I Feel Your Voice [BOY x BOY]

Prologue

The sunlight streamed through the gaps between my fingers. 

Whenever I close my eyes and remember this moment, that is always the first thing that comes to mind. The way the sun plays hide and seek between my fingers, turning bits of it red. I liked that.

What else was there? Oh, yes. The salt in the air. I licked my lips as if I still stood on that boat surrounded by the ocean. The waves crashed against the boat's sides, contrasting with the engine roaring against the current. 

I peeked at the sun playing with me through the gaps between my fingers. It was a cloudless day, perfect for a boat ride.

I hear a laugh, and someone calling my name. I turned to the right and saw a woman sitting beside me, playing with my dark brown hair. My face reflected onto her black shades, her curly brown locks flying in the salty wind. 

She smiled at me as the macaroni-and-string necklace I made in school a month ago rested on her chest.

My mother.

"Don't stare at the sun like that, honey," she told me. Whenever I remember this moment, her voice seems to change. Sometimes, when I'm happy, her voice sounds louder, as if she were next to me. I can barely hear her over the loud waves when I'm sad.

I put down my hand and stared at her, smiling. I open my mouth to speak, but I hear another voice—a man. 

I turn to look forward, and a tall, sunkissed man stands at the front of the boat, handling the wheel. He also wears shades, his carefully cropped blond hair flying messily in the wind. His floral shirt is open, and his khaki pants are partly drenched in water.

My father.

"Are you having fun, Adam?" He calls out to me, looking at me over his shoulder. His voice was so warm and smooth, like hot chocolate in winter. All these years later, it still is so clear in my ears. 

The sky is so, so blue. There were no clouds, just us, the sea, and the sun. It felt like we owned the entirety of the ocean. Dad was Poseidon; Mom looked like a goddess in her orange and white swimsuit. They both smiled at me. I felt like I was the king of the world.

"Yes, papa," I replied to him loudly over the crashing sounds of the waves. I could see islands popping up on the horizon. It was the middle of the hottest summer of the year. A month ago, I graduated from kindergarten.

I looked down at my shirt. "Birthday Boy" was written on it in blue ink. I was finally six years old, and here I was, traveling the seas with my mom and dad. I couldn't be happier.

There was a special island out there, Papa said. It was full of tourists, but he and Mama worked hard to get us a place there for a night. We packed food, and Mama told me about the amazing fish swimming in the ocean. 

It's why I wasn't scared to stand on a boat in the middle of the sea. How could I? Mom and Papa were right next to me.

It was everything I needed.

"Honey, keep your eyes on the front!" Mom calls out to Papa, a slight tinge of worry in her voice but still happy. Her hand was still on my head, caressing it slowly. To this day, I can still feel her phantom fingers running through my hair, telling me that everything would be okay. 

"Don't worry," Papa says, looking back to the front. Even if I couldn't see him, I could tell he was smiling. Papa was always smiling, like Mama. People said we were the happiest family in the whole town, always smiling at everything.

"Adam, come to the front," Papa says. "I'll let you hold on to the wheel so you can be our driver."

Mom gives me a small push on my back. "Be careful, okay?"