Loose Ends

001.

Caius was fifteen years old when he first laid eyes on Parker Sinclair.

He was hiding in the north garden, a desperate attempt to escape Sally Waldorf, who was sweet as could be, but had been insisting Caius lay one on her the whole night. He'd had the brilliant idea to hunker down behind a rose bush and whip out The Great Gatsby, which he'd managed to shove into the pocket of his trousers.

However when he sat down, he was nearly given a heart attack by the strangled yelp that seemed to come from the bush.

Only it didn't come from the flowers, it came from a boy. A boy with eyes so warm that Caius swore he could melt in them, and hair so curly he instantly felt the need to reach out and touch it -- which was weird. It was really fucking weird. So he didn't do that, instead he took a few steps back to properly take a look at the boy.

He was lanky, a few inches taller than Caius, and definitely more carefree judging by the grass stains littering the dark material of his suit. He was currently fixing Caius with a dangerous glare, which almost makes Caius laugh at loud. This boy wasn't meant to be angry; it contrasted heavily with who he appeared to be.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm trying to sit here, y'know. You can't just use people as chairs without their permission, it's rude." His voice is indignant, the frown on his face dipping to an almost comical level.

"I didn't know you were here, obviously. Sorry I just -- I didn't think anyone would be back here, you see. Everyone's at the party. Except you and me, I guess."

"Oh. Why aren't you? At the party, I mean. You're their son, right? Kyle, or something? Shouldn't you be there?" His glare is gone, now. Looking at Caius with what seems like genuine curiosity.

"It's Caius. I'm not a fan of parties, I guess. This is usually where I come to hide when people won't leave me alone." He shrugs, pretending not to be offended that the boy hadn't even known his name. It's not like he knows his either, but Caius is part of the Bennett family, after all. He's technically a host of this party. "What about you? I haven't seen you at one of these before, is your family new around here or something?"

The boy stiffens, pausing for a moment before he speaks -- almost as if he's considering how much he reveal about himself. "I'm Parker Sinclair. We just moved here from London a few months ago. Don't ask me how our parents know each other because I haven't got a clue, my father just told me that everyone goes to these parties, and if we want to be considered part of that 'everyone', we have to go too. So here I am." He finishes with a shrug, not meeting Caius' eyes.

Caius clamps his mouth shut against the wave of questions about London he's itching to ask, he'd read books about London, practically begged his father to take him with him when he goes to do god knows what, but he's still never been.

"Most of these families have been coming for years, so if they look at you like you have two heads don't be surprised. They don't usually take well to newcomers." Parker snorts at that, like he's already figured it out by himself.

A few moments of silence pass between them, then. Caius is usually good at this, filling awkward silences. But now he can't think of anything to say, awkwardly kicking at the ground and occasionally sneaking a glance at Parker still splayed out on the grass.

The boy gets up rather abruptly, sweeping grass off his legs before coming to stand in front of Caius. They just look at each other for a few seconds, and Caius is about to question him but then Parker is talking, and they're so close that Caius swears he can smell the unmistakable scent of cigarette smoke on his breath.

"Caius is too much of a mouthful. I'm calling you Cai." He says it simply, holding Caius' gaze for a moment longer before turning on his heel, not giving the boy a chance to respond.

He's a few feet away before he's turning around, the patch of sunlight he's standing in making his eyes look like liquid gold. "Don't call me Parker, by the way. It's Park. Just Park."

And just like that, he's gone.

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Woo things are happening now!! The chapters are gonna start getting longer soon, don't worry. Anyway like I said before any comments and feedback of any kind would be much appreciated!