Ben's POV
My body sunk into the rubbery material of the trampoline. The sky was red; purples and navies splattered across it like silhouettes running upon a bloodstained canvas. Any recollection of liveliness was pushed back behind the barriers of the house party, as the world around me fell into a deep slumber. With my index and middle finger, I traced small circles on the side of my waist, lulling me into such a calming state. Air brushed its way pass my lips as it ran through my lungs, my chest rising and falling as I breathed. My heart sounded like a beat of a drum, pounding through my ears as if it were an open fire. I could not move if I had tried. I was finally calm, finally content.
Sudden pressure on the trampoline caused me to jump back ten feet in the air, scrambling backwards to the far side of the jumpy structure. A low, breathless chuckle released itself into the awkward silence as I looked up to see a rather tall man sitting cross-legged on the other side of the trampoline. Just by first glance I could tell he was tall by how long his body looked and how crooked he sat in his position. His piercingly bright grey eyes shone in the twilit light, and a soft grin tugged its way at the corners of this mouth. It was that grin that made me realize it was—
“You,” I spat.
“Me,” he cocked his head, the word coming out like a question instead of a statement.
“Yeah, you. You’re the ass from the party,” I hissed, remembering the way he looked at me…the way he licked his lips at my appearance.
He looked at me quizzically, “I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand.” He looked and sounded honest, but I didn’t believe him. His hair was disheveled, pushed up in the front like he had ran his fingers through it many of times. I could just imagine beads of sweat running down his temple as he—
Stop it, Ben. Relationships are shit, they never work out, and sex is just there to fill the empty void…remember that.
“You look like you could use a drink,” he says suddenly.
I scoff. “I’m sorry, but that line doesn’t work on me,” I say, chuckling. I didn’t really think through what I had said before the realization of him not being gay popped up into my mind. Wonderful, Ben, just give your self away. But he just grinned at me, soft and sweet.
“I wasn’t trying to use it as a pick up line,” his smile grows, “I was being serious. You look like a frightened cat being shoved in ice water.”
I don’t say anything for a moment, trying to prevent the smirk that decided to emerge onto my lips. “Gee,” I say, sarcasm thick in my voice, “Thanks.”
“So…” he says, pulling a bottle of Jack out from behind him. “Do you want?”
“I don’t really drink,” I say cautiously. Especially with a stranger – an extremely attractive stranger. He looks slightly disappointed, a look of vulnerability quickly flashing through his eyes and almost immediately, I say, “Give me that,” and grab the bottle and take a swig. I can hear him chuckling and I can see him grinning out of the corner of my eye. He looked so comfortable as he sat against the net of the trampoline, just watching me with some sort of twinkle in his eye. It felt weird, to have someone look at me like that…especially after everything that happened with Quinn.
“What?” I mumbled, passing the bottle back to him.
He seemed confused by my random question, and I wanted to groan out loud when he tilted his head. It made him look so… inviting.
“Why are you staring at me?” I hissed, crossing my arms and trying not to shiver from the sudden cold.
“You just…” he started, fiddling with his fingers, “You just look so…different. You seem so hurt, so careful – cautious. I just want to know why.” His eyes stared straight into mine, and for a moment I felt a tug at my heart. Then, quickly coming back to my senses, I scoffed.
“You don’t know me, man. So do me a favor and don’t go making any assumptions.”
“What if I said I wanted to know you?”
“Then I’d say, you’re drunk,” I chuckled breathlessly, a sudden wave of dizziness crashing over me.
“No, I’m not.” His eyes gazed over me, and the empty bottle of Jack sitting in my hands. “But you are.” And just like that, the hunter closed in on its prey.
I know you guys must hate me for this being so short, but I really felt bad that I haven't uploaded in forever... I'm really sorry, and I promise the next one will be so much more eventful ;)
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A Twilit Night on the Trampoline (a boyxboy romantic comedy)
Romance(This is a boyxboy romantic comedy that is a SHORT STORY) Acoustic guitars. Ukeleles. Body art. Those were the three main things that really mattered the most in Ben Slater's life. He was an only child, born and raised by his mother's best friend;...
