Narrator's P.O.V.
Kael had his back turned, focused on the countertop, completely oblivious to the younger guys' conversations in the living room. As soon as Samuel crossed the threshold separating the two rooms, the muffled sound of the music seemed to evaporate. All that could be heard was the rhythmic thud of the knife against the cutting board as the older man calmly sliced chicken breasts to whip up a quick lunch for everyone.
The man was so zoned out he didn't even hear Samuel's approaching footsteps. Like a predator isolating its prey before the strike, the boy drew near, slowly pressing his body against the older man's.
"Kael..." he whispered, sliding his hands down from the other man's shoulders to his arms.
"Samuel? What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
Novaes was so close to Kael that the man simply froze, his muscles tensing at the sudden, extreme proximity. His breath hitched. The boy's hands slid down the sides of the man's body, gripping the still-damp fabric at the hem of his shorts. Samuel pressed his face into the crook of his neck, his hot breath brushing against the older man's dark skin, sending shivers down his entire body. He kissed him gently there, brushing his lips softly, letting that slight friction ignite them both.
"Samuel..." he whispered with difficulty.
"Why do you prefer him? He's not worth all this, Kael."
"I know he's not," he answered directly.
"Then why?" Samuel moved his hands down to the older man's waist, gripping it firmly on both sides, pulling Kael's hips closer to his own.
"Samuel, don't do this..."
The truth was, because the touch was so... intimate... Kael's body was inevitably reacting. He couldn't help but get turned on, especially feeling that he wasn't the only one in that state. The bulge in Samuel's own shorts was undeniable, and he made absolutely sure Ávila felt it, rubbing himself shamelessly against the older man's ass.
"Why not? Don't you like it?" he whispered in Kael's ear, lightly biting his earlobe.
"I do, but Yuri is here," he managed to reply.
"He doesn't care about you, Kael! He..."
"I don't care," Kael cut him off. He dropped the knife and leaned on the counter with both hands. He clenched his fists tight, his knuckles turning completely white, and lowered his head. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He gathered whatever strength he had left and gave the younger boy an ultimatum:
"Get out of here, Samuel."
Samuel stopped. Silence reigned in the kitchen for a second that felt like an hour. Then, with agonizing slowness, the boy left a wet, absurdly provocative kiss on Kael's neck. He loosened his grip on his waist, sliding his hands away, and took a step back.
"Whatever you want," he replied. There was a tone of pure victory in his voice. He knew he had provoked the exact reaction he wanted.
That boy's presence was so intense that, even without hearing his footsteps, Kael knew he had left the room simply because he couldn't feel him around anymore. The man gasped, letting out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding, his chest rising and falling in an erratic rhythm. He let out a low laugh of pure disbelief at what had just happened. The element of surprise had definitely worked; he had been caught off guard, and the sheer audacity of someone as young as Samuel was... well, that deeply intrigued him.
"I can't believe this..." he muttered to himself, immediately returning to slicing the chicken strips in front of him.
...
A short while after that, Kael finally walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he headed toward Lucas. Ribeiro watched the older man approach while leaning against the wall next to the apartment's hallway entrance. He was sipping a can of Heineken, remaining in absolute silence.
"Food's ready," Kael announced, scanning the empty living room. "Where is everybody?"
"Léo went to buy more booze," the curly-haired guy replied, avoiding eye contact.
"And where are the two kids?"
Lucas looked at Kael with an unreadable expression, a mix of nerves and, perhaps, fear. Not of the older man, but of his reaction. He silently gestured toward the balcony with his head, immediately making Kael's gaze snap to the glass door, only to see two silhouettes on the other side, standing way too close to each other.
"Man... what the hell happened?" Lucas asked in a low, hurried voice. "After Samuel walked out of the kitchen, Yuri started provoking him again. We saw what he did to you, and since you didn't go for it, Yuri started bragging. The kid didn't think twice. He cornered Yuri against the balcony railing, and they've been out there ever since."
Ávila frowned. Jealousy finally set in, instantly flaring up in his chest. He braced himself to intervene, already turning toward where the younger guys were, but Lucas grabbed his arm lightly, shaking his head 'no'.
"That's not the worst part. The worst part is that Yuri let him," Lucas swallowed hard. "I saw it, Kael. He got hard when Samuel came at him, and he went right back at him."
"Did they hook up?"
"No. At least not from what I saw. Then they went out to the balcony and haven't come back inside."
Silence swallowed Kael's mind. He slowly turned his face toward the glass door. It was already dark; the only illumination spilling onto the balcony came from the streetlights in front of the building. The glass wasn't entirely transparent; it blurred the view, so it was impossible to see exactly what the two of them were doing. He only knew they were too close. It was way too risky, especially since he knew the person he was involved with, and he knew that when it came to men, Yuri was no good.
He didn't know what to think. Any other man in Kael's shoes would have exploded. They would have felt their pride wounded by perhaps, just perhaps, being "betrayed" right before their eyes. Anyone else would let themselves be blinded by jealousy, they'd yell, make a scene. But not Kael. He wasn't irrational, and he wasn't an idiot. He knew what he was getting into when he fell for someone like Yuri Farias. The man sighed, his shoulders dropping. Kael tilted his head back and slowly exhaled.
"Are you okay?" his friend asked.
"I am," he replied simply.
"You should put an end to this."
"I know."
"So...?"
"Let it go. Yuri is going to hook up with him if he wants to, and I can't stop that. We aren't together, Luc. It's none of my business. I'd rather protect my peace of mind, otherwise he'll drive me crazy."
Kael's words were spoken in a monotonous tone, yet the pain in them was palpable, woven into every unsaid word. He was right to want to protect himself, but it was still obvious how much that relationship hurt him. The older man looked once more at the balcony door, just in time to see the duo finally notice his presence there. Samuel was the first to step back inside, a malicious smirk playing on his lips. Yuri, on the other hand, seeing that Kael was already there, reacted like someone caught red-handed doing something they shouldn't. The redhead looked at Ávila like a sorry puppy, especially when the older man shook his head 'no'. No one said a word; it was an incredibly uncomfortable situation.
"Shall we eat?" Kael said suddenly, smiling gently at everyone.
He turned around and went back to the kitchen, setting the plates and silverware in silence. The three boys didn't understand his reaction, but no one questioned him...