Sensory overload?

Last night, the section of the A8 between Hohenstadt and Merklingen was closed for several hours. A car crashed into the median barrier for reasons that are still unclear, causing it to roll over several times. All four occupants were killed instantly.
The police assume that excessive speed with the influence of alcohol was the cause of the accident. The four young men come from the surrounding towns.
I shook my head and turned down the radio. I just couldn't get on with my presentation, so I saved what I had written and closed the program. It was already a few minutes to seven, and I wanted to go out with the guys tonight.
I got out of my clothes and went into the bathroom. As I stood under the shower, there was a knock at the door. I turned off the water.
“Yes, what is it?” I called.
“Michael, we're leaving now, we'll see you tomorrow!”
“Okay, Mom, have fun and say hi to Aunt Elvira.”
“Yes, I'll tell her, have a nice evening.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I turned the water back on because I was slowly getting cold. After I had finished showering and drying off, I went back to my room. Since my younger sister Katja was not there, I was able to do that naked.
I looked for the clothes that would be appropriate for the evening and got dressed. I shut down the PC and went back to the bathroom. I put a little gel in my hair, tousled it, and my hairdo was already sitting.
Should I put on some of my make-up? I looked at myself in the mirror. No, today I was going out like this. I turned off the light and left the bathroom. Since everything was closed downstairs, I grabbed my jacket and left the house.
I stopped briefly outside on the street and wondered where my car was. I remembered that I had parked it on the other side today because there was no more space. But I had to hurry, because Benni was probably already waiting for me.
“Where have you been?“ Benni greeted me when I arrived.
“I'm here, what are you getting so worked up about?” I asked and waited until he had buckled up.
“We want to go to the new nightclub at Brenslauer Platz today, don't we?”
“I know, we won't be too late,” I said and drove off.
“Where's your war paint?“ Benni asked.
I looked over at him and saw that he was grinning.
“You can't please everyone,” I said, continuing to concentrate on the traffic.
“Oh, is the little one being difficult again?” Benni said, stroking my cheek tenderly.
“Keep your hands to yourself, you know I like to bite!
“It doesn't matter, I've been vaccinated against tetanus.”
Now I had to laugh too. Benni and I had known each other for a long time, and he was also the first to find out that I was gay. Of course, I was head over heels in love with him back then, but unfortunately he only had girls on his mind.
I carefully maneuvered the car into the narrow space.
“You're getting better and better at this,” said Benni, unfastening his seat belt.
“I'm curious to see how you'll park when you finally get your driver's license!”
“If you give me your car then, I'll show you.”
“When you have friends like that, you don't need enemies anymore,“ I said, grinning as I got out.
“Ah, there you are at last,” Lukas called out to us. “What kept you?”
“He must have spent too long in front of the mirror again,” Benni said, poking me in the side.
The others started grinning.
“Why aren't you going in?“ I asked, noticing the line in front of the store.
“We don't know for sure, but apparently the owner has trouble with the police,” said Matthias.
“Now, but they've only been open a week!” Benni added.
“Yes, and too many underage drunks have been noticed during the week.”
They should be smart enough not to sell alcohol to them,” said Lukas.
I nodded and looked down the line. I would have thought most of them were my age, but when I looked more closely, I noticed that there were even some under sixteen here. Even guys who looked styled up were hard to judge.
“And already picked out a potential victim?“ Benni whispered from the side.
I looked over at him.
“How so?” “Just look at them! Can't you see the difference?” “They're dressed kind of gay, aren't they?” I asked.
The others naturally turned around and looked too.
Yes, the figure-hugging clothes are in and so are the jewelry. Why don't you dress like that, you're gay after all?“ Lukas asked.
“Because I don't like it that much and I don't always want to dress like that,” I replied dryly.
“A twink for you, we'll at least get something, right?“ Matthias asked.
“If not, I'll dance with him,” Benni said and put his arm around me, grinning.
It's really touching how you look after me, but now go and look for yourself, for example, at the group of girls who have been watching you the whole time, I said and broke free from the embrace.
They all turned around quickly and I heard a unanimous “Where?”
Michael, I think you'll have to dance alone, the way Benni is drooling next to you, Christian said, laughing.
Benni next to me blushed and I had to laugh too. Something was happening at the entrance now too; the lights got brighter and the doors opened. Two bouncers took up position on each side of the doors.
Slowly, the line started to move and we were getting closer to our goal. I noticed that not everyone was allowed in; some were turned away. Loudly protesting, they left.
“Do you have your IDs with you, they check your age?” Lukas shouted.
Everyone nodded and took out their wallets to have their IDs ready. The group of girls that had caught my eye all managed to get in. The louder the music got, the closer we got to the entrance.
As Lukas said, ID was checked and we were already inside. We gave our jackets and looked around first. You could either sit at the dance floor or there was a gallery upstairs.
“I'd go for the top, there's more space,” said Christian and had already gone up a few steps.
Closed, we followed him.
“There are girls up there, too,” came from Lukas, and he headed for the neighboring table.
I wasn't so thrilled, but I followed my friends. It was nice here. Round tables in the middle and round sofas set up around them. I just dropped down next to Benni.
I thought it was cool that almost everything up here was made of glass, so you could easily see onto the dance floor. Even the floor was equipped with several glass windows.
“Here you have a total overview,” Benni said, looking down between his legs to see what he meant.
Lukas was already halfway over the sofa, trying to make contact with the neighboring table. Apparently with success, as the girls got up and came over to us. Oh no. Everyone at the table knew that this meant I would have to come out again.
Benni seemed to read my thoughts and patted my shoulder.
It'll be alright, my little one,? he said and we moved closer together.
We introduced ourselves and quickly got into the conversation. We talked about school and training. Lukas grabbed Sophie and the two went downstairs to dance. I was rather quiet the whole time and listened to the conversations.
And you? Michael, right? What do you do?, the person sitting across from me asked.
“Yes, Michael. I'm at the design school for fashion and fabrics, in the new part of town,” I replied, ”and you are?”
She was about to answer when a young man approached the table and asked what we wanted to drink. I looked up and into his eyes. I didn't know how long he had been there, when suddenly I felt an elbow in my ribs.
“Stop staring like that,” Benni whispered in my ear, ”it's even more embarrassing than with Lukas.”
In front of me stood a magnificent specimen of a guy. The white, tight muscle shirt showed every muscle in his upper body. His black-dyed hair stood in all directions. Silver earrings, leather bands around his neck.
“Micha, stop it!”
Once again, it was Benni who poked me in the side.
I immediately succumbed to those ice-blue, shiny eyes and that smile when our eyes met, I could have melted away.
“And what would you like to drink?” he asked.
“Micha, what do you want to drink?“ Benni asked.
“Me? Oh, a Coke.”
“Large or small?” he asked.
“Large, very large.”
And with that he got moving, not without giving me another smile.
“Could it be that the guy standing opposite me is gay?” I heard someone say in the distance.
“It can't just be him, he definitely is.”
I wondered who Benni was talking to. I was still staring at the guy, who was now standing behind the bar again.
“Michael, would you come back to us, please?”
I jumped and suddenly saw a lot of grinning faces in front of me.
“What?“ I asked.
“Are you hungry?” the female across from me wanted to know.
“Me? Why?”
“The way you just devoured the guy?”
“Please?“ I looked at Benni in amazement, who just nodded at me.
“That bad?” I asked.
“Yes!” it sounded from all sides.
“Sorry, but come on!“ I fell into a dream again.
“Michael, pull yourself together, it's getting really embarrassing with you.” “Simone, he's not normally like that, I've never seen him like that before!” Benni said.
Then the dream guy came back, laden with a tray full of drinks. Benni didn't even try to address me, but took my coke for me. Everyone paid immediately, and I did too.
“Keep the change,“ I said, totally blown away.
“Michael!” Benni called, almost angry, “That's fifty euros.”
No problem, I wouldn't have kept it, said the dream man and gave me the money back, then he disappeared again.
I took the money and wanted to put it back, when a card fell down. Benni bent down and picked it up.
What is this? he asked.
I don't know and looked at it.
It was a business card from the disco here, with the usual information. I turned it over and saw a cell phone number and a name: Alex!
* * *
Have you called him yet?
Benni, what are you calling so early for, it's only half past eight, I said, annoyed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Aren't you usually always up this early?” I heard Benni say.
“First of all, it's Saturday, and secondly, if I don't go to bed until three, how am I supposed to be awake then?”
I threw back the covers and sat up.
“And no, I haven't called him yet.”
“Why not?”
He might have been on duty a bit longer than we were, and he might still be asleep,? I replied.
?My God, is the gentleman grumpy this morning.?
If he had been standing in front of me, I would have torn his head off.
“Have you had breakfast yet?“ I asked, trying to sound friendly again.
“I thought you'd never ask,” I heard Benni laughing through the cell phone.
“But please bring rolls, I don't know if my parents have been shopping yet.”
Okay, see you in a bit!” And without waiting for a goodbye, he had already hung up.
So I got up and went to the bathroom. It was still quiet in the house, so everyone was still asleep. After I had showered, I tried to drag my tired body to the kitchen. A bit in a trance, I got the dishes out.
I poured the water into the coffee machine and switched it on.
“If you put coffee powder in it too, it's sure to make a wonderful coffee.”
I spun around to see my mom standing against the doorframe.
“Oh mom, you shouldn't always scare me like that.”
She laughed and took the coffee can out of the cupboard.
“You set the table, I'll do the rest, but wake Dad first, he should get rolls.”
“He doesn't need to, Benni will bring them.”
“How could I forget that the self-chosen Mr. Son provides us with rolls on Saturday mornings?” she said.
I just looked at her.
Michael, wake your father anyway and I'll make you a special mixture to bring you back from the dead.
Thanks, Mom, I replied and yawned heartily.
“But today!” she called after me.
I ran back up the stairs to my parents' bedroom. I went into the room and went to pull up the blinds, but something on the floor had escaped my attention.
So I tripped and fell with a loud scream right onto the bed, or rather onto Dad, who was lying on it. He was immediately wide awake and looked at me with a grin.
“Good morning, son, up and about already?” he asked me.
My mom was already standing in the room, attracted by the noise. She burst out laughing. I love the early mornings. My foot was tangled in the blanket my mom had dropped as she got up.
“I know you like it warm and cozy,” my father began, ”but would you be so kind as to get off me with your weight. The time when you liked to crawl into bed with me is probably over, isn't it?”
Somewhat embarrassed and under my mom's laughter, I crawled off my dad.
“If you're so tired, why didn't you sleep longer?“ she asked.
“Benni?” I grumbled, which I thought was a sufficient answer.
As if on command, the door bell went downstairs. My dad got up and put on his jogging clothes. I tried to free my foot from the blanket, but I realized that Mom had already opened the door for Benni.
“Morning, Astrid. I brought the rolls,“ I heard him say.
“And your parents on the road again?” my mom said.
“Were they even at home?” Benni asked.
You don't see each other very often, I see.
It doesn't bother me too much, I'm already used to it.
I almost tripped down the stairs and landed in Benni's arms.
Oh, so that's how it is, yesterday you were still chasing the most beautiful guy from Igopop and now you want to ingratiate yourself with me again.
I looked at Benni's face, which was covered with a broad grin. What an ass.
“Same to you,“ came from Benni, who could probably read minds.
“Benni, take him to the dining table before he hurts himself somewhere,” came from my mom.
“Very funny,“ I grumbled.
“Is he still out of his mind?” Benni asked.
Why?
Well, since he saw that mixture of Brad Pitt and Elliah Wood yesterday, he's been on cloud nine.
Michael hasn't told me anything about that yet! My mom said in amazement.
What did Michael want to say?
My dad had come into the dining room.
Morning Benni.
“Morning, Harald.” ‘What happened yesterday at the disco?’ Benni replied.
I sat at the table and stared at the three of them. Had the three of them made it their life's work to make my morning so sweet that I really wanted to crawl back into bed?
“Michael, tell us, what's his name, where does he come from?”
My mum, of course, was hooked from the word go.
“There's nothing to tell yet,“ I grumbled.
“His name is Alex and he gave him his cell phone number,” Benni piped up.
“Oh, interesting! Have you called him yet?” said mum.
“No, I didn't,“ I answered grumpily, rubbing my face.
“Before you continue with your interview, let Micha have a coffee first,” said Dad.
“At least someone takes my side,“ I said, taking the cup of coffee that my father handed me.
“Who is Elliah Wood?” my mom asked.
Oh mom, enough please?
I just wanted to know what Alex looks like.
Then go with me to Igopop tonight, then you can meet him yourself, I said and took a big gulp of coffee.
Do you even have anything to wear to the disco, Dad asked.
I must have drawn the short straw this morning.
? Morning, what are you talking about?
Oh God, now Katja too, I didn't need her. She sat down next to me and looked at me in bewilderment.?
Not getting enough sleep, Micha, why are you up already? she asked.
Everyone at the table started laughing and Katja looked even more confused, I even grumpier.
* * *
Later in my room, I collected the clothes from the night together.
“You really think I should call him?” I asked Benni.
“Of course, he was so taken with you.”
“We didn't even talk much.”
“But your eye contact was very intense!”
I don't even know where I put the card.
There it is on your keyboard, Benni said and handed it to me.
I looked at Benni.
Come on!
I took my cell phone and typed in the number.
Hello, this is Alex!
Man, he was wide awake.
Um, hello, this is Michael.
Michael?
Benni put a pillow over his mouth and began to giggle.
“Yes, the one you gave your number to yesterday?”
“Oh, Michael, the one who wanted to reward me with such a big tip yesterday?”
“Yes, the one!”
I blushed.
“And why are you calling?”
“Because you gave me your number?”
I couldn't have come up with a more stupid answer. Benni was already lying on the floor, doubled over with laughter.
“Are you all right, I can hear a whimpering sound in the background?
Oh, that's just my guinea pig, it's out of breath,” I said, giving Benni a gentle kick to make him stop.
Oh, I see. And do you want to meet up? Alex asked.
Um, yes, when?
It's best to do it right away, I have to go back to Igopop later when my shift starts again.
And where?
Maybe at the old cinema, do you know it?
Yes, sure, I'll be there in half an hour.
Okay, take your time, I still have to get dressed.
The thought that he was now standing naked in front of me, talking to me on the phone, woke up my lower region.
“Okay, see you in a bit!”
“Bye, Micha!”
“Bye, Alex!”
I hung up the phone.
“See, that went well,” said Benni, who was sitting on his chair again.
“I must be out of my mind to just call him there.”
Why do you think you get a number?
Yes, it's all right, now off with you, I have to get ready.
Okay, I'm gone. Will you pick me up again tonight?
Same time, same place, I said and pushed him out of my room.
Okay, see you then, he said and disappeared down the stairs.
I disappeared into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Who was that I saw in the mirror? I decided to wake this stranger up with a lot of cold water and held my face under the running water.
In no time I was wide awake. The coffee seemed to be working slowly. I went back to the room and picked out something flattering. After I had laboriously squeezed myself into my clothes, I went downstairs.
“I'm off then,“ I called.
“Where do you want to go?” Mom asked from the kitchen.
“To meet Alex!“ I said.
My mother's head appeared from the kitchen.
“In such a hurry?” “All reports, please send to this address.”
Yes, you will meet your son-in-law first.”
She paused briefly, probably because she hadn't expected that answer.
“Are you coming for lunch?” she asked.
“I don't know, I'll call you, okay?”
“Yes, sure, see you later.”
“See you later, Mom.”
I had already left the house. It took me less than five minutes by car to get to the old train station, so I decided to walk so as not to wait there for an eternity. When I arrived, I was of course too early.
But what was I doing here? Yesterday I had seen this breathtaking guy, fallen for him? fallen for his looks. What if he turns out to be a jerk? I stopped abruptly and was about to turn around.
“Michael?”
Too late, he was already there. I took my hands out of my jacket pockets and waved at him. He was standing on the other side of the street and tried to reach me, which was very difficult with all the traffic.
He spotted a small gap and sprinted across.
“Hi Michael, sorry I was held up,“ he said, when he arrived a little out of breath at my place.
“Doesn't matter, I just arrived too,” I said, but I would have liked to leave right away.
“Let's walk a bit in the park,“ he asked with the same look as the previous evening.
I already started to melt.
“Gladly,” I said.
Alex made an inviting gesture towards the park and we started walking. At the beginning it was quite quiet, only the noise of the moving cars could be heard. Somehow I didn't dare to look at him now.
I looked stiffly ahead.
“Hey, I wanted to tell you, it's not normally my style to give someone my cell phone number?”
I looked at him briefly, but remained silent.
“Do you feel uncomfortable too?“ he started again.
I stopped and looked at him.
“Yesterday at noon I didn't even know you existed. Last night, when I saw you, I blacked out, and now I'm walking here in the park with you,” I said quietly.
“Does that mean something good?” Alex asked.
I don't know myself, yes, and I feel kind of uncomfortable. What am I doing here anyway?
Getting to know me?
And again that adorable smile. I couldn't help it, I took a step forward and kissed him briefly on the mouth. Somehow I was expecting a slap, I must have seen too many movies, but nothing happened.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. He was standing in front of me, staring at me.
“At first I thought I was being too forward, because I gave you my number, but you? Wow!”
He slowly stroked his lips, where mine had been just a few seconds ago.
Sorry, I'm not usually like this either, but you? I broke off mid-sentence because I was lost in those eyes.
What? He pointed to a bench where we were supposed to sit down.
I don't know how to explain this to you, but something about you really fascinates me.
And what about me fascinates you?
'Just everything,' I breathed.
'Could you have a little crush on me?' Alex asked.
I didn't know what I was saying anymore, I was totally hooked on this guy. I just managed a grin. He said something, but I didn't understand him. His lips moved, but no sound came out.
Suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my forehead, I reached for it.
“Bloody hell,” I shouted loudly.
I sat on the floor and looked around. Now I realized what had happened: I had been dreaming and had run straight into a lamppost. So, no Alex in the vicinity, no fleeting kiss.
I got up again and looked around for Alex, but there was no sign of him. So there I was, in front of the old train station. The dream was totally embarrassing, if this was really happening.
I looked at my watch again, but there was no sign of Alex.
* * *
Hey Michael, you're already home. That was fast. How did it go? My mom asked as I entered the house.
I can't tell you, I said and hung up my jacket.
So intimate?
She grinned again.
No, he didn't come at all.
Oh?
Yes, oh, I said and ran up to my room.
While I was digging through my pockets, my cell phone started to ring. A text message! I opened it, even though I didn't recognize the number. Alex!
>>I'm sorry Michael, but something came up. Will you be at Igopop again tonight? Best, Alex<
So I sat down to write him a reply, but first I saved the number.
> Sure, I'll be back tonight, see you then? Micha<
I didn't have to wait long for an answer.
> Sure, I'll see you, I'm off early and have time for you then. Alex<
Time for me. I still had a bad feeling and wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. My phone on the desk pulled me out of my thoughts.
> Michael here?
You're really at home!?
Benni!
Of course I'm at home, where else would I be?, I asked him, rubbing my forehead, which still hurt.
Hello! Didn't you have a date?, Benni asked.
Yes, a canceled one, he didn't show up.?
Oh!?
How did you know I was at home anyway? I asked.
Oh, Matthias saw you before he called me.
I guess I'm the talk of the town.
No, you're not that important.
I usually had answers ready, but now my forehead hurt.
Benni, I have to lie down, I have a headache.
Not enough sleep?
No, the eerie encounter with a lamppost.
Please?
I'll tell you tonight when I pick you up for the Igopop.
Okay, see you tonight!
Okay. Bye.
Bye.
* * *
As on the previous evening, I drove to Benni's to pick him up, only this time he wasn't waiting at the side of the road. So I parked the car and rang the doorbell. The buzzer went and I was able to push open the door.
Benni lived on the fifth floor, so I ran up the stairs. The apartment door was open.
“Benni??“ I called, but got no answer.
“Hello, is anyone home?” I called again.
Oh, hi Micha, Benni is still in the bathroom.”
Benni's mother stuck her head out of the kitchen.
“Do you want something to drink?” she asked me.
“No thanks, Renate.”
I went to her in the kitchen and leaned against one of the kitchen cabinets.
“Do you know what's wrong with Benni?” she suddenly asked.
“Why, on the phone earlier he sounded quite normal.”
“All I know is that he spoke to someone on the phone and after that he was pretty quiet and retired to his room.”
I heard the bathroom door.
“Benni? Michael is already there,” Renate called.
I just left the kitchen and went to Benni. He was just walking into his room. I had to smile because he only had a towel around his hips. Benni just looked hot, I couldn't describe him any other way.
His short blonde hair and stubby face gave him a cheeky look.
“Hi Benni,“ I said as I entered his room.
“Hi Micha,” came the quiet reply from Benni.
Oh dear, what was going on? I knew that tone of voice from Benni.
“Are you okay?“ I asked.
“Could we go somewhere else tonight or stay here?” he replied.
That didn't suit me at all.
“Why not?” ‘I want to meet Alex!”
Benni threw his towel on the bed and stood completely naked in front of me. I had to swallow, because, as I said, Benni was just really horny.
“Do you like me?’ Benni asked.
Of course I like you, what a stupid question.
Benni came up to me and took me in his arms. I felt a little strange, so close to Benni.
“Could you imagine having me as a boyfriend?” he whispered in my ear.

"Good morning Alec, have you been diligently doing your homework?", Liz asked, grinning cheekily at me. "Come on, stop messing around and give it here. She's coming soon and I need a few more points," I snapped back.
"Alright, here you go. Don't stress, it's just a few lines, that's all. And she's downstairs having a smoke with Martin. So you have plenty of time."
"Thanks. I'm sorry if I was rude. I'm just a bit stressed," I tried to apologize to her. But Liz was no longer listening and was chatting with others from the class.
Liz and I are in the same field of study and are best friends. We're always there for each other, no matter what happens. And that's despite only knowing each other for a year.
"Okay, let's get started. I would suggest we go over chromosomes again today, as some of you had questions about that. It's an important topic in biology..." our tutor began to explain, but I didn't listen any further. Genetics wasn't exactly my favorite subject. But I had to get through it if I wanted to finish studying biology. "Liz, you still remember that guy from TV that I thought was so cute? I found out his address. Would you like to come with me to visit him sometime? Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be out on the street or something," I turned to Liz to distract myself from my boredom. "What, you have his address? Where did you get that? I don't know. Do you think that's a good idea? He probably isn't stupid and will notice what's going on right away."
"Oh come on. Other people run into stars by chance on the street," I tried to convince her. "Well, I don't know. I would..." "As I see it, you want to explain this to us, Liz. So come on up. Alec, you can come along too to correct her if something is wrong," we were suddenly interrupted by our "nice" tutor. "Great, just because you always have these crazy ideas," Liz snapped and stood up.
The day went by quickly. After we finished, I ran to the subway to get home fast. My sweet Flo was supposed to be on TV again today. Unfortunately, I had a longer day at university than usual, so I had to hurry.
Flo, whose real name is Florian, has the lead role in a very successful series. And I try to watch it as often as possible. So far, I've hardly missed an episode. My biggest wish is to meet him in person. Unfortunately, my chances don't look very good. He's very successful and rarely has time because he always has appointments. So the chance of running into him in the city, even though we live in the same one, is very slim.
So I'm not in love with him, but he looks damn good. And it wouldn't hurt to get to know him.
As soon as I got home, I immediately turned on the TV. Luckily, I got home a bit earlier than I thought. So I can at least quickly grab something to eat to take upstairs. As soon as I got upstairs, my laptop speakers beeped. My God, who is bothering me now? Everyone knows I'm not available at this time, I think to myself, getting a bit angry and annoyed at my computer. Steffi, who else could it be? She would probably never learn that I'm not on the computer at this time. So I quickly write back that I'm not in the chat right now.
Finally, my favorite series begins. And five minutes after it starts, he's already on screen. I immediately start to gush. I don't even know what it's about anymore because I'm just looking at him. Even though I'm actually in love with a fellow student, I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I see Flo on screen. And that's how it goes every evening...
Two weeks later:
"Hey Tim, I wish you a nice vacation. If you have time and want, we could go for a drink together," I called out to my crush before he reached the door. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll get back to you." And then he was gone.
"Hey Alec, did you notice that he was watching you the whole time?" Liz suddenly asked me. "No, not really. Well, his response wasn't exactly promising, was it? Man, what am I supposed to do, Liz? If only I knew whether he's gay or not. It's driving me crazy."
"Well, Alec, there's only one thing you can do: Ask him yourself," Liz said in a pretty serious tone.
"Are you crazy? He'll know right away what's going on. What if I've just imagined everything? Then I'll be the fool of the nation. Well, let's see what happens next.
But let's talk about something else."
And so Liz told me that she would be going on vacation with her boyfriend for two to three weeks. After all, we now have almost two months of semester break. I was naturally disappointed because I thought I could hang out with her. But there was nothing to be done about it. Personally, I could have gone to visit my parents, but that would have become too stressful in the long run. Both my parents were retired early and eventually got on my nerves with their fussing. So I decided to stay in the city.
The first three weeks were not particularly spectacular. I met up with a few friends from time to time and watched a lot of TV, mainly because of Flo. I didn't meet Tim even once during that time. And at some point, I started to forget him. Instead, I found myself thinking about Flo more and more often. Although I still wasn't in love with him, I couldn't stop thinking about him. One night, while I was chatting again, my phone rang and Liz was on the other end. She told me that she was back in town and wanted to meet up with me. So we arranged to meet the next evening.
We met at our favorite place the following evening. She told me in detail about her vacation and how great it was, but somehow I wasn't fully present. I kept thinking about Flo. And every time someone walked past the window outside who had a similar hairstyle to his, my heart started racing. At some point, she noticed that I was somewhere else. "Hey, what's wrong with you? You've been acting so weird this whole time. Are you even listening to me? Alec, I'm talking to you," she said, giving me a nudge in the side. It was then that I realized she wanted something. "Uh, sorry, I was just somewhere else. I'm sorry." "What's going on??? Did something happen that I don't know about?" And so I began to explain everything to her.
"Well, I somehow haven't thought about Tim much in the last three weeks. We texted each other briefly from time to time, but I wasn't excited at all when he wrote. You know how it used to be when I got a message from him. I was almost going crazy. But now there's nothing. I absolutely don't think about him anymore. Instead, I'm constantly thinking about Flo. I'm not in love with him, don't worry, but I still can't stop thinking about him. And I've decided that I'm going to visit where he lives, whether you come with me or not. I just have to try it."
"Come on, Alec, what do you expect to get out of this? You said yourself that he likes women. And besides, he's always out and about. The chances of running into him are pretty slim. Or do you plan to just ring his doorbell? I think that's a really stupid idea," Liz tried to dissuade me from my plan.
"I don't care how slim the chances are. Whether I'm sitting at home or seeing something of the city doesn't matter. At least this way I'm outside in the fresh air. Now let's change the subject. You know I'm going to do this anyway and you can't stop me," I snapped at her, and we really did change the subject.
The next morning, the weather was beautiful and almost twenty degrees. So it was a perfect day to stop by my sweet Flo. I jumped in the shower, got ready, packed some snacks and a city map, and headed to the subway. Finally, it was time to go. In my thoughts, I was already imagining how the meeting might go. What should I say to him? How would he react? Would he perhaps be annoyed that another fan was showing up at his apartment?
Eventually, I arrived at the right train station to transfer to another subway. From there, it continued right away. I was only thinking about Flo. The thought that I might not meet him didn't even cross my mind. So I happily continued on. When I reached the final station of the train, I had to check the city map to see how to proceed. Unfortunately, there was neither a tram nor a subway or train station near Flo's house. So the only option left was the bus because I didn't want to walk. That would have been over seven kilometers, which was a bit too much.
So I started checking all the bus stops to see if there was a bus that stopped near his house. And as it usually goes, it was the last bus I checked the schedule for. Great, and it had just left three minutes ago. So I had to wait for the next one, which was supposed to come in half an hour. This was starting off well.
After half an hour, my bus finally arrived, and I could finally continue. After about another half hour, the bus finally reached the right stop. I got off and took out my city map to double-check which way I needed to go. Slowly but surely, my heart and pulse were racing, and I could clearly feel my excitement rising.
After a ten-minute walk, I arrived in front of the house where he lived. It looked a bit older, from the 60s. A typical apartment block. Across from the house, there was a bench against a wall, where I sat down. To make it less obvious, I pulled out a book from my bag and pretended to be reading it with interest, even though I was actually just watching the street and the entrance to the building. But then I started to think that it would look pretty silly if he suddenly showed up and I stood up to approach him. But what else was I supposed to do? If I kept walking back and forth on the street, that would be just as noticeable. So I decided to stay seated.
Slowly but surely, it began to get dark. I had been sitting on the bench for almost six hours. I was really getting frustrated. So I packed my things and went back to the bus stop. But just a few meters away, I heard a moan and cries. It sounded like someone was trying to scream for help. I looked around and listened more closely. It was coming from the property behind the wall. I was sure of that. Unfortunately, the wall was too high. I couldn't climb over it. So I looked for a passage. I found one after just a few meters. I peeked around the corner to see what was going on. And what I saw shocked me. Three skinheads were beating and kicking a defenseless boy who was lying on the ground and could barely move from pain. Luckily, my karate class hadn't been too long ago, and I charged at the three of them while throwing my bag somewhere on the ground. The three turned around in shock because I yelled at them to leave the boy alone. After they collected themselves, they positioned themselves to attack me. But luckily, I was faster. I kicked the first one right in the face, sending him flying backward. The second one got a powerful kick in the stomach and also flew backward. Unfortunately, I was too slow to dodge the third one. He landed a punch right on my lower lip. However, he slipped off, so he didn't hit me with all his strength. Still, my lip immediately started to bleed. After I regained my composure, I kicked him between the legs, causing him to scream right away. Then I reached into my pocket to grab my pepper spray, which I always carry with me. One by one, all three got back up and wanted to attack again. Fortunately, there was a lot of pressure in my pepper spray canister, giving it a long range. Since all three were standing next to each other, it was easy to spray the spray into all their faces. They immediately started screaming and began to retreat slowly.
After I made sure that all three had disappeared, I went to the boy who was lying on the ground. I asked him how he was doing and wanted to turn him over when he slapped my hand away and said, "I'm fine. Please leave me alone. Thanks for your help, but I can handle it myself." But I didn't believe him. Although he resisted, I managed to take his hood off, and I was almost struck dumb. "F F Flo???," I stammered. I couldn't believe it. The boy who had been beaten up was Flo. I just couldn't believe it. After I regained my composure, I leaned down to him and immediately pulled out my tissues from my jacket. Then I began to clean his face of the blood. He looked badly beaten. His face was covered in bruises, and his lips were split in several places. After I had cleaned him up as best as I could, I asked him if he could get up. He didn't say anything the whole time. It was clear that he was embarrassed that someone he didn't know but who knew him was helping him. "Yeah, I said I'm fine. I'm not a little kid anymore. You can go now. I'll manage. Like I said, thanks for your help, but you can really go. Oh, and it would be nice if you didn't tell anyone about this," he said quite angrily. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but at least let me help you," I tried to reason with him again. This was not how I had imagined our meeting.
"No damn it, I'm fine. Just go already," he hissed. I thought it might be better that way. I would rather try again later. I didn't want to mess things up with him before I even got to know him.
But hardly had I walked five meters when I heard him scream loudly, "Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh." That was too much. No matter how much he tried to convince me, I would still help him. So I ran back and asked what was wrong. To my surprise, he even answered my question. "I don't know. My foot hurts so much. I can't put any weight on it. And my shin hurts like hell too." "Okay Flo, I'm going to carry you on my back and take you home. Are your parents home yet?" I asked as I loaded him onto my back. "No, they're both on a cruise for four weeks." "Okay, can you get your key for the door? And can you unlock it while I'm carrying you? Because standing up is probably not a good idea," I asked him. I noticed how gentle his hands were as he wrapped them around my neck. Suddenly, I realized he was pressing his body against my back like a small child afraid. "I can manage," he stammered and then rested his head on my neck.
After three minutes, we were already at the entrance of his building. I turned a little to the side, and he unlocked the door without much effort. "Okay, which floor do we need to go to?" I asked him as I started climbing the first steps. "Fifth," he said without lifting his head. After another ten minutes, we stood in front of the apartment, and he unlocked that door without any major problems either.
After glancing around, I spotted a sofa where I carefully set Flo down. Then, without him resisting, I lifted his leg and freed it from his shoe. I then gently pulled off his sock and felt his foot. "So nothing is broken, but you shouldn't move your foot today and tomorrow. Do you have any ice? You should definitely cool it. That way, it will swell down faster," I said, looking deep into his eyes. That’s when I noticed he had tears in his eyes. He said, "There are ice cubes in the freezer in the kitchen." But that didn't interest me at all. I stood up and crouched down next to him so that our faces were at the same level. Then I took his hand and started stroking the back of it, which he accepted. I looked deeply into his eyes and said, "Hey Flo, it's over. Everything will be okay, alright? They won't hurt you anymore. But if you want to cry, feel free to do so." And at that sentence, I suddenly hugged him. I didn't know what had come over me, but to my surprise, he let go of my hand and wrapped his arms around my neck and then began to sob. He kept asking, "Why me?" Unfortunately, I couldn't answer that question myself. I had thought about it too, but I couldn't find an answer.
At some point, after he stopped crying and I had cooled his leg, he fell asleep. I carefully wiped the last traces of blood from his face with a damp cloth and sat down in the armchair opposite him. I watched him for a long while as he lay there looking so peaceful. But eventually, my eyes also grew heavy, and I fell asleep.
With a loud "Damn!" I was roughly jolted awake the next morning. I opened my eyes and saw Flo trying to crawl back onto his sofa on all fours. I couldn't help but laugh. "What are you doing on the floor? Can I help you? You don't have to sleep on the floor," I said with a cheeky grin, but as soon as I said it, I felt bad. But contrary to all expectations, he turned to me and said, "Ohhhh sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I slipped on the blanket. That's why I'm down here." "So you can put weight on your foot again?" I asked him, a bit surprised by his quick recovery. "Yeah, I can, see?" he said and stood up straight. Then he walked a few meters to show me that everything was indeed alright. Well, at least one less problem, I thought. However, his lip still didn't look much better than yesterday. But I figured that would heal with time. I was more worried about his job. After all, he couldn't just go in front of the camera like this, but before I could think further about it, he pulled me out of my thoughts. "By the way, what's your name? I didn't even get a chance to thank my lifesaver yesterday and ask what your name is." 

"Um, so I'm Alec. Well, you actually thanked me yesterday over on that property where it happened," I said a bit shyly, as it became clear to me again where and with whom I was. "Oh God, I'm so embarrassed about yesterday. I'm really sorry for being so rude to you. I really didn't mean to. You just wanted to help. So thank you so much, and I'm really sorry," Flo replied, looking down at the ground in shame. "Hey, it's okay. The main thing is that you're feeling better. But I think I should be going now. I should probably take a shower and I could use some fresh clothes too. Can you manage on your own for a while? I'll come by again this evening to check on you, okay?" I replied while looking for my bag. "Thanks, but that's not necessary. You must have better things to do than take care of a sick person, right? Besides, I'm feeling much better already," he said, looking deep into my eyes. "Nope, I don't have anything better to do. I'm just glad I met you at all, even though I could have imagined different circumstances. But whatever. I'm glad to have met you because you are my absolute favorite actor. And it's an honor for me to take care of you."
He looked a bit embarrassed as he glanced around the room. "Okay, so I'll head out for now. But I'll come back this evening. Don't worry, it won't be too late. I have to get home again," I said, heading towards the door when I suddenly remembered that my bag was still on the property where I had found Flo.
"Hey, why don't you pack some clothes and then you can stay here for a few days? Just as a little thank you for you," he said, really surprising me with this suggestion. "Um, uh, okay, then I'll pack a few things. See you later," I stammered and quickly rushed out the door into the stairwell. Did he just offer me to stay with him for a few days? I couldn't believe it. Like in a daze, I went to get my bag and headed home. As soon as I arrived, two of my roommates rushed towards me, asking me a million questions because they saw my swollen lip from afar. It was then that I remembered I had also gotten hit yesterday. I told them some story so I could keep the thing with Flo to myself, since he had already asked me not to tell anyone when I found him.
Then my phone rang, and Liz asked me how it went and if I had met him. Since Liz was my best friend and I could confide in her about everything, I quickly ran to my room and then briefly told her what had happened.
After I had taken a shower and felt mostly human again, I quickly rummaged through my closet and stuffed everything into my travel bag. And off I went to the train. During the ride, I kept thinking about what had happened and that I was actually going to sleep at Flo's.
After about an hour, I finally arrived at Flo's. When I rang the bell, my heart was racing. Suddenly, I was incredibly excited and nervous. The buzzer sounded, and I ran up the stairs as fast as I could. When I reached the top, Flo was already waiting for me, grinning at the door. "Wow, that was quick. I didn't think you'd be back so early. But never mind. Come on in. By the way, do you like sushi? I'm about to order, so if you eat that," he started before I even stepped into the apartment.
"Sure, I love sushi. I can never get enough of it," I replied as I entered the apartment. As soon as he heard that, he ran to the phone and dialed the number. It seemed his foot was really doing great.
The evening went by like this. We ate sushi, shared stories about our lives, and above all, laughed a lot.
This went on for an entire week. Sometimes I still couldn't quite grasp it. I had been living with Flo for a whole week. It was just beautiful. But unfortunately, there was also something negative. I realized that I was slowly but surely falling madly in love with Flo. And eventually, the evening came that made me really aware of it. We were having fun and laughing when he suggested that I could sleep in his room. Until then, I had always slept on the couch in the living room.
And now I was supposed to sleep in his room? "Where? You don't even have room for a mattress there. Should I sleep on the hard floor?" I asked him, a bit perplexed. "No, my bed is huge; there's enough space for both of us," he said, looking at me questioningly.
Did he just suggest that I sleep in the same bed with him? That was too much for me. I couldn't grasp it. I couldn't sleep in the same bed with him. What if I suddenly got excited by him? I wouldn't know how to explain that. I had to prevent that. So I started looking for every excuse I could think of.
"Well, I don't think that's a good idea. I talk in my sleep, and quite loudly. Besides, I sometimes flail around," I tried to explain. "So what? At least I'll learn a bit more about you," he grinned, "and if you start flailing, a pillow will come flying." He was trying to persuade me. But why did he want me to sleep over so badly?? That confused me somehow. But I couldn't start speculating again, like I did with Tim. Above all, I had to come up with something quickly so I wouldn't have to sleep at his place. Suddenly, the thought of telling him the truth settled in my mind. I don't know why, but I couldn't shake it off.
"Hey, what's going on?," Flo suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Flo, sit down. I need to talk to you," I said abruptly. I don't know where I found the courage, but I decided to confess to him now. Flo looked at me a bit confused but sat down anyway.
Slowly, I began to explain. "Flo, it wasn't a coincidence that I was nearby when it happened. I had your address and really wanted to get to know you. That's why I came here. I sat on the bench across from your house for almost six hours. Then I got fed up and wanted to leave when I heard you. Well, I would have liked to meet you under different circumstances. But never mind. The point is: I wanted to get to know you because... because..." Suddenly I hesitated. "Because?" Flo asked impatiently. "Because I'm gay and thought you were cute," I shouted and ran to the door. Flo just sat there, staring at me in disbelief. Now he knew why I didn't want to sleep in his bed. He spent the whole night wondering why he hadn't noticed that I loved him.
I ran out of the house towards the bus, which I barely caught. On the bus, I immediately called Liz and asked if we could meet at my favorite spot. She immediately sensed that something was wrong and agreed.
Half an hour later, I arrived at the lakeside at our little boathouse. I sat on the dock and started to cry uncontrollably. I don't know how long I sat there, but eventually someone wrapped their arms around me from behind. It was Liz. We sat there for a while until she asked me what had happened. I told her everything in detail. She listened attentively and didn't interrupt me once. When I finished, she asked me why I had just run away. "I don't know. Everything felt so unreal. I told him, and he just looked at me in disbelief. And he didn't react at all when I ran off. What should I do now, Liz? I totally messed it up," I began to sob again. We sat there for several hours, talking and talking.
Three days later, I was home alone when the doorbell rang. It was Liz, who had gone to Flo's to get my clothes. As soon as she was inside, I bombarded her with questions about what he had said and so on. "Well, he hardly said anything. Absolutely nothing about you. He just gave me your things, and that was it. I'm sorry, little one," she said and hugged me.
Unfortunately, she had to leave again soon because she wanted to visit her parents for four days, and her train was leaving soon.
Two days later, while I was in a friend's shop, I saw a newspaper headline that read "Flo, the Gay Hater?" It felt like a slap in the face. At that moment, I didn't know what to do. Caro, the shop owner, must have noticed my expression. "Pretty intense, right? That one of Germany's most respected actors would do something like this," she said and handed me a coffee. "But what was the reason for the statement? Have you read it yet?" I asked, as I didn't dare to read the newspaper myself.
"Well, he was offered a role where he was supposed to play a gay character, and he must have said some pretty nasty things. I didn't read it in detail. But you can check it out if you want."
"No, I'll pass on that. I don't want to put myself through that. I'll just finish my coffee quickly and then get going. I have something to take care of." I hastily drank my coffee and then left to call Liz.
Two days later, as soon as Liz arrived, we sat at my place discussing the article. By now, we also found out that he had accepted the role after all. But by then, I didn't care anymore. I didn't want to hear anything about him, even though he wouldn't leave my mind. I also stopped watching the series he was in.
By now, the winter semester had started again, and the university stress provided me with some distraction. We had several exams and internships to manage, and before I knew it, the semester was over without anything significant happening.
During the holidays, one day Liz came to me and said I should put on something nice as quickly as possible because she had two tickets for a film award ceremony. Since I had nothing planned anyway, I changed and we went out. I didn't know where she got the tickets from, but we had some of the best seats. Right in the middle of the hall, so we could see the stage perfectly, and quite far forward too.
Finally, it began. A very popular talk show host was moderating the show.
There were awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Supporting Roles, and so on. The whole procedure had already lasted almost two hours. Now, finally, the last category was about to be announced. Best Actor. Five people were nominated. And among them was Flo. I simply couldn't believe it. First, there were such derogatory remarks about gay people, and now he was nominated for his role as a gay man. I would have loved to scream out loud. But unfortunately, I couldn't.
I couldn't wait any longer for the result. I hoped so much that he wouldn't win the award.
But unfortunately, all the hoping was in vain. He won the award. And I would have loved to boo him. Liz also noticed that I was furious. Now came his acceptance speech. But I couldn't listen anymore; I was too angry. I would have preferred to storm the stage and slap him. He then said the usual things like thank you to my fans and family and blah blah blah…
"… but I want to thank one person in particular…" I heard him say in between.
"I know I said some pretty awful things about homosexuals when I was offered the role. But then I remembered someone who was very dear to me. That's why I accepted this role. About half a year ago, I met someone who saved my life. I didn't think much of it when he helped me. He treated my injuries and took care of me for days because my parents were on vacation. At some point, I suggested he shouldn't sleep in the living room anymore but with me. And then he told me that he loved me. I was totally shocked. And I didn't have any contact with him afterward. It shocked me so much that I made that statement. And I believe he was even more hurt afterward than before. And I can understand him. After thinking about it for a day, I still accepted the role. But only because I thought I had something to make up for. But after we finished the film, I realized that I missed the person who had saved my life…" Flo said. And slowly but surely, I became a bit more attentive. "Liz, what is he talking about? Is he trying to crawl back or what?" I asked her, but she just said, "Shut up and listen."
So I kept listening because I couldn't interpret her reaction but noticed that I couldn't talk to her anyway.
"… And I felt very lonely without this person, even though I only realized that very late. But it doesn't matter. I want her to meet this person. I fell head over heels in love with this person. I know some will think this is a PR stunt, but I'm completely serious. I fell in love. And I know that this person is here today. Because a friend of mine kindly arranged all of this…"
"Come on, Liz, can't we just leave? I really don't want to see him making out with someone on stage," I complained to Liz, not understanding that he could only mean me. "My God, then just don't look. But now wait and be quiet," she snapped back.
"If it doesn't bother everyone, I would like to invite Alec to the stage," he said, and I first looked at him, then at Liz. "What the hell is this? Does he even know what he's saying? Now he's naming girls after me… This is the worst," I said. "Damn it, Alec, you're the one he's talking about. So get your ass up here," Liz suddenly hissed at me. I couldn't believe it. Was she serious? I looked at her in confusion. I had only half-listened to his speech. "Now get up there. I'm the friend he was talking about."
That was really too much for me. Was she serious? I didn't know what to think or believe anymore. "My God, now get up and go forward," she pulled me out of my thoughts and gave me a shove in the ribs. And it was so forceful that I suddenly jumped up. Everyone immediately looked at me. So I had no choice. And I began to step down one step at a time. When I reached the bottom, I started shaking so much that I almost fell over.
After I had somewhat composed myself, I walked towards Flo, who was already smiling at me from afar. At that moment, I didn't know if he was serious or if he just wanted to humiliate me. But when we met, he simply hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I love you, and I never want to lose you again." I could hardly believe it. I didn't know what to say. After what felt like an eternity, he let me go, went to the microphone, and said, "May I introduce you to: my great love, Alec." He didn't say anything more because then his voice broke, and tears streamed down his face. Then he came to me and said, "Alec, I'm sorry, I love you. And I never want to lose you again." After that, he hugged me, and we began to share a deep and long kiss. And during this kiss, the crowd began not only to clap but to go wild. Everyone was happy for us. That was the happiest day of my life.

Admittedly, I was a bit annoyed with Leon.
He actually wanted to come home to me at three o'clock. And now it's already a quarter to four.
‘I'll tell him something,’ I thought and fumbled my mobile phone out of my pocket.
‘It's a good thing there's WhatsApp’. I tapped on Leon's chat and wrote to him to ask where he was.
I put my mobile phone aside and threw myself on the bed. ‘Let him stay at home,’ I thought to myself as my mobile phone vibrated.
I saw the little WhatsApp sign, unlocked my mobile phone and opened WhatsApp. Of course, it was Leon who had replied. I had to grin when I saw his message. ‘Wasn't it? That was today? I'm sorry, Moritz. I'll be on my way straight away.’ Yes, on holiday you often don't know what day of the week it is.
I put my mobile phone aside and stared at the ceiling. After what felt like an eternity or 10 minutes, the doorbell rang downstairs. I dashed down the stairs before my dad started grumbling again about why he always has to go to the door.
I opened the door ‘Come in Leon, I'm glad you made it in time’ I said cheekily.
‘Very funny, you comedian. We're on holiday, you can get the days of the week mixed up,’ he replied.
‘I forgive you’ I couldn't help but smile.
You just can't be angry with Leon. Leon said a quick hello to my parents and then we went up to my room. My parents are really the best. They gave me the entire attic as my room and I was allowed to furnish everything the way I wanted.
It's really cosy up here, only in summer it sometimes gets a bit too warm.
My parents also think Leon is really nice. We just haven't come out to my parents yet, even though we've been together for a year. But we want to wait for the right time and not rush things. Also because I know what prejudices my mum has. But they'll have to get used to it.
After all, we don't live in a village, but in beautiful Hamburg.
‘Moritz, are you still coming today?’
Shit, my mind was already somewhere else, because I'm still standing at the front door.
‘Yes, yes, I'm coming’ I called up to him.
I went into the kitchen to get two small bottles of Coke and then went up to Leon.
‘Here, so you don't die of thirst today’
‘Thanks, you weirdo,’ he said lovingly, pulling me onto the bed and leaning over me.
‘I love you too,’ I replied with a smile.
Then we kissed.
‘Ey, your hair tickles’ I laughed. ‘I can cut it short’ ’Please don't, your hair is great and you look stupid with short hair.’ ‘Who has long, blonde hair with black streaks these days?’
‘No, you don't.’ I said and kissed him again.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. We quickly sat down on the bed so that nobody would notice. My mum was standing in the doorway. ‘Moritz, Leon, come downstairs, there's cake and hot chocolate.’ ‘Yes, we'll be right down, Mum.’ ‘That's fine.’
‘Too bad your mum just interrupted that.’ Leon said and kissed me again.
‘Yes, come on, I'm already hungry.’ We went downstairs to the living room. As it was my grandma's birthday yesterday, today we had the leftovers of the homemade Black Forest gateau and cocoa and coffee. I don't like coffee, so I just drink the cocoa. We all sat down and my mum gave us a piece of cake each. ‘And what else are you going to do?’ She asked. ‘Let's see, maybe we'll go for a bike ride or something. And we wanted to spend the night at my place tonight, is that okay?’ ‘Fine by me, what do you say, Stefan?’ ‘Hmm? Oh well, yeah,’ that was typical of my father.
‘All right, then enjoy yourselves for the first time’
We didn't need to be told twice. The cake really was first class.
‘Can we get up?’ I asked. ‘Of course, but please take your plates out with you.’
No sooner said than done and we were back upstairs in my room.
Leon giggled and pulled me onto the bed by the hand so that I was now lying on top of him.
‘So, what do we want to do today?’ I winked at him. ‘That's obvious, what we're already doing.’ I kissed him and he pulled me even closer to him. We lay there kissing and cuddling for a few moments. That's the best thing. It's marvellous to have such a great boyfriend like Leon. He's almost perfect. I've known him for five years. We got to know each other back then when I joined his class after I switched from secondary school to grammar school. Now we're both in tenth grade, so we still have two years before we have to start our careers.
As I said, we've known each other for five years now, but we've only been together for a year. But that came gradually. We just got closer and closer and then at some point we realised that we felt more than just a normal friendship for each other. We're still as much in love as we were on the first day. That may sound cheesy, but it's actually true.
We spend a lot of time together. But we're mostly at my place or outside, as his parents don't think much of me and unfortunately don't think much of their son either. Of course, this has taken its toll on Leon, but since we've been doing so much together, he's in a better mood again. He knows how important he is to me and we are a bit like a second family to him.
I have more luck in that regard; my parents are totally supportive of me and have also welcomed Leon warmly. Still, I am a bit afraid of how they will react when we tell them that Leon and I are a couple.
With Leon's parents, I really see things in a dark light. I think they would be quite pleased with something like that. Then they would finally have a reason to throw Leon out. But whatever, then he can move in with me and we can really live together and... "Moritz, enough daydreaming!" He grinned and gave me another kiss. "Come on, we're going to the city; I need a shirt for the upcoming photo shoot at school." "Oh shoot, I totally forgot about that, but then I can also buy myself a pair of pants; that wouldn't hurt." So that was settled. I grabbed my jacket and wallet and went downstairs with Leon. "We're going to the city." "Okay, my little bird, please be home by seven." "That can be arranged."
We put on our shoes and jackets and walked to the nearest bus stop, which was fortunately just two streets away. We didn’t want to ride our bikes because there wasn’t enough time.
The bus arrived after a few minutes, and we rode for twenty minutes into the city center.
Once we arrived at our stop, we had to walk for another ten minutes until we reached the pedestrian zone. We strolled through the various shops, and after an hour and a half, we had what we needed.
"Do you want to maybe go get some ice cream?" Leon asked me. "I don't mind." So we went to the nearest ice cream parlor and enjoyed our spaghetti ice cream and iced coffee.
Then Leon did something I didn't expect from him. He simply kissed me on the lips and whispered, "I love you."
Normally, he is very reserved in public, and I can't even hold him in my arms. He apparently still hasn't fully accepted that he is gay.
But that is definitely a step forward.
"Hey Leon, what's suddenly gotten into you? You don't usually do that."
"Was that not okay?"
"Of course, Leon, I'm happy about it; I was just surprised."
"I just love you, and that's part of it."
"Oh, thank you, you're great."
I also gave him a kiss.
"And now let's go before my mom gets mad; we're having homemade pizza tonight."
"Oh, I don't want to miss that, come on, let's go."
Once we got home, we went straight up to my room, and I cut the price tags off the clothes and put them in the laundry.
By then it was already seven in the evening and time to eat. We were allowed to top our pizza ourselves. Leon took a lot of tuna while I settled for ham.
The pizza then had to go in the oven for twenty minutes, and we had time to tell my parents about our day.
Actually, I'm not the type who enjoys sitting for a long time with my parents talking about things, watching TV, or playing board games. But Leon always enjoys it a lot, and of course, I don't take that joy away from him.
"So where have you two been hanging out?" my father asked.
I let Leon tell the story. "First, we went to buy pants and a shirt because we have the photo shoot at school next week. Then we went to the ice cream parlor, and Moritz and I... um, it's not that important." I just thought, 'damn Leon, think first, then speak, not the other way around.'
"Hey, what did you two do for the first time in public?" my mother asked with that sharp undertone that doesn't bode well. "Nothing, Mom." "Moritz! What was Leon just about to say?" "Okay, well, we wanted to tell you for a while now."
"And what, please?" my father asked now.
"Okay, please let me finish." I took Leon's hand. Cold sweat ran down my forehead. "Mom, Dad, Leon and I love each other; we're gay."
Surprised looks from my parents. My father looked at our hands. "You know, we actually already knew because we saw you the other day hugging in the kitchen. But, and I'm speaking for both of us now, we don't think that's bad; we're really happy for you. It doesn't matter who you love, as long as you're happy. And you are." Hearing those words from my mother made me incredibly proud. And my father nodded in agreement. "But how long have you been together?" he asked now. I let Leon answer. "For about a year, but we didn't know how you would react; my parents would throw me out."
"I can imagine that, and you know, if something like that happens, you can stay here anytime you want. On the condition that you don't hold back because of us. I mean, if you want to kiss, then do it, even if we're around; we think that's great." That came from my father.
Now I wanted to show gratitude too and hugged Leon. For that, I got a kiss on the mouth from him.
"Oh, isn't that sweet, Stefan?"
"Yes, my darling."
"Now, let's eat first."
While eating, I had to think about the situation for the first time. Because Leon let it slip, we came out to my parents, and they took it well, which I never thought they would. But it’s kind of strange that my parents know everything now. But I am grateful to them for accepting it like that.
However, I would rather not think about what Leon's parents would say. I just know that they will not react positively, but there is still the possibility that Leon will move in with me, and then we can really live together, a bit like we planned for later.
We want to live together later.
But for now, I just wanted to eat my pizza.
After eating, we went straight up to my room.
"Well, that was something, I never would have believed that your parents would take it so well."
"I know, but I am relieved. The main thing is that we don’t have to hide anymore. We can now sleep in one bed all night and stuff."
"Moritz, come here, let’s celebrate this first."
He pulled me onto the bed and kissed me wildly.
"Wait, Leon, let’s get ready for bed first."
"Oh Moritz, not now." He grinned at me. "Come on."
We changed clothes and brushed our teeth. Now we were only wearing cozy t-shirts and boxers.
We lay under the blanket in bed.
He cuddled up to me and I kissed him. 

"I love you so much, my darling." I whispered. "I love you too, my sweet." He replied and kissed me on the neck.
I stroked his back. Leon took off my t-shirt and boxers, and I did the same for him. We cuddled as close as possible and stroked each other. It’s just so beautiful with Leon. I never would have dreamed that I could be so happy.
After we had slept together, he cuddled very close to me and wished me good night.
It was a strangely beautiful feeling to fall asleep arm in arm, without having to fear being caught.
The next morning, I was awakened by a gentle kiss and a "good morning, my darling."
I have never felt so comfortable as I do now.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!?"
"Good morning, you two, come downstairs, breakfast is ready." "Yes, Mom, we’ll be right down."
We got dressed and went downstairs hand in hand to the living room, where a beautifully set breakfast table awaited us. There were rolls, freshly squeezed orange juice, salmon, and the usual breakfast items.
"That looks great." I said.
"This is a special breakfast for a particularly great couple." My father told me.
I got teary-eyed. That was just too nice.
My parents put in so much effort for us. I was so grateful to them. After we enjoyed the food, Leon suggested that we should go to his place.
"But Leon, what do we want to do at your place?"
"I want to come out to my parents."
"You know they will throw you out."
"I have to accept that, but I want to stay with you, and maybe we can even live together then."
"But Leon, you don’t have to do that."
"Yes, my parents don’t like me anyway."
"As you wish, then let’s go to your place now."
We got dressed and rode the two kilometers to his place on our bikes.
Once there, we locked our bikes and took the elevator up to the tenth floor.
"Leon, do you really want to do this? You don’t have to."
"Yes, Moritz, I love you more than anything, and I want to spend my life with you, and nothing and no one should stand in our way."
"Thank you, Leon." I threw my arms around him, and a tear rolled down my cheek. He is so loving and does all of this so unconditionally.
We stood in front of his door and rang the bell. His father opened the door for us. "Oh, the son is actually showing up here. What do you want?"
"To talk to you."
Leon replied casually.
His father went silently into the living room. We followed him.
"Woman, your son and his weird friend are here, they want something." His father never called his mother "darling" or anything like that, always just "woman." Woman, when is there food? Woman, I need money.
We sat down on the couch.
I accidentally bumped into a couple of empty beer bottles when I wanted to stretch my legs.
"Hey, watch out, or you'll get it," came immediately from his father.
"My favorite show is on soon, so make it quick, whatever you want," his mother said. Now Leon spoke up. "Okay, let's make it short. Moritz and I love each other, we are gay." He kissed me. "What the hell? Our son is a fucking faggot!" He grabbed him roughly by the arm and pulled him out of the apartment. He shoved me out too. He punched Leon in the face. "Don't ever show your face here again, you little faggot!" He punched me in the chest. "And you better watch out, if I see you anywhere again, I'll take care of you."
I was boiling with rage inside.
"I don't think so, you'll be surprised, you idiot. Disowning your own son just because he is happy. You should be ashamed!!"
"I'll break your legs, boy!" He swung his fist, probably wanting to hit me in the face, but I was faster and ducked. It was getting too dangerous for me, so I pulled out my switchblade, which I always carried with me. "So, Mr. Reimers, still so brave? Now you listen to me. The way you've treated your son so far is disgusting. And being gay is nothing bad. We are happy, and no one will ruin that for us!!" "Yeah, yeah, put the knife down." "Okay, but remember my words!" I was so angry and so charged. I didn't care about anything. "And to you, Leon, never show your face here again, go live with your faggot friend for all I care. You're dead to us."
"And that's exactly what I'll do," Leon shouted at him. "Come on, Moritz, I don't want to be here any longer."
"Good idea, sweetheart," I said provocatively. "Leon, are you okay?" "Yeah, it didn't hurt much, and I expected that kind of reaction anyway. But I actually hoped he would react like this. Now we can officially live together." "Well, you're right about that. I love you." "I love you too, and now let's go home to US." He replied with a smile.
"What about your things?"
"I'll get them when my parents aren't home."
"Okay, come on, we're going home now."
We locked our bikes and rode to my place.
Once home, we told my parents what happened today. At first, they wanted to go to the police, but we managed to convince them not to. We didn't want anything to do with them anymore.
"Well then, go upstairs, your mother and I will take care of everything else. Don't worry." "Thanks, Dad."
So we went up to OUR room.
"Why did I know my parents would react like this?" Leon asked bitterly.
"That was obvious. But it was pretty intense that your father hit you that hard."
"Well, it's okay, he has done that before, every time he was angry, I had to feel it."
He seemed quite teary, so I said nothing more and just held him in my arms. "Thank you, Moritz, for letting me stay here." "Are you crazy? You don't have to thank me for that; we had planned this anyway." "I know, but still." "Yeah, it's okay, all good. Love you."
"I love you too, I'm so glad I have you."
"Now that's enough, or I'll get diabetes." I had to grin. We were lying next to each other on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I let my thoughts circle around the events. We had involuntarily come out to my parents, and they took it positively against all my expectations. We also came out to Leon's parents, who promptly threw him out of the apartment. Just because he loves a boy. But what's so bad about that? You don't choose who you fall in love with. Maybe it's because many people simply don't know what being gay really is. They have the image of pink-dressed, slutty men in their heads who talk funny. Or whatever else they think.
But as long as I have Leon, I don't have to worry because he is there for me, and I have no doubts that I'm doing the right thing. I flinched slightly when Leon cuddled up to me. "Hey, it's just me." That's how we must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, it was already dark outside. I looked at my wristwatch. 7:43 PM. Great, I thought. I carefully slid away from Leon and got up. I didn't want to wake him; he deserved a little rest.
I went down to the kitchen and found a note. "Hey you two. We didn't want to wake you; you were sleeping so sweetly.
Your father and I went to Grandma and Grandpa's and are staying there overnight.
I left you 50€, have a nice evening. Feel free to order some food.
Kiss, Mom," the note said.
I thought for a moment and decided to really order something to eat.
I ordered a pizza for myself and spaghetti carbonara for my Leon.
Just 20 minutes later, my phone rang. "Good evening, your food is here." "Ah wonderful, I'll come to the door." I had specifically asked the delivery person not to ring the bell so as not to wake Leon. I received the food and paid. Then I brought the items into the kitchen and transferred them to plates. I wanted to make it really cozy for us tonight. I dimmed the lights in the living room and lit some tea lights. Then I took two wine glasses from the cabinet and set a bottle of wine next to them. I hoped Leon would like the wine, I thought. Just to be safe, I also grabbed two regular glasses and a bottle of cola.
I looked one more time to see if I had forgotten anything and went upstairs to wake Leon.
Fortunately, he was still sleeping and had consequently not noticed anything.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and started to stroke his hair. At the same time, I kissed him gently.
"Wake up, you sleepyhead." "What, it's still dark outside, but if you wake me up like this, that's okay too." "We fell asleep earlier, and it's still evening. Now come downstairs, I have a surprise prepared." "That sounds exciting." He kissed me briefly and got dressed.
I took his hand, and we went downstairs together.
"Wow, that looks great." "Thanks, I ordered us food, pizza for me and spaghetti carbonara for you." "You're the best, but how do you know I like spaghetti carbonara?" "I even know it's your favorite food. You're my boyfriend, and I always listen to you, that's how I know." "Oh Moritz, you're so sweet, you deserve a kiss for that."
He wrapped his arms around me, and we kissed. It was a really nice kiss, of course with tongue.
Afterward, we sat down at the table, and I asked if he liked wine. Leon said he wouldn't mind a glass of wine. So I opened the wine and poured us both some.
"Well then, cheers to us and bon appétit." "To us."
The food tasted really good, and the wine wasn't bad either, but we preferred to switch to cola later.
"Phew, I'm stuffed," said Leon, leaning back.
I got up, took our dishes, and brought them to the kitchen. Leon was already sitting on the couch. I went over to him, leaned over him, and cheerfully asked, "So darling, what are we doing now?" "Hmmm, I would say we make ourselves comfortable on the couch and watch some TV." "Ah, that sounds good. Love you." "Love you too." We made ourselves cozy with blankets. Leon cuddled up close to me, and I held him in my arms. It's really nice every time. Since we had already slept during the day, we spent half the night on the couch. At some point, we fell asleep too. Arm in arm. I hope these times never pass.
If we remain a couple, we want to get our own apartment later. Fortunately, we have different interests; Leon likes numbers, and I'm more of a handyman. I don't think it's good if we worked at the same place. This way, we look forward to seeing each other in the evening, and we don't sit together all day. That prevents arguments.
But I'm sure everything will work out. I love him like the first day. I will always remember this day. It was a year and a half ago. It was winter, and we were outside together by a lake in the woods, where we played ice hockey. Then I tripped over a frozen branch and hit my head on the ice. Apparently, I was briefly unconscious because when I came to, I was lying in Leon's lap. That's when I felt that flutter in my stomach for the first time. I felt it every time I saw him or was particularly close to him since that day. I've been trying to have physical contact with him constantly since then.
At some point, I couldn't take it anymore and just hugged him. He held me tightly in his arms too.
Somehow we both just knew it then. Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek. He said he liked me a lot. I replied, "I know." And from then on, we hugged more often and eventually cuddled. And that's how it all started. I don't know what I would do without him.
So now he lies in my arms. I thought.
We woke up relatively early the next morning. This time, Leon woke me up with a kiss. I stretched. "Good morning, how did you sleep?" "Just like always when I fall asleep in your arms. Wonderful." "Hmh, you're sweet. I slept just as you did."
"Shall we have breakfast?" "Sure, I'm starving."
So we got up and went to the kitchen. Today we wanted to take it easy.
We sat at the kitchen table and ate toast. I wondered what we could do today.
"Leon, shall we stay home today and have a relaxing day?" I asked. "Sure, if you want."
We quickly cleared away the things and then went upstairs to our room.
"I have an idea. Let's rearrange my room a bit so we both have more space." "Cool idea."
I thought.
When you stood in the doorway, the desk and a small shelf were on the right next to the door in the corner. In the back right corner, there was a small sofa in front of a TV. In the left back corner was my bed, and against the left wall stood a large wardrobe.
On the wall left next to the door was a dresser where I kept medals, certificates, and such stuff. Fishing rods hung on the wall, and on the dresser stood my air rifle on a bipod, a real sniper rifle. Accurate up to one hundred meters.
I thought. I definitely wanted a cuddly corner, and the bed was in a silly place. I decided to discuss it with my parents later to avoid any trouble.
"Moritz, I have an idea for what we can do today." He had really bright eyes as he pointed to my air rifle.
"So that's what you were getting at. Alright, if you want. We can go to the gravel pit." "Sure, let's go then!"
I took the rifle and put it in my large backpack. I also grabbed some ammunition from a drawer.
We packed some drinks, got dressed, and went outside. I locked the door, and Leon took the bikes out of the shed.
We rode to the old gravel pit. It had always been my favorite spot. We used to play there as kids. The pit is far away in the middle of nowhere and it's empty all day long.
When we arrived after twenty minutes of riding, we hid the bikes and went to the other end of the pit. At the top of the edge, we set down our things, and I went to the middle to set up cans and bottles that were lying around. I also found an old lighter. I climbed back up to Leon, who had already set up the rifle.
I briefly checked if he had done everything correctly and was satisfied with him. Everything was good. I cocked the spring and loaded a diabolo. Then I adjusted the scope to 80 meters. "So Leon, pay close attention. Even with a scope, it's not as easy as it looks." I shouldered the rifle and looked through the scope. "You have to be completely calm; you mustn't be tense. Then you breathe in and out calmly. Then you hold your breath. You need to focus on the center of the crosshairs, not directly on the target. Then you pull the trigger back until you feel a slight resistance. Now concentrate exactly on the target and pull your finger further back." "Okay, that sounds complicated, but I’m sure I can do it." "Alright, then watch closely and pay attention to the green bottle all the way to the left." I settled comfortably and aimed at the bottle. Leon moved closer to me and put an arm around me. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. It went off, and I saw the bottle shatter into a thousand sparkling shards.
"Good shot, darling." He kissed me on the cheek.
"And now it's your turn." I kissed him on the mouth.
Then I handed him the rifle and the ammunition.
He cocked the rifle and tried to load the diabolo, but he was having trouble. I stroked his back. "Just relax, Leon, you can't do anything wrong." I snuggled closer to him. It felt good to be near him.
He had finally managed to load the rifle correctly, and now he was looking through the scope. I moved away from him so he could concentrate.
It took him a little while to shoot, but he hit, and shards flew everywhere.
"One shot, one hit, that's how it should be! Great job, Leon!" I was really happy and kissed him. Immediately, he rolled me onto my back and lay on top of me. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed me wildly.
"Oh Moritz, I love you so much." "I love you too." "I want to spend my life with you." "I know, I had no other plans either."
After a while, he slid a bit off me and cuddled up beside me.
We lay there for at least an hour without saying a word. We just enjoyed everything. The weather, nature, the peace, each other.
"Oh, it's so nice with you, but I feel like making a few more shots." "That's fine, I'll just watch you," he said.
He sat down on a rock next to us.
I took the rifle and loaded it. I intended to train my speed a bit.
I shot, reloaded, and shot again. Every shot hit, and I destroyed one bottle after another. Leon looked really impressed at the pile of shards down in the gravel pit.
I stood up and took a lighter out of my pocket. "Now comes my special," I said to Leon.
I took a sparkler and climbed down into the gravel pit. I stuck the sparkler in the sand and lit it. Then I placed the lighter directly behind it and ran back to the rifle. I loaded quickly and shot. The lighter exploded in a fireball, and Leon let out a fascinated wow.
"Come on, let's sit up there and enjoy the weather." "Yeah, okay, come on."
We sat down by a tree, and he cuddled up to me. We sat there comfortably snuggled together. It really is such a great happiness that we have each other. We are truly happy.
"Leon, the time with you is so beautiful." "Yes, I think so too, and that won't change." "Thank you, you make me incredibly happy." "You make me happy too." We kissed, and he lay back on me again. We spent some time like that. "Come on, let's go home," Leon suggested.
"Okay, if you want to."
I packed up the things, and Leon went to get the bikes.
The ride back was quite relaxed; we talked about a new tactic for League of Legends, which we both played from time to time.
At home, my parents were already waiting for us, of course wanting to know what we had been up to that day.
We talked about it during dinner. Later, we all watched TV together. It turned out to be a really nice evening.
At eleven o'clock, we went to bed since there was school the next day. Of course, we cuddled for a while and finally fell asleep arm in arm.
Unfortunately, the next morning, our secret enemy, my alarm clock, woke us up.
I always had particularly good moods in the morning, which Leon immediately noticed when I snapped at him for no reason that I wanted to use the bathroom, even though he was first. "Come on, Moritz, calm down." "Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. We often bickered in the early morning. But you get through that too.
Fortunately, my mother had already prepared breakfast. There was homemade fruit yogurt. That did improve our mood a bit.
After breakfast, we packed our things and headed out.
The morning went by like any other: slow as gum and monotonous.
When the school bell finally rang at five past one, it was done again, and we had survived.
"What do we want to do today?" Leon asked me, smiling sweetly. I melt every time he looks at me like that.

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.’

Test of strength
‘What am I doing here?’ thought Oliver as he rolled over from his back to his stomach. Although his back was already fairly tanned and his front was significantly lighter, he didn't want to continue lying on his back; it was simply more uncomfortable. He crossed his arms, rested his head on them, and let his gaze wander.
The lawn was pretty empty for such a hot summer day. On the other hand, there were never as many people at the pool on weekdays as there were on weekends, and the holiday season and a construction fair were also factors. Therefore, there were mainly young visitors, who of course flocked here during the holidays if they didn't travel.
Oliver felt twenty-three years old compared to the average audience here. Even his friends, Mario and Thomas, who had spread out with their respective girlfriends in his immediate vicinity, were two and three years younger, respectively. He wondered what he had done in this rural town over the summer. After all, he had already moved to the capital four years ago to study there. But he spent most of the summer with his parents in the countryside.
But now he was lying here among his friends and felt lonely and excluded. He was a little jealous of the girlfriends of the two, who could snuggle up against his attractive friends when they weren't even kissing. Mario was the more beautiful of the two, tanned, one eighty tall, muscular, dark brown, medium-length hair. In his tight purple swimming trunks, he looked simply ‘scrumptious’. A pretty boy, a womaniser and a footballer. Oliver sighed.
Thomas was also a good-looking young man, six foot tall, blond, short hair and slim. He was wearing green swimming shorts, which looked a bit lanky on his tall frame. He was lying on his back while his girlfriend Nina rested her head on his stomach.
Both of them used to ask him frequently if he had a girlfriend and who she was. But Oliver never had a girlfriend. Not even a fling, not even sex. Except for the one with his right hand, but that doesn't really count. While he had always avoided these questions in the past, he had recently been telling them a lot about the things he did with his best friend Manuela, who also lived and studied in Vienna. They both assumed that Oliver was dating her and hardly asked about it anymore.
Oliver's loneliness grew painfully amidst the many handsome boys in the pool, whom he observed as inconspicuously as possible in order to at least have fun with them in his mind at night.
Oliver had known for ages, since he was about twelve, that he found boys more attractive than girls, but neither the coming-out episodes of Dawson's Creek – how often did he fall asleep thinking about Jack – nor Beautiful Thing, which he had watched alone in the cinema in Vienna with his heart pounding, could persuade him to embrace his sexuality, let alone come out. This is not really surprising, given the conservative rural area and the prudish, uptight Oliver's family.
The only physical contact Oliver had with other boys was here, in the swimming pool, with his friends and other boys from the village, when they threw each other into the water, which never happened without a tussle that continued in the water with both sides trying to submerge each other. These summer games were quite rough, the harder the opponent resisted being thrown into the water, the harder you had to hold him and the tighter you hugged him as you pushed him towards the edge of the pool.
Oliver loved these water fights, which he often started himself by clever provocation. Most of the boys he knew joined the game with great fervour, while the girls tended to stay away, as it often got quite brutal. Of course, after a while the girls were also dragged into the water and dunked, but usually only after the boys had let off steam for a while. It had been like that every summer as far back as Oliver could remember, and he didn't plan on stopping just because he was already twenty-three.
A piercing, loud laugh woke Oliver from his thoughts. Not far from him and his friends, there was a large group of young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five, with the boys in particular being quite athletic and attractive. They were a group of basketball players and their friends. Oliver knew most of them by sight, and he was even in the same class as Andi and Bernd for four years at the local grammar school. He still knew Rene and Udo from primary school.
Bernd! Oliver hadn't seen him at all this summer. This five-foot-ten-inch ‘little’ basketball player used to be his best friend. But only until the seventh (for D.: eleventh) grade of high school. A slim, athletic boy with blond, tousled hair and bright blue eyes. He had worked out just enough to have well-formed biceps and chest muscles, but he didn't look overly muscular or puffed up. When he tensed, you could also see his abs. The sunscreen glistened on his bronze skin. What a beautiful body. Oliver's gaze travelled up the slim, toned legs, with little hair, to Bernd's tight, light-blue shorts and the slight bulge there. Oliver had to swallow.
This guy, with his muscular, hairless chest and his slight bow legs, had done it to him very early on. He enjoyed every little accidental touch and the closeness that their good friendship brought with it. When this broke, Oliver often cried himself to sleep. His other friends couldn't make up for this loss. Bernd was just something special.
‘Aaahhh!’ Oliver cried out as someone poured mineral water over his back. Mario laughed at him and ran away, Oliver dived after him and chased him through the whole bathroom to the pool. There Mario suddenly stopped and turned around... Oliver wrapped his arms around Mario's upper body and tried to push him into the water. Chest to chest, they wrestled next to the pool.
Oliver, at 1m75, was smaller than Mario, but he was quite strong. He had always had broad shoulders, probably due to his genes, and a friend persuaded him to start strength training a year ago. This had given him muscles all over and he was able to keep up with Mario's muscular strength. Both bodies were tensed, you could see the fine play of muscles everywhere, from biceps to calves, as these handsome boys wrestled with each other. Quite a few bathers watched the fight with great interest, mainly of course of a female nature, as the tanned footballer and the bronze-coloured, slim athlete with short blonde hair wrestled. Oliver thought he had Mario in a position to finally push him into the water, when Mario, taking advantage of his height, hugged Oliver even tighter, pressing him against him and lifting him slightly. ‘Shit!’ thought Oliver. He seemed to be losing out, but he enjoyed being pressed against Mario's body – in wrestling terms in a bear hug – his feet lost contact with the ground, his red, tight retro shorts pressed against the purple swimming trunks. ‘Hopefully I won't get a stiffy,’ he thought...
Suddenly they were thrown into the water by a third force. Since neither of the two released the embrace, they fell tightly entwined into the cold water. ‘BRRRrrrrr!’ But the danger in the middle of Oliver's body was averted. While Thomas was still standing at the edge of the pool and laughing at them, Oliver pounced on Mario, put his hands on his shoulders and pushed him under the water. Then he quickly fled the pool.
He also tried to throw Thomas into the water, which he couldn't do alone, but Mario helped him a little later, until all three ended up in the water. They dunked each other and tried to climb out of the pool again. But by now the basketball players were also at the pool and wouldn't let the three of them out. They pushed them back into the water again and again, with some of their teammates being pushed into the water. A big wild water fight was soon underway. As usual, Nina, Sine – Mario's girlfriend – and the other girls stayed a little in the background so as not to become victims themselves. They sat on the concrete border of a flower bed near the pool and enjoyed the boys' antics.
Everyone was diving everyone, everyone was wrestling with everyone... Mario was attacked particularly often, the old football-basketball rivalry. Although Andi, Rene and Udo often went at him in threes, they hardly managed to dunk him because Thomas and Oliver rushed to his aid and the three of them got a good mouthful of chlorinated water.
Only two kept a safe distance: Oliver and Bernd. They tried not to get in each other's way and kept a safe distance between them. After all, they didn't even talk, so it would have been hard to dunk each other.
When Oliver finally made it out of the water, Udo wanted to get out of the pool too. They went at each other to push the other into the water. However, Udo was a lanky giant and couldn't stand up to Oliver... Oliver lifted him up, carried him to the edge of the pool and threw him into the waves.
Then he suddenly felt strong arms embrace him from behind and clasp him in front of his stomach. A warm, wet body pressed against his back and he was lifted slightly into the air. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a voice he knew only too well whispered in his ear, ‘You don't throw my friends into the water with impunity, Olli!’ Before Oliver could say or react, the two athletic bodies landed pressed together in the water. But that was not all: when Oliver reached the surface and gasped for air, he was grabbed by the shoulders and pushed down several times in succession. Oliver felt hot and cold at the same time when he sensed the boy who meant so much to him and who had disappointed him so badly.
Bernd and Oliver were inseparable for a long time. They could talk to each other about everything (let's say almost everything), fool around, they went running and walking together, played basketball with each other, although Bernd was of course much better than Oliver, and they watched DVDs together. It wasn't uncommon for Bernd to fall asleep during the film, especially if it was late, and to snuggle up to Oliver in his sleep, with his head on his shoulder and his body and legs touching Oliver's body and legs. Nothing ever happened, but Oliver felt like he was in seventh heaven. The warmth that emanated from Bernd's body flowed through his and he felt secure. Sometimes Bernd's head would slip onto Oliver's chest and Oliver would put an arm around him. Whenever Bernd slowly woke up at the end of the film, Oliver would push him aside and scold him for not having the stamina to watch films. After that, Bernd would look at Oliver for a while with his piercingly clear blue eyes and dachshund expression and smile mysteriously: ‘Then why do you always watch with me?’ That always made Oliver laugh too, and he replied, ‘Because you're nice and quiet and don't eat crisps loudly during the film!’
However, the most important and deep friendship with Bernd came to an end, first gradually and then loudly, when Bernd joined the basketball club at the age of 17. School, three training sessions per week and a game on Saturdays took up a lot of time. In his limited free time, he hardly took time for Oliver and mostly hung around with his teammates. Oliver was furiously jealous and resented him for it. During the summer holidays before the final year, things got better again, but in the final year it got really bad. When they did meet, they either argued or ignored each other. Bernd tried several times to persuade Oliver to do something with his new friends. It was too much for Oliver, they were just in Bernd's room studying,
‘I don't want anything to do with those idiots! All those basketball players think about is playing ball, drinking and picking up women!’
‘Don't talk about my friends so disparagingly!‘ Bernd replied.
‘If those idiots are your friends, what does that say about you? You're not like that!’ Oliver raised his voice.
‘I'm a basketball player too, get it!’ Bernd shouted back. “I just don't want to be a weird outsider and troublemaker like you! Either you accept my new friends and make new ones yourself, or from today you'll have one less friend!” Bernd became more conciliatory. ’Try to get to know the guys first, they're okay, you'll see. Don't be so prejudiced, Olli!’
‘I don't want to get to know them!’
‘Please.’
‘No!’
‘Please, Olli, for my sake.’
‘I said no, damn it. Andi is already getting on my nerves at school, he never leaves me alone. I won't even start with the other weirdos...’ Oliver rolled his eyes.
‘OLLIE’
‘Leave me alone! Go to your fucking basketball buddies’
‘You've played basketball with them too’ Bernd's gaze became more pleading.
‘I still don't want to be friends with them! If you don't have time for me besides school, club and your new friends... well, tough luck ’ Oliver looked up at the ceiling. It might seem arrogant, but he tried to hold back the tears that he could already feel coming.
‘You're an arrogant asshole, Olli, you think you're better than everyone else, don't you?’ Bernd was really angry now. All the crap he had to listen to, just because of his new friends. Why couldn't his old best friend understand that? 

‘Fuck you Bernd, go play Balli and leave me alone!!!’ Oliver shouted in rage. Suddenly there was a smack. Then it was very quiet. An imprint of Bernd's hand was forming on Oliver's cheek.
Oliver packed up his stuff and was about to walk out the door when Bernd held him back by the shoulder. ‘Don't attack me!’ hissed Oliver quietly, but crystal clear and ice cold. Bernd flinched back in shock and Oliver disappeared. Since then, they have only exchanged words at school when absolutely necessary. Bernd wanted to apologise, but Oliver always gave him the cold shoulder, so he gave up at some point.
Now he was being dunked by this boy. After years of almost not interacting with each other, suddenly there was too much closeness for Oliver. He gasped for air and wanted out of the pool, but Bernd suddenly grabbed one of his legs and held it tight.
‘Let me go, what's the point of this?!’
‘Come on, Olli, I'm just kidding, you're not so sensitive with the others!’
No sooner had he spoken than Oliver's leg was yanked up, his second leg was levered out from under him and he was back underwater. He resurfaced and felt someone grab his leg again. Without further ado, he kicked the person in the stomach.
‘Ouch,’ Bernd winced slightly in pain. ’Have you gone completely mad?’
Oliver had to admit that he had overreacted, mumbled an apology and went to his seat.
Of course it had been impossible to avoid each other completely. Especially not at school or in this town. You saw each other every day in class, in the summer you saw each other at the swimming pool or playing basketball together. Mario and Thomas knew the people from the club and liked to play against them, and Oliver had to join in whether he liked it or not if he didn't want to be left out on his own. But the two of them kept their interactions to a minimum and avoided each other as much as possible. That was even worse than having no contact at all. Oliver was painfully reminded of the loss of his best friend over and over again. Out of defiance, he then surrounded himself more often with those people whom he knew could not stand Bernd. Although he missed Bernd and often looked up his number in the address book of his mobile phone, he never called him. His pride was always stronger... or was it his cowardice.
The most painful time was in the year of his A-levels and the following summer, but then both had apparently got used to the situation. And since he started university, Oliver had been here much less often anyway.
Oliver lay on his towel and let the past few minutes pass in review. Over and over again. ‘Olli’, as Bernd always said it, sounded so soft and loving. But what were these thoughts all of a sudden? ‘The weirdo can leave me alone, after so many years he doesn't have to be nice anymore!’
And here it was again, the hurt pride and the annoyance at one's own stupidity, at having made such a huge mistake and having put the best friendship at risk and lost it. But why...
Oliver was getting hotter and hotter, beads of sweat were forming everywhere. Why worry about it now. But why had he reacted so violently back then? Why couldn't he give Bernd the freedom for the club and his new friends? ‘Hhhmmm’ Why was he still brooding over it now? It was too late. He should have thought about it before, but the thoughts kept coming back.
‘Heee, there you are! Why did you leave us in the lurch against the basketball players?’ Thomas laughed at him half-angrily and shook his wet hair over Oliver. “Hmpf,” he grumbled. Mario, Thomas, Sine and Nina had returned from the pool, dried themselves off and then smeared sunscreen all over themselves. Oliver let Sine put lotion on his back too, although he would have preferred Mario. While he was lying on his stomach and Sine was spreading the lotion on his back, Oliver noticed how Bernd kept staring at him. When he realised that Oliver was watching him too, he quickly looked away. What would have happened if Oliver had apologised? Perhaps their relationship would have improved again, maybe it would have become more than friendship. ‘Nonsense, absolute nonsense!’ Oliver thought. Deep down, he longed for Bernd to be gay too, but he knew his hopes were in vain. And even if he was, would Bernd get involved with him? He was just the perfect heterosexual. You only had to look at the girls who idolised him. They were extremely attractive, but that was not for Oliver to judge. But he hadn't even been able to save their friendship. ‘I was so stupid! Aaaahhhh!!! I don't want to think about it anymore!’
Oliver had never found another friend like him. One who was also so attractive. He was just perfect, beautiful... Oliver imagined Bernd rubbing sunscreen on his back and sighed contentedly. ‘All done!’ Sine pulled him out of his dreams.
‘Hey, don't you want to go ‘beaching’?’ Mario asked. The others were very enthusiastic and even Oliver let himself be persuaded after a few grumpy sighs about the heat and the risk of sunstroke. After a short warm-up, a heated beach volleyball match began, with Mario and Thomas competing against Oliver and the two girls. Despite their numerical superiority, the match was very close and everyone was dripping with sweat. After Oliver's team had narrowly won the first set and narrowly lost the second, the third set had to decide the match. Shortly after the first rally, Udo, Rene, Andi and Bernd came onto the court. They wanted to play too. Mario shouted to them, ‘We'll still win the set, then we can play against each other!’... ‘Dream on, show-off!’ Oliver shot back at him, and the match continued. Somehow Oliver couldn't help but feel watched... whenever he looked briefly at the basketball players, who had settled in the shade of a tree next to the court, Bernd looked him in the eye and then quickly looked away. ‘Something's not right here, or I'm starting to fantasise too,’ he thought to himself. The match went ahead and Oliver and the girls finally lost by a narrow margin, with a difference of two points.
While Mario was negotiating with Uwe and Andi about who should play against whom, Oliver wanted to quickly take a shower and jump into the pool for a moment to get rid of the sweat and sand that was stuck to his body. As he walked past Bernd, the latter said to him: ‘Well played, Ollie! Really well done!’
Oliver couldn't believe his ears. His jaw dropped... then he recovered and replied snappishly: “I can take the piss out of myself!” Bernd's expression darkened and became dismissive: ’Aha. Well, in that case!’ Oliver went on, while his thoughts went on a rollercoaster ride. ‘This can't be happening, what's going on here? What does he want all of a sudden? Why is he praising me? Did he mean it? This can't be happening?’ He came to the showers and the cold water helped to cleanse his body and calm his thoughts a little. Mario, Thomas and their two girls also came, showered and jumped in briefly to turn on the water. ‘Come on, Oliver, we want to show those loudmouths!’ Oliver sighed and followed them to the beach volleyball court, where the basketball players had just warmed up.
Mario, Thomas and Oliver were on one side of the net, and Bernd, Udo and Andi were on the other. Rene and the girls had made themselves comfortable in the shade with drinks and were watching the action from there. The match was still harmless at the beginning, and the first set was quite civilised. But soon the players got more and more into it, everyone was sweating and the sun was beating down on their bodies.
Oliver returned a service without any interlude from Udo, which hit the line at Bernd.
‘Out!‘ shouted Bernd.
‘Are you crazy, it was on the line!’ said Oliver.
‘You can't see that from where you are!’
‘Sure, better than you, because he was behind you on the line.’
‘Nonsense, it was clearly out.’
‘Are you blind or do you always cheat?’
...
It was like that all the time. In the beginning, the others still argued a bit, but over time, only Bernd and Oliver argued fiercely about every point. The more they got into the game, the more they snarled at their teammates, who grumbled back accordingly. When Oliver saw Bernd raging with a teammate, he couldn't help but smile. In that respect, they really weren't dissimilar. Suddenly Bernd looked him square in the face, saw Oliver's smile, but didn't move a corner of his mouth. Oliver's smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Matters were about to get even worse, because it was one-all in sets. The last set would decide the game. Despite his excitement, Oliver couldn't help but keep looking at Bernd during the game, watching the play of his athletic muscles and staring at the bulge in Bernd's light blue shorts. He had a feeling that Bernd was doing the same, hidden behind that grim expression.
The game was dragging on, the rallies were getting longer and the players were at the end of their tether. The spectators of this game had already left and the six players remained alone on the court. Neither side could really get an advantage. Therefore, both sides fought on fiercely, but most of all Bernd and Oliver. But they threw fewer nasty things at each other, because they too could hardly breathe.
It was currently tied at points, and Oliver had serve. If he could score a point, his team would have match point. He thundered the ball over the net, and it slammed behind Andi on the line, which trembled. Mario, Thomas and Oliver high-fived each other and pushed each other with their chests out. It was their way of celebrating a good point. Meanwhile, poor Andi was being shouted at by Bernd for his failure.
Oliver was now confident that they could win the game, he saw the nervousness in Bernd's eyes.
‘I thought you hated playing balli, Olli? But everyone has a lucky shot,’ Bernd said acidly. “Shut up! For a basketball player, you're terrible at volleyball,” came the retort.
Nevertheless, Oliver muffed the serve, it landed out. Bernd laughed, sure of victory. It was now one point each. But he also muffed the next serve. Match point. It was Mario's turn. He managed a good serve, but Udo was able to return it. The ball was played three times, with Bernd trying to hit it over the net the last time...it was blocked by Thomas, who, thanks to his height, had no trouble stopping the ball. Andi was just able to dig it out, but the ball came flat and fast towards Bernd, who took a big step and threw himself towards the ball... but he only hit it with his fist... the ball went up... but not towards the net, but in the opposite direction. Way out!
‘Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
‘Take it easy!‘ he laughed, “it's okay. No need to get excited!” But you could tell that he and Thomas were also happy about the victory, because they also made some pointed remarks in the direction of the basketball players. But as is proper, they also shook their opponents’ hands and said ‘good game!’ to each other. After Oliver had done the same with Andi and Udo, he went to Bernd. He was just fishing the ball out of the bushes at the back of the field, where it had rolled. ‘Would you put the ball on my court, please?’ Mario asked. ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Bernd grumbled back.
While Oliver approached Bernd, the others were already walking towards the pool to take a shower. The two former friends were now all alone on the field.
Bernd was just crawling backwards out of the bushes on all fours with the ball. Oliver looked at his light blue shorts and your hot ass, which was clearly visible in them... he had to swallow.
‘Good game!’ he croaked and held out his right hand to Bernd.
‘I can take the piss out of myself!‘ he replied angrily and slapped his hand away.
‘Come on...or can't the great ball player lose? You didn't think you'd lose to me, did you?’ Oliver grinned confidently.
‘Here's your fucking ball,’ Bernd shouted and slammed the ball so hard into his stomach that Oliver had to bend over.
‘Are you crazy?’ gasped Oliver as he sat up... and he saw Bernd's contemptuous grin and suddenly saw red... he swung and slapped Bernd across the cheek. Bernd stared at him speechlessly for a moment, then he screamed and pounced on Oliver. Oliver flew onto his back and Bernd landed on top of him. They rolled around on the ground, sometimes one had the upper hand, sometimes the other. They also tried to take each other into a headlock, but they were both so sweaty that the one being held could always free himself.
They fought fiercely and quietly, you could only hear their panting. Legs entangled, arms fixed on each other, they rolled across the room, once Bernd had the advantage, then Oliver. Sometimes they broke free and punched each other in the stomach or on the shoulders, but it never got really brutal. Although both seemed to want to emerge victorious from this scuffle, there was a limit for both of them not to let it get out of hand. It had been a long time since Oliver had such intense physical contact with a boy...and it was Bernd, his former best friend, this beautiful, athletic athlete! Especially when Bernd was lying on top of him, his athletic chest pressed against Oliver's chest, his shorts against Oliver's swimming trunks, Oliver couldn't help but find it beautiful, even more...feeling this body was hot. He slowly got a hard-on and became nervous.
Nevertheless, the fight continued unabated... Bernd also seemed inattentive, because Oliver was able to apply a great hold... he held Bernd in a double nelson (his arms under Bernd's arms and crossed on Bernd's neck so that he could press Bernd's head to his chest and Bernd couldn't move his arms).
In this hold, Bernd's back was pressed against Oliver's chest...his pelvis in Oliver's crotch. Oliver wanted to push him to the ground, but he was afraid Bernd would feel his boner. His grip weakened and Bernd twisted out. Then he quickly took Oliver in a headlock and dragged him to the ground, he was on top of him again and almost pinned him... Oliver tried desperately to fight back, but he had hardly any strength left. Then he remembered to use his legs... he wrapped his trained legs around Bernd's waist and did a leg scissors... his muscular thighs pressed into Bernd's smooth stomach. Despite his abdominal muscles, the scissors became tighter and tighter, Bernd let out a short scream and let go of his attack. Oliver was able to turn him onto his back and sit on his stomach. He tried to put Bernd's arms behind his head and spread his legs so that Bernd couldn't shake him.
‘But hello? This can't be! This isn't possible! It shouldn't be happening!’ thought Oliver, confused, because while he was pinning Bernd's arms to the ground, he had slid backwards, and now lay almost stretched out on top of his old friend. He pressed his shorts into Bernd's bulge and felt clearly that he too had an erection. His pulse reached unimagined heights. ‘Oh my God, he's not gay, is he? How did I miss that?’ While Oliver's mind was racing, the beautiful loser fidgeted under him and said in a broken, quiet voice, ‘Ok ok, you win, you're the victor! Now get off me!’
But Oliver didn't. He let go of Bernd's arms and sat up, landing his bottom exactly on Bernd's stiff cock. He looked at Bernd long and hard, his green-brown eyes sinking into the clear blue eyes of his opponent. There he was under him, the boy who had meant so much to him and now meant even more. His heart was beating in his throat...Tears welled up in his eyes.
‘No, Bernd. I've lost you. My best friend and...’ Oliver couldn't say any more, his voice failed him. “I fucking love you!” he thought to himself...He slowly approached Bernd's head and kissed him gently, tenderly and a little awkwardly on the mouth.
‘Oh my God! Ollie...’ he heard a voice below him. He looked into Bernd's questioning eyes, which also filled with tears.
Then he realised what he had just done... ‘I'm such an idiot, why did I let myself be tempted? Am I losing my mind just because Bernd happens to get a hard-on when wrestling,’ thought Oliver to himself, and added loudly, while jumping up, ‘I'm sorry! Forgive me, Bernd! I'm so sorry for everything!!!’ Then he ran away.
He didn't know where to go at first, but then he ran to the showers to wash off the sand and sweat, but above all, he didn't want anyone to see that he had cried. The cold water pelted down his body and the last few minutes went through his mind again in his mind's eye. Oliver started to tremble.
‘I'm so stupid... how could I be so stupid... letting myself be carried away by something like that... SHIT, there he comes!’ He saw Bernd, who also had red eyes, walking towards the showers.
Oliver quickly finished showering and was about to flee around the pool to the lawn when he ran into Mario, Thomas, Sine and Nina, who were lounging at the edge of the pool. ‘What took you so long? Did you have a fight with Bernd?’ Thomas asked worriedly, ‘You don't look so good!’
‘Um...’ Oliver had to swallow. “What should I say now? Help?!!” He became more and more desperate until he came up with a good excuse: ’No, but the exhausting match in this heat, I think I have a slight sunstroke. I think I'd better go home!’
‘Speak of the devil! There he comes!’ said Mario with a grin, and Oliver turned around to look into those coveted blue eyes, but he couldn't read Bernd's expression.
‘I'm done for! If he now tells the others that I kissed him, I'm done for! Then they'll all call me a fag! None of them will want to have anything to do with me anymore!’ Oliver was frozen with fear, and although he wanted to run away, his legs wouldn't move.
‘Did you put the ball in my place?’ Mario asked. Bernd, who had fixed Oliver with his gaze, literally tore himself away from him and stammered, ’Er, what? The ball? Oh, I did!’
Oliver looked at the ground, he couldn't say anything, nor did he dare look anyone in the eye for fear that everything would be visible on his face. Suddenly he heard quick footsteps behind him and saw Andi, Rene and Udo approaching them and throwing everyone standing at the edge of the pool into the water. Bernd and Oliver flew in without resistance, they were too surprised, Mario and Thomas were each able to pull an attacker into the water with them. Udo also tried to push the two girls into the water, but Oliver quickly got out of the pool and threw Udo into the water. Then he shouted, ‘I really have to go now! Ciao guys!’ in the direction of the pool and took the opportunity to escape. He saw out of the corner of his eye how Bernd got out of the pool and he even thought he heard a ‘Wait for me!’ But Mario was faster out of the pool and ran to Bernd and threw him back in.
With a sigh of relief, Oliver had reached his towel, quickly dried himself, threw his things into his backpack, slipped into his trainers and put on a T-shirt, and hurried towards the exit without changing his wet shorts. He was so busy with his escape that he was able to suppress what had happened for the moment. As he left the pool, he risked a glance in the direction of the pool where his friends were sitting again at the edge of the pool. Thomas saw him and gestured for him to wait, but Oliver just waved in their direction and then left the pool without turning around. Outside, he calmed down a bit, but he still felt uncomfortable. His T-shirt got wet through his shorts and stuck to his waist, he felt a slight headache and he was hot and cold at the same time. He just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. He unlocked his bike and set off.
‘Mum, it was so nice to see him again, to feel his beautiful smooth body, to touch his lips’ the event went through his mind again and he felt a tingling in his stomach when he thought of Bernd. 'He had a hard-on too, maybe he feels the same way I do... I mean, why else would he have a hard-on... but maybe it was just the friction... then he's straight and hates me now... and the others what will they say... maybe he won't tell them... but if he does... what should I do...' The hopes that Oliver had from time to time were always replaced by fear and panic.
'Probably everyone will talk shit about me, Thomas and Mario won't talk to me anymore... Shit... such shit... why did this happen, I wish this had never happened. ... But Manuela will understand me, she must be able to understand me... and mum and dad? They'll freak out. And maybe won't give me any more money, then I can drop out of university... SHIT...
He couldn't hold back his tears any longer and cried quietly to himself. Life just wasn't a series or a coming-out film. Everything always went so smoothly there, and after the initial difficulties, everything got better. But for him? And if he had to come out, it shouldn't have been like that. Everyone would find out through gossip. Maybe Mario and Thomas wouldn't find his sexuality so bad. But if they find out like this, behind his back. They'll think he's a lying arsehole who's just been faking it all these years.
‘Aaaahhhhh. Why does everything have to be so complicated and why of all things do I have to be gay...why did I have to go to the bathroom today and see HIM there...and play volleyball with HIM...and wrestle with HIM...and kiss HIM...’
He didn't know how he had done it, but Oliver had arrived home. He got off his bike and opened the garage door. ‘Lucky for me both cars are not here.’ His father always came home late from work anyway, but Oliver's mother also seemed to be out, shopping or somewhere else. She was a teacher and was on holiday now, too. He put his bike down and closed the door. In the kitchen he found a note: ‘Gone to Grandma's, helping her in the garden, salad is in the fridge.’
He couldn't eat now. Oliver went into the bathroom, stripped off his clothes and stood under the shower. There was still quite a lot of sand in the shorts and on himself, which now ran down the drain. The lukewarm water relaxed him a little. While he washed his cock, he had to think again of Bernd and his perfect body. He almost got an erection, but the unpleasant climax of the day and his fears returned and any desire disappeared. He showered and got out of the cabin. While he dried himself, he saw himself in the mirror. A desperate face with red eyes looked at him sadly. ‘Even if Bernd were gay, he would like a figure like mine,’ Oliver wondered.
He went to his room, put on a pair of boxer shorts and was about to throw himself on the bed when he heard his phone ringing in his backpack. He waited until the ringtone had stopped and then picked it up. Five missed calls. Two from Thomas, one from Mario, and two from a number he hadn't saved but whose owner he recognised even after years. They must all have called while he was in the shower. But five calls in such a short time? Then it beeped again. An SMS: ‘You have new messages on your mobile box’.
‘Who could have recorded it? Mario or Thomas? Do they already know about the kiss? Or maybe Bernd left a message? Should I listen to it?’ Oliver was thinking hard about what to do when the doorbell went off.
Had he forgotten to take the key out of the door? He had entered the house through the garage, and besides, his key was on his desk. Since the doorbell continued to ring unabated, Oliver grabbed the key and ran to the door. ‘Yes, yes, I'm coming!’ he shouted on the way, just to stop the tinkling. The noise and the short time prevented Oliver from being able to think about who was causing it.
He unlocked and opened the door and was startled. ‘Bernd,’ he whispered, staring at his counterpart. Bernd seemed to have showered and changed, because he no longer had his bathing shorts on. His blue eyes looked deep into Oliver's green-brown eyes. Then his gaze wandered down and he wanted to say something, but couldn't and had to swallow.
‘Olli, you're only wearing boxer shorts!‘ he finally said.
‘Um... yes,’ Oliver blushed, ‘I just had a shower.’
‘I see. We definitely need to talk, Olli!’ With these words, Bernd pushed him into the hallway and closed the front door.
‘I know...’ Oliver looked guiltily at the ground.
Bernd approached him, lifted his face ‘...but first there's still a rematch!’ With these words, he pushed Oliver onto the hallway carpet. It wasn't brutal and didn't hurt, but it was quick and effective. Oliver lay on his back and stared in disbelief at his opponent, who was now kneeling over him and holding his arms.
‘Is he going to hit me now? I don't deserve any better, what a bad friend I've been.’ Oliver's thoughts mingled with his tears. He vaguely perceived Bernd's head approaching...
‘MMMMmmmhhhhh’ Warm soft lips touched Oliver's mouth and a tongue asked for admission. Oliver almost saw stars, because he had never kissed like that before, he had never felt like that before... now he knew what he had been missing all this time. This boy, whose body was now on top of his, he was hopelessly in love with.
And not only that, the athletic basketball player turned him on. He felt his cock growing and he also felt Bernd's erection at the same time.
‘Olli, I never thought you could ever feel the way I do. I think I'm in love with you.’ Bernd had sat up, gently stroked Oliver's face and smiled at him.
Oliver sat up and cleared his throat: ‘I love you, Bernd! I know I love you. I think I've always loved you!’
Bernd's blue eyes filled with tears. Still kneeling over Oliver, he embraced him and held him close. ‘I missed you so much, I was so lonely without you! Forgive me...’ ‘No,’ Oliver interrupted him, ‘if anyone has to apologise, it's me...’
A kiss that took his breath away silenced him. When their mouths parted, the green-brown eyes looked deep into their blue counterpart and both knew that everything was forgiven and forgotten. Oliver stroked Bernd's back, moving deeper and deeper into Bernd's trousers, massaging his bottom and pressing him clearly against the bulge in his shorts. ‘Man OLLIIIEEE!!!’ he gasped.
Oliver grinned mischievously. Their test of strength was far from over!