Oliver was taking a walk outside, enjoying the sunny day before the soft cotton clouds had turned into something else.
He tried to guess how many hours it would take before rain poured when he saw Cian running fast towards him.
The dog jumped as soon as it was close to him.
It was so tall its paws almost reached Oliver’s shoulders when it was standing up.
Hadn’t Oliver been that big, the animal would’ve pushed him down to the ground.
“Cian, what’s gotten to you?’
The dog slipped its paws and ran away. It crossed a short distance and turned to see if Oliver was coming after him.
“You want me to come?”
The dog turned and began running again.
Oliver thought it had found something, or a small animal had been caught in one of the traps that were set by the hunters in the nearby woods, which were also part of the estate.
He was already leaving the garden and entering the trees.
Oliver saw a few foxes’ bright red tails disappearing in the bushes and they made him think of Callum.
Their fur was still not the same red, as the Lord’s hair was a deeper and wilder shade of the color. It was more like
Blood,
the word just appeared in Oliver’s head and he almost cursed aloud.
Callum.
The Lord who had asked for him only a few times after Oliver had almost kissed him.
Oliver almost broke into a run, as if he could escape from his own head when he remembered what he’d done and how absurd it had been.
They reached a small pond and Cian stopped.
Oliver halted too, because what he saw was the red hair of the Lord disappearing into the water of the small lake that had uncovered in front of him.
Oliver broke into another run and stopped at the bank.
The Lord didn’t show for what felt like minutes and Oliver took his coat off and jumped directly into the cold water.
It was freezing and for a moment he felt like his lungs were burning.
His hands found Callum quickly and he grabbed him.
They both emerged above the water. The lord looked stunned.
“Oliver? What are you doing?”
“Are you all right?”
Callum was shirtless and his teeth were clattering. They stared at each other when Cian wriggled its tail from where he was standing at the shore.
The lord burst out laughing.
“Did you think I was drowning?”
“Weren’t you?”
“No,” he pointed at his clothes, gathered in a pile by the lake. “I took a…swim.”
“A swim, now?”
“Yes?”
“It’s freezing. “
The Lord tried to smile, but his lips had began turning blue.
“Let’s get out of here, you’re… “
He didn’t finish.
They went out the water and Oliver realized how stupid he’d been. He’d jumped without even thinking twice, pausing only to take his coat off.
It was partly a good thing, he thought, that he hadn’t stripped completely.
Regardless. He had completelt stopped thinking when he’d seen the man in the water and undressing had been the least of his concerns.
Callum had had enough sense to at least take his shirt off, although he’d intentionally went for a swim. His pants on the other hand were wet too.
The man was insane or had very peculiar ways of entertaining himself.
“And you just jumped?”
The Lord asked while buttoning his top.
“I told you I thought something had happened. Cian came to fetch me. “
The Lord looked at the animal. The white hound was now looking between them.
The dog reminded Oliver of a small kid, who knew he’d done something wrong, yet the deed had been with good intentions.
“So I jumped. “
He was getting angry at his foolishness. The Lord was regarding him, with that curiosity he sometimes looked at him.
It was like he thought Oliver was the odd one, and not him for swimming in a lake in the autumn.
Oliver picked his coat from the ground and passed it to Callum.
“No, I have mine. Maybe you should…” the Lord gestured to Oliver’s vest.
“I’m already soaking, anyway. “
He put his coat on and said “Maybe you should get dry before you catch a cold. “
Oliver walked and Callum hurried after him.
“Were you worried about me?”
Oliver spared him a glance, the Lord trying to keep up with him. His lips had returned their colour and Oliver wanted to trace them with his tongue.
This was getting out of hand and he said, almost angry.
“No. “
Callum seemed both surprised and amused at the same time and Oliver knew he’d spend another night thinking of the Lord’s lips.