Shooting Clouds

Chapter 23 (Aiden)

I was nervous about Lance talking to Connor, even though he tried to assure me everything would be okay. That feeling wasn't as bad as it is now. He's been gone for awhile. I'm not sure how long his practice was going to be, so maybe his coach held them a little longer? If the conversation with Connor went well, it wouldn't be taking this long, right? 

I sit on the park bench, racking my brain and wringing my hands, waiting. The sun's slowly fading behind the trees that decorate this place. I feel a slight chill and tug my jacket closer to my body. The time creeps by as I kill my phone battery playing stupid games. People pass by, some getting an exercise for themselves, others for their furry companions. A man hold his arm up and waves in my direction. Alarms blare in my head but slowly retreat as the man becomes clearer, it's Peter.

"Hey Aiden," he says in between pants, clearly a bit winded. "whatcha doing out here?"

He bends slightly in front of me, making me a feel a bit less nervous as he practically towered over my sitting figure.

"I'm just waiting for someone." I reply.

He looks around, then focuses back on me, perplexed. "Uhhhhh, I hate to be the one to tell you but I don't think they're coming."

 "He had some stuff to take care of", I check my watch, "I'm sure he'll be done soon."

Peter takes a seat next to me and searches through his bag as he continues the conversation.

"It's a bit cold, yeah? I'm about done with my run, I can give you ride if you want?"

"It's fine." I say, avoiding eye contact. "Thanks, though."

He pulls out a water bottle and chugs it till its empty, "Did you give him a call? Is he on his way? I don't feel too comfortable leaving you here by yourself."

I hold up my phone, "Dead. But he's not the type to just ditch someone."

"You can use mine, it's back at my car if you don't mind a little walk." he sees the apprehension on my face and holds his hands up. "Hey, c'mon, I'm not a bad guy. Just tryna help a friend."

I know he isn't a bad guy. He's only ever been nice to me, the few times we've ran into each other. But Lance didn't want me going anywhere. But I don't know where Lance is.

"He didn't really want me going anywhere."

"Well tough shit. He should've have left you here in the first place." Peter rises from the bench and begins walking, I'm assuming, in the direction of his car. He turns around and gestures for me to follow him. Seeing how the street is still empty and the sun's fading fast I decide to follow him. 

As we walk through the park, Peter asks, "So, who is he to you? The guy you're waiting for I mean."

I hesitate to answer, not sure how he would take me having a boyfriend. Not sure how he would take me being gay. 

"He must be special if you're willing to wait out here for him." he pauses for a moment. "How long have you been out here?"

"Just a few hours. But-" 

"A few hours! Jesus!" He exclaims as he stopped for a moment. He shakes his head and we continue walking. "Seriously? I mean...that's just insane. I would never."

I walk in silence, unsure of how to respond. Peter takes note of my silence and tries to revive the conversation.

"Sorry," he says rubbing his neck, "it just seems pretty shitty to leave a guy in the park for hours, and then tell him not to go anywhere. Asshole."

"Don't call him that." I say a little too quickly. He looks at me, confused momentarily.

He chuckles a little under his breath. "I might be pushing it but, is that guy your boyfriend by any chance?"

This time I'm the one to stop. I stare at him, then down at my feet.

"So he is. Dammit." I feel his arm sling around my shoulders as he pulls me into his side. I stumble slightly as he continues forward, forcing me along with him. "Don't worry about it. Don't know why you didn't just say that in the first place. Wouldn't have got my hopes up."

My eyes shoot up to him but his remain firmly ahead. I try to pull away from him but he holds me beside him. 

"Let's not act like you weren't shivering earlier. I'm just trying to keep you from getting sick." Now his eyes look down at mine. He says with a smile, "As a friend."

We walk like this, quiet now. The moon's out, lighting our way, along with the street lights. I see a car up ahead. We make our way toward it but I notice it looks a lot like Lance's. No, it's exactly like his, just blue. My foot catches a crack in the sidewalk, my body flings forward. I gasp as I brace for the impact with the concrete. Peter's arm wraps around my middle and I feel us fall to the side where the grass catches us. My eyes are shut tight, prepared for the hard fall but the grass softens the blow which would have been much worse on the concrete. I lay there, flat on my back, my eyes blink open to see Peter hovering above me. His hand sits behind my head. His face only inches from mine. He bows his lips to my ear.

"Y'know, if you were available, this would be a pretty romantic moment." he whispers. He pulls his head back to look me in the eyes, still a bit too close. "Perfect," he says, moving closer, eyes now on my lips "for a kiss." His lips touch mine and I freeze. My mind goes completely blank. Before I have time to react I hear someone call my name then push Peter to the ground. It's Lance! He punches into Peter's arms as Peter tries to defend his face. 

"Shit dude, get off!" Peter yells, but to no avail. 

Peter knees Lance in the stomach and swiftly moves to the more dominant position. I yell at them to stop but I might as well have said nothing. Peter revs back to punch Lance but stops suddenly. They both look at each other wide-eyed. I get up and run to them, pulling Peter off Lance as they both still look at each other, stunned. Peter has a split lip, Lance seems fine. Peter extends his arm to Lance but Lance knocks it away, getting up on his own. 

"What the hell are you doing with my boyfriend Peter" Lance says, voice laced with anger.

"Didn't know he was your  boyfriend. Obviously, I wouldn't have bothered if I knew. I thought you had a girlfriend. The fuck happened to her?" Peter wipes the blood from his lip.

"I broke it off. Obviously." Lance walks up to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You okay?" he asks, sincerely concerned.

"I'm fine," I reply, "just a little confused. How do you guys know each other?" I look between Lance and Peter, waiting for an answer.

"He's my brother." They say in unison.