The Last Day of Summer

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1996, Wild Mood Swings Era – Simon's backyard

Robert sat his elbows by the poolside and awkwardly grabbed his glass of wine by the stem, almost knocking it all over himself when his gaze landed on his best friend. Simon was strumming his guitar, lying casually on a deck chair a few feet away, occasionally putting the instrument aside to take a draft of his cigarette.

Robert always wondered why his friend had a gigantic inground pool dug in his garden to never soak in it further than his calves. In his case, every time he visited, the first thing he thought about was to jump in.

A cold night breeze had settled, and the warmth of the evening sun was long gone. Robert's shoulders, barely peeking out of the water, were shuddering slightly. After sunset, Mary and Sarah got back inside, leaving the men hanging out by themselves. Conveniently, both had enough to drink to dismiss the slight shift in temperature.

'Would you be kind enough to share...?' Robert hinted at Simon's pack of cigarettes.

'Absolutely not. You quit, remember?'

Robert batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly, enhancing his cartoonish features. 'Oh, come on Si...'

Simon glanced at his house's bay window and kneeled on the concrete - pretending to hand a smoke to his friend. When Robert reached out to grab one, Simon threw the pack on the grass behind him and instead, approached his mouth to blow the grey-ish fog in Robert's face. The singer took a step back and shut his eyelids tightly to get rid of the stinging sensation.

'There you go... That's all you're going to get.' Simon grinned, proud of his little stunt. 'I don't want your wife to kill me.'

Robert rolled his eyes and threw water at his friend, wetting his long-sleeved shirt.

'Hey! Stop that!!' Simon laughed, hardly feigning annoyance. For an instant, Robert's eyes were transfixed the seam of his friend's jeans. Painfully tight, as usual...

'Help me get out, please? I'm a tad cold.'

Naively, the bassist held out his hand to his friend so he could drag him out of the pool. Before he could even pull, he felt himself falling forward as Robert gripped his forearm to drag him in the water. He accidentally inhaled some through his nose which caused him to burst in an uncontrollable coughing fit when he regained the surface. Robert laughed and lovingly stroke his friend's back – his drunken brain guiding his moves.

Simon wiped his eyes and noticed a familiar look on Robert's face – a very specific look he recognized from back in the day... His disheveled hair was dripping on his shivering shoulders, and his eyeliner was smudged under his seductive gaze – a sight that made Simon's stomach stir.

He swam behind Robert and brushed his hands on his collarbones, slowly sliding them up and rubbing the skin around his neck purposefully, feeling it tense under his touch. They could hear music and Mary's distinct laugh echoing from the house: a reassuring confirmation that they weren't being watched.

Simon massaged Robert's shoulders for a short while before wrapping his arms around him as a kind gesture to provide him a bit of warmth. He dug his nose in the crew of the singer's neck, getting lost in his scent. Robert turned around to face him and spontaneously, he tilted his head to press his lips on Simon's mouth, slipping his tongue inside for a lengthy, slow kiss. He tangled his fingers in Simon's jet-black hair – resulting in a soft moan emerging from his lips. It was breathtakingly intimate: everything Simon had been longing for.

'Robin...' He gulped, already sorry about what he was about to say. 'We really shouldn't...what if some day we get caught by the kids? I don't want them to get confused...'