say my name

chapter 3 - erin knows all

- flashback continued -

Sherwin's POV

A crush.

Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum.

The realization had hit him like a truck. With just a casual glance, Sherwin had fallen head over heels for a boy. An ocean-eyed, dream boy.

The flustered ginger sat on his soggy bench, eyes the size of the moon, as he watched the wonder boy emerge from the dugout. He shook the hands of the opposing teammates graciously, smiling lightly as he went.

Sherwin felt as if his soul had torn away from his vessel, and had drifted up into the rosy clouds above him.

"Sher!"

His mother shook his shoulder gently from his dreamlike state.

Sherwin watched his... crush... disappear from sight, due to the shapes and outlines of people hovering around him. Stars began to burst in his vision, as reality repeatedly was smacking him in the face.

All at once, Sherwin realized that he was surrounded by families, as they bumped into him carelessly, chatting away in excitement.

The ginger stood shakily, looked to his left, and found that his parents had already made their way back down the stands to greet his brother Erin, without him.

A rising bubble of panic began to expand in his chest, as he struggled to press against the crowd of fans all around the stands. His light pink converse were trampled on repeatedly, as he tried to escape the massive swarm of families engulfing him.

For a few horrible minutes, Sherwin's dazed mind was almost positive that he had dreamed about the blue-eyed boy. Riddled with questions, Sherwin tried to make sense of what had just happened to him.

One thing was clear: he had fallen for someone whom he'd never spoken to, whether it be a dream or not. His heart thrashed violently in his chest, as Sherwin struggled to decide what to feel.

Thankfully, the dirt path leading to parking lot came into view underneath him. In the distance, he could see his mom and dad, hugging Erin from both sides in a grassy area nearby.

Rolling his eyes, Sherwin noodled his way in between groups of people, still shivering from the adrenaline that pulsed within him.

Erin, towering above the crowd of humans, caught Sherwin's gaze immediately, grinning from ear to ear. His teeth glimmered brightly in the light of the setting sun as he pulled away from the arms their parents.

Everything about Sherwin's brother seemed to glitter with perfection. From his shiny hair to his muscular body, Erin was the 'whole package', as some say.

Sherwin almost hated him for it, but he loved his brother dearly, no matter how perfectly annoying he was just by existing.

Several times in his early life, Erin helped Sherwin deal with bullies who made fun of his spotty freckles, flaming hair, and small frame. He may very well be considered as the perfect brother, but he was also the most protective and caring individual Sherwin had ever met.

Although Erin was indeed these things, he still didn't know Sherwin's gay little secret.

Or, so Sherwin thought.

"Brooooo," Erin bellowed, as he grabbed Sherwin's shoulder and shook it vigorously, "glad you could come to the game; what did you think?"

Suddenly, his expression darkened in seriousness, eyebrows raised. Erin was well known to have fluctuating mood swings.