Jagged Edges

As soon as I told mom about Saturday she started cooking. She tends to do that when she's nervous or excited. In this case I hope she's excited because I certainly am. Nervous too, actually. I mean, it's Treason.

Saturday rolls around and I'm faced with finding something to wear. As a swimmer I have an impressive collection of bathing suits and swim trunks. All of which are absolutely terrible for the occasion. The grey ones are too short and the blue ones are too baggy. The green and white ones are too long and the orange and black ones make me look paler than I actually am. Why hadn't I noticed any of this before now? I would have asked mom to take me to get some new ones. With a sigh, I pull out the last pair if trunks from the drawer and smile. The purple and red suit is perfect.

I pull it on and slide my feet into flip flops before grabbing two towels from the linen closet and heading downstairs. I stop when I hear unfamiliar voices coming from the living room. We better not be getting robbed. I don't have time for that! Treason will be here any minute.

I glance into the room and see seven unfamiliar guys, all relatively young and really fit. College students probably. "Uhm . . . Hi?"

They all look at me and I feel my face heat up. None of them say a word and one of them even stares at my chest which effectively makes this awkward.

"Gian, these are some boys from my class." My dad announces from behind me. I whirl around and see him with an arm full of books. "They're here for some extra tutoring. Boys, this is my son."

There's a collective mumble of hey's and suddenly there's a tall, tan, buff guy by my side, reaching out to help dad with the books. He flashes me a blinding white smile before returning to the living room, leaving me a little dazed. He's the guy who was staring at my chest. Weirdo.

"Oh, uh. Treason should be here soon." I remind dad. "We'll be out back so we'll be out of the way."

He simply nods with a smile and returns to the living room as well. Just then the doorbell rings and my heartbeat quickens in excitement.

I move to straighten out my clothes but realize that I'm only in swim trunks and flip flops. A wave of self consciousness rolls over me as I fling open the door and offer a weak smile. "Hey Sunny."

"Hi Gian. I really hope the pool is nice and warm cause it's cold out here." He greets, showing off his straight white teeth.

I smile back and step aside, allowing him to come inside. "Yeah, swimming in November does sound really crazy but it's nice in the pool, I swear." 

He follows me through the house and out the back door before pulling off his shirt, revealing toned abs that make me swallow heavily. In order to avoid an embarrassing incident, I kick off my flip flops and run towards the pool, diving in with grace. As my head breaks the surface I hear him clapping.

"That was nice." 

"I know." I grin. "Your turn."

With an eye roll, he kicks off his own flip flops and jumps in too. It takes all my will power to keep my hands to myself as he kicks back to the surface.

Treason sighs and starts off on a lap around the pool. "This feels great."

"I told you." I smile, joining him and controlling my strokes carefully.

"Yeah yeah." With that, he dips back under the surface and I just smile. Why is he so perfect?

Almost two hours pass like this. Swimming and talking and laughing and smiling. I find myself chatting with him as he watches me do laps from the side of the pool with a towel wrapped around his shoulders.

"You never get tired, do you?" He laughs.

"I'm a swimmer. It takes a lot more to tire me out." I answer, passing him yet again.

"Oh." He takes a second to look pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know that."

"Now you do."

"Yeah," He says, smiling to himself. "Now I do."

Treason kicks his feet, sending a splash of water my way. I laugh and swim over to him, wrapping my fingers around his ankle to get him to stop. "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm very sorry."

"I bet you are, Sunny."

"I truly am. I'm thinking of going to buy you roses as an apology." Is it just me or is he flirting?

There's nothing wrong with flirting back, right? "Well, that's a nice gesture but I prefer lilies." 

"Oh? Well there's something else I didn't know about you. Now I do."

"Yeah, now you do." I smile. "Now tell me something I don't know about you."

He rolls his eyes up to the sky as if the heavens would open up and give him something to say. I lift myself out of the water and settle down next to him, waiting patiently. What he says next is something I certainly didn't expect.

"I'm gay."

This leaves me speechless for a second or two. "I . . . really?"

"Yeah."

"I . . . I didn't know that."

He smiles and shrugs, kicking his feet again. "Now you do."

"Yeah, now I do." I smile back.

I hadn't notice that I'd been shivering until Treason pulled the towel from around his shoulders and over mine. "Maybe we should go inside. You're shivering and red."

Nodding, I stand and lead the way back into the house, knowing for a fact that I'm not red from the cold and I'm actually quite warm all over. I tell him to go get changed and I myself head to the kitchen to get something to drink.

This new information rolls around in my head and sparks a whole new generation of hope within me. If he's gay then there's hope. There's that slim possibility that one day we can be together.

"You look flushed." A voice comments, startling me fiercely. I spin around with wide eyes and find the guy who was staring at me earlier.

"Oh, sorry." I didn't mean to scare you. Just came for some water." He apologizes, reaching for a bottle of Deer Park. "I'm Seth, by the way."

"Gian."

"Nice to meet you." He says, flashing that dazzling smile and retreating back to where he came from.

I shrug off the odd encounter and take the two glasses of tea I just poured into my hands, heading upstairs.

Treason sits on my bed, fully dressed and waiting patiently. He smiles when I hand him the glass. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sunny."

"Why don't you go get changed?" He suggests, frowning. "That can't be comfortable."

I roll my eyes but gather my clothes and change in the bathroom quickly before joining my crush back on the bed with crossed legs. "So . . . What else don't I know about you?"

"Oh, tons of things." He shrugs, smiling back but with a very serious tone.

"Well tell me." I insist.

"No."

"Why not?"

Treason looks up at me and stares for a solid minute. "Because the time isn't right. I promise I will one day but not now." 

I nod slowly and the next time I look up I see that Treason has a confused look in his eye. "Sunny? What's wrong?"

Instead of answering me he simply leans closer.

And closer.

And closer.

Until he's so close that our breath is almost one. Until we're breathing the same air. Until all I have to do to kiss him is pucker my lips.

But then a noise from downstairs snaps him out of whatever trance he was in and he stands so quickly that he almost has to sit back down again. 

"I'm sorry." He mumbles. "I shouldn't have . . . I'm sorry."

I stand as well and reach out for him. "Sunny, it's okay. I-"

"No, Gian." He steps out of reach. "It's not okay."

And with that he's out of the room and I'm left wondering if I've just fucked everything up.