They were bathed in blue and white.
Blue, the tropical night of Thailand, clear and warm. White, the moonlight that shone into the room through the open windows, splashing on the floor in a milky pool that lapped around the bed and crawled halfway up the wall. White, the gauzy curtains of white cotton slowly undulating in the gentle breeze that brought with it the salty smell of the sea and the distant squawking of the gulls. White, the ruffled sheets of the large wooden bed where their glistening bodies were lying. White, the shirts of their school uniforms casually thrown on the back of a chair.
Above the bed, an old wooden ceiling fan was stirring the ambiant mugginess without making the air any cooler. Slowly rotating, its blades cast an intermittent shadow on their cinnamon bodies a couple of metres below. They were lying naked on their backs, arms and legs streched out, holding hands, their fingers crossed, panting.
Staring into the middle distance Tik was not watching the fan. The image of Ek's face was floating between him and the ceiling and it felt strange to have his lover both in front of him and next to him.
He propped himself up on his elbows. For a minute or two he studied the shadow that was cast on the wall by the spire of the temple across the street. Even at night it was a busy street and whiffs of fried food rose up to the room as did the indistinguishable conversation of draughts players.
Rolling over to his side and holding his head like a reclining Buddha he turned his face towards the boy he loved. Ek did not move and kept looking at the ceiling, his parted lips shining in the dark, his breathing normal again.
He too was reminiscing about their recent embrace and a light smile of contentment appeared on his mouth revealing his white teeth.
Tik could not take his eyes off his friend. He could have stayed hours like this, contemplating his profile, the pearls of perspiration slowly drying on his forehead, the curve of his nose, the roundness of his lips - and listening to his soft breathing whose regular rhythm made his smooth chest rise and fall.
Realizing that his friend was looking at him Ek turned on his side and adopted the same position. They faced each other and, for what seemed to last forever and yet not long enough, they lost themselves in mutual contemplation.
Tik eventually snuggled up to Ek and buried his face into the hollow of his shoulder. As Ek closed his arm around him Tik turned his face a little to inhale the scent of Ek's armpit. It was exhilarating and he softly ran his tongue on his lover's chest. He circled several times around a nipple and eventually planted a long kiss on it, squeezing it softly with his lips. His hand found its way to the other nipple and he lightly teased it, enjoying the shivers that his stroking was sending through Ek's body and the soft gasps they came with.
He crawled up and lay on top of Ek, their two bodies almost perfectly matching, knees against knees, groin against groin, breast against breast, lips against lips. Ek placed his hands on the back of Tik's shoulders and pressed him strongly against himself. They passionately hugged and kissed wishing they could melt into each other.
With a sharp bang, lightening suddenly ripped the night apart. Almost immediately the thunder roared and the rain started to fall heavily. The breeze grew stronger and for a moment the curtains whirled on each side of the bed.
Oblivious to the deafening sound of the monsoon and to the torrents of water rushing down the now deserted street Tik crawled up to straddle his friend's chest. Ek lifted his head and opened his mouth. Moments later a racy flavour and a heady scent further stimulated his already inflamed senses.
Tik slid over Ek's stomach and, still straddling his friend, slowly sat back. He did not move for a while then gradually rose and eased down again. Every flash of lightening outside projected onto the wall an oversized shadow of him moving up and down and their panting was almost in unison with the thunder.
Placing his hands over Tik's ears Ek pulled his lover's face down and their tongues entwined for long minutes. A last surge finally relieved Ek in powerful spasms and they both rolled over, spent and glistening with perspiration. They dozed off to the sound of the storm.
The rain eventually stopped, the water in the street subsided and, in the east, the sky lightened. Reluctantly, Tik got off the bed, streched his body and headed for the adjacent bathroom. He scooped some water from the earthenware jar and poured it over his smooth body. The contact was pleasant and he repeated it a few more times.
He went back to the room where Ek was still lying in bed, looking at him lovingly. His hair still ruffled by his almost sleepless night Tik grabbed his shirt and trousers and slipped them on. He then fished his socks from under the bed and sat down to put his shoes on.
As he was tieing his laces up he remembered that he still had not written the first word of the history report that was due on the following Tuesday. He smiled, not worried. He knew he would find something as of late his marks had been surprisingly better than ever. Studying seemed so much easier now that he loved Ek and that he considered school from a certain distance. He knew their love had the same effect on his lover and he was happy about it. They had matured so much in the last few months...
He walked to the bed, bent down and tenderly kissed his friend. As he stood up again his lips mouthed the words "I love you." A spark lit up in Ek's eyes. He smiled sweetly, mouthed back "Me too" and kissed the air in his direction. Tik left.
Walking in the street amidst the scent of incense and the morning chants of the nearby temple he knew that random images of that night would follow him all day and that Ek would be with him every minute. He also knew that they would meet again in the evening and that their bodies would meet again too. And tomorrow. And the day after.
They were 17. They loved each other. Nothing could happen to them.
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