Crush

Moment

Asher

Golden hair falling across his forehead while his sky blue eyes trained on the words on the page. I watched as Oliver nibbled on the tip of a pencil while he concentrated on the book in front of him.

The more I looked at him, the more I realised just how much I liked him, how much I enjoyed being around him, how being near him was just .... Calming. Like he calmed my nerves. I'd first noticed that when I took him to my house for the first time over the summer. It was almost as if he'd given me the courage to look my dad in the eyes without shaking, without dread, without anxiety.

I was certain that it was more than just a crush now.

I liked the way Oliver talked animatedly about basketball, his hands going along with what he was saying, the way he joked around with his friends, and the way he was so focused on the court. Almost as if the ball was all he could see. I loved how he was close with his father and his brother. He was popular and well-liked by just about everyone.

He was obsessed with his hair. Totally and utterly obsessed. I'd love the chance to run my fingers through that hair one day. Find out if it was as soft as it looked.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention and I shook my head as I looked up towards the door of the dining room that led out to the hallway.

Stephen came strolling in, tray in his hands.

"Thought you guys could do with something to eat." He placed the tray on the table in front of us. Sandwiches, chips and soda.

I grinned at him. "Thank you, Mr Pierce."

He just waved his hand at me with a grin. "It's not much, but I kind of thought you two would need feeding at some point."

Oliver looked up at his dad. "Thanks, Dad." He then looked his father up and down, and took in what he was wearing. Smart shirt with jeans. It was the smartest I had seen this guy look. "Going somewhere?" He raised an eyebrow, teasing.

His father coughed, averting his eyes. "Uh, I was going to go out."

"I can see that. Where are you going? Who are you going with?" I could hear the amusement in Oliver's voice.

Stephen raised an eyebrow of his own and pushed his glasses up his nose. "If you must know, I'm meeting with some of the guys from the office. They asked me to check out that new Italian place in town."

Oliver cocked his head. "Your office is here. In the house."

His dad rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Guys from work."

"Which guys?"

I could tell Oliver was joking around with his dad, asking him the kind of questions that his dad would ask him if it was him going out. It was like the roles were reversed.

"You want all their names?"

"If it comes to it."

"Want their social security details, too?"

"Well, you'd ask me the same thing."

I couldn't help but smile at them both as they went back and forth, joking along and laughing together. I wish I could do that with my own father.

Laugh.

Joke.

Anything fun.

In fact, I couldn't honestly say I remembered the last fun thing I did with my dad.

Have we ever done anything fun?

Have we ever joked around?

Have we ever just talked? With no agenda? Just talked like two guys.