The shelling started around half an hour ago. It hadn't let up. The sound of bombs was scary, but Daniel was used to this by now.
The civil war had been raging for more than two years. Most nights were spent in the shelter, sleeping on mattresses on the concrete floor. Daniel's parents were concerned about their only son, especially since no one knew when violence would erupt. The militias shelled civilian areas indiscriminately. A lot of days, schools would close and the children would stay at home.
This time, Daniel was at school. When the shelling started at around 10 o'clock, the Grade 11 English teacher herded the kids down to the gymnasium. Both Grade 11 and Grade 12 were kept there until their parents would be able to come and pick them up since the school buses wouldn't take the risk. Although both boys had celebrated their 18th birthdays two months earlier, they were still considered school kids by their parents. It wouldn't be until they graduated in June that they would be treated as adults.
Daniel sat on the wooden floor next to his best friend, Sam. Daniel felt that Sam was more nervous than usual. He sat very close to him and Daniel felt his friend's body shaking.
"Hey, buddy, we're pretty safe down here. They have never bombed the school," Daniel told Sam reassuringly.
Sam shook more, pressing his hands on the floor, his muscles taught, his face almost ready to burst into tears.
Daniel wondered. It wasn't Sam's habit to be so scared. Sam was on the basketball team, tall, lean, a light beard already shadowing his chin.
"Not scared, Danny. It's just that my dad is out of the country and I bet my mom will never dare to drive in this shelling all the way from the city to come and get me."
"No big deal, bro. Why don't you come over to our place with me? I'm sure your mom won't mind."
"But we gotta tell her."
Daniel's house was closer to the school, way up in the mountains, fairly far from the hostilities although some shelling would hit the mountain areas every now and then.
Sam looked around. Mr. Jenkins, the English teacher, was standing close by, making sure all the boys were there and safe. He got up on shaky legs and walked over to the teacher.
"Excuse me, Mr. Jenkins? Can I use a phone to call my mom?"
Cell phones were not allowed in school, so Mr. Jenkins led Sam to the sports office to use the landline phone in there.
Five minutes later Sam returned, the expression on his face more relaxed.
"Mom says it's okay. She even sounded relieved. You sure your parents won't mind?"
"Of course not, man. Chill. Mom and Dad love you."
The boys waited. Daniel's dad picked them up a half an hour later, and they drove home. The shelling was still heard but somewhat distant. Nevertheless, they found the families huddled down in the shelter under Daniel's apartment building, a four-storey residential complex in the mountains.
Daniel and Sam sat on one of the mattresses, leaning against the wall, in the darkened basement shelter.
"How does it feel that you are the only child in the family, Dan?" Sam asked.
"It's good and bad. I get all the favors and attention, but it can get too tiresome. Parents can be overprotective."
"I guess," Sam heaved. "In our home it's always chaotic, never a minute of peace, with the five of us all over the place, shouting and screaming and arguing and fighting."
"Man, this sucks. I feel so claustrophobic down here."
"Maybe we could sneak out," Sam suggested. "I don't hear any more bombing. Do you?"
"Fuck. Mom would kill me."
"Not if I ask her."
It took Sam a lot of pleading with Daniel's mother. Finally, they had to promise to stay close to the building just in case the shelling started again.
The boys breathed in the air outside as they climbed down to the empty lot behind the building. There were pine trees and an olive grove and the May air was scented with nature.
"Oh, God, this feels so much better," Daniel said, as they climbed off the two-foot stone hedge to the field.
Sam stumbled. Instinctively, Daniel reached out and supported his friend pulling him up. They ended up as if in an embrace. Daniel shivered as he felt his friend's body press on him.
Daniel had always been attracted to Sam. He had realized early on that he was more interested in guys than in girls. He loved his friend in more ways than one, but his lust for Sam had always been there. He'd never tried to tell Sam how he felt. He was afraid to lose Sam if he told him that he turned him on.
But now, Sam's body against his felt heavenly. He had one arm around Sam's waist supporting him and the other hand holding onto Sam's arm, giving him balance. Their hips pressed on each other.
Seconds later, Sam pulled back, regaining his balance.
"Fancy me getting injured by a 2-foot fall in the middle of the war," Sam joked. But he seemed a bit ruffled by the close body proximity and the feeling of Daniel pressing on him. He did fancy Daniel. Hell, they were best friends, but his feelings now were more than friendly. He was scared by how he felt toward his friend. He was scared because his feelings were centered around his nuts. Was he hot for his friend? Another guy? Scared and confused.
The boys squatted next to each other, leaning against the wall, close to each other but not touching, picking at stones and throwing them away, just lazing, enjoying their freedom. At the same time, they were contemplating their feelings towards each other. Scared and confused.
