And suddenly I saw him standing there, on the rocks, in his bright neon speedo overlooking the sunset on the Mediterranean horizon. I can't help but notice how perfectly those speedos outline his nether regions both front and back. Though, if I'm honest, I never thought Lorenzo would be the type of guy to wear neon, especially for a pair of swimwear.
Lorenzo and I have been good friends since the time we studied at the same boarding school in England. We even shared a flat in London when we studied at different universities. He obtained his degree in Mathematics and IT, myself in Economics. He's pretty far from most people would assume a maths/IT geek would look like, though. His frequent trips to the gym for intense routines mean he's very well sculpted, 185cm tall, and living under the same room as me means a strict and healthy diet regime for all the good fats.
I, on the other hand, would fall dead centre on the stereotypical definition of "twink". I'm Southeast Asian, and actually pretty slim. I pride myself and am thankful for my body's ability to gain mass, no matter how much I eat. I seldom go to the gym, but when I do, it's usually for cruising.
"Rafael, look!" he says to me as he motions for me to come over.
"If you look to your right, there's Italy somewhere beyond the horizon. But.."
He points to where the sun is setting.
"..if you look that way, Tunisia. Of course now we are in a country which identifies itself as European, but if long ago history was a bit different, this coast right here would've been African territory."
Oh, yes, he's a bit of a geography buff, too.
As I observed the panorama, my eyes landed on his head. He had that thinking face on him. Before I realised it, though, I was also looking at him. Making my own observation.
Dark brown eyes and hair, but when he's smiling or expressionless, he has that boy next-door face. He looks like the muscular college guy in American movies when a girl moves into a new suburb, and he'd be all smiling and charming as he casually helps lifting the heavy stuff with his muscles. As he crosses his arms together, it implies a somewhat assertive posture.
"Come now, Lorenzo. Let's put something on and get back for dinner. I think I saw a restaurant nearby."
"Yes, mother."
We put on our beach shorts and top, put our stuff back on the rental cabriolet, and drove over to the restaurant I spoke of. Luckily, it's also got a cliffside terrace, so we can still witness the outstanding sunset. The drive was short and quiet, and when we arrived we thought we'd get some drinks first.
"Hello, boys! Welcome to Malta! Maybe you would like some of our signature cocktails to start?" urged the bartender
"Sounds great. We'll take two" I requested
A sun-kissed woman with blonde hair glanced at us, whispered to her male companion, and strided over to Lorenzo. It spoke of confidence, so she knew exactly what she was doing. Her male companion was ever so watchful from his seat.
"Hi, I'm Francesca! Nice to meet you!" she chided as she extended her hand first to Lorenzo then to me.
"Lorenzo. This is my good friend, Rafael."
"Hello, Rafael. Paula, from Germany."
She was very bubbly. The smile was also very genuine; I would say it matches the tone and mood of the room. Summer, sea air, and sunset.
"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" she motioned towards the empty seat next to Lorenzo.
"The seat is empty, but are you sure your boyfriend won't mind?"
She looked back at her male companion.
"Oh, that's my friend, Flo. Nah, he's okay, he's more interested in men, anyway."
Lorenzo happily chimed in, extending his left arm to me.
"As is Rafael! We're waiting for our cocktails, but once we have them maybe let's move to a table for 4.." he suggested, as he looked around for empty tables.
"Fantastic! I'll call him over, and let's all have fun!"
She turned back towards Flo, then waved him over. He was more.. guarded, as I observed. Definitely a contrast compared to her extroverted bubbly presence. He wasn't half bad, with the toned body and biceps. I observed that his ass was also a sight to see.
"This is Lorenzo, and that's his good friend Rafael. Rafael drives on your side of the street, so maybe you'd like to get along?" she finished the sentence with a wink.
Suddenly, the guarded German smiled and allowed himself to let loose a little. He didn't hesitate to put his hand forth, shaking mine. Just then, our cocktails arrived and we paid up.
"Come! I think there's an empty table outside. And there's still some sunset left to see!" Lorenzo charged, leading the way.
As we sat ourselves down, with Flo across me, and Lorenzo across Paula, we sipped our drinks and witnessed the sun going down. I glanced over to my new acquaintance, with his wavy dirty blond hair and blue eyes matching his flannel shirt. A wait staff came and took our orders, after that we got to introduce ourselves to the table some more.
She has a PhD from TU Munich, and is working for a European airspace/defence company. He's a photographer/artist with his own studio in Berlin. Apparently, they were childhood friends.
"Ah, so you've known each other for longer than we have" Lorenzo marvelled.
"And how long have you two known each other?" enquired Flo.
"Since we were.. what, 14? 15? Went to the same boarding school together."
We chatted away until the food came and finished. And then more drinks were ordered. Lorenzo thought now might as well be the time to push the night a little more.
"Why don't you come to our rental apartment? Let's have some more drinks there? And we've got our own rooms, so no twin beds there" he clued, with almost a wink.
Flo and Paula smiled at each other.
"I'm down, are you?" first time in the night he showed more enthusiasm than Paula.
"Yes, let's go. Do you have a car? Or are we calling a taxi?"
"Rafael's driving. Tonight's dinner is on me, so you three can go ahead to the car."