Caspers Ghosts

by Victoria Hyder

  “Morning Casper,” she replied coyly as she scooted away from the counter to put her stuff in the sink, “Avery’s pretending to read!”

  Casper was practically smirking behind me as my ears burned. The warmth of his body radiated through my shirt as he leaned over my shoulder. “So you read now, eh?” he teased over my shoulder.

  Nodding, I turned to look at him through my fringe, “Yes apparently so. I reckon I’m getting quite good at it.”

  “Oh really?” he purred, the musk of his sweaty skin filling my lungs. “What’s that say there, then?” he smirked as he pointed on the page.

  Turning my eyes downward I glimpsed what he was pointing at. My mouth ran dry. “Take me to bed,” I quoted from the title of a new ‘to read’ list.

  He hummed in my ear, “Sounds like an idea.”

  “Casper what’re you saying to him?” Katie asked cheekily as she came back through, leaning back against the counter with a glass of water in her hand. “He’s gone bright red!”

  fingers ruffled my hair. I knocked her hand away, “Bog off both of you!”

  Katie laughed and Casper smirked, his eyes trained on me as he reached down to the hem of his sweaty shirt and tugged it up and over his head. My stomach flipped as his creamy skin came into view. His scars shone softly but only because I knew they were there. A small pink line ran low over his left hipbone; he must’ve had his appendix out several years ago. I licked my lips at the sight of the lean muscles gleaming from where he’d been sweating. His eyes burned into mine as he tossed the shirt onto the counter and popped the cap on his bottle and lifted it to his mouth. We didn’t break eye contact as his Adams apple bobbed with each long swallow.

  “PLEASE stop with the eye-fucking!” Katie’s voice made my head snap around where she was shielding her eyes. Casper didn’t seem fazed; he simply lowered his bottle, his face expressionless except for the tiny tilt to his mouth. “So I was thinking how do you two fancy going down to the beach next week?”

  Frowning, I turned to her and asked, “Why?”

  “Because I’m sure we all want to get out for a couple of days and not deal with mum or dad.”

  It was true my parents had been rather suffocating; Dad in his attempt to make almost everything appear normal despite how strained his smiles were, and mum for just being her usual bitchy self whenever I was around. I rubbed a hand down my face. “So what? We’d stay with Uncle Brian?”

  Katie nodded, “Yeah I can give him a call. I don’t think he’d mind if we stayed there for just two days or something.”

  Shrugging I said, “Yeah that could be good.”

  “Sure,” Casper replied as he raked his hair out of his eyes, “Where does he live?”

  “Down in Brighton,” Katie stated cocking her head to the side, “Means we’ll have a lot to keep us all busy.”

  Did she really just wink at him? I suppressed a groan. Katie laughed before she made a comment about needing to get dressed and disappeared upstairs.

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Casper sank down into the stool beside me and tugged the newspaper away so that all I could see was the countertop and his muscles. “Finally I get you all to myself,” he smirked as he leaned closer. His skin smelled sweaty and ripe. My pulse spiked and I swallowed thickly. I shivered as his fingertips stroking some stay strands of hair aside.

  “Why weren’t you in my bed this morning?” I asked softly as his fingers tickled along my earlobe.

  “Why, did you miss me?” he smirked, his eyes looking somewhere close to my jaw.

  “A little.” I smiled over at him and he chuckled.

  “Aw you’re such a sap now that you’re home,” he cocked his head to the side and let his eyes drop away from my hair to my eyes. “I’m sorry about keeping you up last night.”

  “You didn’t. You fell asleep almost right away, then I came down here and watched a movie with Katie.”

  “Oh right,” his face relaxed a little. A shiver ran through him. “So what do you fancy doing today?”

  “Well as far as I know, mum and dad are out for most of the day. I think Katie’s going out with some friends for the afternoon.”

  “Sounds good,” he said, “Because I have something I want to try and I think it’s best if we’re alone.”

  My heart lurched into my throat. A million scenarios ran through my mind. Was he going to be naked? Was there going to be loud? Is that why he needed an empty house. My stomach flipped and it got a little awkward to breathe as he tapped two fingers to my jaw, “Hey … Hey don’t get ahead of yourself, Fletcher, or you won’t get to see jack shit.”

  My cheeks flamed up as I tried to turn my face away from his. He smiled and shifted closer. His hand reached over to my thigh and squeezed through my pyjama bottoms. The hot weight made blood rush to my groin and I was grateful that the island blocked his view of my lap.

  “O-Okay so do you need me to do anything for … whatever you’re planning or what?”

  He shook his head and his eyes were soft and shiny, like two silver coins. “No … Just be in the conservatory in an hour.”

  “Why the conservatory?”

  His smile was so beautiful; it looked open and bright, so different to those first few smiles we’d share with one another. “Because I need lots of light for what I want to do and it will help us, eventually.”

  “Really?” I asked sceptically.

  He shrugged as he grabbed his shirt off the counter. I watched his back muscles flex as he walked away down the hall; “It’ll help me!” he called back before disappearing upstairs. I was left staring at him before finally animating and retreating up to my bedroom.

  The summer light was made a soft creamy gold colour as it filtered in through the drawn blinds and thin, net curtains that hung down to the floor. The air was fresh thanks to the open windows. The floorboards were cool underfoot as Casper and I stood, freshly showered and facing one another. My chest hurt from all the pressure I felt building up inside me. My muscles quaked as he stared at me, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body. He had waited for me and only now, as I tried to look anywhere but into his eyes, did I spot the sketchbook on the plush cream sofa against the opposite wall. Despite the heat, he’d wanted us both to be fully clothed. I didn’t understand why, not even now as we stood opposite one another, merely six paces apart. He looked stiff and awkward all of a sudden. His arms were clamped down to his sides and his hands were clenched into fists against his thighs. His voice was strained as he tried to keep it level for me; “I need to get comfortable with touching again. Even if it’s only with you right now, I want to be able to be comfortable with you.”

  “You don’t have-”

  “Yes,” he cut over me, “Yes I do.” I clamped my mouth shut as he let out a long, exhausted sigh and collected himself. Sweat began to steam my skin as I watched him reached up to his throat and unfasten the top three buttons and then loosen his cuffs. He started to take a few tentative steps toward me. He reached out a stiff hand and wiggled his fingers, “Come on.”

  Following his lead, I reached out a hand and grasped his. His fingers were clammy and tense. He tugged me forward a couple of steps so that there was only about half a meter between us. My stomach quivered as he reached up to my throat and I felt his knuckles brush against my jaw. The collar of my shirt was pulled taut as he unfastened the top buttons and then let the panels drift open. My stomach tensed a little as the cool air of his breath ran over my skin. His clammy hand drifted around the base of my throat and rested awkwardly against my shoulder.

  Swallowing thickly, almost afraid of his reaction, I reached up and took hold of his wrist. If possible, he tensed up more. He shook as he tried to relax.

  “It’s okay, just take your time,” I murmured softly as he pressed his palm flat against my chest. He glanced up at me before nodding with such grim determination that I thought his jaw would snap. Rubbing my thumb in circles over his wrist I tried to will some sense of calm into his muscles.
Another shuddering breath hissed through his lips as he concentrated on the feel of my ribs beneath my shirt. My breath hitched as his cold fingers tickled my skin.

  “How does that feel?” he asked me as he shifted so he could run one of his hands flat up the planes of my back. “It tickles a little, but it feels nice.”

  “You sure?” he asked warily as he ran his fingers down my spine. I jolted and bumped against his hip.

  “Shit sorry!”

  He shook his head and tried not to smirk, “It’s fine, it’s fine.” He took a reluctant step back and shrugged his shirt off. “Take yours off too.” I did as he instructed and tried not to let my mind wonder to dirty thoughts as he came to stand in front of me again. There was a tic in his jaw that I tried to ignore as he swallowed. “T-Touch me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Fletcher!” he hissed out before forcing himself to relax, “I need you to touch me.”

  Trying to muster as much confidence as possible, I reached out and smoothed the fabric, exposing his beautiful body. I did it with such deliberate ease that he shook like a leaf.

  “Try to relax, okay?” I kept my voice low and soft, “Just focus on my voice. Do you want me to walk you through what I’m doing?” He gave a shaky nod. “I’m going to come close to you and lean against your cheek.”

  His breath hitched as I rested our heads close together. I watched his pulse throb in his throat. I reached up and slowly opened my palm against his chest. He vibrated with the drumming of his heart and if he was anything like me, I knew that noise was flooding his head too. He ran his fingertips along the length of my arm, smiling softly as I shuddered at the sensation. He let out a soft breath before giving my hand a firm squeeze.

  “I’m going to slide my other hand up your back.”

  “Okay.”

  He hissed sharply as I slowly slid my hand up his back. He mirrored my movements, touching on every rib, curve and crevice. I kept my touch delicate despite how desperate I was to press him against my chest and dominate his mouth. His nails grazed down my stomach and the softest groan rumbled out of my mouth. “Did that feel good?” he breathed against my ear. Shivers ran through me as confidence dripped into his voice.

  Nodding, I leaned down and pressed my mouth to the base of his throat. He stiffened a little but didn’t object as I rested my lips there. His skin tasted light and had a hint of citrus to it. I tried to focus on counting the dark hairs on his nape instead of how hard I was straining against the zip of my jeans. As each second passed I was getting closer and closer to simply beg him to undo my fly and take me in his hand. He shifted away and I frowned, instantly missing the loss of contact. “Casper …”

  “Shh it’s okay,” he murmured, more to convince himself than me, as he dropped down into a crouching position, his eyes level with my straining cock. His hands trembled as he circled my ankles and then higher up around my calves. My muscles twitched under his fingers as they ran higher over the denim towards the zip. My cock twitched thigh as his shaking hands popped the button. The metal teeth grated in my ears as the zip was drawn down and my jeans were lightly tugged into a pool at my feet.

  “Fuck!”

  He looked up at me, “It’s okay; close proximity and slow caresses are going to cause these effects.”

  Glancing down I tried to peer into his own lap and saw nothing. “Are you telling me you’re hard too?”

  He nodded. “Yeah … I’m hard.”

  Biting down on my lip I tried not to think of all the implications of those two words. The thoughts running through my head of what we could do in an empty house would have made a priest swear. As much as I wanted to lay him down on the floor in the pools of sunlight and make love to his beautiful body and show him how tender and amazing sex could be, right in that moment I wouldn’t even know where to begin. My mind was a mess and he was emotional.

  Dropping my head back, I focused on the ceiling and biting my lip to stop myself saying or doing anything inappropriate. “Casper …” I choked.

  He stood up abruptly and unfastened his own jeans. Our breathing was harsh as he stepped out of his jeans and stood so close to me that our chests were almost touching. At least it did confirm one thing; he was rock hard. “You can touch it if you want,” he murmured almost challengingly as he brushed our noses together, his lips whispering against my own.

  I shook my head, “I think we can just about manage this for now.”

  His smile was relieved as he slipped his hands gingerly to my hips and stroked my skin. My muscles twitched as his touch. He smiled timidly up at me, his expression so open and clear that it made my heart skip a beat. I reached up to his chin and tilted his jaw upwards. His lips met mine and all the tension inside him vanished. We didn’t move any closer as we kissed in the soft golden light of the afternoon, but if it was possible it had gotten a little brighter every time we kissed.

  As soon as we broke apart to breathe, Casper tensed up a little and shook in my hands as he kissed a light trail over my collarbone. I tightened my hands around his wrist. We were both so hard that it would just be so easy to let it go further. His silvery grey eyes looked up at me. “I think that’s enough for now,” he whispered shakily.

  “You sure?” I asked, my voice latching in my throat.

  He nodded and took a hesitant step back. “Thanks,” he gave a sheepish smile and averted his gaze. I smiled at him, trying not to miss the loss of his skin touching mine. His thighs and arse looked gorgeous as he walked away and bent over the sofa to retrieve the sketchbook.

  Smiling weakly, I cocked an eyebrow as he opened to a blank page. “What’s that for?”

  “You’ll see,” was all he said as he came back over to me and plucked at the waistband of my boxers, “Strip. I need you naked.”

  My eyes widened. He barely blinked as he snapped the elastic against my waist. I hissed but didn’t break eye contact. As soon as the cool air rushed over my cock and balls I let out a quiet groan as I stepped out of them. My member twitched against my stomach and I swallowed thickly as he crouched before me, his fingers brushing over the thick hairs on my legs and inching up over my thighs. My breathing was heavier now and coming out in long pants as I tried to stay in control of my emotions. “Casper?” I asked shakily as he straightened up, his body whispering against my own.

  His finger pressed against my lips, softly silencing me. His fingers gently traced a line down my cheek and over my jaw. “Tilt your chin up,” he murmured softly as his fingers prodded my jaw. “That’s perfect.”

  “What’re you going to do to me?” I breathed.

  A cheeky little smirk crawled onto his mouth, “I’m going to draw you.”

  “D-Draw me?”

  Snickering to himself he nodded and stepped back to the wicker chair. He settled down and placed the book in his bare lap. “Is that a problem?” he asked, his face a beautiful, blank mask once again, those grey eyes gleaming with mischief.

  “N-No.”

  “Good.”

  He tapped his pencil on the open page a few times before his eyes dropped. I swallowed, my breath hitching in my throat at how exposed I was as Casper started to draw.

  *

  About an hour and a half later my legs were getting tired, my erection had gone down and I was gagging for a drink. Casper’s eyes had raked over me from time to time but for the most part it was as though he’d already committed every hair on my body to memory. My muscles trembled with the effort to remain still. Eventually I sighed and snapped, “Can I please sit down now? I’m about to fall off my legs here!”

  He rolled his eyes but didn’t look up, “Stop being so melodramatic.”

  “I’m more thinking of the whole ‘what if my mum walks in’ scenario.”

  “Just shut up will you, I’m almost done.”

  “Fine,” I grunted under my breath, turning my head a little so I could look out the window into the garden.

  As I watched bees and butterflies lazily drifting t
hrough the sunlight I let my mind wander over the onslaught of information from the previous night. There were so many questions that came to mind but none of them seemed to gain the most importance. I wanted to ask them all but I didn’t want him to relive those moments any more than he already did. I exhaled as I let my mind run through the sheer disgust I felt; anyone who took advantage of a young boy like Casper deserved to rot in prison.

  “You’re thinking too loudly,” Casper stated.

  “Hm?” I frowned at him, “How can anyone think too loudly?”

  “I can hear the cogs in your head grinding from here.”

  I rolled my eyes and then felt the tension melt out of my shoulders. “Are we ever going to talk about last night?”

  From my position I watched his body stiffen. He shifted in the chair. “It’s been fourteen hours and you’re already anxious for more?” he asked dryly.

  “No that’s … not what I meant.”

  “I know,” he sighed, his tone softening a little as he rubbed his face.

  “I just meant … Well, I still have some questions but I don’t want to bother you with them if it’s going to get you angry.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I watched him, waiting for his reaction. His jaw clenched and unclenched a couple of times before he reclined back in the chair, his gaze still fastened on the page in front of him. “Okay … Ask away.”

  I took my time, trying to find the words. “Why were you in the nurse’s office that first week we … noticed one another?”

  His head jerked up. Clearly he’d been caught off-guard by my question, but it was one that popped up in my head every now and then. “I was there to see Camilla,” he answered in a measured tone.

  “Just to talk or … Was there something else?”

  He bristled, “Like what?”

  “You had a bottle of tablets when you came out and bandages up your arms. I just wondered what they were and why you don’t take them anymore.”