Narrator's P.O.V.
The time at the beach seemed to have a rhythm of its own. A few hours had passed, and the makeshift beach bonfire was at its peak. The circle of friends was lively, bottles of alcohol passed from hand to hand, and the sound of an upbeat playlist competed with the constant crash of the waves on the Ipanema shore.
The night was hot, the typical carioca weather that invited a swim. Samuel, accompanied by Bia, Lucas, Pedro, and a few others, had surrendered to the sea. The boys were having fun in the water, diving in every now and then, ignoring the complete pitch black that swallowed the sea at that time of night.
Sitting on one of the beach spreads on the sand, a cup of vodka and energy drink in hand, Kael remained silent. His eyes, however, were fixed on a single point. He watched Samuel in the water, laughing and playing with the others in a relaxed way. The boy wore only black swim briefs, which hugged his body with an exactness that bordered on unfairness. The light from the boardwalk lampposts reflected off Novaes's wet, brown skin, highlighting every tense muscle as he dove and resurfaced.
Kael took a sip of his drink, feeling his throat go dry. The image of Samuel running a hand through his soaked curls, salt water dripping down his chest, his abdomen, and down to the line of his swim briefs, was a spectacle in itself. The anger the younger boy had spewed at the metal bars seemed to have evaporated, but for Kael, the distance only served to feed a raw, overwhelming desire. He wanted him. He wanted to squeeze that waist again, wanted to pull him close right there, in front of everyone, and finish what they had started in the bedroom.
Kael's intense reverie, however, was interrupted by a sharp tug on his arm...
"Get up, old man! Let's get in the water!" Yuri exclaimed, his voice loud and slightly slurred from the alcohol.
Not giving the brown-skinned man time to protest, the pseudo-redhead pulled him off the beach spread, intertwining their fingers and dragging him toward the sea. Kael, caught by surprise and not wanting to cause a scene, just let himself be led, stepping into the cold water next to Yuri. Farias immediately wrapped his arms around Ávila's neck, laughing loudly as a small wave hit their waists.
It was a matter of seconds.
A few meters away, Samuel's smile died. The boy, who until then had been having fun with Pedro, stopped. His eyes locked onto Kael and Yuri, clinging to each other in the water. The younger boy's expression closed off into a mask of absolute coldness. Without saying a word to his friends, Samuel turned his back and started walking toward the sand.
"Heading out already, Sam?" Bia asked, confused by the sudden mood swing.
"I'm getting cold," he answered loudly enough, his voice resonating in a cutting tone.
The boy got out of the water, passing just a few meters from Kael without even looking in his direction. Ávila's chest tightened. He subtly let go of Yuri's waist, making an excuse about the water being too cold, and it didn't take long for him to head back to the sand.
What followed was a silent torture. Kael tried, under the radar, to get close again. When Samuel went over to where the bags were, the older man got up with the excuse of looking for a towel, stopping right next to him. The boy simply grabbed what he was looking for, turned his back, and went to sit on the opposite side of the circle. Minutes later, Kael changed spots on the spread, sitting closer to where the younger boy was talking to Verônica. As soon as the man settled in, Novaes stood up with the excuse that he needed to go to the bathroom.
They were in a clear game of rejection. For every step Kael took in his direction, Samuel took two away. He refused to share the same space, denying the man even a crumb of attention.
Kael sighed heavily, running a hand over his exhausted face, tasting the bitter tang of frustration. He stood up once more, walking a little further away from the main circle, trying to clear his mind. He'd already had a few cups, his body was starting to feel too light, and he knew it was probably time to stop. He didn't want to overdo it. He wanted to take some time to breathe, alone, but he couldn't stay alone for long.
"Can I know what the hell is going on? Why won't he stop running away from you?" a voice rang out right behind him.
Kael turned around, coming face to face with Pedro. His best friend had his arms crossed, a serious expression, and a look that seemed to read Ávila's soul with frightening ease.
"What are you talking about, Pedro?" Kael tried to play dumb, turning his body to the side, avoiding his friend's gaze.
"Don't play dumb with me, Kael. I know you well enough to know when something's going on, and you two can't hide it." Pedro took a step forward, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. He discreetly nodded toward the circle of friends. "You haven't taken your eyes off Samuel since we stepped foot on this beach. Every time you get close, the kid walks away like you have some contagious disease. What's your deal? What's going on between you and him?"
Kael took a long gulp of his drink, the alcohol mixed with energy drink burning down his throat. His face showed pure exhaustion. He looked out at the sea for a few seconds before turning to Pedro, who still had his arms crossed, waiting for an answer. Ávila sighed heavily. He knew there was no point in lying to his best friend.
"We kissed," Kael confessed, his voice low, almost swallowed by the sound of the waves. "In my bedroom. After everyone left. He stayed at my place, then at one point we went to my room and... it happened..."
Pedro's expression went from shock to disbelief in milliseconds. He rubbed his face with his hands, letting out a heavy sigh that carried years of friendship and exhaustion over his friend's choices.
"Are you stupid, Kael? I'm sorry, man, but you're a fucking idiot!" Pedro scolded him harshly. "Yuri plays you for a fool in your own house, lies right to your face, and your solution is to hook up with the kid who supposedly hates him? Do you have any idea the ticking time bomb you just set?"
"I know, man. But I was so mad, and so sad, and... Samuel keeps provoking me all the time. I couldn't resist. He's so handsome, so hot, and his kiss was so, so good..." He spoke in such an enamored way that it was clear how much he had enjoyed that moment with the younger boy. "Now he's pissed at me because I sat with Yuri on the bus."
"And is he wrong? It wasn't just because of that, was it? Yuri keeps rubbing it in his face, using you!" Pedro fired back, mercilessly. "The kid isn't a puppet. You can't kiss him one minute and be all cuddly with Yuri the next. Make up your mind, Ávila. Because if you keep trying to play both sides, you're going to end up with neither."
Kael didn't answer. He knew Pedro was right. He stood up, brushing off the sand stuck to his shorts. Silently, he and Pedro walked back to join their friends. However, as soon as they sat down, Kael noticed a strange movement. Yuri was standing up, hunting for his flip-flops, accompanied by Verônica and, to Ávila's total confusion, Samuel.
"We're going for a walk along the boardwalk, just to stretch our legs. We might go down to Arpoador to see the crowd at the bonfire there," Verônica announced, packing her beach spread into her bag.
Kael frowned. Seeing Yuri and Samuel leaving together for a walk, even with Verônica not leaving them alone, was an image that left him deeply intrigued. What would they talk about? Would Yuri provoke him? Would Samuel expose what happened in the bedroom? Kael's mind started racing a mile a minute, creating catastrophic scenarios. He just watched the three silhouettes disappear down the boardwalk, his stomach churning with pure apprehension and, maybe, just maybe... jealousy...