Narrator's P.O.V.
Kael looked away when he noticed Yuri emerging from the water and walking toward them, completely soaked with a goofy smile on his face. His body ran hot. The younger man triggered very intense reactions in him. Beside him, Samuel also watched Farias approach. Kael noticed when the boy discreetly bit his lip, subtly sizing Yuri up from head to toe. The older man arched an eyebrow, finding Samuel's sudden, clear interest in Yuri peculiar, but it didn't bother him. Anyone else's normal instinct would be to scowl, get jealous, and tell the younger guy to back off...
But instead of anger, a spark of pure curiosity ignited in his mind. A faint—almost imperceptible—smile crossed his lips. An almost intoxicating idea surfaced, bringing with it the blatant arousal that the possibility of a three-way dynamic could offer. Yuri finally arrived, throwing himself onto the beach spread, kicking up sand on all of them and breaking their shared trance.
"Fuck, the water is perfect!" Farias laughed, shaking his head and spraying water everywhere. "Is there any booze left, Kael?"
"I'll get it for you," he replied immediately, already turning to grab the cans from his cooler.
"You're getting sand all over our stuff, Yure," Samuel complained in a highly annoying voice, at least in the redhead's opinion.
"Sounds like a *you* problem. You should enjoy the beach instead of reading like a nerd. And I already told you my name isn't YuRE, it's YuRI, with an I at the end," he decreed.
"But I prefer calling you that," the younger boy replied. Yuri just shrugged, throwing himself into Kael's lap, draping half his body over the older man.
"Then I'm not going to answer you; that's not my name," he said simply.
"Why are you such a pain in the ass, huh?"
"Oh, blow me, Samuel. And get off my back!"
Kael didn't say a single word. He just wrapped his arms around Yuri, watching as the two young guys relentlessly traded barbs. He found it funny how, being younger, they seemed to hate each other while simultaneously being so alike. He knew perfectly well how his—almost—"boyfriend" operated, and exactly because of that, he knew that maybe, deep down, Yuri was interested in Samuel. Meanwhile, Novaes, for his part, had shown interest in the other boy right before his eyes.
Maybe that idea in his mind wasn't so bad after all...
...
Late afternoon had arrived, bringing with it the satisfaction of having enjoyed such a pleasant day. Just as they were about to leave, a friend from their group, Léo, invited them over to his place. The friends accepted immediately; after all, even though it was starting to get dark, that didn't mean their day was over. Lucas called a ride for them, and in no time they were at the building, laughing loudly in the elevator on their way up to Léo's apartment.
The vibe was classic post-beach: wet towels hung over living room chairs, a few beer cans and wine bottles—for Kael, since he didn't like malt beverages—on the table, low music playing on the TV while all the guys chatted animatedly.
The bickering that had started on the sand had now leveled up in the living room. Yuri was sprawled on Léo's couch completely casually, alternating between swigs from a bottle of wine draft and taking jabs at Samuel. The curly-haired boy, on the other hand, was sitting in one of the chairs. Posture straight, arms and legs crossed, as his gaze fell on Yuri in a mix of interest and mild annoyance. While Farias seemed increasingly irritated, Samuel maintained an absurd calmness, even if his eyes gave him away a little.
"Doesn't that bother you?" Léo asked his friend, sitting down next to Kael.
"Not in the slightest." He shrugged, taking a sip from the wine glass in his hand.
"They look like they're flirting," Lucas commented, joining his friends.
"They are," Kael replied.
"And it still doesn't bother you?"
"Do you really think he cares, Lucas?"
"Of course I care, guys!" he scolded. "But how can I let it bother me? Yuri isn't my boyfriend, and apparently, he doesn't want to be. If I get bothered by every guy he flirts with, what kind of state do you think I'll be in?"
"So you just let it happen?"
"Do I have a choice, Léo? What am I going to do? Cry? Die?"
For a moment, both of the older man's friends fell silent. Indeed, his situation with Yuri was complicated, and it would easily consume him if he gave so much weight to the younger man's every move. Yuri always acted in ways that could potentially hurt Kael, that is, if the man allowed himself to be hurt—even though there were many times he lost control and got hurt more than he should. He preferred to just step back. Certain things become easier when we simply accept them as they are!
"I'm gonna make us something to eat." The man stood up, walking slowly toward the kitchen.
"Need some help?" Samuel asked. Even though he was "busy" with Yuri, he still managed to pay attention to Kael, even if just in fleeting glances.
"No need, babe. I'm just going to whip up something quick for us to eat," he said simply.
"Babe?" The curly-haired boy let out a small laugh; after all, he hadn't expected to be called that.
"Don't feel special, rookie. He calls everyone that," the redhead muttered while picking some random song on the TV.
"But you know Kael falls fast for guys like Samuel," Lucas provoked.
"Keep dreaming, son. He only has eyes for me. I doubt he'd hook up with anyone else." Yuri's sentence made Novaes burst into loud laughter. "What are you laughing at, boy?"
"Does he really only have eyes for you? When he's got someone like me right here?" he challenged.
"You've got a lot of nerve for a little nerd, you know that?" Yuri laughed, his tone dripping with pure mockery. "You still have a lot to learn, kid."
"You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you? He's not even your boyfriend, nothing is stopping me from making out with him right in front of you." Samuel didn't falter. A cynical smile tore across his face, his voice low but steady, sharp as a razor, slicing through the silence that had settled in the room.
Yuri let out a shrill, loud cackle, throwing his head back. The mockery was so palpable it oozed alongside the sound of his laughter. He crossed his arms behind his neck, eyes flashing with defiance.
"Go ahead. Try your luck. I bet Kael won't even give you the time of day." He looked at Samuel and gestured with his head, pointing toward the kitchen, where Kael was.
Samuel didn't say anything else. Words weren't needed to show his satisfaction at hearing that. He had practically just received the green light he had spent the whole day waiting for. The smirk on his lips widened. The boy got up from his chair and, with slow, silent steps, headed for the kitchen. Given the apartment's layout, the living room directly faced the kitchen, which gave the others a perfect view.
The show was about to begin!