The two boys were surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery known to the human mind. The mansion of Poftor sat atop a massive mountain in the middle of a mountain range. The mansion was indeed a mansion, the word almost an understatement. The colossal building had millions of rooms and was privately owned by the Poftor family. You were only allowed access to the actual building with written permission from one of the Proftors’, which was fair enough considering that it was their home. The gardens however were a whole different story; they were open to the public. Well, the public that could be bothered to climb the mountains.

The nearest village was a good two-hour drive away. Not many people saw the point in going to the gardens but, then again, most of them had never been. Andy, on the other hand, was not one of the crowd and was instantly hooked on the angelic nature of the gardens. He could loose himself in there for days … on occasion he had. The gardens spread over a massive area, several thousand acres of land. This is what first attracted Andy to this place, to this mystical place. He never liked big places with lots of people … some might say he was almost claustrophobic but it never got that far. He didn’t dread them; he just didn’t like them.

Andy was a mysterious child for the most part, maybe that’s why he felt so at home in the gardens. He could get lost in their mystery … he could lose all his inhibitions and fears to the wilderness. Andy was about 5’ 8" with blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sea. He loved to wear big, blue, baggy jeans and a black T-shirt; simplicity was his friend. He had quite a muscular build and when he stood, he stood with pride.

The land was so beautifully arranged, with trees and fountains scattered in a perfect arrangement. It felt unnatural to be in because it was just too perfect but that didn’t matter to Andy. There was one place where Andy would always sit, it was like an angel’s perch; where they could pray to the heavens and preach to the world bellow. He felt most like himself here. It was a small hill in the middle of a pond. When he sat on it, the mansion would be on his left and out in front of him he would be able to see all the mountains. The colours from the mountains would blend together to form one big beautiful haze. Andy saw most of the world has a haze of colour. When things were up-close he could define it but at a distant the world was a blur.

Like every other day Andy sat on his angelic perch, sitting, thinking. What was unknown to him was that close by there was another boy starring at him intently. Kevin had seen Andy several times here in the gardens. He couldn’t quite understand him … but then again he had never spoken to him. He seemed so intriguing … and he didn’t seem like the person that liked to just spark into conversation. Kevin was dying to talk to him though. The boy looked so sad … he just wanted to cheer him up. Maybe he could make a friend. Kevin was as lonely as Andy was, although not by choice. He couldn’t seem to find anyone he could connect with. The world seemed so apathetic when it came to making friends, Kevin wondered if it would ever change.

Kevin decided that the time was right and he would go and talk to the strange boy on the hill. His steps were slow and jilted like a slug wriggling through the mud. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t stop them but his fingertips were frozen like icicles. He gathered as much courage as he could and he hopped quietly on the large, circular, marble stones that lead to the hill where Andy was perched. As he hit the final stone he stopped - stone cold - as almost to mimic the marble he was standing on. A thousand and one questions raced through Kevin’s head. ‘Is this the right thing to do? What if he doesn’t like me? Shouldn’t I just respect his privacy?’ This was pointless, as now it was all too late. Andy had heard the gentle footsteps of Kevin on the marble and slowly turned around to see who was there.

Andy didn’t talk for a while; he just stared quizzically at the boy confronting him; analytically listing his features in his head. Green eyes; Short, Spiky, Black hair; Slim build; 5’ 7" approximately; Black Jeans; Soft, Creamy Jumper; Semi-muscular; probably 19. He committed the information to memory and proceeded to interrogate the boy.

"What’s your name?" Andy didn’t smile; his face was like a rock.

"K-Kevin." He stuttered out quickly.

"Why are you nervous?"

"I’m not … well maybe a little … I don’t know."

Andy finally smiled. His face looked worn and tired, Kevin noted the effort it took for him to smile. It seemed like it had been a long time. "Do you want to sit down?" Kevins face beamed and he nodded hyperactively. Kevin scuttled up the hill and sat down next to Andy, he looked straight out onto the mountain range.

"Wow…" Kevin spoke as if whispering to the wind. His eyes widened like a small child catching a glimpse of his first sunrise. "…I never knew this view existed … how long have you been coming here?"

"For as long as I can remember." Andy smiled at Kevin’s child like nature; it warmed his heart to find another human being that could appreciate this view. "How long have you been spying on me?" Andy turned to meet Kevin’s eyes. Kevin wriggled and squirmed in his place, now knowing that Andy knew he had been watching him. He was going to lie but couldn’t lie to those eyes … those deep blue eyes. It was like lying to the sea.

"For about a week … I saw you just sitting there and … and I so desperately wanted to talk to you but you didn’t seem like the kind of person that wanted to chat. I just … I just wanted to find a friend." Andy turned his face away from those green-penetrating eyes. They quivered as he spoke and he knew the heart ache that Kevin felt, all too well. He just couldn’t bear to look at them. He looked to the sky as he spoke.

"Do you not have any friends back at the city?"

"No…" Kevin’s voice was flat and lifeless.

"Why did you come over to speak to me?"

"You seemed sad … I wanted to try and cheer you up."

"Do you want to stay with me for a while?"

"…Yeah…" Andy nodded and lay down on the hill. Kevin lay his head upon Andy’s stomach and used him as a pillow, Andy did not mind … he liked the company … and it felt right. The two of them stared at the sky for hours in silence.

Days turned into weeks and the two of them met on the hill every day. Sometimes they would talk incessantly for hours but other times they would just sit in silence and appreciate each other’s company. To look at they were a strange pair but if you looked close enough and saw them talk and how they interacted then it was a totally different story.

Some days they would have picnics together and listen to music from a small cassette player Kevin had found around the city. The encompassed the peacefulness and love found in the Poftor gardens. For as long as they came, they were the only ones there. They always sat in a secluded part of the gardens and would never be seen by any of the Poftors. They explored the gardens sometimes … trying to see what was there but they always came back to that one spot on the hill where they first met.

On one not so important day Andy stared into the sky and said "I never knew the sky was this beautiful until I met you."

"…I never knew anything could be beautiful until I met you…" Kevin said happily.

"I’m glad you spoke to me that day … can you remember how long it’s been?"

"…No…time seems to go at a different pace here."

"…Yeah…" Andy turned to meet Kevin’s eyes.

"Would you still be sitting here by yourself if I hadn’t come?"

"…Probably…" The boys’ faces inched nearer and nearer. Until finally their soft lips met and they kissed each other. They wrapped their arms around each other and lay onto the ground, with Kevin lying on top of Andy. Kevin slowly pulled away with Andy straddled between his legs and he looked into those deep blue eyes one more time.

"I love you … do you feel the same way?" He asked, his eyes quivering again.

"Yes." Andy smiled deeply and the two embraced. They lay on the hill together for hours.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months into years. With each other as strength, the two boys finally felt brave enough to leave the Hill and venture out into the world. They lead a plentiful life together and each time they needed reassurance that what they were doing what was right, they would just look into each other’s eyes and know that it was love.

60 years had passed and Kevin was an old man now. He wearily jumped from stone to stone to the hill where he and Andy first met, that magical hill. He sat down slowly and starred out into the mountain range, it was exactly the same as the day they first met. A small tear reached his eye and he looked to his left where his partner used to sit. He saw him sitting there … those deep blue eyes, reflecting the blue of the sky. Andy smiled and the words from his mouth rode the wind and floated into Kevin’s ear. "…I never knew the sky was this beautiful until I met you…" the image of Andy disappeared as Kevin lunged forward to hug him.

Tears stung his eyes as they teemed down his face. He took the smooth metallic jar that sat by him and he gently opened the lid. He slowly stood tipped the jar upside down. The ashes of his love poured out and the frosty mountain wind swept them away, along with Kevin’s heart.

"Goodbye Andy…I’ll never forget you…" He folded his arms across his chest and rubbed the soft, creamy jumper he was wearing.