Sander was at the convenience store, looking at the row of beverages; thinking of what to get for Robbe. He took couple choices and paid the drinks. Robbe was waiting outside, sitting on his bike. Walking to him, Sander thought his face looked brighter now. He saw a smile formed on his face when he came to him.
He gave the plastic bag to him, saying, "I hope you like gin and tonic or rum and coke."
"I am more a whiskey man." Robbe sifted through the items.
He raised his eyebrows and said jokingly, "That'll be zero stars at booking.com".
Sander's smile stretched wider and he ran his eyes down the length of his frame. Robbe was wearing a dark shirt with his usual oversized brown jacket and white sneakers. His eyes fell on his strong neck, the shape of his half shown collar bone, the skin on his wrist. Sander felt a steamy heat started to enclose him.
Robbe was saying, "I'll let it slide this one time." When Robbe smiled again, Sander caught something in it that made his heart raced.
"Cheers."
"Cheers." Robbe winked at him and raised the can to his mouth.
Sander gulped down his drink. He can't stop raking his eyes over Robbe's body, watching the movement of his adam's apple when the boy swallowed. The night air was aflamed. There was a red-hot furnace raging in his chest and belly, searing his inside. He felt alive, flushed with a gnawing hunger. His mouth felt dry and he swallowed hard. The heat was feverish now and he felt like swimming. Well, that's an idea.
"You know what I am in the mood for?"
"Real gin and tonic?" Robbe asked.
He thought his next words came out hoarse with his barely contained desire in it, "No, better."
Running his tongue on the inside of his mouth, his eyes moved along the length of Robbe's body. The expression on Robbe's face seemed to change from casual ease to something else.
Sander took his bike and turned it around, "Come on, let's get out of here."
Robbe laughed with that rich, genuine voice that he fell for. "What's the plan?"
"Just come." Sander guided his bike with his free hand that's not holding the can.
"Sander!" Robbe called, but he had started pedaling.
"Come." Sander said again, cycling his bike.
"What are we doing?" Robbe asked with a laugh from behind.
Sander drawled, "Surprise."
When Robbe had reached his side, he stretch his drink toward him, "Here. This one is good."
Robbe took it, "Is it good?"
"This one is really good."
Robbe drank and exclaimed in pleasure. Finishing it, he threw the can into a bin that he passed.
"Yeahh!" they both yelled when the can went down the hole.
"Did you see that?" he shouted joyfully.
Sander cheered with him and raised him palm up to him, "Hit it! Hit it!"
They high fived across their bikes and Sander held that touch for a second. They continued riding and circling each other along the street without any hurry. He felt so at ease and Robbe looked like he felt the same way. Sander lead him to the building with the tunnel that ran under one of the river. They rode an elevator up to reach the entrance.
Cycling through the tunnel, Sander suggested a challenge, "Race!"
Robe started counting down right away, "Three. Two. One. Go!"
And they raced with the cool wind blowing through their hairs and flapping their jackets around. The bright light from the celling flashed by, bouncing on the walls. Sander howled in pure delight, rising higher on his bike. Robbe whooped out in joy. He didn't really see or care who win the race. Looking at the glow of happiness on Robbe's face; Sander felt so free, he felt wonderful. He howled again and Robbe patted him lightly on the back. They had slowed down now, Robbe took his phone from him and turned the camera to Sander. Laughing, Sander stretched both of his legs out on the bike's handle. He hold them for a moment for Robbe to take a video of. Robbe took some more pictures of them; laughing and cheering together.
They were out from the tunnel now, drinking and riding along the street; singing and chatting in comfortable gaiety. Sander was drinking from another can, and it was awful. He wiped his mouth and offered it to Robbe, who took it.
"Can I finish this?"
"Take it." He looked and waited for his reaction.
Robbe shook his head in disgust. "Ugh! That's bad! Who invented this?"
Sander just laughed at him. He lead them towards the building with a huge swimming pool in it. He went there at a high school party and had noticed that it had very low level type of security. When he reached the place, he glanced back at Robbe and quickly rode to the front door. Getting down from his bike, he threw it at the bushes near the door and walked to it.
"Sander, what are we doing here?" Robbe asked anxiously from behind him.
Sander hushed him down, "Just a second." He took out his credit card and started to wedge it at the lock, pressed and pulled on the handle.
"Come on, Sander. Someone will see us," Robbe whispered.
Sander turned his head to him, "Wait."
Finally the door unlocked. He gestured triumphantly to Robbe. He opened the door; it was dark inside.
"Come," he said to Robbe and without waiting, walked inside.
Robbe cursed in panic whisper from the door, "Fuck. Sander!" But he followed him in.
Sander turned on the flashlight on his phone to light the way. Climbing the steps, making sure Robbe was following, he waved the flashlight around him alternately to shine Robbe's way up the stairs.
"Where the fuck are we?"
"Come," Sander told him in a tone that saying he had everything under control.
It's a short climb. The light from the open door was shining through. He walked passed the door and gestured his arms to the large swimming pool victoriously.
"Sander.. Fuck.." Robbe trailed off.
The swimming pool was enormous, the area surrounding the pool's upper wall was lit up with electric lights. Sander rejoiced in the awe and admiration on Robbe's face. It was quiet; the light reflected on the water's surface was soothing. Sander walked to the swimming's pool edge. Without hesitation, he took off his leather jacket.
Slipping off his shoes, he said to Robbe, "Come."
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
"It's fucking cold." Robbe exclaimed disbelievingly.
"Yes, it's ice cold. Come one." He coaxed him again.
"Fuck." Robbe took off his jacket.
He took off his shocks, shirt and pants. The cool air hit his body. "Fuck, I am already cold."
Glancing back at Robbe, he took off his boxer. Robbe stared at him like he had lost his mind. He yelled and jumped into the pool. A rush of air wrapped his naked body and then he hit the water in a shock of freezing water. He moved around under the water for a moment, and then he came back to the surface.
Shaking the water from his hair, he wiped his face, he exclaimed, "It's amazing!"
He spreaded his arms wide and kicking his legs gently, he urged Robbe on, "In you go. Come on."
Robbe was hugging his arms around his upper body and screwing his face in, he hissed, "Fuck no."
Sander knew that Robbe had a daring side in him. He had seen that in the boys' vlogs and from their time together, he could sensed that boldness in him. It just needed some nudging to be brought out.
He urged him again, "Come."
"No, no, no," Robbe shook out his head, swaying in place.
"Come." Sander keep urging him on.
Robbe finally gave in. He took off his shoes and shirt. He still looked hesitant but he took off his pants next. Floating in the pool, Sander just gazed at him. The boy had an athletic body under all the oversized clothes and jacket. His skin was smooth and tempting. Robbe walked to the edge in his underwear.
Sander cried out, "Hey! Hey!"
"What?"
"All the way or no way. Come." It was a night of honesty. He wanted them to be themselves, completely, like they had been the whole night. They had been doing it from across a space that separated them. And he wanted them to jump that chasm.
Robbe looked at him, his hand wavered around his waist. He took it down and jumped into the pool, yelling. The big splash of the jump hit him.
After sometime, Robbe broke out in a scream, shaking his head around. "Fuck! It's cold!"
"It's not that bad!"
Robbe swam away from him, making big splashes. He stopped and coughed.
"Can you even swim man?" He laughed teasingly at him.
Swimming back to him, Robbe said, "Fuck you. I can swim better than you."
"Yeah? I don't believe that."
"I can easily swim to the other side, underwater."
"Yeah?" Sander asked with a mocking disbelief.
Robbe splashed water to his face from across him.
Wiping the water off his face, he challenged, "Okay. You know what? Let's turn this into a bet. See who can stay under the longest."
"Okay." Robbe answered with another splash to his face. "What does the winner get?"
"Eh, the winner gets to decide. So that'll be me." Sander said confidently.
Robbe laughed, "Fuck you. I'll annihilate you."
"Okay, on three."
Robbe counted down. At three, they both went under. The silence of the water enveloped him. He looked at Robbe's closed eyes in front of him through the blur of water. It felt like wrapped in a small world with only both of them in it. The refraction of light from outside threw scattered glint on the gold chain around Robbe's neck. He stared at the blur shape of Robbe's spread arms; the slow current waving his hair around in a halo. There was a gentle calmness on his face. He was the most beautiful thing he ever saw. Sander reached out his arms to pull him in. Surprised, Robbe butted his hand away. He opened his eyes and waved a bit in confusion. Sander looked at him and with a conviction in him, he swam the short distance to him. He closed the gap and touched his lips to Robbe's.
Robbe's hand shot out and pushed him away; he swam up. Sander broke the surface after him.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Shaking the water from his head, Sander shrugged casually and said, "I won."
"What won? You cheated." Robbe emphasized it with a splash to his face.
"What?"
"Again you cheated." Robbe splashed him on the face again.
"What do you mean I cheated?" Sander decided to just play it cool.
"Dude, you can't do that." Robbe was splashing water around. His voice seemed to rise and fall with every words.
"I won." He said firmly.
"Fuck you, no. I am telling you, that didn't count."
He wanted to laugh. "I don't see the problem." He shrugged off again smugly.
Robbe squealed, "It doesn't count." Robbe splashed another shot of water to his face.
He could pratically drowned by all the splashes and he didn't mind it. "Why not?"
"Come on, again." Robbe insisted in a high voice.
"Again?"
"Again."
"Okay."
Robbe said, "You count us down."
"On three. One. Two. Three." Sander took a long breath and went under.
When the water enveloped him again, he opened his eyes. Robbe's eyes were open this time, looking at him from across the gap between them. He waited. For Robbe to take the leap. And he watched Robbe swam to him, reaching his hands out. Sander reached out too and their lips met.
They exhaled and broke out of the water together, in a mad whirl of passion. He felt Robbe's hand on his neck, on the side of his face. Sander pulled on Robbe's hair, breathed him in. The cold night air brushed his body; the heat from Robbe's skin enclosed him. Wave after wave of cold and heat collided in him, around him. He shuddered, drunk on the exquisite taste of Robbe; he felt dizzy and high. Everything else dropped away; there was only the sweetness of their mouths melted into one, theirs arms encircling each other. Breathless, he broke the kiss for a second to take some air. His blood was boiling and he still can't have enough of him. He closed in on his mouth again, kissing him fiercely. Robbe's soft tongue drove him into senseless want. Suddenly there was a blinding light. The sound of dogs barking, shook them awake.
"Fuck." They both cursed.
The night guard had found them. Panic hit them and they climbed out from the pool. Gathering their clothes, they ran through the door. Laughing hysterically, they shot out from the building. They put on their shirts and pants frantically; snatched their bikes from the bushes and flew away. After some distance, with no barking following them; they stopped and shrugged on their jacket and shoes. They looked at each other and laughed their heads off. They subsided after a while, breathing hard.
Gaining his breath back, Sander looked at Robbe and said, "Cmmon, I'll take you home."
Robbe looked shy; he nodded. They knew that something had changed between them, a path had opened. Arriving at Robbe's apartment, Sander wanted to kiss him again, but for once he reined himself in. He can sensed that Robbe needed some time to process things. Robbe glanced at him with a bashful expression.
Sander looked into his eyes and said tenderly, "Good night Robbe."
"Night Sander." Robbe smiled shyly and went in.