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Course North
Sören unlocks the front door and hangs his keys on the hook next to the door.
‘Hi, Mum! I'm home,’ he calls into the hallway. He hears dishes clattering in the kitchen and his mother says, ’I couldn't help but hear that.’
He takes off his jacket and shoes and goes into the kitchen.
‘Finally a holiday. Not seeing the shop for two weeks. Now Christmas can come,’ he says and kisses his mother on the cheek.
She looks at her son with a sad look from the side.
‘Christmas will probably come. But our holiday over the holidays will probably not happen this year.’
Sören looks like a car. ’Why? Did something happen?’
‘Well, it's not exactly happening, but Dr Schäfer is off sick for a long time, so Dad has to take over his shifts at the hospital.’
Sören's mother is originally from Denmark and for as long as he can remember, he has spent every Christmas and New Year's Eve with his parents in the small holiday home on the Danish North Sea coast that his mother inherited from her parents. This is not just a family tradition, Sören can't imagine it any other way or more beautifully.
‘Oh no! Tell me that's not true. We're ALWAYS up there at this time. I was really looking forward to it!’
‘Well, son, I'm really sorry. If you absolutely want to go up there, you'll have to go alone this year. But we'll go in January when Dr Schäfer is back. Let's just spend Christmas at home. It'll be nice for a change.’
‘Mum, as a trainee I only get holidays during the holidays. And these two weeks were already hard to get. We're really busy at work at the moment.’
‘Sören, I can't change it. Please don't be angry,’ says his mother, putting his lunch on the table.
He grudgingly stuffs the food into his mouth, looks rather sad, and then goes wordlessly to his room on the second floor. He really doesn't like the thought of spending two weeks at home doing nothing.
Sören boots his PC. Meanwhile, he throws himself on the bed and crosses his arms behind his head. ‘I – DON'T – WANT – TO – STAY – HERE,’ he says to himself and sinks into anger and self-pity. Then the whistling sound of his email program pulls him out of his thoughts. He goes over to the PC and finds, in addition to the usual spam, an email from his best friend, which he nervously opens.
RECEIVED 22 December 12:45 p.m.
FROM: tobi86@mailmail.de
TO: soeren.lange@GE-mail.de
RE: Something I have to tell you
Hi Sören,
I was really quite surprised by your email. I really didn't think you were gay. And I thought I knew you.
Please don't be angry with me, but I need a little time to deal with this.
I'll get back to you.
Ciao
Tobi
‘Oh no. He needs time. Great rebuff.’
Sören didn't have the heart to come out to Tobias in person and chose the electronic way. From the fact that it took Tobi three days to reply, he concludes that it was probably better that way. Tobi can't handle it. If he had told him to his face, it would have been even worse. The two have known each other since secondary school and have actually always been close. Since they both started their apprenticeships, they have only seen each other at the weekend, but they were still close friends. Well, Tobi has one flaw: he's straight. Big time.
Okay, Tobi has another flaw: he can't deal with the fact that his best friend is gay. Or is he now the former best friend?
Sören's mood has sunk below zero. Two pieces of bad news in the space of a few minutes are just too much. He throws himself on the bed and starts crying.
There's a knock on his door. ‘Yes?’ he calls, annoyed. His mother enters.
‘Hey, is that so bad, big guy?’ she says, seeing his reddened eyes.
Without saying a word, Sören points to the monitor, where Tobi's mail is still open. His parents have known about Sören's homosexuality for a year. There were no problems with the outing; they had already guessed as much themselves. They are also tolerant and open-minded. His mother reads the mail.
‘Give him time, it's not like you're breaking off their friendship. It would sound different. Maybe he's also disappointed that you haven't told him already.’
‘Maybe. We'll see. Mum, I think I really need to think about some things and have some time to myself. Why can't I just go to Denmark on my own?’
‘All alone? That long way? You'll be bored to death up there.’
‘Maybe, but the walls are closing in on me here. And apart from Tobi, no one wants to have anything to do with me anyway. And not him either.’
‘Oh, you. You just have to get out more and not always just curl up in a ball. You look great, you're one of the nicest people I know and if you weren't already my son, I'd adopt you on the spot,’ beams his mother.
Sören can't help grinning. ‘Mum! This isn't acting school! Where did you get that line from?’
The two laugh at each other and briefly embrace.
‘Hey, I was serious about Denmark. I'd hate to spend my holiday at home!’
‘Well, you're old enough. It would be a shame to spend Christmas and New Year without you, but I can understand you somehow. I'd love to sit by our fireplace again in a winter storm and drink a grog.’
‘We can make up for Christmas when I get back,’ beams Sören. The decision has been made. He's going.
Just an hour later, Sören is closing the tailgate of his Golf. His mother had already done the shopping for the holiday and now she has simply packed the boxes of food and drinks into his car.
‘Mum! You want to fatten me up so that I never get a girlfriend and always live at home. Who on earth is going to eat all this?’
‘Don't argue, Junior! Otherwise the neighbours will find a starving Sören and I'll go to jail for starving him. No way. And besides...’
His mother holds out some Danish banknotes and two fifty-euro notes.
‘...for petrol. And for food, in case that's not enough,’ she grins at him.
Sören gives her a kind of puppy-dog look: ‘Thank you. You didn't have to do that, I've got my own money, after all.’
‘Yes, I know. You've arrived. Now drive off, it's supposed to snow tonight. And call as soon as you've arrived. Have you got the keys?’
‘Yes, mum, I've got them.’ “Keys, money, clean underwear and more than enough to eat.’
The two of them are saying goodbye when Sören's father's Mercedes comes up the driveway.
‘Stop! Stay here! You can't leave... ” his father calls out, jumping out of the car.
Slightly irritated, Sören looks at him.
‘.. before you have properly said goodbye to your only father!’ his dad grins at him and rushes to Sören and ruffles his blonde hair.
Before he can object, his father stuffs banknotes into his shirt pocket and says to him in a low voice, ‘But don't tell mum,’ and grins at him.
‘Mum's not blind and I've already given him some money too,’ says his mother in the background, trying to make an indignant expression on her face.
‘Well, now drive off, but tonight...‘ his father begins...
‘it's supposed to snow,’ call out mother and son in unison.
Sören sets off just in time for the 2 p.m. news on Einslive.
His mother waves after him and calls out, ‘Give my regards to the folks back home.’
He has seven hundred kilometres ahead of him and estimates that he will arrive at the holiday home around 9 p.m. This is the first really long trip he has made alone since he got his driving licence. Since his father is a senior physician at a hospital in Gelsenkirchen and his mother also earns a good living from translations, he got both his driving licence and a used Golf last year for his eighteenth birthday. Resistance was of course futile and not what he had in mind.
Shortly before a holiday, the roads in the Ruhr area are always quite busy, but traffic still flows. After three quarters of an hour, he is near Münster and turns onto the A1 heading north.
After a while, he decides to stop at the next rest area. He pulls into the ‘Tecklenburger Land’ rest area and parks his car.
After using the toilet, he goes back to his car, lighting a cigarette as he does so. Sören doesn't really smoke much, but sacrificing a bit of money for the state treasury now and then is okay. On his way, he notices a boy, maybe a little younger than himself, sitting on a large travel bag against the wall of the service station, looking rather sad.
Sören keeps his distance and smokes his cigarette in peace. He wonders why the boy is so sad and sitting here alone on the motorway service area. He thinks to himself that he has probably run away from home. In any case, he somehow doesn't look like he's done anything wrong. He has short black hair, is slim and seems to be about the same height as himself. Sören plucks up his courage and speaks to him:
‘Hi... I'm Sören. Are you hitchhiking?’
The boy looks up slowly and just nods timidly.
‘Where do you want to go? Do you want a lift?’
‘Anywhere's fine. As long as it's far away,’ he says with a sad voice. Sören sees that he has red eyes. He must have been crying.
‘I'm going to Denmark, via Bremen, Hamburg, Flensburg. Is there anything for you?’
‘Sure, I'll take it all,‘ the boy replies, and a hint of a smile crosses his face.
‘Well then, off to the north,’ says Sören, holding out his hand to the boy.
He grabs his hand and gets up, takes his bag and goes with Sören to the car.
‘What's your name, by the way?’
‘I'm Dominik. And thank you for giving me a lift. Up to now, people only ever approached me when I had to fear for my life.’
‘Oh, gladly. I don't like driving alone, and if I have a nice companion, I also get something out of it.’
After he had driven off again, Sören asked:
‘Have you run away from home? Or why are you wandering around on the motorway alone just before Christmas?’
‘Hm. Well, yes and no. I'll be 18 tomorrow and my parents would have kicked me out tomorrow anyway. So I beat them to it by a day.’
‘Kicked out? Why is that? Have you done something?’
‘No, I haven't done anything. But in their eyes, I'm probably quite a failure. But that's a long story and I don't even know you.’
‘Well, we have plenty of time for long stories. But I don't want to be too nosy. If you want to tell them sometime, I'll be happy to listen.’
Dominik quickly changes the subject and starts asking Sören a few questions: where he comes from, what he does and why he is walking along the motorway alone. Dominik is from Dortmund and goes to high school. The conversation is entertaining and before they know it, they are already in the Elbtunnel.
‘So, where do you want to go now? Do you have a place to stay or a destination?’
‘Neither. Wherever the wind takes me.’
Sören thinks to himself that blowing would be a really good idea, but immediately discards this indecent thought because the weather has taken a turn for the worse as he drives out of the Elbe Tunnel. Thick snowflakes drift in the headlights. The motorway is still reasonably clear, but that could change soon.
‘Nicki, I'll make you a suggestion: you're welcome to come with me to Denmark, the house is big enough, you'll have a place to stay for the next while, and I won't be so bored up there.’
Dominik looks at Sören with wide eyes. ‘Did you just call me Nicki?’
‘Yes, sorry, am I not allowed to?’
‘Yes, yes... it's just that my mother used to call me that before...’ he breaks off the sentence.
Sören realises that he mustn't press the matter any further. ’Well, what do you think, it's a great offer, isn't it?’
‘Yes, it is, but I can't accept it. We don't know each other at all and I have no money and anyway...’
‘Money is not a problem, the house is free, my mum has packed me enough food for a football team and you're not going to be a bother. We can still get to know each other. And if you want to leave, I'll take you back to the border. That's a promise.’
‘Look out! Up ahead!’ Dominik calls, but it's almost too late. A car in front of them has spun out in the slush on the right-hand lane. Sören slams on the brakes and tries to get past the car on the left. Fortunately, the left-hand lane is suddenly free and he makes it.
‘Phew! That was a close call! If I ever meet the inventor of ABS and ESP, I'll buy him a drink!’
After the near-crash, there is a tense calm in the car. Sören concentrates on the road, the slush is getting thicker and thicker and slowly he wonders whether he should dare to drive to the holiday home at all today. Besides, the unanswered question hangs in the air.
‘Sören, you're really nice. And I really don't know where to go at the moment. So if your offer still stands...’
‘Of course it still stands. I'd be happy.’
Sören wonders whether he should maybe tell Dominik that he's gay. But after his experience with Tobi, he'd rather not for the time being. When they get to know each other better, he can always come clean then.
It is 7 p.m. near Schleswig and the slush is getting thicker and thicker. He wonders why there are no winter services here. Sören leaves the motorway at the Schleswig service station to refuel. He also has a little something to buy. He has just paid when his mobile phone rings.
‘Sören Lange.’
‘Lange here, too. Your loving parents are watching the news and have realised that it was a stupid idea to drive today. Have you been snowed in yet?’
‘I'm in Schleswig. No, everything's okay, the motorway is still quite good to drive on. It's not that far now anyway. I'll probably be there in three hours,’ he lies, without blushing. You don't have to tell your parents everything. Especially not something that would make them worry.
Back in the car, Dominik grins at him and says:
‘You know, I feel really comfortable with you. All that crap with my parents is a bit further away.’
‘Hey, that's great. Look, we'll have a great time up there. The house is in a really great location, in the middle of the dunes.’
Sören is torn. On the one hand, he is very worried about the further car journey, on the other hand, this boy fascinates him tremendously. His regained smile goes straight to his heart. Slowly, it starts to tingle.
The motorway is now covered by a solid layer of snow, and Sören is driving carefully along the lane at 80 km/h. Fortunately, his dad had bought winter tyres, although you hardly ever need them in Gelsenkirchen.
At the border, Sören presses a button on his radio to change the CD. The Danish national anthem ‘Der er et yndigt land’ plays from the speakers.
‘Sorry, but you'll have to sit through this. It's a family tradition at the border. You should know that my mum is Danish.’
Dominik grins and says:
‘You're crazy. But cute.’
He seems to regret what he has said as soon as he has said it. He touches his mouth and says:
‘Well, I mean nice.’
Sören's head is spinning. It all fits together. The saying just now, being thrown out at his parents. Sören is sure: Dominik is gay too.
And what's more, Sören is on the verge of falling in love.
He says quietly, ‘But not as sweet as you.’
Dominik seems just as irritated by the comment. He stares ahead at the road and says nothing.
After a while, Sören cautiously looks at the passenger seat. Dominik seems to have fallen asleep. At least he has his eyes closed and his head leaning against the headrest.
The rest of the journey becomes increasingly difficult. The snow on the road is already quite deep and Sören can only drive about 50 km/h. On the other hand, there are almost no cars on the road. So there are no more critical driving situations before they reach the holiday home. Ten minutes before midnight, he steers the car unerringly onto the property of the holiday home.
‘Hey Nicki, we're finally here. Wake up!’
The two get out and trudge through the ten centimetres of snow to the front door. Sören unlocks it and turns on the light and the fireplace. His parents always prepare the fireplace so that it can be lit immediately when someone comes to the house in winter. The wooden house consists of a large main room that includes a living room corner with a fireplace, a dining area and a kitchenette. The two bedrooms and the bathroom open off this.
Dominik has to go to the toilet. Sören uses the time to prepare everything for midnight, because Nicki's birthday is in a few minutes. He bought a YES cake at the petrol station in Schleswig and a small candle, which he lights on it. In the pantry, he finds a bottle of sparkling wine, which is at room temperature, but since it is currently only about 5 degrees, it's fine. He opens the sparkling wine, lights a few candles in the living room, turns off the electric light, pours the glasses, and keeps a watchful eye on the clock and the bathroom door. It is a few seconds before midnight.
The bathroom door opens and Sören sees shining children's eyes, a radiant smile and honest enthusiasm.
‘That's... that's not possible.’
It's exactly midnight. Sören gives him a glass of sparkling wine and clinks glasses with him.
‘Happy 18th birthday. From today on, everything will be better!’
‘Thanks. I don't even know what to say.’
‘Just say cheers.’
The two of them toast each other and clink glasses again. After that, Sören hugs him and holds him close. Nicki returns the embrace and sobs.
‘This is the best birthday present I've had in a long time. Thanks.’
‘Don't mention it. Before we finish the bottle, we should empty the car. Besides, I still have to call my parents.’
‘You call, I'll get started.’
Sören dials his parents' number, and they answer immediately.
‘Birte Lange’
‘Mum. I'm here. Everything's okay here.’
‘Well, thank God! That took you long enough! How long were you on the road?’
‘About ten hours. It took me three hours longer than normal. I'm pretty exhausted now and I'll probably go to bed soon.’
‘Yes, do that, we can talk again tomorrow night. Sleep well.’
‘You too. Night.’
Just as Sören puts his phone down on the kitchen counter, Dominik comes in through the door, heavily laden. His black hair is covered in thick snowflakes.
‘Hey, you're barely 18 and you're already getting white hair,’ Sören chuckles.
He shows his white teeth and laughter lines form around his eyes. After a few minutes, the two of them have emptied the car and stowed the groceries in the kitchen. The room temperature slowly rises to a comfortable level and they take off their shoes and jackets. For the first time, he sees his hitchhiker without his thick winter jacket. He is wearing a light sweatshirt and jeans and seems to be a little too thin rather than too fat.
‘Wait, there must be slippers around here somewhere. We don't want you to catch a cold, little man.’
Sören rummages in a cupboard under the coat rack and finds what he is looking for.
‘Is it a size 44?’
‘Yeah, I'm a 43-44. It should fit.’
Sören rearranges the living room a little so that the sofa is directly in front of the fireplace. The two sit down next to each other and start on the bottle of sparkling wine again. The whole room is lit only by candles and the firelight. Except for the crackling and the soft hissing of the fire, it is completely silent.
‘This is really beautiful here. I feel really comfortable. You're a real lucky find,’ says Dominik, smiling gently.
‘Just wait until tomorrow, when you can see what it looks like outside. The house is right in the dunes and it's only a few metres to the North Sea.’
‘I didn't even mean the house. The way you've made it cosy here. Thank you, even if it's only for a short stay.’
‘Well, don't worry about the future. I'm sure we'll find a decent solution for you together. You won't get rid of me that easily now.’
Dominik smiles, remains silent and yawns heart-wrenchingly. Sören is infected by the yawning.
‘I think we should go to bed slowly. It's been a hard day.’
Nicki just grumbles in agreement.
‘Well, the house has two bedrooms, each with a double bed. The beds are both freshly made. You can choose. One of the rooms for you alone or we share one. Whatever you want.’
Sören looks at him questioningly. Secretly, of course, he hopes to be allowed to sleep in one bed with the sweetheart. You can see the wheels turning in Nicki's head.
‘Well, it's all the same to me. I don't want to bother you, so...’
‘You won't,’ Sören interrupts him.
‘Okay, so if it's all the same to you. Staying alone might not be so good at the moment.’
‘No problem. Come on, we'll take the bigger room. Right here.’
Sören turns on the light in the bedroom and gets a little shock. He had forgotten to turn up the thermostat on the electric heater. The temperature in the room is 5 degrees.
The two of them put their duffle bags in front of the wardrobe and take out their sleeping and washing things. Sören goes into the bathroom first and turns the underfloor heating up to 20 degrees. At least it should be warm here tomorrow morning. He brushes his teeth.
‘Man, Sören Lange, you're an idiot,’ he says to himself. Of course the water is ice cold, because the boiler is only on frost protection. So he has to make do with a cold water cat-shower.
Back in the bedroom, Dominik had already changed into a T-shirt and boxer shorts. You can tell from his goose bumps on his slightly hairy legs that he is freezing.
‘But now quickly into the bathroom and then into bed, you're freezing.’
‘Yes, I'll hurry.’
Sören also changes into his night clothes and takes the window side of the double bed. After a short time, Nicki comes into the bedroom and climbs wordlessly onto the other side of the bed.
‘Hey Nicki. If you're cold, you're welcome to come closer. I'll gladly share some of my warmth with you.’
Since there is no answer from the other side of the bed, Sören is annoyed that he said it. He hopes he hasn't ruined anything.
After a minute of tense silence, Dominik finally replies:
‘Thanks for the offer. But I don't think that would be a good idea. Good night.’
‘Night,’ Sören says, and decides to leave it at that. After a short time, he hears Dominik's regular breathing, and seems to have fallen asleep. Sören still has the events of the day going through his mind before he finally falls asleep as well.
Sören opens his eyes. Dominik's face is right in front of his. Both have turned towards each other in their sleep and are quite close. He looks at his companion very closely. His black hair is all messed up, his eyes are closed, he has thick eyebrows, a straight, slender nose, a sensual mouth, and a very light beard. ‘A handsome lad,’ he thinks to himself. It warms his heart. He would love to give him a kiss on the forehead, but he suppresses this impulse.
He quietly creeps out of bed, with his back to the bed, so that Dominik, if he wakes up, does not see his morning wood. He quietly rummages through his bag for a fresh jumper, underwear and socks and leaves the bedroom without making a sound. Before he goes into the bathroom, he lights the fireplace again so that it is nice and warm straight away. The invention of electricity overnight has transformed the bathroom from an ice hell into a bathing paradise. He turns on the shower and after a few moments, wonderfully hot water comes out of the shower head. Sören undresses and gets into the shower. He enjoys the warmth and just stands there for a few minutes. Little Sören does the same. He doesn't seem to want to calm down this morning. But somehow he doesn't feel like masturbating. He has too many thoughts going through his mind. He is definitely in love with Dominik and is afraid that it is only one-sided. He can't really interpret his signals. He can say it either way. He is no longer sure whether Nicki is really gay or whether there is something completely different behind this strange story.
After showering, he stands in front of the mirror and can't see himself at first because it's steamed up. He wipes the mirror with a towel and thinks of his mother, how she would scold him... ‘Now I have to clean it. Couldn't you have waited two minutes?’... and grins. Sören looks at himself. He is slim, but not particularly muscular, with a hairless upper body. Only between his navel and pubic area do some shimmering golden hairs run. He can be satisfied with himself. ‘Nothing special, but it works,’ he says quietly to himself. He brushes his teeth, gets dressed and puts some gel in his blonde hair.
He tidies up the living room a little, adds more wood to the fireplace, puts the used glasses in the dishwasher and puts the sofa back in its original place. Then he starts preparing breakfast. While the rolls are baking in the oven, he takes his cigarette case and goes out on the terrace in his jacket and slippers. It is partially covered and therefore still free of snow at the house. The property is located directly in the dunes, and so some dune grasses peek out from the closed, hilly blanket of snow. He lights a cigarette. He exhales thick clouds of smoke. The weather had calmed down overnight and the sky is now almost cloudless and blue. But it has frozen. The blanket of snow glistens in the early sunlight.
‘Good morning,’ he hears behind him and turns around. Standing in the open patio door is Nicki, wearing only a T-shirt and boxers. Sören can't help but grin at the sweet sight of the sleepy boy with the fluffy hair rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
‘Good morning, Nicki! I ordered extra sunshine for today.’
Nicki grins slightly and just grumbles in agreement. ‘I'll go take a shower.’
‘Do that. Towels are on the shelf next to the sink. Help yourself.’
Sören sets about finishing breakfast. He takes the rolls out of the oven, puts the coffee pot on the warmer and lights a candle. After a few minutes, Dominik comes out of the bathroom with only a towel tied around his loins. Sören has to swallow. He has to pull himself together so that he doesn't pounce on him, he likes what he sees so much. A slim upper body with a small triangle of scattered hair on his chest, the towel bulges a little at the crucial point. Enough to drive Sören's imagination to new heights. Dominik notices how Sören is staring at him and turns red.
‘Er, I'll just go and get dressed. I'll be right back.’
Sören stands there open-mouthed and can't say anything. He has just realised that his staring has been noticed. Now he is blushing too.
After a few minutes, the two of them are sitting at the dining table having breakfast. The awkward silence lasts quite a while.
‘What shall we do today? Fancy a little walk on the beach?‘ asks Sören.
‘Oh yes. Show me the North Sea. I've never been to the seaside. My parents are mountain fanatics.’
‘Nicki, I'll lay the North Sea at your feet,’ grins Sören.
Dominik tilts his head and grins at him.
After breakfast, the two of them wrap up warmly and set off. There is only a narrow trail through the dunes, which is not visible at all in the snow. So they trudge through the crunching snow cross-country until they reach the highest point. From here they can see the North Sea. Today it is calm and only splashes quietly on the snow-covered beach. Dominik is looking enthusiastic again. Both are standing next to each other. Sören says ‘Come on,’ grabs Nicki's hand and pulls him along. Both run down the embankment hand in hand through the snow and stop just before the surf. They laugh at each other and don't let go yet. Neither speaks a word. They look each other in the eye and become serious.
‘You know Nicki, I have to tell you something.’
‘Yes, me too.’
Dominik lets go of Sören's hand. The two walk in silence next to each other along the beach. Sören speaks first:
‘I'll say it as it is. Short and sweet. I'm gay and I'm falling in love with you. If you want to go back to Germany now and don't want to have anything more to do with me, I understand.’
Dominik says nothing and looks down. There is a minute of silence.
‘Please say something, at least say that you hate me now or something.’
Sören seems almost hysterical. He stands in front of Dominik and prevents him from walking on.
‘No, I don't hate you. You are the kindest person I've ever met. And I don't want to leave here, or you.’
Sören breathes a sigh of relief. But he still owes him the actual answer.
Nicki continues:
‘I like you a lot. But I don't know yet if there's more to it than that. I don't really know if I'm gay either. I don't really want to be. There's so much going through my mind, I don't really know anything at the moment.’
‘Whether you're gay or not is not something you choose. Whether you want it or not, either you are or you're not. You just have to realise it,’ Sören replies.
‘Oh Sören, because of my orientation I've only had trouble so far. I know you're right, but it's not that easy. Please give me some time.’
‘Hey, Nicki. I certainly don't want to rush you. You now know how I feel about you. You have all the time in the world to make up your mind. If there's anything I can do to help, just say the word, I'll do anything for you.’
‘Thanks, Soren. You're a great guy!’
The two of them walk quietly along the beach for quite a while. After an hour they return to the holiday home.
Sören makes some tea and the two of them sit down on the couch.
‘I still owe you my story,’ says Dominik, and begins to tell it.
‘About a year ago, everything was still all right at home. My father was strict and old-fashioned, but somehow I could stand it. It was clear to me that I could never tell my parents that I might be different. The slogans against gays and foreigners were always at the lowest level. Well, he's a construction worker and only reads the newspaper with the four letters. Nothing against construction workers, but he really is one of those from the 1950s. A real man's man. The only thing that could have hinted at my homosexuality at home was a... well, glossy brochure with unclothed men. I hid it very well. Unfortunately not well enough. When I came home from school one day, my father was already waiting for me in the kitchen and held out the magazine. ‘Are you one of those perverts?’ he asked me. I didn't say anything. He almost attacked me, but my mother was just able to prevent it. Since then, I haven't spoken a single word to him. The next day, my mother told me that my father would only tolerate me in the house until I came of age and then he would throw me out. We didn't even eat together anymore. My mother always brought my food to my room. For a while, I just cried. I don't think my mother hates me, but my father wears the trousers in our family. Whatever he says goes. No ifs, ands, or buts. But my little brother and I became closer and better. He often consoled me and held me in his arms. He is sixteen. The day before yesterday, my mother said to me that I was now of legal age and asked if I had already thought about what to do next. Until that moment, I still thought that he would not do it. But then my mind was made up. I packed my things, took my savings book and my ID and set off. I didn't know what would become of me or where I could go until I came to this service station. And then this nice young man spoke to me.’
Sören couldn't get his mouth shut. ‘That there are still people like that in the world today. I can hardly believe it. You don't deserve them.’
‘I don't want to think about the past anymore. I just want to enjoy my time here, if that's okay.’
‘Of course it's okay. What do you think about a little wellness? You've seen that we have a 2-person hot tub in the bathroom. How about it?’
‘That'd be cool. But I don't have any swimming trunks with me. I really didn't think I needed them in winter.’
‘Hm... I don't have any with me either. I'll look the other way when you get in,’ Sören grins.
Nicki grins back, ’Okay, then I'll look the other way too, or at least I'll pretend to.’
While Sören lets water into the hot tub, the two talk about the next day. They want to get a Christmas tree and decorate it really nicely. Since the Lange family always spends Christmas in this house, all the Christmas decorations are here too. They want to cook something special and make themselves really comfortable.
When the whirlpool is almost full, Sören turns on the pump and starts to undress. Dominik stands a little way away with his arms crossed, watching him.
‘Um, do you want to get dressed in the pool?’
Dominik just clears his throat and also undresses. When both of them are standing in front of the tub wearing only boxer shorts, they look at each other. Sören shrugs his shoulders, drops his boxers on the floor and quickly gets in.
‘Go on, I'll look the other way,’ he says, turning his head to the window. Dominik gets into the hot tub so that they are sitting opposite each other. They don't say anything for a while and just enjoy the hot, bubbling water. Occasionally their legs touch by accident, but each time it remains a brief contact.
‘How many guys have you sat here in the pool with?’ Nicki asks, grinning mischievously at Sören.
‘To be honest, only my best friend. I haven't had a boyfriend yet.’
‘Really? I thought I was the only one who'd never had a boyfriend at 17.’
‘Nah, and to be completely honest, there hasn't been anything else either, if you know what I mean. I'm just too shy. And besides, I want a real relationship, not a sex adventure.’
‘Hm, well, we have something in common then.’
Sören gets more courageous and leans his left leg against Dominik's right. He looks at him briefly, then to the side, but doesn't pull his leg away.
‘Should I take my leg away again...‘ Sören begins.
‘No, it's okay,’ says Nicki, looking at him with a hint of a smile on his face.
The two of them are still chatting about Nicki's life. After the trouble at home, he distracted himself by studying. His grade point average is now quite respectable. He doesn't have any real friends, just a few acquaintances with whom he used to go drinking or to the disco on weekends. But that almost fell apart last year. He couldn't build real trust with anyone anymore and became quite isolated.
Sören talks about his parents and his coming out to Tobi.
‘Man, I hope it all works out. You're such a great person, Tobi would be really stupid to give up a friend like you.’
‘Thanks. Well, we'll see. Somehow I don't have a good feeling about it. But we should slowly go outside now, otherwise we'll get calluses.’
Sören gets up and doesn't even try to hide anything from Nicki. The latter can hardly decide where to look. The intimacy between the two seems to be increasing. Sören has the feeling that Nicki is somehow thawing out, but he can't really say whether he is interested in a friendship or a relationship.
After drying off and getting dressed, the two of them go back to the sea, wrapped up thickly, and walk next to each other, exuberant and happy. The chance touches become more frequent and time flies. At the top of the dune, they stand close together and watch the sunset.
They spend the evening after dinner sitting by the fireplace drinking a bottle of wine. They go to bed around 11 pm.
‘Sören, you offered me last night that I could move a little closer if I was cold.’
‘Yes, of course, the offer is still on the table.’
‘Does it still apply even if I'm not cold?’
‘Oh Nicki,’ Sören sighs, ’come here.’
Dominik moves closer to him and lays his head on Sören's shoulder. Sören takes Nicki firmly in his arms. With his other hand, he strokes his head, his face, tenderly drawing his eyebrows.
‘When your heart is pounding, you don't want to let go of the other person, and at the same time you feel great and kind of weird, are you in love?’ asks Dominik.
‘I think so.’
‘Then I guess I'm in love.’
‘You're not the only one.’
They hug tightly and then both experience their first cautious kiss. Many more will follow. Slowly but surely, the kisses become more intense and finally passionate. But nothing more happens that evening, and after a while they fall asleep, tightly entwined.
Sören wakes up from a noise. It is already light. He looks next to him and finds an empty bed. A sudden suspicion sends him into panic. He jumps out of bed and runs into the living room.
It is pleasantly warm there, the breakfast table is set, but there is no sign of Nicki. He hears the shower running in the bathroom. He breathes a sigh of relief. So Nicki hasn't run away. He knocks loudly on the bathroom door and calls out, ‘Nicki, can I come in?’
‘I'm in the shower right now. But come on in.’
He opens the door and sees that Nicki is holding the shower curtain so that only his head is sticking out. He goes to him, hesitates briefly, but when he sees the expectant face, he gives him a passionate kiss. In the heat of the moment, Nicki loses control of the shower curtain, which slips to the side and Sören gets a flood of water on his T-shirt. Both laugh.
‘Hey, your T-shirt's wet. You should take it off quickly so you don't catch cold,‘ teases Nicki with a mischievous look.
Sören hesitates just a second, then pulls the T-shirt over his head and looks at Nicki expectantly.
‘Should I...’ he says, pointing to the shower.
Instead of answering, Nicki pulls the shower curtain aside and makes some space in the shower cubicle.
Sören's boxers quickly land on the floor and at that moment he is not at all embarrassed about his excitement, because he sees that Nicki is no different. The trust between the two of them is now so strong that they are anything but uncomfortable.
The two kiss and embrace tenderly under the warm shower. Nicki takes some shower gel and rubs it on Sören's chest. He is just thinking, ‘I think this is going to be my first time.’ He hasn't finished the thought when the water suddenly becomes lukewarm and then ice-cold. That's the disadvantage of a hot water boiler, as is common in Danish holiday homes. At some point, the hot water is all gone.
Both make screeching noises and avoid the water jet before Sören manages to turn off the water. Their excitement has collapsed in these seconds.
After the fright, they both have to laugh. The erotic mood is gone, but a rainy day is never far away.
At breakfast, they decide to go to town next and run a few errands. In the centre of Varde, they split up for an hour because each of them still wants to get a little something for Christmas. At noon, they meet again in the car park where the car is parked.
‘Man, we were only apart for an hour. But I already missed you,’ says Sören, and Nicki just nods eagerly. In the car, they hug and give each other a long kiss.
They also buy a small Nordmann fir from a nearby farm. They are back at the holiday home around noon. They place the fir on the terrace for now.
‘What do you think about spending another hour in the hot tub before we set up the Christmas tree and prepare Christmas dinner?‘ Nicki asks, and the twinkle in his eyes shows that he is joking. It seems that wellness is not really what he has in mind.
‘Sounds good. But this time I won't look away,’ Sören grins, receiving a big kiss and a meaningful grin in return.
Kissing and caressing each other, they undress while the hot tub fills up. They only touch each other's upper bodies, though. Somehow neither of them finds the courage to touch other parts of the body.
They get into the hot water and sit down this time so that Nicki is sitting in front of Sören and cuddling up against him. Sören caresses Nicki's chest, plays carefully with her nipple, strokes her stomach and hesitates for a moment before going lower. He reaches the pubic hair on the side and then feels Nicki's rock-hard cock, which he first gently and then more firmly embraces. Nicki moans slightly and a shiver runs through his body. Their mouths and tongues find each other and Sören begins to stroke.
‘Hey, slow down, otherwise it'll be over in no time.’
Sören turns Nicki around and sits him in the corner of the hot tub, lying on top of him. They kiss passionately, then Sören's tongue leaves Nicki's mouth and goes on a journey. First along the neck, then over the nipples, down the stomach. Only the tip of Nicki's cock peeps out of the bubbling water of the hot tub. Sören holds his nose and dives with his head so far into the water that he can take Nicki's cock in his mouth. He holds his breath and sees stars. When Sören starts to suck, Nicki moans softly. Due to the loud noise of the pump, he does not hear the bathroom door open.
‘Surprise! We... um... who are you???’
A woman who is a stranger to Nicki is standing in the bathroom, looking at him wide-eyed. At that moment, Sören reappears grinning, looks up and sees his mother.
He shakes himself and looks again.
‘Mum? How did you get here?’
‘By car. We... well... we wanted to surprise you.’
‘Well, the surprise was a success.’
‘Okay, well, sorry for just bursting in like this, we're in the living room, sorry...’ she says and closes the bathroom door from the outside.
Nicki looks at Sören anxiously. ’Oh shit, we're in trouble.’
‘Why trouble? It's only my mother. She's at least as embarrassed as we are. She won't bite your head off. Relax, Nicki!’ He says and takes him in his arms and then gives him a kiss.
After the two have dried themselves and dressed, they go into the living room, where Sören's parents are sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee. There are some bags and boxes at the patio door.
Sören's father is the first to speak: ‘Hello son! And hello...?
‘This is Dominik.’
‘Well, hello Dominik,’ says Birte, standing up, walking towards Nicki and holding out her hand. ’Excuse my appearance right now, but I actually wanted to see Sören's surprised face when we suddenly appeared, and now I've surprised you first. I really didn't mean to, please don't be angry with me.’
‘N... no problem, Mrs Lange,‘ stutters Nicki and shakes Birte's hand.
‘Wrong!’ she interrupts him... ‘I'm Birte. And my husband's name is Jürgen. Just for the record,’ and she smiles at him friendly.
‘Why don't you sit down. Coffee?’ Jürgen asks.
While Sören's father pours the coffee, Birte asks:
‘As you might imagine, we would like to know how it is that there are suddenly two of you. Don't take this the wrong way, it's fine, but parents are curious by nature.’
Sören and Nicki tell the story. About being thrown out of home, how they met.
‘I'll be damned. If I get my hands on your parents,‘ says Jürgen with a scowl.
‘Anyway, you're very welcome here! Hopefully we're not disturbing anything too much,’ says Sören's mother.
‘No, you're not,’ Sören reassures her.
‘Tell me, I mean, I could misunderstand what I just saw in the bathroom, but, um, are you two a couple now?’
Sören hesitates for a moment; they hadn't talked about that at all. But Nicki answers for him:
‘Yes, we are. Birte, I've fallen head over heels in love with your son.’
Sören beams from ear to ear: ‘And I too. Yes, we are together.’
‘Well then, we should open a bottle of sparkling wine rather than drinking coffee. But we can still do that later. Guys, I have an idea. It's just before 2 p.m. now. Jürgen and I still have some Christmas preparations to make here. Could you perhaps disappear for an hour or two, to the beach or something?‘ Turning to Nicki, she says, “At the Langes”, Christmas preparations are the parents’ responsibility!’
‘Sure, mum!’
Nicki quickly goes to the toilet and Sören's mother takes the opportunity to ask her son a few questions:
‘Your Dominik is a sweet boy! What do you think, should we offer him to live with us for the time being, until things are sorted out with his parents?’
‘That would be great. But I don't think it will be possible to sort things out with his parents.’
‘Hm, I'll discuss it with your father right away. Don't tell him anything yet, okay?’
‘Yes, thanks, Mum!’ says Sören and gives his mother a big hug.
Meanwhile, Nicki is back from the bedroom and has put on his winter jacket and shoes. Sören hurries to do the same and the two of them walk hand in hand across the property towards the dunes. The sky has clouded over again, thick snow clouds are drifting across the land from the North Sea.
‘Your parents are great. I wish mine were the same.’
‘Of course they have their quirks, but on the whole I'm really happy with them.’
‘What do you think, do they want me to go?’
‘No! Absolutely not! I think they like you. And besides, they couldn't bear to see me break my heart.’
‘Okay. It would be really great if I could stay for the time being. By the way, I actually wanted to tell you that I love you directly. And not with the detour through your mother.’
Sören stops, wraps his arms around Nicki and kisses him.
‘It came across anyway. I love you too, my Nicki! But our first time seems to be ill-fated somehow. Somehow something always comes up, cold water or my parents,’ Sören grins.
‘But it'll be exciting.’
‘Oh, I don't think it'll be boring even after that.’
When they arrive at the top of the dunes, they feel the icy cold westerly wind. The North Sea is rough and agitated. The surf is loud and white with foam. Slowly, holding hands again, they descend to the beach.
‘Brrr... when the wind drops, it feels like it's 20 degrees colder. Are we supposed to endure this for 2 hours?’
‘Yes, Nicki... we have to. My dad will put up the tree and decorate it, my mum will make dinner. Then the presents go under the tree. Then we're allowed to go back into the living room. Then we eat, sing, and then there are the presents. Wasn't that how it used to be for you?’
‘Not so solemn somehow. There was a Christmas tree, yes. But no fuss. Presents were unwrapped, then eaten. Mostly potato salad with sausages. My mother usually went to church alone and that was it. And last year at Christmas, I sat in my room with Bastian, my brother, and just cried.’
‘Well, that's over now. You've met decent people. I wonder if there's someone up there who led you to this rest area and also made sure that I had to pee at that exact moment?’
‘I don't know. If you had asked me three days ago, I would have told you that if he exists, he's doing a damn poor job of it. But today the world looks different again.’
The two of them are now back in the dunes because the wind on the beach is too cold at the moment. Because they don't have gloves on, Sören has put his right hand into Nicki's jacket so that they can still hold hands.
After about an hour, they are simply too cold to continue walking and they return to the house. The curtains are drawn and the living room is dimly lit. Sören knocks carefully on the patio door.
Only a ‘just a moment’ comes from the house, and after a minute Sören's father comes out with two dish towels.
‘Well boys, we're not quite ready yet. I have to blindfold you and lead you to your bedroom. Orders from the boss.’
The two look at each other somewhat warily, but then comply. Sören's father takes the boys by the hand and only removes their blindfolds when they are in the bedroom.
‘Well, you have half an hour left. Not enough time to do anything naughty,’ says Jürgen, winking at them, and leaves them alone.
‘Man, your dad's really cool. And all this Christmas hoopla makes you feel like a kid again, doesn't it?’
‘Yes, you really do feel that way. But I don't know any different. My parents insist on it every year and somehow I think it's nice too.’
‘Well, I like it too. I'm really looking forward to it now, even if I don't get any presents.’
‘Oh, the presents aren't really the most important thing, I think. Somehow the tradition and the beautiful feelings that you have are more important to me. Besides, this year I got my best present early.’
‘So, what?’
‘Why, you!’ says Sören and kisses Nicki passionately. Shortly afterwards, a bell can be heard from the living room.
‘It's starting. The Christkind has arrived.’
Both hurry and open the bedroom door. They find a room that is hardly recognisable. A lovingly decorated tree in red and gold, candles burning everywhere, soft Christmas music in the background, two beaming parents and four beaming boys' eyes. It even smells different somehow. A mixture of roast, fir scent and incense. On the living room table, there is an Advent wreath and sweets, and the dining table is festively laid with cloth napkins, several glasses and cutlery sets for each person. In the middle stands a small Danish flag, with candles and fir greenery to the left and right. Nicki, in particular, is visibly impressed. He is really touched and has moist eyes.
‘Merry Christmas,’ Jürgen begins, and everyone joins in. Sören's parents take turns hugging him. Nicki stands a little apart at first, but then Birte comes to him and gives him a hug. When Jürgen takes Nicki in his arms, too, he can't hold back his tears anymore. He cries his eyes out.
Sören holds him and they sit down on the sofa. After a few minutes he has recovered.
‘Excuse me, but I have never experienced Christmas so solemnly. And my parents never hugged me.’
‘Well,’ begins Birte, ’we may not be that normal either. Just a sentimental bunch. But we can understand you. Besides, in our house boys are allowed to cry as much as they want.’
Then they sit down at the dining table and Birte starts to serve dinner. Three courses with three different wines, all of the finest quality! The mood is relaxed, the food tastes great and the wine does the rest. After dessert, they quickly help to put the dishes in the dishwasher and tidy up a little.
‘Hey Mum, with all the excitement today, I forgot to ask how you were able to come and how long you can stay.’
‘Only until tomorrow afternoon. Your father was on call until 6 o'clock this morning and will be on duty again from 10 o'clock tomorrow evening. But we just wanted to use the hours so that we could spend Christmas together.’
‘I'm really happy that you're here.’
‘Us too. So now let's go over to the living room. Have you already thought about which song you want to sing for us?’
‘Well, ideally one that we both know. Short and sweet. Nicki, how about ‘Jingle bells’? Do you know it?’
‘Yes, I even know the lyrics. Let's go.’
Considering that the two of them hadn't practised beforehand, their performance was actually quite good. The parents clapped at the end of the song.
‘So, now it's time for the presents. Sören, you start.’
There's not much under the tree: three small packages and an envelope. One package is labelled ‘Sören’. Sören takes it, sits down again and unwraps it. It contains a digital camera. Sören had mentioned at home that he wanted to buy one, but hadn't thought that he would get it for Christmas. And he would never have bought such a good and probably expensive one for himself.
‘Thank you. That you thought of that. Great. I'm really really happy,’ he beams at his parents.
The other two packages are for Sören's parents. Birte's husband gave her two books and a plane ticket to London for a shopping trip. Jürgen's wife gave him a picture frame for his office with a current family picture and a plane ticket to London as well. The two of them don't seem particularly surprised by this. No wonder, when you give each other something.
‘My gifts for you are still in Gelsenkirchen, of course. I couldn't count on that.’
‘No problem, my boy. We already figured that out. But Dominik, take a look under the tree, there's something else,’ says Jürgen.
He looks sceptical, then gets up and gets the envelope that clearly says “Dominik”. He looks around questioningly.
‘Is there anyone else here called Dominik?’ asks Birte, saying, ’Well, go on, open it!’
Nicki opens the envelope, takes out a sheet of paper, reads it and suddenly begins to sob loudly and heart-wrenchingly. Tears roll down his cheeks and drip onto the paper.
GUARANTEED FUTURE
Birte, Jürgen and Sören Lange hereby assure Dominik that he is always welcome at the Lange house. He can live there as long as he likes. In return, Dominik is obliged to stop worrying about his future with immediate effect.
Hvide Sande, Denmark, Christmas Eve
Dominik can't stop crying. He howls with snot and water. Sören takes him in his arms and hugs him, then wipes the tears from his face with a handkerchief. Nicki blows his nose vigorously.
‘I don't know what to say. You've all been so kind and good to me. Thank you so much, I don't know what it means to me.’
Birte just looks lovingly, gets up and opens her arms. Nicki gets up and lets her hug him tightly.
‘As I said, welcome to our family.’
Sören beams at his parents. They have also given him a wonderful Christmas present. He quickly goes into the bedroom to get his present for Nicki. As he opens the door of the dark room, he sees the lighting of his mobile phone just going out.
He takes the device from the bedside table and sees that he has received a text message.
FROM: TOBI's mobile
Hi Großa! Merry Christmas! Are you at home? Can I come over? Best, Tobi
He sits down on the bed and thinks for a moment. A good sign, surely. Nicki is standing in the doorway.
‘Is something wrong?’
‘Yes, Tobi texted me. If I were in Germany, he would want to come over.’
‘Hey, that's great.’
‘Yes, it is. He called me ‘Großa’, like he used to. I'll answer him later. First of all, I have a little something for you.’
Sören takes a small package out of the wardrobe and hands it to him.
‘Merry Christmas, my Nicki! I love you!
He gets a big kiss and shiny eyes in return. Dominik opens the package. He finds a red plush heart with a tag that reads, ‘This is my heart. I give it to you. Take good care of it. Love, Sören.’
A big hug and a big kiss follow. Then Sören opens his present. A key fob with a passport photo of Nicki, which he must have taken in the city during the hour he was gone. On the back it says ‘This is mine.’
After another long kiss, the two of them go back into the living room. Sören takes his mobile phone with him and on the sofa he replies to Tobi's text message:
‘Hi Kleina, Merry Christmas too! I'm currently in Denmark. But you're welcome to come over if you want *g*’
Jürgen is standing at the patio door looking out.
‘Hey guys! It's snowing again. Big flakes. What do you think about a little walk in the snow?’
Since everyone agrees, the four of them set off after a short time. The flakes are so thick that their caps or hoods soon get a white hood. The two boys run ahead and Sören starts throwing snowballs at his father. He reacts promptly and soon a small snowball fight is underway. They are exuberant and happy. They may be acting like children, but it doesn't bother anyone. Even Birte joins in. When they arrive back at the holiday home three quarters of an hour later, they make themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace and Birte opens a bottle of champagne.
‘We haven't toasted you yet. You're a really sweet couple. And Dominik, it's really easy to get used to you.’
‘Thanks, Birte. You two are really great too. I don't know what Sören has done to deserve you.’
Of course, with that, Nicki had immediately opened herself up to a stab in the side.
It will be a long and beautiful evening. They go to bed around 1 a.m. The parents took the small bedroom so they wouldn't have to rearrange everything for one night.
As Sören is just getting undressed, he sees that he has another text message from Tobi:
‘Hey Großa, a bit much for tonight. Too bad if you leave. You'll get your present later. Tobi’
Sören grins. Tobi really doesn't have any problems with being gay anymore. And even a Christmas present. He'll probably have to get him something too. And he already has an idea.
Nicki comes out of the bathroom wearing only a T-shirt and tight boxers. He slips under the covers with Sören and snuggles up right next to him. Their mouths find each other and Nicki's hand slides unerringly into Sören's underpants. What he finds there has already reached its operating state. He gently embraces Sören's boner and pulls the foreskin all the way back. Sören moans slightly.
‘Nicki, you should know that you can hear every sound exactly through the thin wooden walls here.’
At this very moment, the two can be heard snoring softly from the bedroom next door.
Nicki sighs, ‘I can't hold back much longer. I finally want to do with you what I have often imagined in my fantasies.’
‘What, tying, gagging and whipping?’
Nicki grins devilishly. ‘At least. No, if you're into that kind of thing, then you'll have to find yourself another flogger.’
‘No,’ laughs Sören, ‘I don't need a flogger. I need someone who is affectionate and loving and maybe a little dirty sometimes.’
‘Check! Full compatibility!’
Tonight, it won't get any further than a little smooching. As a tangle of arms and legs, totally entwined, they both fall asleep with a smile on their lips.
This morning, they both wake up at the same time to a knock at the door. They are still entwined with arms and legs.
‘Good morning, sleepyheads. We have to leave soon, do you want breakfast?’
Sören clears his throat because he has a frog in his throat.
‘Yes, mum, we'll be right there.’
Nicki rubs the sleep from his eyes and winks at Sören.
‘Good morning, my rabbit. I slept so well.’
‘Yes, me too, Nicki,’ he says, looking at his watch. ’Oh dear, it's already past 11.’
The two of them untangle themselves and get up. They walk into the living room in their pajamas. Sören's mother is cleaning in the kitchen while Jürgen is just putting the bags in the car. The breakfast table is festively set.
After a cup of coffee, Birte asks:
‘Dominik, what do you think about me talking to your mother on the phone? Woman to woman. Maybe I can do something to save our relationship.’
‘Well, I don't know. My mum certainly doesn't hate me. But once my father makes a decision, that's it.’
‘Well, maybe one day she'll change her mind. Or at least come and visit you from time to time so that you don't lose all contact with your mother. And with your brother, of course.’
‘You can try. I'll write down the phone number. Oh yes, our surname is Schneider.’
‘I will. Besides, there are still formalities to be taken care of. Registering at the residents' registration office and such. And I wouldn't like it if your parents abandoned you and continued to collect child benefit for you. Don't get me wrong, we're definitely not in it for the money, but you're entitled to it. At least that.’
‘I hadn't thought of that at all. So I'm not completely destitute after all. Oh yes, I also have a savings account. There are a few thousand euros in it. So I could pay for my upkeep.’
‘Yeah, yeah, it comes to that. Don't you have any relatives, grandparents, aunts, uncles or anything?’
‘All my grandparents are dead. My parents are quite old too. My mother was almost 40 when she had me. And my father is retiring next year. My mother has only one younger sister who lives in England. But I hardly know her. And that's all there is.’
‘All right. I'll call them in a few days and let you know what she meant. But now we have to go. Jürgen is on duty tonight.’
Outside the house, the four say goodbye to each other and, of course, Sören's parents give Nicki a hug and hold him tight.
‘I think we'll add a Christmas present, we'll buy a bigger bed for you,’ says Jürgen, ’but we'll wait until you get back. You should choose it yourself.’
Then they drive away and the two are alone again. They clear the breakfast table and put the food back in the fridge.
‘I'm just going to take a shower. And you can shower after me. Showering together always ends with an ice-cold surprise,’ says Sören, pulling his T-shirt over his head.
‘Okay, okay, but then hurry up. If you walk around half naked in front of me, you can't expect me to hold back for long.’
Sören grins and takes off his boxer shorts slowly and with relish like a stripper. Just as Nicki approaches him and wants to intervene, he turns around and disappears into the bathroom.
He takes a quick shower. When Sören dries himself off, Nicki is already in the shower. Sören goes into the bedroom and lies naked on the bed. Two minutes later, Nicki enters the room, once again wrapped only in a towel. When he sees his friend, he drops the towel and lies on top of him. Their mouths merge and both feel the hard facts waiting for their cue between them.
Similar to the last experiment in the hot tub, Nicki's tongue is now on the prowl. He licks and nibbles on an earlobe, then on the neck, the nipples. It wanders down the belly, then to the inner thighs. Sören trembles all over. He thinks, ‘If something comes between us now, I don't care.’ Nicki's tongue touches his sack, licks it carefully and then licks the cock very gently to the tip. With one hand, he pulls the foreskin all the way back. Then his lips open and he takes the glans into his mouth. Sören moans. Nicki's head moves back and forth and Sören's breathing quickens and gets louder.
‘Slowly, slowly! I'm about to come!’
But Nicki doesn't slow down, he blows greedily faster and faster and when he realises how close Sören is to orgasm, he jerks him off with one hand while licking his balls. With several powerful squirts, he comes loudly groaning and squirts his sperm onto his stomach.
Sören is still shaking all over and looks a little taken aback that Nicki has hurried so much.
‘Sorry, but I couldn't wait any longer. I almost even sucked him off to the end, I'm so horny for you.’
Without saying anything, Sören gives him a greedy French kiss and now turns the tables. It doesn't take long for Nicki to come either.
After that, the two of them cuddle and kiss for a while.
‘The bad thing is that the water hasn't warmed up yet and we have to wait to shower,‘ says Sören.
‘Hm... doesn't matter. I don't find anything about you gross,’ says Nicki, playing with his index finger in the small puddle on Sören's stomach.
‘Hm, I feel the same way, but it's not safe.’
‘Well, if we were both virgins until just now, nothing can happen, can it?’
‘Right. I always go to donate blood, too. They always do a test there.’
‘And I was in hospital last year. They tested for everything, including HIV.’
‘Well, that's settled then,’ Sören grins.
The two of them cuddle for a while and then go to shower briefly, each on his own. They spend Christmas Day quietly and romantically. Towards evening, Sören's phone rings.
‘Sören Lange.’
‘Yes, Lange here too. We're back home. Got here okay. Just wanted to check in.’
‘Great, Mum. Thanks again for everything.’
‘You're welcome, Junior. Have a nice few days. When do you want to come back?’
‘I don't know. I think it will probably be in the new year. Nicki still has holidays.’
‘Oh yes, ask him if we should already change his registration to the high school here with us or if he would rather commute to Dortmund.’
‘Okay, I'll do that. See you soon, Mom!’
‘Bye my darling, and say hi to Dominik!’
He has barely hung up the phone when it rings again. He answers.
‘Hi Großa! It's me! Actually, I wanted to surprise you, but I can't find the damn way anymore.’
‘What do you mean, you can't find the way, where are you?’
‘I'm in Varde and I don't know which direction to turn. Esbjerg or Ringkøbing?’
‘You're here? That's impossible. Nørre Nebel, you have to go to Nørre Nebel. And then straight ahead to the Sparmarkt, then take the second left.’
‘Ah, I can see a signpost... yep, found it. I'll be there in twenty minutes. Aren't you happy?’
‘Yes, yes. I'm really happy. There are just a few things I still have to explain to you. But I'll do that right here. Drive carefully, Kleina.’
‘I almost always do. See you soon.’
Nicki had already gathered from the snippets of the conversation that Tobi was on the phone and would probably be here soon.
‘Hey sweetie, that's great. You see, he still likes you, even if he comes here.’
‘Yes, I'm happy too. But he'll be wondering who you are. I haven't even told him about you yet.’
‘Then you'll both be surprised. I just hope he's not jealous that I practically took you away from him.’
‘Oh no, I don't think so. He has girlfriends quite often. I'm not jealous of that either.’
The two of them use the time to prepare the small bedroom. Sören's mother had already taken the bed linen off and taken it back to Germany, but she hadn't changed the bed again, which is what the two of them are doing now.
About half an hour after the phone call, an old Opel Astra pulls up to the property, honking loudly. Sören runs out and stops expectantly in front of the car. Tobias gets out and hesitates for a moment, then takes a step towards Sören and gives him a big hug.
‘Hey, big guy. It's good to have you back. I guess I was pretty stupid.’
‘It's okay, I'm just happy to have you here.’
Tobias is half a head shorter than Sören and has short, strawberry blonde hair. At school, he was often called ‘Boris’, in reference to the tennis star's mop of hair and freckles.
Tobi sees Nicki standing in the doorway over Sören's shoulder, breaks away from the embrace and asks:
‘Hey Sören, who's that?’
‘Yes, um, I guess I'll have to explain that to you. This is Dominik. We're together.’
‘I see, for long?’
‘No, since... actually only since yesterday.’
‘Oh, I thought you had kept that from me too.’
‘No, that was really the only thing. So come on in. I'll introduce you to him.’
Sören introduces the two to each other. They greet each other with a friendly smile and a handshake.
‘I thought to myself, I can't leave you up here all alone. I didn't know that you weren't alone at all.’
‘It just turned out that way,’ says Sören, and the two tell Tobi the whole story. Okay, they leave out a few little things. He doesn't necessarily need to know how unerotic cold water is and what Birte caught them doing.
‘Man, it sounds like something out of a novel. You guys should definitely write it down.’
‘We will. So, are you hungry?’
Tobi answers in the affirmative and Sören sets about conjuring up something tasty from the leftovers from the night before. Which he manages to do.
After dinner, the three of them take a walk on the beach in the dark. The North Sea has calmed down again and is only lapping lazily at the beach. Sören has taken a torch with him and just as they reach the water's edge, the clouds part and the moon can be seen.
After a while, they sit by the fireplace and chat over a bottle of wine.
‘Tell me, Sören, when did you actually know that you were gay?’
‘Hm, quite a long time. I think it was completely clear to me when I was fifteen. You always raved to me about the great tits of our fellow students. I was pretty indifferent to that. I thought you were pretty great back then and would have done anything to experience my first time with you,’ grins Sören. ’But that's long gone. Later, our friendship was more important to me.’
‘Hm, you should have said something. Back then, I would have definitely gone along with it. I always wanted someone to make out with and practice on, but I never dared to ask you.’
‘Well, maybe it was better that it didn't happen. You probably would have turned my head completely and I would have suffered even more when you told me about your first time with a girl.’
‘Hm, what did you feel when I told you? About Sandra back then.’
‘Well, my very last hope was destroyed then. But at that time I had a crush on Manuel.’
‘Manuel Klotzer? Oh my God, he's such a macho.’
‘Well, my taste has changed quite a bit since then.’
‘He has improved a lot,’ grins Tobi, looking at Nicki.
Nicki snuggles up to Sören and grins, ‘Don't get your hopes up, I'm faithful.’
‘Nah, I'm straight. You're both really cute, but I'm good.’
‘Hey, it's really good to be able to talk to you about everything. I've missed that for a long time. I should have told you this a long time ago.’
‘Hey, big guy, it's okay with me. I can imagine that it wasn't easy. But now it's out in the open. I'm just sorry that I reacted so strangely at first.’
‘No need to apologise. At first I really thought that our friendship was over, but your text message last night was really nice. And the fact that you're here now...’
‘Well, now give each other a hug,’ says Nicki.
The two get up and hug each other tightly. They remain like this for at least a minute. When they separate, both have tears in their eyes.
‘Tell me, how long have you known each other?’
‘Since fifth grade. We sat next to each other from day one. So that's nine years now,’ says Sören.
The conversation revolves around their friendship and shared experiences for a while, then they talk about everything and don't go to bed until two o'clock in the morning, two bottles of wine later.
Sören and Nicki cuddle a little longer before falling asleep entwined again.
Sören watches his sweetheart walk naked across the deserted beach into the surf. He runs after her and tries to catch up. They both swim far out to sea. Through the crystal-clear water, you can see the seabed. A colourful fish swims by below, making exactly the same sound as the ringtone of his mobile phone. Wait a minute, a fish doesn't ring, he thinks to himself and opens his eyes. It's a dream, except for the ringtone. He reaches for his phone on the bedside table and mumbles sleepily:
‘Long here. Who's bothering?’
‘Your lovely mother is bothering. It's 11:45 a.m. You're not still asleep, are you?’
‘No, not anymore,‘ he says and blinks at the just-waking-up Nicki.
‘Good. Because I have some news. I just spoke with Nicki's mother. Can I talk to him?’
‘Sure. Here, Nicki, it's for you,’ he says, handing him the phone.
‘For me?’ he looks incredulous and accepts it. ’Yes, Dominik Schneider.’
‘This is your mother-in-law. Sorry if I woke you, but I just got off the phone with your mother and thought you'd want to know right away.’
Nicki sits bolt upright in bed.
‘Sure, what did she say?’
‘Well, she was relieved to hear that you're okay. She's been doing pretty badly since you left. It probably only now became clear to her that she didn't do anything to stop your father from taking her son away from her.’
‘I see. And what did she say about me having a boyfriend now?’
‘Not much. She's just glad that you're okay and have a place to stay. By the way, your brother has also been completely out of it since you left. He hasn't said a word since then and only leaves his room to go to the toilet. Your father was just at the pub when I called. Your mother really wants to make contact with you and explain everything and ask for your forgiveness. She is now even considering throwing your father out or finding herself a new place.’
‘Late, but at least.’
‘I gave her the postal address of the holiday home. She will write you a letter.’
‘That's okay as long as my father doesn't suddenly show up. But even if he does, the three of us will chase him away.’
‘Three? Why three? Is one of you pregnant?’
Nicki laughs. ‘No, Tobi arrived here yesterday. Surprisingly.’
‘Oh, that's great news. I'm really happy for you. Everything okay between the two of them?’
‘Yes, absolutely. Pure harmony.’
‘I'm glad to hear it. So give me a call when the letter arrives. If there's any news here, I'll keep you updated, of course. Give Sören a kiss from me and see you soon.’
Nicki hangs up and kisses Sören on the cheek.
‘Hey, is that all?’
‘No, but it was from your mum.’
Of course, it doesn't stop with a kiss and the kissing turns into wild fiddling, the bedspread flies onto the floor and just as they have pushed their boxers down to their knees, they notice that Tobi is standing in the doorway with his mouth open and has turned bright red.
‘Er, sorry, I thought you were still asleep, I actually wanted to wake you up. Damn...’
Sören picks up the blanket from the floor and pulls it over their lower bodies. They both notice the bulge in Tobi's underpants.
‘It's okay, we're used to being interrupted in situations like this,’ Sören grins, ’but you'd better take a cold shower now.’
Tobi can't actually get any redder, but he does anyway and quickly closes the door from the outside.
The two of them get dressed and go into the living room. Here Tobi sits at the set breakfast table and looks at the two of them only bashfully.
‘Are you still angry? I mean, I should have knocked and...’
Sören takes Tobi in his arms from behind. ‘It's okay, nothing happened and we still love you.’
‘Thanks, well, it won't happen again. And, well, I'm really embarrassed, but I'm really straight. I don't want you to think...’
‘No, it's okay, I probably would have gotten a boner too if I had surprised someone like that,’ says Nicki, winking at Tobi.
After that, they have breakfast and tell Tobi the news. He had been up for a while, cleaning up, stoking the fireplace, and making a nice Christmas breakfast. When they look outside, they see almost no snow. It had started raining during the night and the snow has almost completely melted. The sky is dark grey and it looks as if the rain will stay for a while.
After breakfast, they make themselves comfortable and play the board game ‘Settlers’. Nicki wins twice in a row.
‘Hey, how about a hot tub?’ asks Sören.
Nicki nods with shining eyes, but Tobi doesn't seem so enthusiastic.
‘Oh no, it's only for two people. And I don't want to disturb you. And besides, I didn't bring my swimming trunks.’
‘You won't be a bother. And besides, you've already seen us naked. Don't be like that, we won't look at you or touch you,’ grins Nicki.
A short time later, the three of them are sitting in the pool. Sören and Nicki are sitting behind each other, with Tobi on the other side. It's a bit cramped and their legs are touching. They enjoy the hot, bubbling water and talk about everything under the sun. Tobi watches the two of them closely. When Nicki suddenly closes his eyes, his nipples become erect and Sören grins teasingly behind him, it becomes too much for him.
‘Hey, could you maybe be a bit more considerate? I'm not blind. Sören, take your hand off Nicki's cock.’
This time, both of them blush.
‘Um, sorry,’ says Sören, ’that was unfair. I'll be good from now on.’
Tobi grins. ‘That's okay, I can understand you, it is kind of an erotic situation. But please, please don't lead me into temptation all the time.’
‘Tell me, could it be that you are having a little doubt that you are 100% heterosexual?’ asks Nicki.
‘Nah, not really. But I haven't had sex in almost three months and so much naked skin and hormones are just too much. So if I get a hard-on, it doesn't mean that I'm gay, just really horny. Sorry guys, but that's just the way it is. So don't get the idea of seducing me. Later I might go along with it and afterwards we all regret it.’
‘Hey Kleina, don't worry, we won't. That really wouldn't be so good. But I have to admit that for a brief moment...’
The three laugh. So the topic is settled. After a good hour, they want to get out. As he gets out, Tobi turns around in a strange way before he leaves the pool.
‘Tobi, I think you have a really bad swelling there,‘ says Nicki.
‘Where?’ he asks, turning around in shock.
Sören and Nicki point to Tobi's erection and say ‘There!’ at the same time, grinning.
‘Man!’ he says, laughing along with them.
When they're back in the living room, Sören looks at his phone.
‘Oh, three missed calls and one text message.’ He calls them up. ’Voicemail. I'll just check.’
‘You have one new message. Message one. Today, 3:30 p.m. Sören, it's your mum. Please call me back right away.’
He quickly presses the redial button and is connected to his mother after only two rings.
‘Hi, it's me. What's going on?’
‘Hello Sören, I'm glad you called at last. I've already tried three times. So: Nicki's mum called. All hell has broken loose at her house. The father found out about everything and went completely ballistic. He never wants to have anything to do with Nicki again. Then he threatened Bastian, saying that if he tried to contact Nicki, he might as well pack his bags. When Bastian objected, he slapped him in the face. When his mother went to Basti's room an hour later, he was gone. He wrote a note saying that he didn't want to spend another minute in that house and that he'd rather be thrown out by his father than do it himself. He wrote it in huge letters on the wallpaper: ‘I no longer have a father’. Anyway, he's gone. His father doesn't seem to care, but his mother is beside herself. She's currently packing her things and coming to us. So, that was all in a nutshell.’
‘Oh shit! What do we do now? Should we go and look for Basti?’
‘Nah, it's a bit far from up there. When his mother gets here, she'll start calling all his friends. He must have ended up somewhere.’
‘How long has he been gone?’
‘Since about half past twelve. But please don't worry yet. He'll turn up again. The showdown at the Schneider house has at least one good thing: his mother has finally woken up and is facing the consequences. You'll see, everything will be okay.’
‘Yes, Mama. If anything new comes up, please call immediately. I have to tell my darling here everything first, he's getting impatient.’
‘Okay, I will. We'll talk again later.’
He quickly tells Nicki the essential facts. He turns very pale.
‘Shit. Shit. Shit. I want to go to Basti's immediately. If he meets the wrong people somewhere, who knows what could happen.’
‘Hey Nicki, there's nothing we can do at the moment. He'll be fine,’ says Sören. ’Where could he have gone?’
‘Hm, maybe to his best friend's. But mum has the number, she'll call right away. He doesn't have many other people he could go to.’
The three of them discuss what they can do now. Not much can be done from a distance, and by the time they would be in Germany, it would be the dead of night. So they decide to wait for the night to end, get up early and if there is still no news in the morning, go home and start looking from there.
At half past seven in the evening, the phone rings again.
‘Yes, Lange.’
‘It's the same here. Bastian still hasn't turned up. His mother noticed something though: the note with our address in Denmark was no longer there. She's not sure whether her husband or Bastian has it. So it could be that he's on his way to you. Could you maybe do some searching or something?’
‘You can count on it. There are three of us and we have two cars. We'll leave no stone unturned until we've found him!’
‘Okay. And call us immediately when you've found him. Oh, and one more thing. Put Nicki on the phone, his mother wants to talk to him for a moment.’
Sören hands the phone to Nicki, who is already impatiently wanting to know what's going on.
‘Hello? Oh, mum!’
His mother briefly describes the situation to him. After that, she tells him that she regrets everything very much and wishes that they could make a fresh start together, the three of them without the monster of a father.
When Nicki hangs up, he has tears in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Sören has explained everything to Tobi.
For a moment there is a tense silence. Then Tobi starts playing with his mobile.
‘Do you have to do that now?’ Sören asks impatiently.
‘Just a minute, I'll be done in a second. Ever heard of WAP?’ So, if he arrives at Dortmund Central Station at around 1 p.m., there is actually only one connection here. He will then arrive in Esbjerg at 8:44 p.m. and in Varde at 9:46 p.m. He would have a 44-minute stopover in Esbjerg. There is another connection exactly an hour later, after which he would not arrive here until tomorrow morning by train.’
‘Okay, let's go. I'm going to Esbjerg with Nicki. Tobi, you stay here in case he comes hitchhiking. Put a note on the front door. If he just looks through the window and sees you, he might not dare to come in. If something happens, we'll call you on the mobile phone. It takes us a good hour to get to Esbjerg. We'll definitely make it before the train leaves for Varde.’
Three minutes later, Sören starts his car and the two drive through the rainy night. Nicki keeps an eye out for hitchhikers and other people at the side of the road. They don't talk much and arrive at the Esbjerg train station after 75 minutes. The train that Basti could have taken has already left, but the connecting train to Varde has not yet arrived. They are standing on an empty platform, which is only dimly lit by the few neon tubes.
‘Well, the connecting train leaves at 9:28 p.m. We have half an hour. I suggest we look around to see if it's sitting somewhere in the waiting room or getting something to eat,’ says Sören, and the two set off.
They walk back across the platform, through the underpass and into the station concourse. The concourse is almost empty. All the shops are closed. There are hardly any people on the station forecourt at this time on Boxing Day either. In Norgesgade, which leads from the station towards the city centre, there is a small sausage stand. It is still open. They walk over and see a boy with blond hair from behind through the window.
‘That's him,‘ says Nicki, excited, and she throws open the door, turning the boy around by the shoulder.
‘Hey, what?’ the boy says. It's not Basti.
Sören apologises in Danish and explains the mix-up. Fortunately, his mother raised him bilingually.
The two look around everywhere and then give up their search. They go back to the platform. There they look around, but see no one. After two minutes, the local train arrives. From a dark corner, a figure emerges and heads straight for the train. For a second, the two stand there, staring after the figure as it gets on the train.
‘That's Basti's jacket,‘ stammers Nicki, and they start running. Before they reach the carriage he entered, the doors close and the train pulls out.
‘Come on, to the car. We have 18 minutes to Varde. Can we make it?’ asks Nicki.
‘Yes, we'll make it!’ Sören grins and the two of them start running. They have never run so fast, and Sören has never driven so recklessly in Denmark. He hopes that most of the police officers will be with their families on Boxing Day.
They need just under 20 minutes for the 27 kilometres. Sören drives the wrong way down a one-way street at the train station and parks in a no-parking zone. They jump out of the car and run through the underpass to the platform.
‘Track 3 is up ahead,’ Nicki calls, and the two of them are about to run up the stairs when they suddenly hear a scream.
‘Mom!’
The two stop and turn around. There stands Bastian, wide-eyed and staring at them.
‘Bastiiiiii!’ screams Nicki and runs to her brother. They fall into each other's arms. Nicki lifts him up and spins him around twice.
Sören has called his mother in the meantime.
‘Mum! All clear! We've got him!’
‘You've got Bastian? Thank God! Where are you?’
‘In Varde at the train station. Tobi looked up the train connection and was absolutely right.’
‘Great. By the way, his mother is here with me and she looks pretty relieved. Just a moment.’
‘Hello, this is Dominik's mother.’
‘Uh, yes, hello, this is Sören.’
‘I already know that you found Bastian. I just wanted to say that I'm very happy. Of course, Basti can stay with you until you come back to Germany.’
‘Er, thank you, Mrs Schneider.’
‘No, no, I have to say thank you. And Sören, I look forward to meeting you soon.’
‘Yes, I look forward to it too, Mrs Schneider. See you soon!’
Basti stares at Sören.
‘Was that mum?’
‘Yes, it was. And I'm Sören.’
The two shake hands. The similarity between the two brothers is clear. Basti is practically the younger version of Nicki.
‘I'm Sebastian, so Bastian, oh, call me Basti.’
‘You Basti, Sören is my boyfriend.’
‘Sure. What? Oh, you mean, like, a friend in the sense of a friend, a partner?’
Nicki puts his arm around Sören's shoulder.
‘Yes, my darling, so to speak.’
‘Cool,’ says Basti, grinning. ’I knew that you had found someone your own age, but that's news to me. Mum didn't tell me. Congratulations! Speaking of mum, does she know that I'm here?’
While they walk back to the car, they tell Basti what he doesn't know yet. In particular, that his mother has left her husband, which Basti acknowledges with a satisfied grin.
When they arrive at the car, they see that a police car has stopped directly behind theirs and a policeman is getting out. Sören runs up to him and explains in Danish that they are leaving immediately and that they have just picked up his friend's brother and that he is sorry.
The policeman just smiles and says that they should get going. They quickly get into the car, but the policeman comes to the car after all. Sören opens the side window and the policeman smiles again and just says ‘God Jul.’
Sören replies ’God Jul og tusind tak!’
The other two just look at him questioningly as he starts the engine and drives off.
‘He just wished us a Merry Christmas.’
‘Cool, I like this country more and more,’ says Basti.
They arrive back at the holiday home just forty minutes later. On the journey, Basti talked about his decision to run away. After the slap in the face and the ban on contacting his brother, he was absolutely sure that anywhere in the world would be better than at home. Even in a home if necessary. He packed his rucksack, wrote on the note and the wallpaper, and then crept quietly down the corridor. First he wanted to go to his best friend, but in the corridor next to the telephone was the note with the Danish address. He then looked up how to get there in an internet café. And then he got exactly the train connection that Tobi had predicted. He hadn't seen the two of them in Esbjerg because he had been waiting on a bench in the dark.
They walk towards the house and see that the outside lights have been switched on. There is a large note stuck to the door that reads:
‘Bastian, this is the right place. Come on in.’
They open the door and Tobi jumps up from the sofa.
‘There you are at last. Have you got it?’
But the question doesn't need an answer, because at that moment Bastian comes through the door too. They briefly tell Tobi what has happened.
‘Happy end, so to speak. Thank God. By the way, in case you're hungry, I've made a casserole. It's been ready for half an hour.’
They are happy to tuck into Tobi's cooking. There's nothing left,
‘Oh, Tobi, do you mind sharing your bed with a sixteen-year-old?‘ Sören asks.
‘Nah, as long as he doesn't snore or seduce me,’ he grins back.
‘Well, I don't snore,‘ Basti says, grinning mischievously.
‘No, please tell me you're not gay too,’ Tobi sighs.
‘Nah, I don't think so. Maybe a little bit bisexual,‘ he grins.
‘Well Tobi, you really have to defend your innocence here,’ says Nicki, and they all join in laughing.
As the evening progresses, they decide that they want to stay here tomorrow and then drive back to Germany the day after tomorrow.
For once, the phone doesn't ring and there are no unexpected visitors at the door. The four of them take advantage of this to get a good night's sleep. It's not until around noon that they're all sitting at the breakfast table.
‘So, Tobi, what's my brother like in bed?’ Nicki asks teasingly, grinning cheekily.
‘A rocket. It really was a great night,’ replies Tobi, grinning cheekily back. Nicki almost spits out the mouthful of coffee he has in his mouth.
‘Excuse me? No way? Tell me that's not true.’
Basti snorts loudly and says, ’Sorry, I can't be serious about something like that. Don't worry, big brother. We were well-behaved.’
When Nicki realises that he has been led up the garden path, he tries to look angry, but fails. He joins in the general laughter.
‘You weren't exactly quiet. We could clearly hear that you weren't well-behaved,’ says Basti, grinning cheekily at his brother.
The bottle of sparkling wine pops and opens, foaming. Tobi pours four glasses and passes them around.
‘To our high school graduate! Cheers!’ says Bastian, and he's the first to toast with Nicki.
Dominik takes his arm off Sören's shoulder, embraces his brother, and says, ’And to your eighteenth birthday.’
‘And to our graduation. Never again an apprentice, Großa,’ says Tobi, hugging Sören.
All four had decided to celebrate these events together. Of course, the holiday home in Denmark was the only place to do so.
A year and a half has passed since Sören and Nicki became a couple. A lot has happened in that time. Last month, Nicki passed his A-levels with flying colours and officially took Sören to the graduation ball as his partner. His mother and Sören's parents were also there and all pretty proud. And last week was finally Sören's oral final exam. He won't be taken on by the company where he did his apprenticeship, but he has found a job in Witten starting on 1 September. The two of them have decided to get a flat together in Bochum so that Nicki won't have to travel as far to university from October. Their small flat isn't too expensive and Sören's salary and Nicki's BAföG are easily enough to finance the whole thing. Yes, Dominik is going to study social pedagogy at the Ruhr University from 1 October. Their relationship is still as fresh as on the first day. Of course, they have arguments from time to time, but they always make up afterwards. And one thing is clear to both of them: they have both found their great love, and they never want to let go of it.
Tobi also passed his exam quite well and was taken on. But Gelsenkirchen and Bochum are not really far apart. They will continue to see each other every weekend. By the way, he has had a girlfriend for half a year. Bianca has seamlessly integrated herself into this group of four friends. She likes the three other guys and didn't mind lending Tobi to Denmark for a week.
Bastian still lives with his mother in Gelsenkirchen and continues to attend high school. When he has his A-levels in the bag, he also wants to study in Bochum. We'll see, maybe the three of them will set up a shared flat then. But that's another story with Basti.
‘You Kleina, you once said I should write down the whole story.’
‘Yes, I know. I still mean it!’
Yes, dear reader. You are looking at the result right now.
THE END