

Oscar watched him for a moment, before he tugged Comet’s lead. 

“Come on, you. We’ve got to get home.” 

He hauled her away from the tunnel opening, said goodbye to the boy, and headed for the entrance to the park. 

As Oscar clambered over the stile, and pulled a reluctant Comet through the gap made for dogs, he noticed the boy was following him. 

Oscar waited for the boy to catch up. 

They walked down the path in silence, Comet gambolling happily around their feet, getting her lead tangled around their legs. 

Oscar walked with the boy until they reached the end of his road. 

As Oscar turned to say goodbye again, Comet chose that moment to lunge towards a cat sat on the wall across the road, washing itself. 

Oscar stumbled and fell into the boy, who caught him easily. Oscar held in his gasp of surprise at the boy’s strong grip. His broad chest and wide arms obviously housed strong, thick muscles. Oscar immediately felt embarrassed about his own skinny build. 

“Sorry,” Oscar mumbled, steadying himself and calling Comet to heel. 

It was only after he’d called Comet back, that Oscar realised the boy’s large hands were still gripping his upper arms. 

Oscar slowly lifted his gaze to the boy’s green eyes. His heart began to race when he saw the look of desire on the boy’s face. 

Before Oscar could draw away, the boy’s head swooped down and captured Oscar’s lips in a tender kiss. 

Oscar moaned in surprise, trying to draw back, but the boy’s hands came up to cup his face gently, keeping him still, his head tilted up towards the boy’s lips. 

The boy’s tongue slowly traced Oscar’s plump lips, lightly pressing against them, begging entrance. 

Oscar obediently parted his lips, not knowing what else to do. 

The boy’s tongue ghosted over Oscar’s open lips, eliciting a low moan from the younger boy, before gently pushing inside and running over Oscar’s teeth. The boy withdrew his tongue slowly, nipped Oscar’s bottom lip, before pulled away completely, releasing Oscar from his firm grip. 

Oscar stared up at the boy, completely stunned, aware that his cheeks were burning, before he turned, called Comet to heel again, and walked quickly home. 

As Oscar unlocked his front door, he glanced back to see the boy sat on a wall at the end of the road, his head bowed against the cold wind that was beginning to pick up. 

Oscar hesitated for a moment, before he heard his mother calling him from the kitchen, and hurried inside. 

 

The Christmas Party

 

“Could I have another coke, please?” Oscar handed the barman some coins, and waited patiently for his drink. 

He took the glass he was handed and headed back towards his table. 

Oscar fished out the slice of lemon from the glass and sucked it slowly, wincing at the sour flavour. He slowly peeled the bitter flesh from the lemon and chewed it, watching his mother and her boyfriend dancing amongst the other couples on the dance floor. 

Oscar hadn’t wanted to come to the Christmas party. He’d wanted to stay at home and watch re-runs of American crime shows on TV. 

His mother had insisted he come to allow him to ‘bond’ with her boyfriend, but so far he’d said three words to Eric. 

His mother had spent the rest of the time dancing with him, and Oscar had sat at their table eating canapés, drinking coke and feeling fat. 

Finally, close to eleven o’clock, Oscar’s mother came and sat back down at the table, fanning her flushed face. 

Eric had gone to fetch them drinks from the bar. 

“Can I go home yet, mum?” Oscar asked, draining his glass and looking at her hopefully. 

“Stay a little longer, darling. We’ll be leaving soon anyway.” His mother flattened his fringe affectionately, and accepted the drink Eric offered her. She drank half of it in one gulp and immediately pulled Eric back towards the dance floor. 

Oscar rolled his eyes and sighed. He stood up and wandered out of the event room where the party was being held, and walked down a long, oak-panelled corridor, looking for the bathrooms. 

He stopped beside a large window and looked out across the city. He saw the bright twinkling of the Christmas lights strung across the wider city streets, and the tall, sparkling Christmas trees on display in the park and outside the town hall. 

Oscar was about to turn from the window and resume his search for the bathroom, when the reflection of two green eyes in the window made him stop. 

Oscar stared at the eyes for a moment, wondering if he was imagining them, when the eyes moved. 

Oscar blinked in surprise, and turned to see the boy from the park stood just behind him. 

“Leaving already, gorgeous?” The boy asked, smirking at Oscar’s nervous look. 

“N-n-no,” Oscar stammered. 

He took a step back from the boy, feeling his heart begin to pound. He’d dreamt of his last encounter with the boy from the park practically every night since the incident, almost a month ago. 

The boy grinned and, before Oscar could move, he found himself pinned back against the window; the boy’s lips were pressed firmly against his again. 

Oscar whimpered softly, trying to push the boy back, but the boy weighed more than Oscar, and was almost a foot taller. 

The boy’s large hands slid up to cup Oscar’s face, tilting his head slightly to deepen the kiss. 

Oscar moaned when the boy’s tongue traced his lips slowly, gently worming inside Oscar’s mouth. 

Instead of the tender caresses the boy had used before, Oscar found his probing tongue rough and demanding. 

The boy’s fingers dragged slowly through Oscar’s hair, before grasping a handful and pulling Oscar’s head back sharply. The boy’s lips attacked Oscar’s neck, licking and nibbling roughly. 

Oscar moaned softly, his hands clenching at his sides. Oscar whimpered as the boy’s tongue rubbed slowly over his soft spot, just above his collarbone. 

The boy’s fingers slowly rubbed Oscar’s nipples through his shirt, smiling slightly when he heard Oscar’s moan of delight. 

“What’s your name?” Oscar whispered. 

The boy drew back. 

“That’s none of your business,” he answered just as quietly, before lowering his lips to Oscar’s neck again. 

“Don’t you think it kind of is?” Oscar murmured. 

He yelped when the boy wrapped his arms around Oscar’s waist and lifted him, stepping closer to the window so that Oscar’s body was squished firmly between the window and the taller boy’s body. 

The boy’s lips returned hungrily to Oscar’s. 

Oscar wrapped his arms around the boy’s neck, more for support than anything, but the boy seemed to take this as a sign that Oscar was enjoying himself, and deepened the kiss. 

The boy’s large hands slid slowly up Oscar’s back, feeling taut muscles. He adjusted his stance a little so that Oscar wasn’t strained so much, and smiled to himself at Oscar’s little whimper. 

Oscar was finally settling in to the sensations the boy was giving him, when the boy let him go suddenly and stepped back. 

“See you around, cutie.” 

Oscar stood for a second, stunned, before he yelled after the retreating boy, 

“Who the hell are you?” 

The boy just raised his hand in a wave, and disappeared through the double doors at the end of the corridor. 

By the time Oscar had regained his senses and run to the doors and peered out, the boy had disappeared out onto the street, and was lost in the darkness. 

Oscar growled to himself in frustration, determined not to let the boy catch him by surprise again. 

He debated about going to find the bathroom, as was his original intention upon leaving the event room, but decided to re-join the party and hold his bladder until he got home.