The Boys of Summer

14.

"Charles there you are! Ive been looking all over for you." Scott said convivialy. He sat beside me, sprawling both his legs out on the grass like mine. "Uncle Logan's taking all of us to the summer fair downtown. He was hoping that we would go earlier so we wouldn't get caught up in the lines..."

Scott then kept on saying something about a party but my mind was still adrift in the clouds. The lingering taste of Erik's lips haunted me like the way he left me hanging. I was immersed in ambivalent thoughts conflicting inside me. It was all too much for me to register and process even after four hours later.

"...Charles are you even listening to me?" Scott waved his hand across my face. "Hey man do you want to come or not? Raven, Hank, Jean, and I are going." He started to nudge me but I couldnt say a word.

Finally, Scott gave up and stood up. "Ill take that as a no. Let me know if you change your mind in four minutes or you'll miss your chance." And then he marched off back inside the house.
Left alone to my own devices, I decided to clear my head completely by taking a long bath in the bathtub. Yeah, a good cold dip would be nice.

I marched backed into the house and hurried upstairs to avoid anyone else who were present doing their own things. Entering my room was like a whole other world to me as I stepped inside. I noticed that I had forgotten to shut the sliding glads doors to the balcony.

"Blasted thing." I said to myself when the door wouldnt budge. Frowning, I pulled it with much more force but nothing worked. Frustrated, I decided to go to my bathroom and really take a good long dip.

I stripped my clothes off and pilled them onto the counter before stepping and sitting onto the cold bare ceramic. Realistically, you would think a quick dip would relieve everything straight away. Well, not on my watch since Im very particulate about being organized.

And by organized I mean unecessary rituals that include amounts of expensive Japanese scented candles, some Bryan Ferry music, and a stack of Moby Dick beside me. Basically they all screamed gay but at the same time an intellect which both were true.

I opened the taps and out came the stream of cool water that felt intoxicating throughout my entire body. Reeling to the side, I pushed a casette tape into the boombox and played the music. Lastly, I lit up four candles and placed them around me to balance the scents.

With a smile, I laid back and rested my head on  the headrest of the tub. Watching the water flowing and filling the tub was satisfying to watch; like a small waterfall in a quiet forest.

When the water finally reached its limit, I shut the tap and played a bit with the water. I drew small imaginary circles on the top and pretended that there was a tsunami by thrashinf the water forward. It was childish I know, but it was fun to be one sometimes.

After a while, the glorious scent of the candles really started to relax me. Inhaling the aroma of honey and cocoa was a savoury for me. When I laid back again, I listened to the flow of jazzy summertime music blaring melodiously from the speakers. I have never felt such bliss since three years ago before I became a teacher after being fired by that blasted Sebastian Shit Shaw.

Prolonged in the tub, I started to feel hazy and droswy. My eyesight started to blur as my head drooped. My body felt light and my consiousness drifted away like a candle in the wind.

In a matter of seconds, I felt my head hurt and my body succumb to the aroma. Just as when my eyes half shut, I could make out a shadowy figure hovering above me was I slid further down into the water.

"Wha... what..." Was all I managed to whisper out before being completely submurged under the water and blacking out.