Osculum Obscenum - Obscene Kiss.

01.

The roller rink was empty once again. A normal Tuesday evening for this rink... I'd always loved the eerie silence of the building as I was left with my thoughts and the echo of my music. I tied the laces of my skates, glided over to the opening of the rink and opened up my playlist. My music sounded eerie and distorted in the stark silence of the room I was in. I began to skate around the rink, in a relaxed haze of my thoughts, washing away the pains of the day as I turned in circles in my head, embracing the music around me. 

As I came to a stop, I checked the clock on the wall behind me to see how long I had been skating. Only 2 hours... 6 pm and it's dead silent. Another hour passed and I hadn't realised that the fire door was now agape and the cold November air pouring in through it. Perhaps I had forgotten to shut it earlier after needing some air... I began to skate again, my favourite song drowsy and slow as I glided around the rink. That's when I knew I was no longer alone. "You go down just like Holy Mary" I heard a voice sing, not my own, nor the tinny sound of the speakers, but someone else.

"Your beauty never ever scared me"... the voice continued, almost forcing me to turn around to look behind me. A tall figure was now skating behind me, a sharp silver glint in his right hand, obscured by the trench coat around him. The music was even slower now, the sound of my heart the only thing crystal clear in my ears. Then he laughed. A lilted, melodic, pure laugh, its tone sinister and cruel yet so warm.

I watched him as I slipped, my world falling and collapsing beneath me as I hit the floor. The expression on his face went from blank and cold to shocked and pained, dropping the knife onto the smooth laminated floor. The sound of sharp metal hitting a cold, hard floor was blistering, the clashing scrape making me recoil, the sound of his skates stopping mere feet away from my legs. Then there was silence. Only the sound of our breathing filled the room.

"Not just another bloody Mary..." he mumbled, kneeling beside me and offering me his hand. "You're not going to kill me?" I whispered, my voice quiet and shaky. He shook his head, picking me up off the floor. I was scared... this man had not so long ago chased me with a knife yet offered to help me when I was vulnerable. "Why not?" I queried, leaning on him as we walked. I felt his muscles tense up as I asked him, flinching as he swung around to face me.

"I thought you'd be no different from the rest. I have killed many people here and all were the same... scared, needy and insecure. That's why I could kill them so easily, without hesitation... You, you were different. You felt bad for me. You weren't insecure... You're strong, that's why I knew I couldn't bring myself to kill you." He replied, holding my shoulders steady.

I felt tears dripping down my face as he looked me dead in the eyes, seeking to repent for what he had done. "I- I'm sorry. I don't want to put you through this... I should go-" I began. He interrupted me, "No. Please don't go-" I turned to face him, the blade in his hands again. A wave of fear spilt over me as he turned it in his fingers, testing its sharpness. "Do I scare you?" He asked me, my hands wringing over themselves as he played with the knife.

I didn't know how to respond. Of course, I was scared... I was also head over heels for him. He was fascinating and mysterious and so incredibly vulnerable. "Would you like me to tell you the truth?" I replied, sitting opposite him. He nodded, signalling me to reply. "Then yes. You do scare me slightly but I find it enticing that you haven't tried to kill me." I responded, sighing.

He just looked at me for a minute, his eyes washed with a cloudy haze of tears. "I want you to know that I haven't always been like this... I hate myself for what I've done to you and these people... I am hoping you'll forgive me." He whispered, crying.

What was I supposed to do? Here I am, in love with a man who just tried to kill me and now he's having a mental breakdown right in front of me. "Can you tell me your name?" I asked, realising we hadn't learnt each other's names. "Cosmo. Cos for short. What's yours?" He replied, looking up at me. "Zephyr. Zephyr Addams." I retorted, shuffling my feet a bit.

"Such a pretty name for such a pretty young lady." He chuckled, patting my knee. I laughed with him, my stress melting away bit by bit. "So Cos, you wanna get out of here? I asked, pointing to the door. He nodded as we gathered ourselves and headed off into the night. We walked in the cold evening breeze, embracing the surroundings in which we found ourselves.

Under the glow of the pale moonlight we sat, under a large willow tree, its branches swaying in the zephyr. We turned to face each other, the light casting dancing shadows on his face. He just looked heavenly. Not the shattered, destroyed man I had met before. "Is it bad that I want to kiss you right now?" He asked, laughing heartily. I chuckled, finding it rather amusing. "I thought you'd never ask," I replied, blushing.

His lips met mine in a cry of passion and fire, the warmth of his against mine set the fire in my heart ablaze, wanting him more with every passing second. "You're a good kisser." He chuckled, laying back on the lush green grass. "Not as good as you," I replied, winking. "Oh, you flatter me." He sighed, stargazing. I turned to him, watching as his eyes flickered amidst the twinkling stars. I sighed, wishing this night would last forever.

"I'm glad I didn't kill you..." He whispered, rolling over to face me. I was taken aback by his comment. "You- You what?" He smiled at me, playing with a strand of my hair. "I swear to God Zephyr... You're the best mistake I've ever made in this life..." He mumbled, kissing my hand.

"I'm glad Cos, I really, really am..." I replied, fiddling with his fingers. He laughed at me, revelling in my softness. Cosmo was broken. He'd lived his life doing what he had to do to obviously mask some pain from his younger days. He wasn't a bad man... He'd done awful, splintering things that warped and fragmented him yet was now in front of me as a warm, calm, normal person. A teenager really.

We sat there for a while, hugging and pointing at faint constellations that glinted in the night sky. "Why? Why am I different?" I asked, sitting up to look at him. Yet again he was shocked, obviously confused by my question. "You're not like the others... You're special- No... That sounds bad... I mean you awoke something in me that told me I was wrong. I realised killing people wasn't a great way to relieve pain. I realised I'm wrong, thank you for helping me." He replied, laughing slightly at his awkwardness.

I felt odd... here I was, having narrowly escaped a bloody death, lying next to the very man who had tried to kill me. Quite a surreal experience when I thought about it. "Zeph~, you're daydreaming again. Are you okay?" Cosmo whispered, grasping my hand. I nodded, brushing the dusty dirt off of my jeans. We stood up, hugging each other before heading our separate ways into the ever-diminishing night.

"Until we meet again my angel." These were the last words I heard from him until that fateful night 3 years later.