Benches | Mashton AU |

Prolouge

I hobble along slowly, the setting sun casting a pink glow over the park. My old, wrinkled face breaks into the smile that never fails once I sight the familiar spot.

I lower myself slowly onto the bench, and I swear I can hear my bones creaking, a soft, 'ugh' escaoping my lips. I lean my walking stick against the edge of the bench. I sigh slightly, leaning my head back a little, smiling sadly.

My memory may be fading, but I still see him clearly.  I think about him everyday, and I will die with him on my mind. I can remember everything about him, his bright hair, his eyebrow piercing, his lips.

But most of all, I remember how we met on a park bench

 August 12th 2014

54 years and 256 days ago

11 years and 156 days before

 I'm sitting in the sun, my curly hair falling in my eyes slightly. I push my glasses further up my nose as I read the dog-eared paperback in my hands, delving further into the story. I'm so immersed in the book that it takes me a while to realise that there's someone standing right in front of me, and even then I only notice because they clear their throat.

 I look up, and take in the boy in front of me. Not checking him out, not exactly, but just.... admiring. I admire his green eyes, his pale skin and contrasting deep purple hair. I admire thebody hidden beneath his plaid shirt, and his great legs, which look amazing in his ultra-tight skinny jeans. He quirks an eyebrow up and suddenly I'm noticing his eyebrow piercing and how good it looks on him.

 "Can I sit there?" He asks, a smirk playing on his lips. I nod, embarrassed as I move my bag, making room for him to sit down. He takes the seat, a content sigh leaving him. He sits back, interlocking his hands behind his head as he leans back. I keep watching him, although he's not doing anything particularly interesting, behind my book.

He turns his head suddenly in my direction, and I stick my nose back in the paperback, a blush coating my cheeks. He smirks smugly, seeming to grow even more confident after catching me looking. But after a few mnutes, the hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I can feel someone watching me. I glance over, and sure enough, the leather- jacket clad boy is looking me up and down.

He glances down, his cheeks reddening. I smile to myself as I return to my book, still watching him from the corner of my eye. I couldn't take my eyes off him, he seemed so punk and cool, but his cheeks were flushed an adorable pink colour, he had tiny hands and a cute little nose just waiting to be booped. It was all I could do to stop myself leaning over and pinching his cheek.

Even at 19 I acted like an old man.

We sat in silence for a while, stealing glances at each other. He sighed, heavily, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. He took a few drags, before offering me one wordlessly. I took it, giving him a small smile and a nod, as if to say thank you.

We smoked together for a few minutes, until he got up, dropping the butt on the ground and extinguishing it under his foot. He put his hands in his pockets, sparing me one last glance. I nodded at him, and he nodded back before walking away. I extinguished the cigarette under my foot, but stayed sitting on the bench, smilinng contently.

I got up as the sun went down, casting a red light over the park. I skipped a little as I walked away from the bench, where the smell of smoke still lingered.

I stayed on the bench until long after the sun left, being replaced by the moon and the barely visible stars. I reminisced until I heard a voice calling, "Dad! Dad!" I turned to see a very distressed middle aged woman running around, two children trailing behind her.

Her face flooded with relief when she saw me, although I couldn't see why. She rushed towards me saying, "Come on, we have to go home,"

"Do you know where I live?" I asked curiously, looking at her. Her eyes were glazed with tears that hadn't fallen, and she presssed her lips together as she nodded. I thought for a while, "Good, because I seem to have forgotten,"

She nodded again, biting her lip, as she reached out a hand to help me up. I took it,standing up and straightening my back. I glanced down at the bench, giving it a pat as if it were an old friend. Which, in a way I suppose it was.

The streetlights cast an odd white glow over the  park. I shuffled a little as I walked away from the bench, the memory of the boy with bright hair still lingering.

[A/N]: Heyyyy. So um, I hope you enjoyed that! I enjoyed writing it anyway, so hopefully that's a good sign.  Please vote and comment, the next update will be soon, although updates are random.

-Cece 🍃