Second Chances [BxB]

thirty four

As Evan pushed through the tall wooden doors, and stepped into the Italian Manor House, a rush of memories swept over him. He remembered running through the foyer with his cousins, bruising his knee on the cold tiled floors, and asking his Mother to kiss it better. He remembered ice cream, and pizza ovens, and his first ever sip of red wine. He remembered the smell of chlorine, and the sound of birds, and the feeling of grass between his toes.

He recalled the sweetness of childhood on his tongue, and realised bitterly that he had forgotten what it tasted like.

He hadn't been back to Italy in years.

So much had changed since the last time he was here. He had grown up, and fallen apart, and grown up some more. His eyes weren't so bright. His laugh wasn't so loud. His skin bore scars that stung and burnt and ached.

He used to dream of the future, and now he only dreamt of the past.

"Evan." Declan murmured into his ear, "You alright?"

Evan turned to face his best friend, and offered him a smile, "Yeah." He replied lightly, "C'mon, I'll show you guys around."

As Evan showed his friends around the manor, he had to swallow down the bittersweet memories that threatened to choke him. The kitchen was where he lost his first tooth. The living room was where his cousins taught him his very first swear word. The bathroom was where he had first cut his own hair, using a pair of rusty old scissors he had found in the bottom drawer.

Despite all the history that seeped out through the cracks in the walls, the manor itself was unchanged - it was as beautiful as it had always been. It sat at the foot of a mountain, and overlooked sprawling fields of orchards. The bedrooms had pastel coloured wallpaper, and soft patterned rugs. The windows were big, bordered by blue shutters, and overgrown ivy. The swimming pool was basking in the afternoon heat, bordered by apple trees, and shimmering under the golden sun. Everything was just as Evan had left it.

"You came here every summer? Really?" Harvey asked, pushing his sunglasses onto his head as he turned to meet Evan's gaze. They were sat at the edge of the pool, their feet dipped into the cool water. Declan and Sebastian had disappeared soon after Evan had shown them to their room, and neither Evan nor Harvey were keen to investigate why.

"Every summer." Evan nodded, kicking the water absentmindedly, and gazing off into the distance, where the orchards stretched out for miles before him. "I haven't been back for a few years though."

"Why not?"

"I stopped getting invited." He admitted.

Harvey's brows twitched into a frown, "By your uncle?"

"My aunt." He replied, "When I came out, she pretty much cut off all contact - my cousins, too." He watched the leaves above him sway in the light breeze, and for a second, he thought he could see three little kids running between the trees, throwing apples at each other, and accumulating bruises they would later be scolded for. He blinked, and the kids disappeared again.

"Shit." Harvey breathed out, "I'm sorry. That's...That's really messed up."

"I kept in contact with my uncle." Evan said, "We still speak on the phone occasionally, and he always sends me really expensive birthday presents every year." He explained, "He told me that I was still welcome to use the house, so..."

"Well, it's a fucking gorgeous house." Harvey huffed out an incredulous laugh, "Shame your aunt's such a bitch."

Evan laughed, unable to stop himself, "Yeah, real shame." He turned to face Harvey, who was staring right at him, "Y'know, you're the first straight friend I've had in a really long time."