Pretty Boy: The Lost Chapters

Brad's Survival Arc: Part 25

EPILOGUE

30 years later in Nesso, Italy

High up on a lush mountainside, overlooking the calm waters of Lake Como, sat a lone, spacious property. Surrounded by trees, vast expanses of vibrant wildflowers, and a plethora of friendly animals, four people resided together a far, comfortable distance away from the main village closer to the water. A large, u-shaped, Italian-style villa with two separate wings had an outdoor patio settled in the middle. Tinted windows above the area helped to keep out powerful rays of a golden sun. Below the glass covering, there was a deep swimming pool. A wide opening between two pillars was lined with empty lounge chairs. It led to a small space meant for outdoor grilling, several hammocks, and a garden full of thriving produce.

With his eyes on the horizon, Marshall relaxed with his fingers absentmindedly splashing against the water. Beside him, a hand joined with his friend's and occupying the other half of a dual floaty, was Brad. Both men were completely soaked as they'd just finished with their daily swim. Hair of differing textures was pushed back, revealing their facial features completely. A beam of sunshine came through the opening of the patio, settling on their joined hands, as well as the matching chain bracelets they'd recently made together. Tan skin sparkled, a shimmering glint reflecting off of a paler complexion.

Marshall smiled when Brad's thumb moved back and forth, gently rubbing the area for the simple pleasure of feeling their skin touch.

"Are you excited for next week?"

Brad nodded, leaning his head back against an inflated pillow. "I love going to La Tomatina with you guys. I told the neighbors we're going to spend some time at abuelita's house once our vacation is done in Buñol. They wanted to have a community-wide dinner to celebrate us coming back to Andalucía again."

"That sounds nice. While we're in Sevilla, we could probably make some time to catch a couple flamenco shows. Paul got really into it last year when we took those classes after the Flamenco Festival back in March."

"I still can't believe he had the energy for dance lessons after taking part in the Bull Run while we were in Pamplona."

Marshall chuckled. "It was his first time attending the Festival of San Fermín. He was excited to get immersed in the culture."

Both men could remember those couple of days as if they'd happened yesterday: last July, they'd been on vacation in Pamplona to take in the historical sights and didn't realize their trip coincided with the Festival of San Fermín. At first, Paul had been content with simply watching the festivities. When he heard about Los Toros de San Fermín, though, his excitement increased ten fold. After successfully completing the challenge, which was to run from a group of bulls along a specific distance, he was more than ecstatic to continue trying new things. Which incidentally led to him asking Marshall about taking some flamenco classes while they were still in Spain. Along with a bunch of other unplanned excursions they had no regrets pursuing.

When Paul's adrenaline finally wore off, he'd slept the entire 8 hour long car ride from Pamplona to Andalucía. 

Marshall and Brad's quiet laughter morphed into breathless cackles and wheezes the more they thought about that trip. They were leaning against each other for support when approaching footsteps caught their attention. Two pairs of ruby-colored eyes moved to glance at the doorway leading into the Lahotes' section of the house.