he told me that he loved me by the water fountain

December, 1999 - The Fountain

There it was. The tall water fountain leaning over him like a shadow, threatening to collapse and spill all of the secrets it held from past lovers, families and stories.

Stephen didn't know how he had ended up at this part of town, but he was too tired contemplate his actions and simply continued walking towards it. He knew it well, even if he hadn't been there since he had his heart broken. It wasn't supposed to happen like that but Stephen had been foolish and hadn't been brave enough to tell someone the truth which was why he was sitting alone at an abandoned water fountain in the middle of the night in winter.

This fountain held a lot of secrets, a lot of memories for Stephen. Memories he had been trying to forget for years, people he had been trying to forget for years. But that's not how life works which was why, as soon as Stephen glanced at his reflection in the moonlit water, he turned away, afraid of the man he had become recently.

But, maybe, he needed to face up to the truth. And the only way to do that was to tell the truth.

His memories of the fountain could be traced back to 1989, when he was 12 years old.

December, 1989 - The Park

He had been walking home from school with a couple of his friends, all slightly older than him, drinking some cheap lemonade from the corner shop, when one of them, Declan, suggested they walk through the park. Everyone else had laughed at the idea and declined, keen to get home, walking past the old, rusted gates. Stephen hadn't though. He had followed Dec into the secluded area until they reached a new, marbled water fountain.

"Have you got a penny?" Stephen had asked, amused at the few coins that covered the bottom of the fountain. The older boy had rummaged through his pockets, a cheerful twinkle in his eye as he took out two pennies, handing one to Stephen as he put down his lemonade.
"Make a wish then," Dec insisted as he closed his own eyes, gently tossing the coin into the fountain, flinching slightly at the quiet sound of the metal hitting the water. Stephen thought for a while, not wanting to waste his single wish on something mundane. So he copied the shorter boy's actions and closed his eyes, lightly throwing it into the water.

They sat down on a bench near it, Dec shivering more so than Stephen due to the lack of a warm, thick coat so Stephen had wrapped an arm around the other boy's shoulder, gently tying his scarf around his neck.

"Stevie, can I tell you a secret?" Dec had whispered, the soft sound of his voice being carried into the crisp, winter air. The younger boy had paused, not knowing where this conversation could lead so he answered with trepidation.
"Yeah, whatever you want to say," He knew Dec could sense his hesitation as he leaned in closer to the taller boy's chest.
"Just, please don't hate me," Dec murmured, not daring to glance at the other boy. "I don't want this to change us."
"You're fine, Decky, whatever it is, it's not a problem, I promise," Stephen had replied without a second thought. After all, why would anything change them?
"I really, really like you, Stevie," Dec began to explain. "As in, I really really like you."
"Oh," Stephen struggled to find a response. He hadn't expected the older boy to say that. He didn't move though, he allowed the shorter boy to continue.
"I- I know you don't feel the same, but I," Dec's voice trembled as Stephen ran a comforting hand down his spine. "I think I might be in love with you."

December, 1999 - The Fountain

Stephen allowed himself to smile slightly as he thought back to that time. It was such an innocent proclamation but it had meant to much to him then. Even if he hadn't shown it. He sighed and looked down at his watch which read 10:15. His thoughts drifted over to Dec and knew he wouldn't be drinking that lemonade anymore, no, he would have mixture of drinks in his cup as he drank whatever was in front of him. He had started doing that recently, some of his friends from school used to update him on Dec. That was why he knew about Ant. And that was why he knew that Ant would be mixing those drinks for Dec.