Crush (boy x boy)

Part I: Michael

Part I: Michael

 

It was the perfect afternoon to be at the beach. The warm sun, in its path down towards the horizon, caused the ripples in the ocean water to sparkle and the breeze was just the right amount of cold.

Lying down on my beach towel, I faced the sun with my eyes closed. The sunlight was so bright that I could still see it through my eyelids as a red blur. I listened to my friends around me being as noisy as they used to. They were not the only ones. The beach was full of people. Families with kids, couples, groups of young people like us, everyone had come to enjoy the great weather.

I was trying to relax and do the same when a shadow obscured my blind sight. Half opening one of my eyes, I saw Sandy leaning over me. “Hey, Mike, wanna go for a swim?” she asked, trying to sound casual, but her anxiety still showed a little in her voice.

The previous weekend we had made out at Jake’s party. Ever since then, she was convinced that we would have some sort of romantic relationship. I had tried to explain to her, in a nice way, that I had spent a great time with her and all that, but that was all there had been. It’s not that I didn’t like Sandy. She’s cute, petite, and blonde, and I even have a thing for blondes. It’s just that I was not interested in dating. Not her and not anyone. Nineteen is way too young an age for one to attach himself to someone else like that, that’s how I saw it. I just wanted to have fun.

Sandy had told me she understood. However, she hadn’t stopped trying to do things together and finding excuses to be alone with me ever since. And I had turned her down every single time. This time, however, was tricky. I loved to swim, and when I was not in the water it was never very hard to take me back there again. I never refused to go for a swim, and she knew this, everybody did.

So, I was wondering how I could say ‘no’ to her without being a douchebag, when a loud thump sounded right beside my head. Whatever it was, it startled both of us and showered me in sand. I sat up, whisking off the sand from my hair, and saw a volley ball rolling slowly closer to me. I stretched lazily to grab it. I was holding the ball in my hands when a male voice sounded, panting, behind me.

“I’m sorry! Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, right before looking up to find the most amazing eyes I have ever seen staring back at me. They were light green, the color of the ocean, surrounded by almost blonde lashes, and their gaze was smooth, yet somehow intense.

The eyes belonged to a guy who must be about my age. His pale boyish face was flushed by the heat and the running effort and his light brown bangs stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. He was just another guy, playing volleyball on the beach with his friends on a sunny afternoon. Yet, my heart began to do crazy backflips just from me looking at him and I could by no means take my eyes away.

“Huh… can I take my ball back?”

The boy’s words made me blink out of my trance. His half smile told me he was wondering if I was mocking him or just plain dumb.

“Yeah, sorry. Here,” I said, handing him the ball and feeling stupid.

His smile widened into a true, cheerful one, and I swear my heart stopped beating for a second there. “Thanks.”

He trotted back to his friends, who were waiting by the net settled not far away from me and my friends’ spot. My eyes never left him.

“So, what about the swimming?” Sandy insisted again.

“Maybe later,” I said. I vaguely sensed her crawling away from me, but I paid little attention.  I was too busy watching a volleyball match. More precisely, watching a particular volleyball player from head to toe. His body was slender but, since he was wearing only swim shorts, I could tell he was used to exercising, if the way he ran and jumped with agility to hit the ball wasn’t enough of a clue. At some point, he noticed me looking, gave me a shy smile and I couldn’t keep a huge grin from spreading all over my face in reply.