Looking for Adventure

by Valentina Heart

  “Do you have any family?” he asked suddenly, almost causing me to turn into one of the trees growing by the side of the road.

  “Why do you ask?” I countered, not really looking forward to that conversation.

  “I have no idea; it just crossed my mind. I apologize. It’s not my place to ask.”

  “No, no, it’s fine. I was just surprised.” I took a deep breath and considered what my answer should be on this occasion.

  “Only my father is still alive, but we don’t talk to each other.” That was the understatement of the year.

  My father found out about me being gay when I was nineteen. He answered my cell phone when one of my casual flings was calling and got an earful. Tim asked him if he was up to coming to his place and giving him a blowjob. I probably could have gotten out of that one somehow, but he continued it by saying: “I’ll fuck you blind against the wall after it, like I did the last time.”

  My father grabbed me by the hair and slammed my head against the door frame. I was thrown out that same night with too many bruises to count and not very many things to call my own.

  “I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  Jonathan snapped me out of my sad thoughts. “What about yours?” I asked back.

  “I don’t have any parents,” he said calmly, but I couldn’t help but notice his body stiffening as he sped up his stride.

  I could have just ignored the situation like I’d done before with him, but something this time just wouldn’t let me. I wanted to know private things about him, some detail to make him more human in my eyes.

  “How do you mean, you don’t have any parents? Someone must have given birth to you,” I blurted out, regretting my insensitivity the moment he spoke back.

  “They all died when I was young. I don’t have anyone.” His shoulders slumped, but he still continued walking at the increased pace.

  “I think we should change the subject. This one isn’t doing any good to either of us,” I said instead of poking my nose into it some more.

  “Fine by me.” He spoke back without turning, but also without any inclination to start talking about something else.

  “I have no idea what to ask you,” I finally said, saying what was on my mind, not planning it.

  He laughed like crazy, stopping in place so that I had to stop too.

  “What is so funny?” I asked, not sure if I should be offended or happy that he wasn’t in his previous mood anymore.

  “Truthfully, I don’t know. You just make me laugh.” He exhaled loudly before casting me a smirk that just about undid me.

  “That’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Yes! That is great. My life is boring. Of course you don’t have any questions. So I will ask until we get bored with it. How about that?” He looked at me again until I nodded, and we were on our way once more.

  “What do you still want to try in life?”

  “That’s not a simple question. I have a lot of plans.” His question made me start thinking about all the things on my wish list.

  “Well, tell me two things.”

  “Just off the top of my head?” I hoped he wouldn’t ask about the things I wanted to do the most.

  “If you’d like.”

  “Okay. I want to go to a big heavy metal concert somewhere. I’ve never been to one before. And I want to tattoo my back.”

  Jonathan stopped again. “What?”

  I stopped too, putting my foot on the road, and gave him a look.

  “Nothing. It just wasn’t what I expected. I have no idea why I expected anything in the first place. You always surprise me, one way or the other.”

  I had to smile at that, secretly pleased with myself.

  “Do you have a particular concert in mind?”

  I shrugged. “Not really. There are so many great bands that I would just be happy if it’s in another country and it’s big.”

  “How about the tattoo then; it also has to be big?” I heard laughter in his voice. The stiff was teasing me.

  “No. It doesn’t have to just ‘be big,’ but I can’t tell you what I want. I have a picture in my bag. It’s something you have to see to understand.”

  “Fair enough. Why didn’t you do it before now?”

  “Not enough money, and I’m not good at saving,” I said honestly. I had really tried a few times to put money aside for one thing or the other, but it never worked out.

  “I see how that can be a problem.” A pensive look came over Jon’s face, and then he shook his head. “I never wanted a tattoo. It always seemed like pointless pain for something you can never remove from your body. Well, I suppose that is not technically correct, because there are always lasers, but in my book, that’s just more unnecessary pain.” He sounded thoughtful.

  “I love the pain,” I stated simply, remembering the feeling of that good ache.

  “Do you already have one?” Jonathan stopped again, turning in my direction.

  “Yes,” I said, blushing slightly.

  “Where?” His forehead wrinkled as he pierced me with his all-knowing eyes.

  “Can’t tell you that.” I looked at the asphalt, finding it suddenly extremely interesting.

  “I wonder how I haven’t seen it. You are practically naked when you get out of the shower, not to mention that jump in the sea you pulled. Wait a minute, practically naked…” He trailed off as his eyes connected with my groin.

  It sufficed to say the blush turned into a full-out crab red, especially when my cock started stirring under his sexy eyes.

  “I’m not talking about it.” My voice was firm. I started pedaling my bike again, heading toward the settlement without him.

  “Hey, wait up. There is nothing to be offended about. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” He ran after me, making me feel more of an ass, so I stopped and got off the bike to wait for him.

  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. There aren’t many people with tattoos that I know of. Actually, I don’t know anyone with a tattoo if you can believe that.” It was his turn to blush.

  “I can believe that. You’ve had, like, a thousand firsts just in the time I’ve known you.”

  We entered the settlement after that and our conversation ceased. We passed the boats and houses on foot this time, and I pushed my bike next to me as we walked. I’d already been there when I went to the store, but it was the first time for Jonathan, so I pointed out where the store was as well as the pharmacy.

  We crossed the bridge, reaching the tourist stop after only a few steps. It was a house with space that looked more like a three-car garage. It was full of scooters, bikes, a few kayaks, and vans, all lined up for a better view.

  Jonathan reached the man behind the counter. “Excuse me. How much does one of those bikes cost?”

  “They are for rent, not sale,” the man answered in a distinctive island drawl.

  “Yes, I realize that, but I’m wiling to offer you three times the price you paid for it. Would that satisfy you?” the boss stated, making the man’s jaw go slack.

  “I guess I could do that…” he answered, eventually taking one of the bikes and giving it to Jonathan.

  He gave the man cash I wasn’t even aware he had and turned to me with a smug smile. In no time both of us were on our bikes and crossing the bridge.

  “Money is a wonderful thing.”

  “I would think so, and you keep using that fact.” I poked at him a little.

  “Well, when I can, why shouldn’t I?” he asked.

  “You’re right. I just never met anyone like you.” I said it once more, realizing how true that was. Despite his serious and professional demeanor, Jonathan really wasn’t a bad guy.

  “Where are we heading?” He was riding in front of me as a car passed us on the road.

  “There’s a settlement a little bigger than this one maybe an hour away. I was thinking we could go there and spend the day. There is just this one road, so it won’t be a prob
lem to get there.” I ran the route again in my head. I’d only crossed it once before, and that was by car.

  We passed our house, riding slowly next to each other. The breeze was messing up my hair, but I loved the effect it had on Jonathan’s. It lifted it from its perfect-man look into something wild and reachable.

  I was aware of the illusion I was creating for myself, but in those kinds of moments, I simply didn’t care. He looked amazing, on my level mentally, and I was falling in love with him little by little with every new day that passed.

  After a while, the trees disappeared along our left side and were replaced with little stone pillars that separated the road from the free fall onto the rocks below. A new view opened up, one that was unobstructed and showed nothing but the vast sea marked with a distant shoreline. The morning sun reflected from the surface, giving everything a foggy, dimmed look.

  “I still can’t believe I missed seeing all this my whole life. It seems like such a waste,” Jonathan yelled my way, in order to be heard above the wind.

  “There’s still time to make up for it. I think you’re doing an amazing job of it too,” I told him sincerely.

  His bike was ahead of me, hiding his face perfectly, but I didn’t miss that familiar shoulder stiffening.

  “You think we should try finding you a woman anytime soon?” I asked, bitter jealousy burning through my being.

  “In a few days, maybe. For now, I think we should just have some more man fun. I never did things like this with another guy.” He seemed to come back to his usual self, but it was me who let out a huge breath of relief. The last thing on earth I wanted to do was to look for a woman for my secret crush.

  The rest of the ride passed in silence, each of us in our own thoughts. I had no idea what his revolved around, but mine were full of a dark-haired man whose ass moved provocatively on the bike seat ahead of me.

  It wasn’t until we reached the settlement that I spoke. “You want to go check out the lighthouse first?”

  He nodded, looking ahead toward the mass of stone houses that had been built next to each other. Their togetherness had a beauty to it.

  We turned left onto a path of stone and dirt at whose end stood a small, dark green lighthouse. I stopped as we reached it, leaned my bike against the lighthouse, and sat down in the shade. The sun shone over the settlement, giving us a perfect view from our position. The stone church tower stood out tall above the houses and trees. There were more people on the boardwalk here than in the place we’d just come from. This settlement was also situated in a bay, only a much wider one, and there were a lot more yachts lined up on the docks. Above the houses stood a green hill. Its pines towered over the whole settlement, making it look protected.

  “Just when I think there isn’t anything more beautiful I could possibly see, you bring me to something like this. It’s amazing.” The boss sat down next to me and looked at the boats and the people.

  “I don’t mean to,” I joked.

  He looked at me. When he realized I was joking, he bumped his fist against my shoulder. It was such a simple thing, childish really, but still it made me feel extremely special.

  “I’m really having fun with you,” he said, making my heart skip a beat and nervous sweat cover my brow.

  “The feeling is mutual. This is the best job ever,” I said, trying to cover my feelings.

  “But you know, my ass is sore from that seat. Just about killed me,” Jonathan said, laughing hard.

  It slipped my mind, how for someone who doesn’t ride a bike every day it can be difficult.

  “I’m sorry about that. I forgot how hard it can be. It will pass after a few days. Stick with me, and you’ll probably have some other sore muscles before those recover.” I snapped my mouth shut. Only when the words were already out did I realize how something like that must have sounded. Even if I’d planned it, I couldn’t have said something more insinuating than what I just did.

  “Do you have some other activities planned?” he asked, forcing me to look at him in order to judge his reaction. The last thing I needed was another embarrassing statement.

  His eyes looked genuinely curious, and I figured he hadn’t connected any dots, still saw me as an employee.

  “Well, we’ll go dancing one of these days. There’s a club maybe a twenty-minute walk from our house. And there is also this old tower on the shore opposite ours. It’s on the top of the hill and has a magnificent view. The locals usually keep someone there every summer as a fire watch because you can basically see the whole side of this island.” He smiled, and I breathed easier, relieved for escaping the heat once again.

  “I’m hungry. You game?”

  “Of course.” I was already on my feet and climbing onto my overused bike.

  At the very entrance to the settlement stood a three-story stone building with a lot of windows facing the sea. It was the school. I tried to imagine myself there. There was no way I would have learned anything with a view like that. My classes would have passed in constant daydreaming.

  Our path was paved with large square stones, some already spent from use and salt, the others perfect and white, as if they’d been replaced recently. It was an amazing contrast to the green park that stood on our right side, while the sea on our left rocked in prominent blue.

  Wooden stands stood in front of the park, with young girls selling different trinkets, some seashells, and even some jewelry made from them. There were stone ashtrays and pictures, hats and flip-flops, and fluttering in the wind hung the colorful pareus for women.

  We passed the sellers hawking their wares until we reached the middle of an open square. I took us to a nearby restaurant that faced a stone fountain standing in its center. It was one I had been to before, and their food was good.

  Large parasols shaded the tables, and they were already set. It didn’t take long for the waiter to reach us.

  He gave us a smile and handed us a menu. “Can I bring you anything to drink?”

  We both ordered sodas plus a couple of bottles of water before looking intently at the menu.

  In the end Jonathan ordered a red mullet with fennel and a green salad on the side, while I settled for mussels with wine and garlic, but also an octopus salad to be brought later. I loved everything from the sea, so nothing stopped me from mixing it up a bit on a special occasion.

  “Isn’t that combination a bit odd?” Jonathan gazed my way as the waiter took his leave.

  “It probably is, but I haven’t had either of those two meals for a while. I just couldn’t resist.” I smiled at him cheekily.

  “I don’t mind. Whatever rocks your boat, right? I rather like it when you enjoy yourself. Never experienced that before either,” he said, his voice calm. Entirely too calm.

  What was up with that? The whole morning, he’d kept throwing out statements like that one, confusing the hell out of little old me. I blushed like I had every time before, having nothing to say back.

  The meal was delicious, bringing back old memories but also creating new ones. It was with difficulty that we stood up after almost two hours of relaxing and decided to rest a bit more in the park.

  The trees were tall, the grass so tempting… I actually wanted to lay my ass down and take a short nap in the shade. It was probably the boss who stopped me, because it was something I would have done if alone.

  “I could take a nap here,” he said out of the blue, making my head snap in his direction. It was as if he took the words right out of my mouth and made them his own.

  There was some kind of easiness between us that only got deeper the more time we spent together, and I couldn’t help but feel wrong because of it. Everything in me screamed that this was it, that he was the man I’d been waiting for, but showers of cold water over my thoughts brought me back to earth every time. He was as unreachable as the stars, and nothing I did about it would change that fact.

  “Then take a nap. Just occupy a bench and crash. I think I might do the same thing before we
head back home,” I answered him, my smile a bit strained.

  “I might just do that.” He leaned down and put his head on the wooden bench while I stared at the way his hair spilled over the green painted wood. He swallowed, forcing my eyes to watch that movement, to crave licking the soft skin there. Everything about him was sexy beyond belief, and I was trapped in this horny hell where I could only jerk off in private so far away from the subject of my cravings.

  Tired from the constant arousing daydreaming I’d been doing, the ride, as well as the sun already taking its toll, I found a nice spot on the grass, lay down, and closed my own eyes.

  Chapter Five

  When I woke up, it was to the chirp of sparrows that played underneath my bench. The sun was already much lower in the sky than it had been before I’d fallen asleep, and I knew it was about time for us to get back. Surprisingly I felt rested despite the hard wood beneath my back or the sounds around me. Who would have thought a week ago that I would find myself sleeping on a park bench in the middle of the afternoon?

  I sat up, looking for Nino. He was nowhere to be seen, but his bike was still leaning against mine, so I relaxed and leaned against the bench back. There were other people crashing around, falling under the spell of the sun. Some were on other benches, while a lot of them lay sprawled on the green grass with only their backpacks under their heads or back. I realized they were tourists, much like the two of us, passing through the settlement and taking a break between whatever plans they had for later.

  A tap on my shoulder snapped me from my thoughts, and I whirled around to stare at a smiling Nino. He had two ice-cream cones in his hands, one dripping slightly while the other had tongue marks shaping it.

  “I bought you an ice cream before we go.” Nino extended the dripping one my way.

  “Thanks,” I said as I took it from his hand, being careful not to stain myself.

  I licked around it, tasting strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, lemon… It was a mixture and delightfully refreshing.

  Nino sat next to me, still smiling and staring somewhere far away. I watched as his tongue sneaked between his red lips, and it caused my insides to flutter. Never having felt such a thing before, I decided to examine the sensation some more.