Something About Him

Blue

--Oliver--

Wow... That smile is beautiful. He should do that more.

His house was small and cozy and had flower boxes on the front windows, making it look a bit like a doll house. I wondered if the people there were like dolls too. Not in the fake, plastic, way but in the beautiful, perfect way. Of course no one is perfect.
Arthur seems very close it, though.
Every moment I spent with him I enjoyed.
Don't let him go.
"Does this mean that we're friends now, Arthur?" I asked, staring at his home. He jumped as he let his seatbelt go. "Uh..."
"If not I understand," I added, hoping not to scare him away. "It's perfectly alright," I tried very much not to sound too sad about the idea of him not being my friend.
"Well... Yes. It does. I'm your friend," He finally said. "If you want me to be, that is,"
I looked at him for a moment, studying him. "Always thinking before you speak Arthur. You should break that habit," I said before pulling him into a tight hug.
I breathed him in, enjoying his smell. It was of black tea and ink and something else so very Arthur and I loved it. "Don't think sometimes. When you do that too much you forget to live because you're so worried about the why and the how that you ignore what's in your heart," I let him out of the hug and then stepped out of the car, closing the door behind me.
When he got out, I could tell his face was bright red, and he struggled to hide it from me. "W-well I'll try to um... Take your advice. I'll think about it," He finally said, struggling with his bag.
At the front door, I waited with my hands behind my back and fiddled with my shirt sleeves. I heard the doorknob click but before he opened it, he glanced back at me.
"I should tell you... I have four brothers,"
My eyes widened. "Four?"
He nodded. "Yes and they are huge idiots and I'm sorry if they say anything stupid to you. I don't really have people over so I just don't want you think that they're always so... Wild," He said.
I smiled at the thought of siblings. "I don't have any brothers or sisters so I wouldn't know. I'm actually excited,"
Arthur sighed heavily. "There's also a sheep,"
"A sheep." I said. Just as I had said that, there came the unmistakeable bleating of a sheep from inside. I laughed at the sound, where as Arthur blushed. "Well come on, you've got me all excited now," I urged him to open the door.
He shook his head and then opened the door. His living room was a deep mahogany wood with red walls and leather couches. There was a fire place to one side with pictures dotting the mantle. Stairs led up to another floor on the opposite side of the wide room and there was a door to what I had guessed was a kitchen directly across from us.
"Hey Artie, welcome home short shot," Said a voice from one of the couches. Arthur groaned.
"Allistor how many times have I told you not to call me that!"
"What, short shot or Artie?" The figure who was speaking finally turned around on the couch and stepped over it, walking to us. He was very tall with a handsome face and red hair, and his eyes held mischief. I decided I liked him immediately.
"Whoa hey, who's pinky over here?" He asked, gesturing to me. "Didn't know Artie had friends,"
"His name is Oliver and he's hear to work on a project with me-"
"Oi! Alligator! You seen where mum put the scotch I want to hand it from Patty-" Another voice erupted from the kitchen, before being followed out by another boy, this one with darker hair and was shorter than Allistor.
Allistor waved him over to us. "Aye Welsh, Looky what Artie brought home," He said, pointing to me.
The other boy wandered over. "Well hello there, Pinky," He said. taking my hand, He shook it vigorously before dropping it.
"I told you two to stop calling me Artie. And his name is Oliver," Arthur said.
"No it's okay," I said, enjoying so many people. "Pinky is kind of cute," I looked at Arthur, who looked as though I'd just given ammunition to the enemy.
"Aww see, look Artie, even your friends are nicer to us then you are," Allistor said, leaning an arm on The shorter one.
"That's because Oliver isn't a bloody tw-"
"AAARTIEEEEEE," The squealing voice of a young child proceeded him as he burst into the room, following a sheep that he seemed to be chasing. "I HEARD YOU HAD A PERSON OVER I DIDNT KNOW YOU COULD MAKE FRIENDS. THOUGHT YOU WERE TOO MUCH OF A GIT," He screamed over the bleating of the sheep. I snorted, trying not to laugh at the little boy or Arthur, who was fuming red. Allistor ran back and grabbed the sheep, sending it outside into the backyard, much to its protesting.
"Anyway Hi I'm Peter," The little boy said as he walked over. "Nice to meet you."
I smiled and then patted his head. "Hello Peter, I'm Oliver,"
He saluted me. "Well, Oliver I must be off, got some planning to do for a major exhibition," He said before marching off.
I raised and eyebrow at Arthur.
"He seems to think he's the captain of some great exploration team that discovers uncharted islands," He explained.
"That's amazing," I said. "What an imagination,"
Allistor and The shorter boy laughed and Arthur shook his head again.
"Well you call it imagination we just call him a little shit," Allistor said. I winced at the cuss. "I'll be off then, I'll leave you two to doing... Whatever it is you were planning to do," He finished before gesturing to the dark haired boy who followed him upstairs.
Arthur looked at me. "I'm so sorry," he said
I laughed. "No don't apologize they seem very fun,"
"Fun? Maybe to you but perhaps if you spent more than ten minutes with them you'd understand why I don't bring people over much,"
I shrugged. "I like them. I don't have siblings and my house is always quiet, so this is quite nice. I like the sound. Makes it so that you can tell people are actually living here,"
Arthur looked at me quizzically before leading me upstairs. "We can work in my room, I don't want any of them walking in on us and saying something stupid," He finally said. He led me through a tight hallway with many doors on each side. When we reached the last one on the right, he opened it.
Arthur's bedroom was painted a deep red and the bedsheets and comforter were a navy blue. The floors were some sort of dark hardwood and the only light was from a lamp on the bedside table, and an open widow. There was a desk and a bookshelf on one wall, both of which were piled with books and papers, but stacked neatly of course. There was no tV or video games, but the place was neat and tidy and had a very warm air to it.
"This is definitely your room Arthur," I said. "It looks like you,"
Arthur tossed his bag on his bed before gesturing for me to sit down. "Well I would hope it does," he said.
Arthur leaned his back against the head board of the bed, adjusting pillows underneath him. I sat across from him, folding my legs under me and putting my bag on the floor. He pulled out the notes we were working on earlier and started blabbing away about it. I couldnt pay attention though. My eyes were stuck on him and he clouded my ability to think.
Against the blue of his bed, Arthur seemed to pop. His skin looked like porcelain and his hair was like solid sunshine, and his eyes...
His eyes were even brighter. They sparkled like some sort of diamond or other precious stone. I hadn't even noticed that he had stopped talking until he grabbed my knee and shook it.
"-liver! Oliver! Hey! You okay there?" He said.
I shook my head, pulling myself out of my trance. "Yes I'm fine, sorry I was just... Lost in thought I guess,"
He nodded slowly and then put the essay down, which I noticed he had written half of already. "What were you thinking about?"
"You," I said plainly.
He whipped his head back to me. "W-what?" A light blush came across his face.
"I was thinking about how you looked against this blue blanket on your bed. Your skin looks soft and your hair shines and your eyes sparkle and pop like some sort of crystal," I said. "You look beautiful,"
He blushed so darkly, even the tips of his ears went red. He looked at me wide-eyed and...
Is he scared? Am I scaring him? I just didn't want to lie to him about what I was thinking I didn't mean to scare him.
"I-I'm sorry that was probably strange of me to say, I didn't mean to say something so stupid I'm sorry I-"
He shushed me with his hand.
"No n-no it's okay I just... I'm not used to compliments like that I-" He stopped himself. "Thank you,"
Now it was my turn to blush. "Your welcome, Arthur," I said. "You should wear blue sometimes. You would look excellent in it," I said.
He nodded. "I suppose I'll have to now," He chuckled. Then he looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows, staring at me.
"What?" I asked. "Why are you staring?"
"You've got a purple stripe on your forehead," He held back a smile.
"Must be from my pastels," I said, looking at my still pink and purple hands. "Do you think I could-" I was left silent when Arthur took his hand and held my face close to his. He pulled me to him and I looked down instantly. He was so close that I could feel his breath on my cheek and smell the tea on him. I held my breath.
He took his thumb and slid it across my forehead a few times, wiping off the color that was there. Then he looked at me, still holding my face. "There. I got it-" he paused when he realized how close we were. He looked into my eyes and I prayed he couldn't tell I was shaking. His hands were warm on my cheeks and his eyes burned a hole into mine. My heart was beating like a hummingbird and I couldn't think straight. There he was, in front of me, so close I could feel his breathing and the heat from his face. We sat in that position for several moments and neither of us moved.
He dropped his hands and got up quickly, stumbling as he did. "B-bathroom," he squeaked out before running out of the door. Actually running. When he left I let out the air I was holding in, and put a hand on my chest in an effort to calm my rapid heart. My chest was in knots and there were butterflies flying wildly in my stomach, making my head feel light.
Did that just really happen?
I shook my head at it.
No. It- it was nothing. He's my first friend, and that's what it is. Plus there is no way he'd ever like me like that. was there?
Just I had come to that conclusion, Allistor appeared in the doorway. "Hey, pinky. Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Uh s-sure," I said, turning to face him.
"See Artie doesn't have many friends and-don't tell him I told ya this-but I'm glad he's got you. You seem like a good guy and I hope you can get him to loosen up a bit. He's too uptight, y'understand?" He said.
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
"Okay. Thanks," He said, scratching the back of his neck. "By the way, I can tell he likes you,"
"O-oh well I would hope so, because we're friends and all," I furrowed my eyebrows.
"No no I mean like he really does like you," he exclaimed, widening his eyes and putting air quotes around the word "like."
I shook my head again, confused.
"Look do I just have to come right out and say it?" When I didn't say anything, he sighed. "Artie loves-"
"ALLISTOR GET OUT OF MY ROOM AND LEAVE OLIVER ALONE," Arthur's voice boomed from down the hallway.
Allistor yelled back. "heY ITS MY HOUSE TOO AND IM NOT IN YOUR ROOM, IM IM THE DOORWAY,"
He was shoved aside as Arthur walked back into the room, his face fuming. Then they started whispering furiously and I could just barely hear the words "boyfriend," "secret," and something else about...
Scones?