Float

The sun, roiling, ravenous, beats down on the bits of Simon that remain outside the pool. He's already burning, can feel it, endures it for the sanctuary cool of the water below. Like everyone else here, he is celebrating heat, and freedom, and melted ice cream on fingers, and laying on dry grass under moonlight. Summer is ending-- not the heat, but the rosy life of it. This is the last pool party before the end of the world, or at least the start of the school year. The two might be the same.

Simon dips his head underwater, eyes shut, relishing in the soothe over his shoulders, breathing through his snorkel.

A shadow, and the sunlight brights behind Simon's eyelids lose their luminescence. Simon surfaces to see Freddy at the edge of the water. Freddy, all grinning and straight white teeth and bright eyes and dark skin. Freddy from the corner, who always had a piece of gum and a kind word when you needed it. Freddy with soft lips and rough fingertips, who is a good kisser, but only in secret party corners at dawn.

Summer heat and long evenings have allowed Freddy's mouth to learn Simon's well. This is the part of summer that Freddy will grieve the longest.

"A snorkel? Really?" Freddy teases, and Simon smiles.

"Least I'm prepared. You ain't even bring a swimsuit."

Freddy laughs, looks away, blushing and grateful it doesn't show. "You know I don't swim."

"I know you can float. C'mon. Join me." Simon pushes back a little to give Freddy room, and Freddy sits, letting the water lap at his calves. He sighs at the reprise from the desert heat of sun-beaten concrete.

"This is all you gettin, Si." Freddy hopes this isn't true, knows this isn't true.

"Aw, c'mon. Float with me, all the way in."

Freddy feels that this is a double entendre, unsure of what exactly he's agreeing to, but slides onto his back anyways. He bobs a bit too far submerged to be comfortable, but the water is cool. "Now, this is all," he repeats, voice cotton-covered through underwater ears.

"All I need," Simon murmurs, and before Freddy can pull back, Simon has grabbed his calves and pulled him under.

The cool takes them both over, swirling and icy compared to the oven-hot stillness above. Freddy's skin is still warm, his hands wrapped in Simon's hair like he might actually drown, but he's smiling, and Simon is glad.

They surface only long enough for air, and Freddy to gasp a giggling curse word, before they're back under, and Freddy is all kisses and holding, and Simon might be falling for those hands.

The snorkel floats to the surface, softening in the sunlight, and the boys sink to the bottom, alone, and together, and, for the last time all year, life moves easy.

•••

Word count: 479

Hi all!

This is a lil short I wrote for the Summer Surprises flash fiction challenge. I hope you enjoy it :)

Much love,
AJ