Clive had dragged Luke all the way to the park. It was almost half past five now and the place was empty save for a mother and her little son who were about to leave.
“Quick! before the ice cream man leaves!” Clive exclaimed as he frantically looked around the park.
No one really went to the park after dark and so the ice cream man was done for the day once the park was empty.
Once Clive set sight on the little stall, he held onto Luke’s forearm for the second time that day and dragged him across the park.
“Shouldn’t we get our food first?” Luke tried to get a word in whilst being ruthlessly dragged by the ice cream maniac.
“Ice cream is food?” Clive asked in confusion, having his eyes set straight ahead.
“Ice cream is dessert.” Luke corrected feeling as though he had just graduated with a degree in culinary arts.
Clive stopped dead in his tracks, “you’re right.” He said looking at Luke with a troubled expression.
Now Clive couldn’t care less about whether one should have dessert after or before a meal, but he didn’t want to seem…unprofessional?
He had an inkling that Luke was well versed in etiquette, he’s observed the boy before and how he liked to maintain some sort of order in the way he did things from his neatly written notes to his kempt as ever clothing.
And Clive wanted to make a good impression. He needed Luke to like him enough to stay.
“We can get the chips first, and then your ice cream.” Luke said, inwardly letting out a sigh ’cause this ‘talking’, it was hard work.
“Yeah…” Clive mumbled, calculating how fast the both of them have to be done with their meal to catch up with the ice cream man before he was gone.
Whilst imaginary calculus functions floated about Clive’s head, Luke decided to order his share of the greasiest chips ever.
Once they were given their food the boys decided to sit on one of the park benches.
Clive tried his best to gobble down his chips without relishing it one bit, his eyes twitching to look over to the ice cream man every three seconds just to make sure he hadn’t left.
He wasn’t this stressed since he gave his GCSEs the year before.
Luke, sensing his restlessness stood abruptly and made his way to the ice cream man without giving much thought.
“VANILLA! VANILLA!” Clive cried over to Luke without an ounce of shame or hesitation.
‘You’re getting your arse kicked Clive.’ Clive chuckled to himself, rather bitterly.
‘If Luke could kick innocent little kittens for being what? Cute?
Why would he hesitate to give you a black eye for being…quite frankly annoying.’
Meanwhile Luke had got himself in a bit of a predicament.
“Will that be all?” The balding man behind the display counter asked irksomely.
Luke had always gotten himself the rainbow swirl when he was treating himself to some ice cream but that was when he was all by himself, he’d make a right twat of himself if he were to walk over to Clive with his choice of soft serve. Sacrifices. He’d have to make sacrifices if he wanted to maintain this friendship.
He spared the ice cream on display with a final glance as his heart sank.
“That’ll be all.”
Feeling glum but powerful at the same time, Luke made his way back to the bench.
Clive turned to face him, still seated.
He was hastily chewing away the remainder of his chips when a smile broke onto his face as he laid eyes on the vanilla cone coming his way.
“You didn’t get yourself any?” He asked Luke who didn’t want to talk about it.
Luke didn’t reply and Clive only continued to lick the salt and grease off his fingers
“We’ll share.” Clive replied or one can even say commanded.
“No?” Luke replied never having expected the other to have suggested sharing.
“Yes.” Clive replied curtly, wiping his fingers with a tissue.
“Do you live far away? It’s getting dark.” Clive asked.
“Just a two minute walk from school” Luke replied, slowly starting to panic as the ice cream dared to melt onto his fingers.
Clive collected their empty containers and went over to toss it into the rubbish bin.
Luke sat himself down gingerly, the ice cream had started to melt and was now making its way down his fingers.
“Don’t make me lick that for you,” Clive said, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
What he expected Luke to have done was to laugh along to his silly joke, what he didn’t expect was to have Luke stick his hand right into Clive’s face…daring him to do it.
So Clive did it.
All sense out of the window, Clive stuck his tongue out and without a second thought licked away at Luke’s fingers.
Luke was too stunned to speak, not that he would have spoken otherwise but this was a whole different story. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck and his stomach tied itself into a knot, an aching knot?
“…I meant the ice cream, take it” Luke said, swallowing the lump in his throat and making sure his flushed face wasn’t visible to the other boy.
To say Clive was embarrassed would be an understatement.
The boy could kneel right there and pray his rosary for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
‘Play it cool Clive. Play it cool’ he said to himself before sending Luke a weak chuckle.
“Yeah mate I got that.” He said as he avoided eye contact, even though Luke had his head a perfect 180° from the boy due to his own embarrassed state.
‘Friends do that sort of thing’ Luke forced himself to believe.
‘Get used to it’
And what better way than to be equally intimate? He thought. He’d surely take his chances in the near future.
Clive planted himself at the foot of the bench leaning his back against it, making sure that Luke wouldn’t get to see the sheer panic on his face.
First he couldn’t fully enjoy his chips and now this? Maybe befriending Luke wasn’t the best idea…was it?
Luke stared at his fidgeting fingers in his lap. ‘At least he licked them clean.’
It was getting darker by the minute and there hadn’t been a word exchanged between the both of them in over 4 minutes. Which surprised Luke because that was so out of character for Clive.
Maybe Luke would have to initiate things for once but he had never been good with words. He had noticed how everything he had said had resulted in Clive being on edge. He wasn’t sure why.
He looked over at the curly haired boy and reached out toward him.
Clive’s eyes shot up at the feeling of Luke’s large fingers caressing his curls.
‘Oh Fuck.’
If there was one thing that drove Clive crazy it was having someone, anyone’s hand running through his hair.
He leaned into the touch a bit too much, he was being weird and he knew it but to hell with sensical thinking all he could think of at that moment was the large cold hand that was twiddling his locks and slightly making contact with his scalp.
“You look like you’re going to start purring any second now,” Luke said with genuine concern written all over his face.
His flushed cheeks and pounding heart didn’t stop Clive from turning his head to face Luke, “LUKE!” he cried as he threw his head back and laughed heartily.
‘Maybe befriending Luke wasn’t a bad idea’
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