Lost & Found

by Ashley John

  Swimming back out to sea, he could see the genuine joy on Charlie's face as he rode the waves, even on his belly.

  Keep smiling, you look gorgeous.

  “This is awesome!” Charlie cried.

  The waves started to pick up and Oliver knew it would only be a matter of time before the big boys started to take shape. When the water started to bob up and down more and more, the excitement deep in Oliver bubbled over. The danger of it scared him. It was very rare that he fell off, but when he did, it sent genuine fear coursing through his blood as the water moved him from side to side, and he loved it.

  “It's coming,” Oliver cried across as he watched Charlie ride the baby waves, “swim further out.”

  They both headed further out to sea and sat on their boards, bobbing up and down.

  “Take it easy,” Oliver called across, “I can feel a big one brewing.”

  After a few minutes, the bobbing got more and more turbulent and giant waves were hitting into them, trying to drag them into the water. Oliver swam and caught the wave just at the right time, jumped on his board and rode it the only way he knew how.

  Dangerously.

  He rode it all the way out to shore, almost forgetting that he was the one who was meant to be teaching the lesson. Suddenly remembering Charlie, he looked out to sea, and his stomach dropped when he couldn't see him.

  “Charlie?” Oliver screamed.

  Oh fuck, I've killed him.

  In that moment, Oliver forgot all of his training and safety rules. Instead, he stood, and listened to his heart pounding in his chest.

  “Charlie?” he called out again.

  Charlie's board washed up a few meters away from him and he ran over to find Charlie led in the wet sand, gulping mouth fulls of the sea water as the waves splashed over his screwed up face. Hoisting him up, Oliver dragged him out of the water and further up the beach and when he was satisfied the water couldn't reach them, he dumped him on the sand.

  As he tried to remember his CPR training, Charlie coughed up the last of the water from his lungs and burst out laughing.

  “That was fucking amazing!” he cried, with his eyes still closed.

  Oliver could have punched him. His heart was still pounding from the panic.

  “I'm glad it's so funny to you,” Oliver shouted, slapping him square in the chest, “I thought I'd killed you.”

  “You'd love that,” Charlie laughed, rolling in the sand.

  It took Oliver a moment to find the funny side, but when he relaxed his face and gazed down at Charlie's excitement, he couldn't help but laugh.

  “I told you to take it easy,” Oliver said, “you had to show off!”

  “Showing off? I was too busy watching you riding that thing like you were part of the water. You looked amazing.”

  When Oliver was surfing, he wasn't even aware of what he was doing because everything just came naturally to him.

  “You think?” Oliver asked, feeling his cheeks blushing.

  “You looked so cool,” Charlie said quietly as he let out the last few laughs, “I'm jealous.”

  “I'm flattered,” Oliver whispered back as he lay down in the sand next to him, propping his head up with his hand so he was looking over Charlie.

  Even with his hair wet and his eyes bloodshot from the water, he still looked so cute. Oliver had never wanted to rip someone out of a wetsuit as much as he did then.

  “You'll have to teach me how to do it properly,” Charlie said.

  “I will,” Oliver said strongly.

  And I'm not talking about surfing.

  “You'll have to go slowly though,” Charlie's eyes connected with Oliver's, making the butterflies in his stomach spring to life, “I might be a little scared at first.”

  Is he trying to flirt with me?

  “What happened to needing space?” Oliver asked playfully, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke his face.

  “The ocean's a big place,” Charlie laughed softly.

  “I can go slow,” Oliver bit his lip

  Oh fuck, I want you more than ever.

  He could almost hear Charlie's heart beating through his chest as he stared at the seduction swirling around in his eyes.

  Is this your way of telling me it's on?

  Oliver decided it was now or never. He closed his eyes and leaned in slowly. If Charlie pushed him away, at least he tried. When their lips melted together and Charlie softly opened his mouth and returned the kiss, he nearly felt his heart burst. In an instant, the stirring below his waist started and it was suddenly pulsing through the wetsuit.

  To Oliver's surprise, Charlie put his hand on the bulge and started to rub.

  Oh god, is this a dream?

  “Hey, guys,” Porter cried from the deck of the Surf Club.

  Oliver didn't want to pull away because he knew the minute he did, Charlie would freak out as usual and probably give him another few confusing days, even though they both knew what they wanted. When he did slowly pull away, he left his eyes closed for a moment and pretended that Charlie would be smiling up at him when he opened them, and when he did and Charlie was there smiling, he blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

  “I don't need space,” Charlie whispered, licking his bottom lip and looking at Oliver's, “I just need to take things slow.”

  “Slow,” Oliver said a little too quickly, “I can do slow.”

  “I don't know what this is,” Charlie sighed, “but I can't fight it anymore.”

  Stop fighting.

  “If you want to take things slow, you might want to let go of my dick,” Oliver winked and Charlie quickly slid his hand away as they both jumped up and headed back to the Surf Club.

  When they reached Porter, he saw Porter's eyes pop out of his head when he noticed the obvious snake poking out of the wetsuit and a smile spread across his face.

  “I'll tell you later,” Oliver whispered, patting Porter on the shoulder.

  ***

  He didn't know if it was the exhilaration that the waves had given him or the exhaustion that Oliver had caused him, but he was ready to stop fighting. He didn't know the labels or the terms, he just knew what he was feeling and that it was real. There was something about Oliver that was changing him every minute they were together.

  “Charlie!” his mother cried.

  She was standing awkwardly in the Surf Club, with Poppy in front of her. She was clutching her shoulders and she had a worried look on her face, which made Charlie suspect the worst.

  “What's going on? Is everything okay?” Charlie demanded.

  “Everything's fine!” she said, relaxing her grip on Poppy who quickly ran to the nearest shelf and started shaking the beach themed snow globes, “I've got the keys to the new place!”

  A huge smile spread across her face, as she pulled a small handful of keys from her pocket and started to jingle them in front of her.

  Charlie relaxed. He was used to trouble every time his mother turned up unexpectedly.

  “So quick?” Charlie raised an eyebrow, “How did you get the money?”

  “I saved it,” she stuffed the keys back in her denim jacket pocket and started tucking the stray strands of hair behind her ear, “it's been a good week for tips.”

  So good that you could get a deposit on an apartment?

  “Oh,” Charlie said, raising his eyebrow further, “well that's good news.”

  “I was wondering,” she moved in closer to Charlie and lowered her voice, “if you had your first pay check yet?”

  “I get it at the end of the week I think,” Charlie hadn't really discussed money with Porter, “why?”

  “Aunt Evelyn's found us some free furniture from a house clearance, but it's out of town,” she tilted her head to the side.

  “I have a van,” Oliver appeared next to Charlie, almost making him jump.

  He glanced down to his groin, but the wood had vanished, to be replaced by an equally impressive soft lump.

  “Really
?” his mother cried.

  “Yeah. It's my dad's, but I'm sure he won't notice if I borrow if for a few hours,” he said.

  “Are you sure?” she beamed.

  “Yeah, of course!”

  Charlie jumped out of the way when his mother pounced on Oliver and locked him in a tight hug.

  “I'd better get off,” she pulled away from Oliver, “we're going to look at the elementary school for Poppy.”

  “I don't want to start a new school,” Poppy sighed shaking one of the snow globes.

  “Can you do it tomorrow?” she asked Oliver.

  “Well, we've got work tomorrow but I'm sure Porter will let me have the morning off because he loves me,” Oliver said loud enough so that Porter overheard every word.

  “Because I'm so generous, you can have tomorrow off,” he said, “the book is completely wide open all day so it's going to be dead.”

  “What about Charlie?” Oliver asked.

  “Yeah, you can have tomorrow off too I suppose,” he smirked, “just don't get up to anything I wouldn't.”

  Charlie quickly looked at his mother, but the reference had gone straight over her head. He didn't want to tell her about Oliver until he was fully sure what it was. I need to get my own head straight before I mess up hers.

  “I'll give Charlie the address tomorrow,” she said, “thanks again. It was nice to see you Porter, it's certainly been a while.”

  “You too Sarah. You haven't aged a day,” he smiled, opening the door for Charlie's mother and Poppy.

  Charlie watched his mother and sister leave the Surf Club before turning back to face Oliver. Oliver was stood gazing at him with his arms folded with a satisfied look on his face. When their eyes met, Charlie's mind raced with the implications of the day’s events and what their moment on the beach would lead to.

  Oh dear, here we go.

  Chapter

  13

  Behind the wheel of his father's large white van, Oliver drove a little faster than he should to Evelyn's house. After spending the night convincing himself Charlie was drunk on the thrill of the waves, and would go back to his old cagey self, he couldn't wait to see his face to make sure the fear hadn't returned.

  As the van rolled slowly up to the big pink house, he took a deep breath before tooting loudly on the horn, but to his surprise Charlie was already sat on the step waiting for him wearing a blue vest top and a pair of white shorts. As he ran towards the van, he almost didn't notice the smile on his face because he was too busy gazing at his exposed arms.

  Damn they look musclier than I remember.

  “You're late,” Charlie said, opening the door and jumping into the van.

  Oliver searched his face, but he couldn't see the fear. Instead, he saw a warm smile and his own cheeky look reflected in Charlie's light green eyes.

  “Only a few minutes princess,” Oliver winked, “it's not my fault you couldn't wait to see me.”

  “Oh shut up,” Charlie said, “here's the address. I hope you know where it is, because I don't!”

  Oliver grabbed the small piece of paper from Charlie, making sure to brush his finger with his as he did. He could feel Charlie trying to stop himself smiling without even needing to look.

  “Its right over on the other side of town,” he said reading the address and realizing that it was in the area his parents referred to as the 'poor' part of town.

  “Who's stuff is it?”

  “That's the creepy part,” Charlie said, “I asked Aunt Evelyn last night and it's this dead guy’s house.”

  “Haunted furniture then?” Oliver laughed, reversing down the empty road and turning around.

  “Well it sounds like it. Aunt Evelyn went to school with him. She didn't have any nice words to say about him, but she bumped into his daughter in town yesterday and she said she's selling his house and when she mentioned that my mother was looking for furniture, she practically bit her hand off.”

  Oliver listened to Charlie rattle on about furniture, but it wasn't what he wanted to be talking about.

  “Are you even licensed to drive this thing?” Charlie asked, gazing out of the window at the passing houses.

  “Probably not,” Oliver said casually, “my dad wasn't in, so I just took it.”

  “Won't you get in trouble?”

  “Let's just say if I went missing, it would take them a week to realize I was gone and another week to get around to calling the police. They only ever talk to me about Yale.”

  “How's that going?” Charlie asked.

  “They want me to go and visit the campus this weekend. I'm not going,” Oliver said.

  He found his knuckles tightening over the steering wheel and his foot pressing down on the accelerator just at the mention of Yale.

  “Besides,” he said, “I might have someone to stay for in Surf Bay now.”

  Charlie fidgeted in his chair and stared down at his knees.

  “Aren't you going to look?” Charlie said, “Just to make sure you don't like it?”

  “Yale is their dream, not mine,” Oliver snapped.

  “What is your dream?” Charlie asked.

  Oliver had to think for a moment. He couldn't put his finger on a concrete goal or a plan. He was reaching for a feeling, rather than a thing.

  “I just want to be happy,” Oliver said, “cheesy as it sounds.”

  “Aren't you happy now?” Charlie asked.

  I am now that you're here.

  “I would be happier if I knew something,” Oliver asked

  “What?” Charlie asked.

  “I'd be happier if I knew where I stood with you,” Oliver said.

  He waited for the outburst from Charlie, but he was met with silence. He flicked his eyes away from the road for a second and glanced at Charlie who was intensely staring out of the window. The further towards the edge of town they drove, the bumpier the road seemed to become and the paint on the houses stopped looking fresh or bright. It was obvious that Surf Bay pride didn't stretch that far out.

  “I don't know,” Charlie said after what felt like an eternity of silence.

  “Awesome,” Oliver mumbled.

  “I'm still confused,” Charlie sighed.

  Not this again.

  “About?” Oliver found himself raising his voice more than he intended.

  “Everything,” Charlie admitted.

  “Be more specific.”

  Silence descended on the van again. Oliver wanted to force the answers out of Charlie, but he knew the best thing to do was to wait for him to speak.

  I am learning how to handle you.

  “I feel different. I don't feel like me anymore,” Charlie started.

  “Is that so bad?”

  “I guess not. It's like, you've activated something that I never knew I had, and now I don't know what to do with it.”

  Oliver sighed thinking that he was being over dramatic.

  “It's not a disease!” Oliver cried, “Its human nature.”

  “So you're saying everyone is like this?” Charlie laughed, “Because I don't think they are.”

  “Maybe to some extent, but why does gender even matter so much to you?”

  “Because it's not where I saw my life going. I always wanted to settle down one day. Have a family and give them the stability I never had.”

  Oliver sighed again.

  “And you can't do that with a guy?”

  “It's not that that I'm worried about,” Charlie said, almost yelling, “It's you. When I first met you, you seemed like such a sex pest. It's all you talked about.”

  “Shoot me for enjoying sex,” Oliver said, “we're nearly at the house now anyway.”

  As he pulled up outside of the house, he felt like he was getting nowhere. Every time they talked about it, things seemed to be getting more and more complicated. Oliver could deal with the complications that came with bedding a straight guy, but he wasn't used to the emotions getting in the way.

  He locked the handbrake and yanked
the keys out of the ignition. As he opened the door and was about to jump out, Charlie's hand reached out and grabbed his arm.

  “This is just so new to me, okay? I need to take this slow.”

  “Fine,” Oliver snapped, pulling away from Charlie and jumping out of the van.

  As he stared at the scruffy, tiny house in front of him with the overgrown garden and dirty windows, he couldn't help but feel that he was chasing Charlie, and not in the way he first wanted to.

  You're a puzzle Charlie, but I will figure you out.

  Charlie joined him and stared at the run down house.

  “Do we knock?” Charlie asked.

  “The guy’s dead, I doubt he's going to answer the door,” Oliver said, opening the creaky gate.

  Creeping ivy covered every part of the house apart from the windows that looked like they haven't been cleaned in decades.

  “Can I help you?” a woman in a business suit jumped out of a silver car.

  “We're here for some furniture?” Charlie asked.

  The woman raised her eyebrow and put the phone she'd been typing on in her pocket, “you don't look like Sarah.”

  “That's my mom,” Charlie said, “she's at work so I said I'd come and pick it up.”

  The woman rolled her eyes and pulled an old silver key from her pocket before throwing it at Charlie, which Oliver somehow managed to catch.

  “Take what you want,” she said pulling her phone back from the pocket, “I can't stop, I have things to do.”

  “Is there nothing you want to keep?” Oliver asked.

  The woman flicked her eyes to Oliver and back to her phone.

  “Why would I want to keep any of that stuff?” she said, sounding exhausted, “I need to go now anyway.”

  Without another word, she turned and headed back to her car.

  “What about the key?” Oliver asked.

  “I don't know. Just leave it under a plant pot,” she snapped, before ducking down into her car.

  “Which one?” Charlie said.

  She threw her phone into the passenger seat, slammed the door and slid the tinted window down, “I don't really care kid.”