"It's one euro for a Coke. No money, no Coke."
Maria's raised voice made me look up. The cafe was quiet so there really wasn't any need for her to raise her voice like that, unless she was getting stroppy about something. Mind you, it didn't take much to get Maria stroppy, charming old harridan that she was.
Hands on ample hips, she was glaring at a boy at the checkout, a lad of twelve or so who was rummaging frantically through a sports bag, his face flushing redder and redder as he did. Next in line, a great lump of a woman in orange Spandex was tutting audibly. The poor kid looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.
Maria could be a miserable old baggage. I got up and sauntered over to the counter as she turned to serve the orange Spandex woman. Spandex woman glared at me as I took my place behind her, like the boy's delaying was somehow my fault. I smiled back placidly. She was a semi-regular, an attractive but flabby blonde with a long ponytail and sucky attitude. I always assumed her less-than-civil treatment of me was a kind of come-on. The thought made me smile more broadly, and I winked at her. She sniffed, turned away and collected her change, then wobbled off to the far corner of the cafe.
"Well?" Maria demanded of the boy.
"I... it was here... I..."
"No money, no Coke," she repeated, scowling at him, then turned a simpering smile on me. "Mister Dominic! How are you today? Good workout, yes?"
"I'm good, Maria, I'm good, thank you. Yeah, not bad; no records today but we'll do. Pint of milk, please." I glanced sideways at the boy who was miserably repacking wet swimming gear into his bag. "And a Coke."
Maria sniffed audibly at this, miserable old cow that she is. The boy looked up. I paid with a grin, then handed the cold can to the lad as I passed him. "Here you go, buddy," I smiled. His flushed face registered confusion and he mumbled something incomprehensible as he took the Coke. I slugged a mouthful of milk, nodded cheerfully and went back to my newspaper.
A minute or so later a timid voice said "Mister...?"
I looked up. The boy was standing awkwardly by my table, Coke in hand, bag slung over his shoulder. "Mister? Thanks, uh, mister."
I lay my paper down and grinned at him. "No problem, buddy." He smiled back, a quick, shy smile, and seemed to hesitate. "Say, you wanna sit down?" I asked, gesturing to the chair opposite. "Or are you with your mates?"
Given that the cafe was empty apart from him, me and Ms Spandex-butt, I had a feeling he was here by himself. I hadn't seen him here before, either, and I would have remembered him if I had, because he was a beautiful boy. He had a long, oval face culminating in a neatly pointed chin, clear, gorgeously blue eyes, a smallish mouth with delightful, slightly rosy lips. A little androgynous, but perhaps that added to his beauty. His hair, damp from the swimming pool, fell across the right side of his face almost to his high, perfect cheekbone. He flicked it aside, a subconscious action, simultaneously gauche and cool.
"Uh, yeah, uh no. Um. Thanks. You sure?"
I smiled. "Sure I'm sure. Siddown." I took another drink as he fumbled the chair and sat, flashing me a shyly grateful grin.
"Thanks."
"And you're very welcome, but enough with the thanks, OK? Dominic." I reached across the table, hand outstretched. "Dom."
"Uh. Alex. Uh, Alex," he replied, almost knocking over his Coke as he stretched to shake.
"Hi, UhAlex," I said. "And we'll have to work on that if we're gonna be friends."
He looked suitably confused. The rosy glow of his skin still hadn't faded completely. It made him look delightfully young and vulnerable.
"Wh...?"
"That weak-ass handshake, Alex," I explained. "Needs work. Makes you seem like a kid."
He caught the twinkle in my eye and broke into a proper grin. "Oh, yeah, right!"
"So, Alex, what brings you to The Gym?" I gestured at our surroundings. "Swimming, I guess, yeah?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm... My aunt's a member and her card lets me..."
"Ah yeah. Shame it's such a crap pool."
He looked up, suppressing a smile; from the slight shock, and secret delight, in his eyes, his homelife didn't allow bad language of even the mildest kind. "Well," I continued with a smile of my own, "it's not great is it? I'm guessing you're from the city, and you're used to major sports facilities on your doorstep, yes?" He struck me as the sporty type: something about the roll of his shoulders when he'd reached to shake my hand popped the idea into my head, along with visions of firm young pecs and tight, bumpy little abs. He nodded, sipping Coke. "Yeah," I said. "Thought so. Great gym here, or at least pretty good, and close by. But not much else; no outside pitches, and the pool's for old men and fat ladies." I glanced across at Ms Spandex and waggled my eyebrows at the boy. He snorted slightly and looked down, grinning.
"Yeah," he said. "It's... well, OK, but..."
"It's a bit small-town here," I finished for him.
He nodded again, drinking. I took a swig of milk.
"Still, small town has its advantages," I winked. "The city's full of noise and dirt and losers - present company excepted, of course!" He smiled again, a beautiful smile.
"So, your aunt? Let me guess, you're staying with her for the vacation?"
Again he nodded. I waited, eyebrow cocked politely.
"Oh, uh. Yeah, my aunt Lucia. She's, uh, she's an artist. She lives nearby and I'm staying with her for... well, a couple months I guess."
"Lucia del Pozzi?" I asked. He looked surprised. "Uh, yeah. You, uh, you know her?"
I shrugged. "Sure. Well, I know of her, met her maybe a couple of times. She's a little bit famous around here." I grinned. "I have one of her paintings on my wall. Cost me five grand. It's not bad."
"OK, cool," replied Alex, smiling. His eyebrows registered the five grand on one of his aunt's paintings, but he was too polite to say anything. He looked down at his Coke. "She's, yeah, she's looking after me, but she's, uh, I guess she's kinda busy, and..."
"...And so you're stuck in this back-of-beyond little seaside town with no friends and not much to do. No decent pool, no football pitches to speak of."
He glanced up ruefully from beneath his long fringe. "Yeah, I guess that's kinda it."
I smiled sympathetically. "You play footie, yeah?" I guessed. He nodded again, his eyes bright, sipping Coke. "Lemme guess, striker, or... winger? You look like you're pretty fast."
That brought a beautiful big grin, dimpling his cheeks in the cutest way. His teeth were white and even. "Right wing," he said, "although I can play left too. My left foot's not bad."
"I'm impressed!" I exclaimed. "Bet you're first-team choice all the time."
He blushed slightly and looked down at his Coke, clearly pleased with my flattery. "Well..."
"Sure you are." I took a drink. "So, you been here long?" He shook his head, his hair falling prettily into his eyes. He brushed it back casually. "Well," I said, "there's some good beaches just along the coast, and some great snorkeling coves. Then there's jetskiing. You ever jetskiied?"
He looked morose, shaking his head again. "No. And... Sounds great, but. Well, my aunt doesn't have a car and, well, she's busy like I said, and..."
"She does feed you, though?" I asked, semi-serious. He looked startled. "Oh, yeah, yeah of course!" He gave a little grimace, his lips quirking in a sweetly attractive way. "Well, she says just to help myself whenever I'm hungry. She's..."
"Busy, I know," I finished for him. He grinned apologetically.
"Well, Alex," I said, glancing at my watch. "I gotta go, but nice chatting. Look," I said, putting a more serious tone into my voice. "I'm here ever other day or so, 'bout the same time. Buy you a Coke if you're here, OK?" I reached out my hand again. "Nice to have met you."
He took my hand. I held his. "Right, firm grip, good squeeze. No half-hands or fingertip crap. That's it." I adjusted his fingers as he grinned back at me. "That's better. Now squeeze firmly. Don't try to crush my hand, only assholes do that." I winked and he giggled. "That's it. Good shake.
"Right," I rose to go. "Take it easy, Alex. See you again."
I gave him a wave from the door. He waved back, his beautiful face one big smile. OK, I thought as I headed for the Mazda. OK then...
Business kept me occupied the following day, but the day after I made sure to drop by the gym at the same time. I worked out for an hour, showered, then took the long route to the cafe via the pool spectator gallery. It wasn't busy: a couple of youngsters in waterwings with their mom at the shallow end, a handful of garishly-costumed whales plowing side to side - and one slim, athletic lad trying, stop-start, to swim lengths. With no lane marked out he was having a tough time dodging whales and kids, but when he managed a straight spell he swam with an easy grace, arms rising and falling in a smooth freestyle crawl. He was like a juvenile big cat, all sleak young muscle and contained energy.
I watched him swim for a while until he finally gave up and hoisted himself onto the side with one smooth motion. I admired him as he sat; his pecs and abs were just as I'd imagined and his thighs were tight with muscle. He stared around morosely for a while then glanced up. I raised a hand in greeting, and his face broke into a grin at the sight of me. He waved back. I mimed drinking and nodded in the general direction of the cafe. He nodded back, climbed to his feet and headed for the changing room. I watched his butt. Speedos - serious swimmer, this one - clinging very nicely to a tight pair of buns. I followed it all the way to the changing room exit, my cock stirring in my sweatpants. Just lovely...
These thoughts danced sweetly through my mind as I met Alex down by the cafe entrance. He held out his hand with a shy smile; his grasp was carefully firm. "How you doing, Alex?" I smiled and nodded, then gestured toward the street door. "You wanna take a spin down to the harbor? There's a good ice-cream cafe down there."
"Sure," he replied. "Yeah, thanks. Uh, Dom."
He loved the Mazda, of course. Bright yellow MX-5 with the top down, engine growling, warm breeze fluttering his damp hair; what boy wouldn't. It was only a short drive to the harbor and I parked up in the easiest slot, the hardstand next to my place. His eyes widened as we pulled in and stopped, then almost popped when I affirmed that yes, that was my house. I guess it's pretty cool; I know I thought it was when I'd had it built a handful of years ago. A collection of sleek white boxes stacked against the parched and tumbled hillside at the foot of the harbor road, right across from the old harbor itself. Just wait until you see inside, my boy, I thought to myself as we strolled the hundred yards further on to the little row of shops and cafes opposite the shingle-sand beach.
Maggiano's is the ice-cream cafe, quiet, family run and excellent. I stood Alex a massive sundae of his choice and we sat on the little terrace overlooking the beach and the blue-crystal water of the little bay. I drank a little expresso and a little water, then casually dropped my little bombshell.
"So, Alex, there's a club that trains just up the coast, Real Juniors. Head coach is a Madrid fan, and they're pretty good. They've got a full morning training program running over the summer, nine till twelve, four days, Fridays off, matches Saturday morning."
I paused. Alex was staring at me with his big, blue eyes, spoon paused on the way to his mouth, a smear of chocolate ice cream on his rosy lips.
"I know the head coach, Andy. Called him yesterday, and he's happy to take you on to train with the squad for the next couple of months. Can't guarantee match time, of course - it's competitive as hell - though with boys off for the vacation you never know."
I gave him a smile. "Whaddya say? You up for it? Keep you out of mischief?"
He blinked and wiped the back of his hand across that sweet mouth. "I, uh. Wow. Uh, gee."
"Was that a no?" I asked in mock seriousness. He almost jumped.
"No! I mean yes! I mean... No, it wasn't a no! Yes! Wow! Yes, yes, that would be great! Thanks! Really, thanks Dom! Wow!" His grin split his face ear to ear. I laughed.
"No problemo, Alex. It's an early start, but it'll keep you from bugging Maria down The Gym."
He took a happy spoonful of ice cream, then his face fell mightily.
"Oh, but my aunt... I don't think she'll... She doesn't have a car, and... Up the coast you say?" Even his sigh was pretty.
"Yeah, couple of miles. Your aunt doesn't have a car? That's OK, though: I do. Pick you up at 8.45 on the nose, yeah?"
He goggled. "Wow! I. I dunno, dunno what to say! Wow! That would be... You sure you got the time? I mean, you must be, like, busy, yeah? Like, work and stuff? And...?"
"Easy," I replied. "I work when I want to - if you call meeting with my lawyer and my bankers work - and it's summer, and you're a great kid, and you're stuck here in my sleepy little town, so I figure the least I can do is help you out."
He grinned again, then paused as another thought struck him. "My aunt might not..." I cut him off. "I'll speak with her tomorrow, buddy. She'll be cool, you wait and see. Now, I've gotta be out of town in the morning but I'll drop by in the evening and square her away.
"Now, you got some kit with you?"
At that his face really did fall. "Uh, no. Didn't bring any... Shit..." His eyes popped and he looked hurriedly in my direction, clearly expecting a scolding for his cussing. I looked stern. "Watch your fuckin' mouth, Alex," I answered, and winked. He grinned, blushing beet red. I laughed. "OK, no kit. Right, you got anything to do right now? No? So - let's go shopping."
The mall was a twenty minute drive away. Poor Alex's head was spinning by the time we'd whirled through the sports warehouse, picking up Nike Magistas and some generic red-and-black kit to match what I knew the Real Juniors trained in. He didn't want to accept the boots - "I can't let you buy those for me!" - but I told him to stop acting like an ass and just take them. "You seen my house, buddy? You seen my car? Do I worry about money? Well quit wringing your hands and take the damn boots!"
We grabbed lunch in a taco place on the way back and he managed to navigate us back to his aunt's front door, a tall, shady, shabby little townhouse not far from The Gym. Given the new boots and the new plan, it made sense for me just to drop in and square the lady away. Alex's aunt Lucia was everything you'd expect a semi-famous local artist-to-be. She was plump and scruffy, in an attractive bo-ho kind of way, thick black hair tied back with an over-large blue bow, handsome face permanently distracted with the call of her muse. She was polite, of course, though she began quietly scolding Alex about bothering this important man until I turned on the charm.
I can be a charming bastard, I really can. Within minutes she was all "yes, Dominic!" and "really, Dominic!" and of course Alex could play football, if I was sure it was *really* no imposition, and how very *kind* of me, and wasn't Alex *lucky* to have made such a wonderful *friend* here, and so on. Mad as a fish, clearly, but pliably accommodating, and before I left everything was, indeed, squared away. I squeezed her hand and admired her work and flirted shamelessly, and she blushed what might have been the family blush and was putty in my hands.
"So, Alex," was my parting shot, "see you bright and early Monday."
And Monday morning it was I tooled up in the Mazda to his aunt's place at quarter of nine and found Alex sitting on the wall by the ramshackle gate, tanned legs swinging. He looked nervous and excited and grinned hugely when he saw the car. Such a pretty grin...
"Hey," I greeted as he jumped in, "morning. Good weekend?"
"Hi," he replied, grimacing. "OK, I guess. Church yesterday was kinda... weird."
"Ah, good for you, a morning in church." I turned left and pointed the MX-5 toward the main road. "I spent Sunday morning in bed with... a friend." I laughed at his expression. "Maybe not good for my soul, but bloody good for every other part of me." I grinned wolfishly at him. He blushed, then giggled in return.
The Juniors training ground was barely five minutes away, scarcely time for Alex to slag off my choice of music ("what's THAT?") or for me to gun the Mazda above sixty. I parked on the gravel opposite the changing block. A few other boys were hanging about, some in Real training kit but one or two in variants which should help Alex fit in. He hesitated as I opened my door. I gave him a reassuring grin and a squeeze to the shoulder. If my hand lingered, he didn't notice - or didn't mind.
"C'mon, you'll be just fine."
I nodded him towards the changing block and went over to chat with Andy, who promised to keep an eye out for Alex. It all looked good though; Alex emerged from the changing rooms chatting with another boy, looking happy enough. He glanced over and smiled. I smiled back and gave him the thumbs up, and that was him. I nodded to Andy and went back to the car. A quick look backwards and Alex was trying out some ball control skill while the other lads looked on. He got a clap from one of them. All good, I thought, and headed off to the bank.
Alex was grinning ear to ear when I picked him up around noon. I leaned over to open the Mazda door for him.
"Good morning?" I asked. "Yeah!" he replied, eyes bright in his flushed face. "They're really good, got some great players, Pete's brilliant, the coaches are brilliant too, Andy said I'm pretty good, work hard for the next couple weeks and he might play me in a match, guest sub!, Mikey's their first-choice winger but he's on holiday in a few weeks, and..."
"Whoa!" I laughed. "Slow down!"
He did, briefly, then sped up again as he enthused about his morning all the way back into town.
I parked up near his aunt's place.
"OK, you're a bit sweaty," I said, grinning, "but you wanna grab a bite of lunch before you head back?"
"Uh, yeah, that'd be... Uh, but..."
"Lay off the buts, Alex! My treat, of course. Look, I'm real pleased I can help you out. I know what it's like to be stuck in a small town over the vacation with nothing to do, believe me. I was there when I was your age. I've done well for myself, so this is me giving back, kinda, OK? Besides, you're a great kid. I've never had kids, so I'm gonna adopt you for the vacation until you tell me to bug off, OK?"
He blinked, then smiled, a little shyly, but pleased, I could see. "Sure, Dominic, that's... Sure."
"Dom. OK, what you wanna eat? Burger? Pizza? Taco?"
He smiled at me, his face flushed and happy and beautiful. "Burger's good. But not McDonald's." His nose wrinkled; even that was lovely.
"No probs. I know just the place."
Tuesday morning was the same deal. Alex had clicked into the Real Juniors squad, partly by being a really nice kid and partly by being a really good soccer player. I turned up earlier to watch the last twenty minutes, and spent them admiring my young friend as he darted up and down the wing and cut a couple of fine crosses back from almost certain dead ball positions. He moved with grace across the astroturf the same way he had in the pool, a joy to watch. My fantasies crowded in on me as I watched.
He was not so much flushed as dripping when he came over to the car at the end of the session.
"OK, buddy," I said as he climbed in. "I'm not taking you out for lunch in that condition. I should've thought of this yesterday." I started the engine. "How about we drop in at my place and you can grab a shower?"
"Oh," he said. "Uh, yeah, that would be good actually. I am kinda..."
"Ripe," I put in. "Only joking! But let's do that."
From the Real Juniors ground it was a straight drive along the coast and follow the road down to the old harbor, five minutes, right to my front door. I parked on the hard stand and indicated the side door, my usual way in. "Front door's up the steps there," I nodded, "but that's for visitors. Friends use the side door here."
Inside it was cool against the rising heat of the day. The basement is part in the hillside, with a big old storage room at back, an office and a den at the front, and my favorite shower just off the entryway.
"Here you go," I said, indicating the wetroom. "Let me get you a towel. Shower gel in there, probably too old-fashioned for you, but bring your own next time." I winked. "Oh, and if that wetsuit's in your way just shove it in the corner."
I jogged upstairs and dug out a huge, fluffy bathtowel. When I returned, Alex had peeled off boots, socks and shirt and was standing on the wetroom threshold. I took in the sight of his torso, all slim young muscle under smooth, tanned skin, my eyes wandering slowly. I winked as I handed him the towel.
"There you go. I'll put your clean stuff in the den there, keep it dry. Come find me upstairs when you're done and I'll give you a quick tour before we get some lunch, OK?"
He smiled happily. "Thanks, Dom."
"And it's a wetroom - don't worry about splashing the floor or anything," I laughed. "That's what it's for!"
I left him to it, much as I would've liked to walk in there with him, undress him the rest of the way then lead him into the shower and soap him slowly under the warm water jets...
I squeezed myself an orange juice and waited for him by the picture window that forms the seaward wall of my living room. My erection subsided gradually, and by the time Alex found me I was respectable again.
"Good shower?" I asked when he appeared, tentatively in the doorway. "C'mon in."
"Yeah!" he enthused. "That's a really cool shower!" His eyes widened as he took in the understated chic of the room. "You gotta... Your house is neat."
"Nice, isn't it," I replied. "Look, I'll show you around. You wanna juice?"
We finished the brief tour on the balcony terrace of the master bedroom - actually the roof of the living room - sipping juice and looking out across the harbor to the sparkling sea. We were momentarily quiet. Alex watched the sea. I watched Alex, admiring the beautiful shape of his face framed in a tousle of drying hair, the gentle flex of muscle in his arm as he drank, the denim stretched tight across his thigh. He looked across, straight into my eyes. I smiled. His lips twitched in a smile; his eyes flickered down, then back. His smile steadied, and he looked away again.
"Lunch?" I asked.
He looked back at me. "Yeah, that'd be good."
And so the week went. I picked him up, drove him to football, then back to my place for a shower and on to a nicely unhealthy lunch somewhere in town. Alex seemed to get comfortable with me quickly, and if he felt anything strange in the way I watched him eat, or if he caught me looking at him as we walked, it didn't seem to faze him. And I did do a lot of that; I could barely take my eyes off him at times, so perfect did he seem. Not above a few times did I find myself developing an erection as we sat in a cafe or fast food place, him chatting about football or something, me admiring his perfect teeth, his dimpled, rosy-lipped smile or his ass. Maybe he noticed. Maybe not. Any adult would have read me from the get-go: my body language said plain as day, I fancy the fucking ass off of you! Can't always tell with kids.
Damn luck would have it that business had me out of town Friday and Saturday, his free-from-training days. Fortunately he wasn't in the Real match team; missing his first game for them would have sucked badly. I didn't see him Sunday either. His aunt insisted on church and actually spent a little time with him, so it was Monday morning when I saw him again. The moment he stepped out of his aunt's front door I realized how much I'd missed him, how much I'd longed for him.
"Hey Alex, good weekend?" I asked as he got in the car. He grimaced; it made his face somehow really cute. "Well, OK, I guess," he said. "Did some swimming. Had church yesterday." He rolled his eyes.
"Miss me?" I asked, starting the engine.
"Nah!" he answered quickly. I concentrated on driving. "Well -" softly "- maybe a bit."
I grinned over at him. "Me too. I really enjoy hanging out with you."
He grinned back, and we drove to football.
The week flew by again, an easy pattern of pick-up, drop-off, pick-up and back to my place. A couple of times we had lunch in, sitting on the terrace looking across to the harbor, and it was those times I wanted him most to stay, stay the afternoon, curl up with me on the sofa, play games on the Playstation, snuggle close - and for him to let me undress him and take his fine, young body to bed. Rushed? Yes, yes it was, but he was only around for a handful of weeks more, and he was beautiful, and I wanted him.
That Friday I had a pre-arranged golf match with some buddies at a resort hotel up the coast: overnight Friday-Saturday, with too much to drink and a slow, careful drive back Saturday lunchtime with a miserable hangover. It was a laugh, but I'd rather have spent it with Alex. I was morose. I'd had a text from him that morning: his aunt had taken him on a day trip to the city to see an art exhibition that sounded right up Alex's street - contemporary studies of the decline of the traditional coastal village. Even over the terse medium of text he sounded as miserable and bored as I felt.
I didn't see him Sunday either, another weekend lost. But Monday came and we were back to our routine - and I'm sure it wasn't just me that felt a deep pleasure at our mornings and lunches together. I touched him more that week - pats, squeezes on the arm, shoulder hugs. One time, Wednesday lunch at my place, we'd laughed about something and he'd turned to take his lunch plate back through to the kitchen and I'd reached out and patted his butt. Just automatic, but the shiver of boundary crossed went through me at once. Alex turned, mildly surprised - but just smiled at me; it's OK, Dom, it's just you and me, his glance seemed to say.
And then it was Thursday.
"No training tomorrow," I said as we parked at the house that lunchtime. The morning had been particularly warm, and Alex was running with sweat. I'd had him strip off his shirt in the car and sit on a towel but his hair was still plastered to his head as we stepped into the hallway. I wanted to push my hands into it, smooth his sweat-sodden hair back from his still-flushed face and kiss his beautiful mouth...
I blinked, bringing myself back to reality with a shake. Alex shook his head in return. "Nah, no, nothing really. Might go for a swim, or..."
"Well, I'm actually around for a change," I said, secretly delighted. "You fancy going exploring up the coast?" I asked. "I'll fix a picnic and we'll take off for a few hours."
His eyes lit up, making my pulse twang. "Yeah, that'd be neat. I haven't really had a chance to look around."
"OK, it's a deal. Bring your swimming stuff, there's some good little coves down the way."
Alex had cleared it with his aunt Lucia - she'd called me to be certain it wasn't a story Alex was telling, and to apologize for his monopolizing of my time, and to be sure just to send him home once I'd had enough of him, and so on - and Friday mid-morning saw us driving the quieter stretch of coast south of the town, sun up, top down and little other traffic to bother us. We had his music on - "Just sounds like every other modern band to me," I'd claimed - and were heading for a tucked-away little place I knew with a decent beach and good snorkeling.
There aren't many signposts in this part of the world. You either know where the paths are or you miss 'em. I parked just off the road and found the path down to the cove. Alex was horrified I didn't put the top down and lock the car up properly, but I'd chuckled at that. "No-one's ever broken the engine immobilization on one of these babies yet." I carried the picnic bags and gave Alex the bag of snorkel gear to carry along with his own swim bag. "Cool!" he ejaculated when he saw the masks, fins and snorkels. "Hope the fins fit you," I said. "Now mind how you go; the path's pretty crap in places."
We made it down without dying. The beach was small, white and empty of people. I stuck the picnic bags in the shade of a rock and came to join Alex who was squishing his toes in the wet sand of the water's edge.
"Nice thing about here is you can get shade in the afternoons, and the snorkeling's pretty good. You wanna see if we can find an octopus?"
His beaming face was all the answer he needed to give. I stripped off my shirt as we walked back to the bags, then casually dropped my shorts and boxers in one, stepping out naked and stretching ostentatiously. I love being naked outdoors - and indoors, come to that. Alex was perhaps not so sure. He'd stripped off t-shirt and shorts and was fumbling for a towel to change behind. He glanced up and I cocked my head at him.
"Alex, what are you doing? It's you and me here. Nobody is going to see you changing. Look at me - do I care? Go on, live a little!"
He flashed me a sheepish smile, coupled with an inadvertent glance at my crotch, put down the towel and hurriedly dropped his underpants. He turned a little away but gave me nevertheless a decent peek at his boyhood - a fine pair of balls, already hanging well in their expanding scrotum, a sweet little uncircumcised cock with its hood of foreskin, and a smooth, hairless V of pubic muscle. Perfection. Needless to say, his bare ass was equally gorgeous in its half-profile.
Alex, my boy, I thought as he tugged on his Speedos, Alex, you're a total, utter, fucking babe. I hurried up with my own swimming shorts; now was not quite the right time to display the depths of my admiration for my young friend with a throbbing hardon.
We carried the gear down to the water's edge and I helped Alex on with his mask and snorkel. Just standing next to him, lean and tanned and stripped to the Speedos, was intoxicating. I tried very hard to keep my mind on the practicalities of snorkeling and not of slowly peeling his Speedos off and kissing his butt, but it was difficult. By the time we were wading out I was properly aroused. He, I think, hadn't noticed.
The water was clear, the beach falling away but not too steeply, with rocks either side and enough foliage to provide a mini wonderland of fish. Swimming slowly together across the cove and back, we chased several schools of several kinds, tracked crabs across the sand and yes! spotted an octopus scooting through the water. We followed it towards the rocks, grinning to each other around our mouthpieces, but lost it in the weed. I hovered back for a little while as Alex nosed around the nooks and crannies for it. The tide was slack, with little surf breaking above and no currents to watch out for - a perfect snorkeling spot. Alex, this his first ever snorkeling trip, was totally enamored. I, finning lazily in the water, watching him glide and turn in smooth muscular grace, was totally enamored of him. I let my erection swell in my shorts as I followed his butt. His Speedos had risen up between his ass cheeks and his beautifully tight buttocks flexed and dimpled as he swam.
Make or break. Make or break.
It must've been thirty, forty minutes before we finally surfaced and paddled back to the shore. We sat in the shallows and took off our fins. Alex's face was just one huge grin, his whole countenance lit up in beautiful, rosy splendor.
"So how's snorkel diving, then?" I asked. His grin broadened. "That was really cool!"
I rose, laughing, and held out my hand to pull him to his feet. Throwing an arm around his shoulders I nodded back up the beach. "How about lunch?" He looked up at me, relaxed in my one-armed hug. "Yeah, I'm hungry."
"Chasing octopuses is hard work - those guys can really move," I said as we strolled back to the picnic gear. I slipped my arm from his shoulders as we arrived, letting my hand run down his back a little way. He half turned and gave me a quick little smile.
We ate, and chatted about football, and a little about ourselves. He learned that I had been married but now wasn't, I had no kids and that I was pretty darn rich (by his definition) from getting lucky with real estate at the right time. I learned that he was twelve and a month-or-so, enjoyed school well enough and was trying to learn guitar. He followed the big European glamor clubs - Real, Barca, Bayern, Chelsea, Man U, PSG - but had never seen a proper professional match live. His dad never took him, and his mom and dad split up some years back. His dad had moved overseas and...
I tried to steer away at this point, but a tear of anger had started in his eye. He wiped it away with a fierce back hand and hugged his knees. A second only, and then I scrunched myself sideways on my butt and put my arm around his shoulders again. He tensed, but momentarily - and then he leaned slightly into me, his head resting softly on my shoulder.
Kissing the top of his head was just automatic.
We sat like that a little while until he gave a little shiver and rolled to his feet.
"I need a pee," he said and made for the rocks at the cliff foot.
I tidied up a little and waited for him. "What d'you wanna do now?" I asked when he returned. He shrugged.
"You bring a ball?" I asked. "No," he replied, looking up. "What?" I exclaimed in mock exasperation, "You were supposed to bring the ball! Call yourself a footballer! How can I show you everything I know about the game if you didn't bring a ball!"
That brought the start of a grin. "But you don't know anything about football," he said. I snorted. "Are you kidding? Best defensive midfielder at my college, me!" I pointed at him. "You'd never get past me."
It was his turn to snort. "You'd never catch me! You're far too..."
"Old?!" That was my roar of mock-fury. I leaped towards him. He shrieked, turned and ran, stumbling and laughing across the sand. I followed, growling; it took a thirty-second twisting, turning hunt before I caught him, bundling him down in a spray of sand. He was giggling away, but the vestiges of his anger showed in the strength he fought with. Good boy, I thought as I wrestled him around. I needed my gym sessions to turn him and haul him over my shoulder in a half-fireman's lift.
He wriggled and squirmed and slapped my back with some force. I clamped my arm around his thighs, crushing his butt into my cheek. "Gotcha!" He was heavy enough, and my jog to the sea was a slow one with Alex writhing and spluttering across my shoulder. I splashed into the water, slapped his tight butt with my free hand and then upended him. He fell with a shrieking laugh and a big splash into the water. "There!" I laughed, then "Whoa!" as he grabbed my leg and hauled me sideways. I made an even bigger splash.
We tumbled and wrestled in the shallows, hooting with laughter and mock outrage. I pinned him on top of me at one point, arm across his chest, my legs wrapped around his, my fingers tickling into his ribs. He squealed with laughter at that - "No! Stop it! No tickling!" - which only spurred me on, of course. I wrapped myself around him and tickled more. He squirmed and writhed on top of me, all smooth skin and taut, boyish muscle, and giggled and squawked and fought and laughed. I took a couple of mouthfuls of sea and spluttered and laughed back.
Eventually he broke free and squirmed away. I rolled over in the water, grabbing for him, and caught the waistband of his Speedos. He laughed and commandoed forwards, baring his ass as my grip hauled his trunks down to his thighs. I let go for fear of ripping them. Alex splashed away on hands and knees and stumbled to his feet. I rose to my knees, grinning at him. He crouched, wary, grinning back, readjusting his Speedos. Whether he noticed that I'd noticed I didn't know; what I did know was that his penis was as stiffly erect as mine.
"Truce?" he asked. I made a false lunge and he scampered backwards and sat down with a squeal.
"Yeah, OK, truce?" I said, splashing to my feet. I stood over him and held out a hand again. He must have noticed the bulge in my shorts, but he reached up and I hauled him to his feet.
We sat again at the picnic spot and sipped lukewarm Coke.
Make or break.
"Hey Alex," I said after a little while. He was looking out to sea, chin resting on folded arms on upraised knees. "Hnn?" He turned his face towards me. A faint smile played across his beautiful lips.
"You asked me the other day why I was looking out for you, football and all, yeah? I said something about knowing how you felt, giving back, all that, yeah?"
He nodded sideways.
"All true. But there's another reason."
I paused and looked carefully at him.
"It's also cos I fancy you."
That pause was longer. He was still, looking across, head still on folded arms.
I reached over and stroked a wayward strand of hair from his cheek.
"You're fucking gorgeous," I said, softly but intently, "and I want to go to bed with you."
He blinked, then stared, his eyes wide. I cupped his cheek.
Suddenly he looked up and away out to sea again.
"I'm not gay," he said. His voice quavered.
"Nor am I, Alex," I said, still watching him intently. "What's gay? Just a label. Gay, straight, fuck it, it's just a label. Don't mean anything. I just love beautiful people. And you're beautiful."
I watched him take a deep breath. "Nah I'm not. And I'm not gay." His voice was soft, and it still quavered.
I rose.
"What I've just said I mean. But you could fuck me up for life, now, by telling. Maybe you should. You can tell me to fuck off, and maybe you should. You can tell me you don't want me to say that shit again, and I won't. You can tell me you never wanna see me again, and maybe you should. What I've just said I mean, and it's changed what's between us, changed our friendship for good. I know that. But whatever you do, it doesn't change the football deal, doesn't change any of that.
"We should get back. I'll drop you back at your aunt's, OK?
"I'm thinking of taking the jetski out tomorrow. I'd love to take you too. Just as a friend if you want, but I won't unsay what I just said.
"Lemme know. Drop me a text, tonight or tomorrow early, yeah?"
He didn't let me help him up. I packed the gear, and he slipped his shorts on over his Speedos. We didn't speak on the way back up the cliff. He didn't look at me in the car. We were silent on the drive back. No music, neither mine nor his.
I dropped him at his aunt's place and watched him up the path to the front door. At the door he looked back, a long look back, but his face, his beautiful oval face, was blank. I couldn't read him.
Make or break?
I sat on my balcony late into the evening, drinking vodka and tonic like it was water. It was near midnight before my phone binged.
"jetski sounds cool pick me up?"
I placed my vodka glass down carefully on the glass table top. My hand shook only slightly.
"Cool. 10.00."
"ok"