Bambi and Lanky Sitting on a Tree!

-Thursday Afternoon, January 9th 2018-

“Okay Lanky, let’s see what you come up with today,” Osmond whispered to himself. 

      It was the beginning of the new year and Osmond found himself in his and Maverick’s apartment all by himself. It had been two days since Maverick had left for his business trip and Osmond was losing his mind. After visiting his mother back in Cambridge for the New Years, Osmond came down with a terrible cold that completely knocked him off his ass. And while Maverick would have loved to stay and attend to his boyfriend, this project for his advertising agency was too important to be postponed. 

Having a cold meant being contagious, and being contagious meant not seeing his friends, and not seeing his friends–plus Maverick not being home– led to ultimate boredom. So, Osmond had been trying to figure out how to entertain himself for the following week, and while the new season of Grace and Frankie would be entertaining to watch, the juicy teenage drama happening right outside his window took prevalence in Osmond’s little world.

      Wednesday was the first time he saw it happening. A lanky young guy was waiting outside of the all-girls high school across the street from the couple’s place. The guy had a red scarf with matching mittens but he was also holding another pair of white mittens. Osmond saw how the boy was trying to peek inside the gate while a flood of school girls made their way out of the premises. Oh, he is definitely looking for somebody, Osmond had thought. And then it happened. A group of four girls walked out of the gates, one of them walking a little far behind, the poor thing. She was terribly clumsy while attempting to walk down the icy sidewalk trying to catch up to her friends. 

      Osmond, while eating his soup, looked back at the guy waiting by the gate and saw how his eyes lit up with excitement. Bingo, Bambi legs is the one. The guy, fighting against the current of skirts and gossip, reached the clumsy girl. He tried to give her the mittens. Osmond could see him talking quickly and extending the mittens towards the girl, but her friends were getting too ahead of her so she offered an apologetic smile, while saying something and ran off. Oof, I am sorry man, there is always a tomorrow.

Osmond went to bed giddy to know if the lanky guy was going to attempt talking to this girl again. So as soon as Thursday rolled in, Osmond made sure to go to his window seat by 2:15pm to try and catch them. He had his phone in his hand and he made sure to blow his nose enough to not sound stuffy. He wanted to tell Maverick about the teenagers across the street, because he needed to share his discoveries to feel less lonely.

​

Voice message - To: Mav <3

“Mav! Remember yesterday when I told you about the lanky guy and the clumsy girl? The one with the mittens and that he just stood there like a kicked puppy after she left all rushed and stuff? Well, guess what? The lad is back. This time he brought the mittens again but also a pink box. It looks kind of flat and longish so I am guessing they are chocolates. Also I am calling the kids Bambi and Lanky. Like code names!”

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Osss Im in a meeting I’ll listen to ur message later <3

Voice message - To: Mav <3

“Sure, just answer when you have time. I am making a live narration of events because these girls just came out, though. Okay I see the three girls, they kind of remind me of that Lindsey Lohan’s movie what was it? Oh! Mean Girls! Anyways, Bambi is walking a little further behind. She looks so cute trying to catch up, we could 100% adopt her. I see Lanky, he is by the entrance yet again and he is- oh wait! He saw Bambi, okay he is walking. I wonder how he is gonna go around this. Is he going to say something grand? Or cheesy? Or embarrassing? I am not sure…I am having a bad feeling about this. Teenage girls are ruthless, they will eat him alive if he is not cool, or smooth, or suave. Ugh whatever, I will keep you posted! Good luck in your meeting.”

 

Voice message - To: Mav <3

“Okay! So I kept watching until the end. Lanky went up to the Mean Girls and he was blushing. He was so red. One of the girls was definitely asking for his name and I wish we didn’t live across the street because I would have liked to hear his actual name. Calling him Lanky seems a little mean. But anyways, he goes and introduces himself, I suppose, and while he is doing so he drops the mittens! Thank God he didn’t drop the chocolates that would have been terrible. But then he- oh wait you are typing.”

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Babe r u spyng on kids thru the window? 

u fucking weirdo lol. 

Text message - To: Mav <3

When you put it like that it sounds even worse…

It is puppy love, Maverick. They are like 16. Do you remember when you were 16? That was like 12 years ago! It is also entertaining and I am not doing anything with ill intentions.

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Weeeellll i gues ur not wrong…whtvr keep going! you cut urself off in thr last memo

Voice message - To: Mav <3

“Why thank you for calling me a weirdo, I love you too! So as I was saying…after dropping the mittens he gets laughed at by the three Mean Girls. It was so heartbreaking! There he was, our Lanky, kneeling on the icy-pebble-sidewalk trying to save the white  mittens from getting dirty with the disgusting ice water while he was being mocked by these three evil witches!”

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Holy shit thats terrible. did the girl do anything to help him? I wouldve kms tbh

Text message - To: Mav <3

Bambi. The girl’s code name is Bambi. Are you not paying attention?

Text message - To: Os not Oz

I am i swear!!! i am sorry love, okay. BAMBI

Voice message - To: Mav <3

“Our Bambi did pull through. She kneeled down to try and catch the mittens too. She was saying something to him and Lanky was just smiling nervously and shaking his head in a dismissive way. While this whole interaction is happening on the ground, the three girls kind of look at Bambi with disgust and one of them even rolls her eyes. Bananas! Lanky gets up from the ground and he stretches his hand so Bambi can take it, and I swear time slowed down. She looked up at him with her huge green eyes, and then at his hands, and then she hesitantly raised her hand to take it. AHH it was so cute! But the eye-rolling bitch interrupted the moment and snatched Bambi’s hands pulling her up so harshly I wouldn’t be surprised if her arm was pulled out of her shoulder! Anyways, they all walked away. Lanky was standing there, AGAIN, like a kicked puppy. Bambi turned to look at him, but he didn’t look back. Isn’t that so sad?”

Text message - To: Os not Oz

oof

Text message - To: Mav <3

…that's it? That’s all you have to say? Couldn’t you be at least more engaged? I am dying of the flu and boredom in this giant and lonely apartment, and now I will also have to die of heartbreak?

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Os ur being dramatic hahaha i love you with all my heart :(

Os?

- Friday Afternoon, January 10th 2018 -

      Osmond found himself restless. Maverick always made time for him and to get excited about things that happened around the house while he was gone. This was not the first time Osmond had engaged in people-watching and turned it into a personalized podcast for his boyfriend. Yes, he might have been a little dramatic yesterday, but he was trying to include Maverick in his silly little hobby. 

      Osmond made his way to the window at around 2:00pm, just like he had been doing for the last three days, and sat down on the forest green window seat. This time, instead of soup, he was holding a piping hot cup of tea while waiting for the teens to come out of school. “Well, no live narration today. He can ask for an update later tonight for all I care,” he muttered under his breath, thinking about Maverick. While the gates of the school were opening to let the students out, Osmond felt his phone vibrating by his feet.

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Hey…its quarter past 2 any updates on the kids?

Text message - To: Mav <3

Oh so now you care? I thought I was boring you to death yesterday.

Text message - To: Os not Oz

Okay yeah a little but now I am curious :(

Text message - To: Mav <3

Curiosity killed the cat, Maverick.

Text message - To: Os not Oz

I’ll make it up to u by listening to everything uve to say <3

​

      Osmond rolled his eyes at his phone but he couldn’t help the small smile forming on his thin lips. He sat his phone down by his feet and stared out the frosty window. Lanky was waiting yet again by the gate of the school. This time he had no long chocolate box, nor the mittens. Osmond raised an eyebrow in confusion and scooted closer to the window, his hot pale forehead touching the cold glass.

      “Okay, Lanky you got this,” Osmond whispered while frowning. 

      Lanky was pacing back and forth. His left hand was in his pocket and he was moving his right hand in the air as if he was in the middle of a conversation. Oh, so he is practicing something in his head? Definitely going for the smooth tone. The gates started to open and, like all the days before, a stampede of girls were rushing to go home. Lanky started to fix his blazer and Osmond saw him wiping his hands against his pants, definitely nervous. 

      Bambi had come out by herself. This time she wasn’t clumsily trying to catch up with the mean girls, she was walking in a slow and calmed way. She looked around and finally spotted Lanky. She offered a big grin and a wave, and skipped her way towards him. Osmond could see Lanky’s face light up and Bambi approached him. They started talking. They were obviously shy around each other but it seemed like conversation was flowing. Osmond wished he could hear what they were talking about. Were they planning an outing? Was he asking her to be his girlfriend? So many possibilities. Osmond’s concentration was interrupted by the ringtone he had set up for Maverick. He groaned loudly in annoyance and picked up the phone with a, “What do you want? I am busy.” “Wow, nice to talk to you sweetheart. I’ve missed you so much too!” Maverick said.

      “You are interrupting me Maverick. Are you here to complain about me spam messaging you?” Osmond replied while looking at the kids.

      “I would never complain about you messaging me. I just said I was busy yesterday. Are you watching Bambi and Lanky?”

      “Obviously,” Osmond said with an eye roll.

      “God you are so weird, I love it. Tell me what’s going on?”

      Osmond fixed his posture and wiggled closer to the window. “Of course. So there are no mean girls today. Bambi walked by herself towards Lanky who, yet again, was waiting for her outside. Right now they are talking.”

      “What are they talking about?” “Maverick. I am at the flat, behind a glass window, on the other side of the street. How am I supposed to know?”

      “I thought you would’ve figured out a way to spy on the kids more effectively. Could you imagine if they are actually not dating and like they are actually siblings?”

      “Shhh I am looking, you are distracting me. Okay, she is nodding really fast. She agreed to something? Heavens, this is giving me anxiety. He is pulling out his phone and giving it to her!” “Oh my god they are exchanging numbers? Nice!”

      “Yeah it seems like it - Oh shit!” Osmond scrambled to get down from the window seat. He landed on the floor butt first and his phone slipped out of his hand. He scurried to pick it up. “Os what the fuck? What happened, are you okay?” Maverick’s worried voice filled the room.

      “He saw me. Oh bloody hell he saw me, we made eye contact. Now, I am going to be the pervert who spies on kids. We are going to be ransacked by the school and the neighbors. I’ll never get another job,” Osmond whisper-yelled through the phone.

      “Can you please calm down? Jeez, you must be having a terrible fever if you are acting like this. You are the level headed one out of the two of us! Lanky saw you?

      “Yes, he did. He was frowning towards the window and squinting. I am not sure if he was squinting so hard because he couldn't see from afar, or because he was disgusted. Oh, bollocks, this is embarrassing. I am never people-watching ever again.”

 

- Saturday Evening, January 12th 2018 -

Maverick loved his boyfriend. He really did. There was no way he would’ve left his friends and family back in New York to follow Osmond across the Atlantic if he wasn’t in love with him. But his boyfriend was going to give him a heart attack one day, and he wasn’t happy about knowing that.

      Maverick was back to London after his business trip in the States. He liked catching late night flights so he could get home around noon, and he wouldn’t have that much jetlag. But as he unlocked the door of his and Osmond’s townhouse, his day dreaming of a lazy day on the couch with Os and getting take out was interrupted by sobbing. Maverick let his luggage fall onto the floor and he sprinted towards the window seat where Osmond was curled up into a blanket while sobbing his heart out.

      “Os! What is going on? Are you okay, what happened?” Maverick wrapped his arms around Osmond’s shaking figure and lifted him up to sit him on his lap. He rested a hand on Osmond’s forehead and noticed that he was running hot, definitely a bad fever.

      “It is just so sad. It’s been all day of Lanky sitting out there in the cold waiting for hours and hours with no sign of Bambi. She stood him up, can you believe that? Like, he made all that effort for the entire week just to be left stranded in the cold. You know he has been there since 1:27 pm? It’s fucking 6:36 in the evening, Mavs! It’s been five bloody hours,” Osmond said between tears. Yes, his boyfriend was going to give him a heart attack one day, Maverick thought. He looked out the window to see a guy he assumed to be Lanky sitting on the bench by the school’s door. He was playing on his phone while looking up from time to time to check their window. 

      “Hey Os, it’s okay. Heartbreak is part of life and he is probably a nice guy! Mittens and chocolate? Plus, that determination? He is definitely going to get someone worth it–” He was cut off by Osmond. “Is he crossing the street? Why is he crossing the street to our house?” Osmond said while trying to free himself from Maverick’s grip. Osmond was stumbling out of the blanket with the reminders to be careful Maverick was giving him as background noise. And then the doorbell rang.

      “Oh shit, it’s him. He is coming to yell at me. At us!” Osmond paused and turned to look at Maverick. They stood quietly for what felt like minutes, just looking at each other as if their stares could communicate what was going on inside their heads. Maverick’s eyes flickered to the door as the doorbell rang again. Osmond took that as a cue to answer the door. He slid down the wooden floors with his socks to get there faster while Maverick was quick to follow him. 

      “Who is it?” Osmond said loudly while unlocking the door. “The guy you have been looking at all week,” Lanky answered. Osmond opened the door with a quick swing and smiled awkwardly at the boy. His red curls were moving because of the wind and his dark brown eyes were staring hard at Osmond, but definitely not in a mean way. “Lanky?” Osmond whispered. 

      “Jesus, Os! Hey man, my name is Maverick and this is my boyfriend Osmond. I am sorry if he has caused any trouble, how can we help you?” Maverick took over while discreetly pushing Osmond behind him to not freak the boy out. Lanky’s eyes traveled from one face to the other. “Hi, yes, I am Archie. Mister Osmond, it’s okay I am not mad at you for looking out your window, it is your window and you live here. But, well…I have been sitting out here for what feels like forever, and I saw you crying at some point and I just needed to know what’s going on,” Archie said, he was soft spoken and he looked as if he was being careful. 

      “Well, first of all, hello Archie, and I am sorry if at any point my people-watching became uncomfortable. You see, I was home alone all week and I normally people-watch when I am bored. I saw you coming by Wednesday, Thursday and then Friday and talking to Bambi–I am sorry, this girl from the school across the street. The mittens and the chocolates were such nice presents, and then you guys exchanged numbers, but today she stood you up! And you looked so miserable sitting across the street that it made me feel so sad for you and well…that is why I was crying,” Osmond said from behind Maverick, he was shying away with every word.

      “Bambi? You mean Florence? Oh God no! She is my best friend. I brought her the mittens and the chocolates because she was trying to give them to a girl she likes at school but she kept forgetting them. That is why I rushed as soon as school was over because I had to stop by her place to get them. And then yesterday she was looking for the address of this place she wants to go with the girl on my phone because hers is broken. And well, I am waiting outside here because since her phone is at the shop we just agreed on a meeting point but I completely forgot the hour she told me to meet up so I decided to hang out here in the meantime,” Archie answered giggling by the end of his explanation because of how the ridiculous the situation was.

      “Not siblings, but close enough! My theory was right they were not dating, Osmond,” Maverick said and gave Osmond a triumphant smile. Osmond rolled his eyes and stepped forward, “Archie, would you like to come in for a cup of tea while you wait for Florence? Maybe you can straighten out the story I accidentally came up with.”

      “Sure, why not. Also could we sit by your window so I can see when Florence stops by?”

      “Whatever you need Archie, it’s the least we can do,” Maverick answered.