Summer came very quickly after graduation. The temperatures rose to a sweltering 34 degrees Celsius, unusually hot for our small English town of Devon. The children of the town were turned loose from their already exhausted parents, letting kids as young as six or seven roam free throughout the town. Of course, things such as kidnappings and pedophilia were rarely heard of from our town, as it was really too small to be much of a target to predators.

Phil and I sit on our swings on Violet Hill, my boyfriend holding me close next to him. Our bodies are pressed next to each other as we snuggle close, sweat dripping down my thighs from the extra body heat. He sighs, and I lean even closer to him, if it's even possible to get closer to him.

"How come I haven't gotten any acceptance letters yet?" He asks, clearly upset about the fact that no universities have emailed him about it yet. Classic Phil, always worried about his grades, no matter the circumstance.

I giggle and take his hand. "It's still the beginning of summer, Philly. I'm sure they'll come."

He squeezes my hand and nods. "I mean, I think they would. I made it through school with only a couple of bad marks. Do you think universities won't accept because of them?"

I shake my head. "Well, you know you could always come to UCL with me," I say, for the first time revealing that I've been accepted into University College London.

It takes a minute to register, but when it does, he gasps and hugs me. "You got accepted?" He asks.

I grin and nod, and he kisses my cheek like Mum does when she's proud of me. "I'm so proud of you!" He says, adding to my comparison.

"I think I'm going to take some music courses there," I admits.

Phil nods. "Do you have a backup plan?"

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, studying music doesn't guarantee a career in music."

"Nothing is guaranteed."

"That's why I'm suggesting you minor in something else that you love, something that you would still be happy doing if you don't get a job in music."

I blush. "To be honest, I was thinking more along the lines of being an actual musician. You know, like starting a band and... yeah. I don't know. Maybe that's dumb but... it's always been a dream of mine."

Phil chuckles and kisses my head. "You act like I haven't been your friend since we were little. I know, silly."

I smile at how obvious my statement is. I only talk about being in a band all the bloody time. I learned the guitar when I was little for the sole purpose of being in a band with someone. Of course, I've always been the dorkiest bloke in the school, so no one has ever wanted to be seen making music with me. I wonder if it will still be like that when I go to Uni.

Uni...

Will Uni be any different from my years of suffering at school? What if they don't like me there, either? For years, I've stood by Phil's side, and he's always protected me, as I have him. What will I do if he gets into a school such as Cambridge? He definitely deserves to get into something more academically suited for him. What if... we're split up?

"Phil," I begin, my head on his shoulder, looking up at him. He smiles down at me and nods for me to continue. "What will happen to us if we're separated? You know, like, what if you get into a really good university and I'm stuck at UCL? How will we see each other? How will we stay together?"

He sighs. "We'll find a way, Chris. We'll find a way."

We sit at that swing until the stars are slowly revealed from behind the curtain of light, and together we admire the numerous suns, clustered together and scattered across the night sky like marbles. The night sky has never ceased to amaze me. Infinity itself exists outside of what we can even comprehend about the universe, and that blows my mind every time I think about it. While Phil has never been as astounded by space as I have, he can't deny that the stars are a marvel to watch, and all that happens around the stars.

When I was 14, I first realized my fascination of the stars. I was laying outside on a warm summer's night, much like the night Phil and I spend doing the same. I had been learning about space in my science class, and we had discussed the vastness of space. I realized as I stared into the sky, I was staring both into the past and to the infinite. There was darkness lit by small lights of the past, and I saw the sky as a metaphor for my life (which, at the time, was kind of shit). I remember imagining myself marrying an astronaut and writing music for him about the stars.

Of course, I could hardly imagine anything like that now.

The next day, I walk over to Phil's, who apparently has very exciting news.

He greets me with a large grin, and I can't help but smile in return. "What's up with you?"

He holds up a letter, and I recognize it as a letter of acceptance, but it's not from UCL. I squint, trying to look at who the letter is from, and see the name "Oxford University" at the top of the letter. "I got accepted into Oxford!" He says, confirming my observations.

I try to look happy for him, but internally, I'm devastated. He's not going to the same university as me, and I have no idea how I'm going to survive without him. I flash him a fake smile, and he hugs me. "Congratulations!" I tell him, using my most enthusiastic voice. I hope that he can't through my façade, but I know that he knows me far too well to be fooled.

"Are you okay?" He asks, as if he can read my mind.

I nod, and feel unexpected tears prick at the corners of my eyes. "I'm just going to miss you is all," I admit.

"Awww, come here baby," he says, pulling me close to him, before showering me with kisses. I giggle, and he smirks. "You're gonna be okay. You know that, right?"

I nod. "I know, but it still hurts. I'm so used to seeing you every day."

"I know, but you're going to make all new friends and forget all about me."

I smile. "I could never forget about you, Phil," I giggle.

"You'd better not!"

We laugh, and though I'm still sad about him leaving me, I decide to save my sadness for later and enjoy his presence while I still have the privilege of it.

The rest of the summer is spent doing different things. We chase kids down the road, scaring them. We climb the lone tree of Violet Hill, and always end up cuddling each other on the same branch. We share ice cream and play music and on good days, I'm even able to convince him to watch the stars with me.

Too soon, we find ourselves together, on the last day before I have to leave for London. We sit on the swings, and he won't stop staring at me. 

"This has been my favorite summer ever, you know?" He admits.

I look up at him, and see his grin, accompanied with his serious, brown eyes. "Mine too," I reply, and put my head back down. 

He stops swinging and forces me to look at him. "I love you, Chris," he says, his tone serious. "I mean that. If I didn't love you before, then this summer has convinced me that I am, indeed, madly in love with you."

I think for a moment. Phil loves me. He's biting his lip, and I know that he's serious about it. Do I want to be with Phil for the rest of my life? Yes. Do I ever want to spend a moment without him? No. Would I do anything for him? Yes. But... do I love him?

Yes. More than anything.

"I love you, too," I whisper, almost embarrassed to say so. "I love you so fucking much."

He kisses me hard then, pulling away only to tell me his sudden idea. "See that tree?" He asks me, and I nod at his dumb question. He stands up and pulls out his pocket knife, before carving two pairs of initials into the tree.

"CM + PH"  it reads, and I smile. He carves a heart around our initials, forever imprinting our love onto the lone tree of Violet Hill.

He then returns to me to pick up where we left off, this time sitting on my lap and putting his lips fully on mine. Growing more desperate for him, I stick my tongue into his mouth, and we sit there, just making out happily on the swing.

He pulls away, both of us out of breath and growing increasingly more desperate for the other. "I'm ready," I say, recalling the incident on graduation night, where I backed out of everything I longed for now. The feel of his skin on mine, his warm breath on my neck, his mouth exploring areas reserved only for my hands.

He holds back a smile and nods. "Me too," he replies, and next thing we know, we're on his best, stripped naked by each other, our hands already curiously exploring the other. I guide my hands down his muscular chest, astounded by how broad his shoulders are. I sink my teeth into his left peck, and he makes a hissing sound as my tongue makes circles around the small circle made by my mouth. I release him and smirk at the large, purple welt left on his chest. 

"You're a bastard," he hisses, moving his hand to my throbbing member. He teases me by making circles around me, before gently inserting me into his mouth. He only takes the tip, teasing me more, and I moan, begging him to take more of me.

He takes in a bit at a time, making sure to lick each small section of my dick completely clean before moving down some more. Eventually, he reaches my balls, which he licks as well, making me flinch before sending shivers of pleasure down my spine. "Fuck," I moan, and he begins bobbing his mouth up and down on top of me, making me feel warm and lightheaded at the same time.

He starts slowly and speeds up only at my request. My moans grow louder as the pleasure becomes nearly unbearable, even though I know he's only just started.

"Come on baby, cum in me," he says, moving faster and faster, waiting for my explosion.

Another two minutes of fast bobbing and sucking and I do. He swallows it all, licking me clean, before flipping me on my stomach. "Are you sure you're ready, Chris?" He asks, and this time, I give him a confident and reassuring "yes."

At first, all I feel is discomfort as he slides into my ass. Then, as he goes deeper, I start to feel the soreness and I hiss as he fully inserts himself into me. "You good?" He asks, and I nod. I'm not going to back out this time.

He starts slowly, gently taking himself in and out, before I tell him that it's okay to go faster. He obeys, and thrusts a bit faster, making my ass even more sore. I scream, and almost cry out for him to stop, but I don't. I just let the pain come, and I remember that Phil is inside of my ass. I stop screaming as I begin to feel the pleasure in the pain. Phil thrusts harder and I moan in pleasure, as does he.

He goes harder, each time adding a new layer of pain and pleasure to my poor ass, until he finally climaxes, coming inside of me. He rolls over onto the bed beside me and gives me a kiss. "That was amazing," he says with a grin.

I nod. "I love you," I say.

"I love you, too," he says back, and we fall asleep in each other's arms.