The Omega's Fist

6. Wine and Past

“Wow!” was all Jason could say. He was standing on a patio while overlooking the rest of Los Angeles. The city lights were twinkling as people from the city turned them on. It was starting to get dark, and he hadn’t seen the dusk as beautiful.

“Relax, you have all the time to watch that view.” Oscar chuckled from behind.

There was a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, along with two wine glasses and a cheese table waiting for him. It was luxurious, and the cheese board weighed a pound more than a block of butcher’s chopping board. The sky was turning from amber to indigo. They could also watch the stars from the right side of the patio, where a telescope was placed. The air smelled like freshly watered soil—earthy and organic.

“Man, you are wealthy. Who are you exactly?” Jason turned to Oscar. He raised an eyebrow upon realizing that Oscar's bruises from last night were no longer there. The young lad had this very masculine face with porcelain skin. Even his wounds were already healing too, unlike Jason’s wounds which were meant to leave permanent marks on his face.

“My name is Oscar Grande. We own the largest vineyard here in California, and we also own a fleet of luxury helicopters for leasing. This place is the very first piece of land that my ancestors cultivated. Things took off from there, and the rest is history.” Oscar casually explained. It was weird how he sounded proud, but at the same time, down-to-earth and friendly. As Jason observed, Oscar even knew the names of their servants and the people working on the field for them. “Enough about me. It’s your turn. I know your name already, but tell me more about your family.”

Jason leaned back on the deck railing. He then closed his eyes and remembered his past. Gradually, his smile melted as bitter memories flooded his mind.

“Well, let’s see. I was the bastard son of an alpha I never met. When I was fifteen, I became an orphan since my mom had a sudden death. I had trained for years to qualify for the UOFC. I have a sponsor who funds my fights and uses me to gamble his money.” Jason then opened his eyes. And in a second, he went back to smiling. He walked to the steel chair beside the coffee table and sat in it. The chair was made of pure steel with throw pillows padding it to make sitting more comfortable. It also has a design from a different era. It has curves and patterns that were no longer found in the city.

“You had gone through a lot, huh? Well, you are in a better place now, I presume.” Oscar looked at him from head to feet appreciatively. There was this admiration and, at the same time, empathy etched on his handsome face as he focused on Jason.

Weird as it seems, but Jason felt secure while with Oscar, although they’ve only met twice.

“Yeah, I guess it made me who I am today. My goal is to get that Ultimate Fighter Of the Year title. That would surely secure me for life. How about you? Why did you join?” Jason casually threw the question. He did not want to pry, but then he was curious. He meant, what can a wealthy like Oscar need from the UOFC?’

Oscar smiled at him. Just like the first time they met, adoration was still in the boy’s eyes. It was something that Jason was very familiar with by now. Every fan he met had that same look on their faces.

“I joined so I could escape the life I have. They want me to get married, have a family, and take over our family businesses soon. I am fond of our business, but I’m not of having a family. I am just twenty f*****g years old! I’m not ready for a family. All I want is to enjoy my life. UOFC, being in New York, gave me that.”

Oscar was a wildcard, and Jason couldn’t help but feel amazed and worried about the boy’s rebellious character. He took his moment to sturdy Oscar before saying, “UOFC had one rule. No one gets out of the ring unless someone dies. Will this work out when both of us are competing for the same title?”

The air between them suddenly became cooler. Spring was coming, and its breeze somehow affected California too.

Jason took his jacket from the side table near the sliding door and wore it. Oscar, on the other hand, seemed to be unfazed by the breeze and just watched him.

“Enough about this sadness. Do you want to explore the wine cellar? You can choose your drink, and we can cook our dinner. Or we can ask the servants to prepare some dishes too. Your choice.” Oscar blurted with a contagious smile.

“Sounds like a plan. Let’s find the most expensive wine and try it. Are we going to have a party?” Jason smiled too and went back to the table. He lifted his wine glass and drank everything in it. “Ah. . . that was satisfying,”

“Come inside. I think you have enough buzz to create your party.” Oscar took him by his arm and dragged him into the basement.

It was well lit with spacious space. There was a game room with glass walls on the far end. And on the other end was a door that led to a room twice as big as his apartment was. It was full of wine from floor to ceiling.

“Hey Jason, are you going to stand there or help me look for wine?” Oscar looked divine with his white shirt and cargo pants. He had that average build— just enough to knock out someone inside the ring, and at the same time, make women drool when they see him topless.

“Coming, sorry, I am just not used to this. I think I’m in heaven right now.” Jason shook his head then started checking on the bottle labels. The bottles were arranged in a way that the corks were facing down. Every bottle in that cellar has wood attached to its bottom. Every wood had the bottles distinction etched carefully on them.

“Pinot noir? Asti Martini? Champagne… Chateau Lafite,” Jason blurted out loud without even thinking twice if he pronounced the words correctly. “Are these expensive?” he asked Oscar, who was busy checking the other bottles afterward.

“Nope, those are just regular wines. Try looking for Eagle Cabernet.” Oscar chuckled like a wild child who was trying to do foul deeds to get his parents’ attention.

“I think I found one, Eagle Sauvignon!” Jason exclaimed in excitement while jumping up and down.

“Stop, you would trigger the earthquake alarm in here. Not that one. Keep looking.”

Jason stopped then moved around. He walked towards Oscar after a while. Each step he took made his heart pound faster. It was then that reality hit him— he had feelings for this boy.

Oscar never failed to mesmerize him. Upon reaching the boy, Jason bent lower to read another bottle label. It wasn’t what he was looking for, so he immediately straightened up. Little did he anticipate that Oscar was about to do the same thing. Thus, they ended up bumping against each other.

He couldn’t tell when did time started moving slowly or how they ended up staring at each others’ eyes. Nonetheless, he was certain of how his heartbeat doubled as sweet anticipation flooded him.

He desires to take Oscar. Thus, he leaned closer to him. With his eyes half-closed and his lips wanting, he cupped the boy’s cheeks and waited for his lips to touch his.

Yes, that magical first kiss.