Chapter 2

Then the years had passed by and Alex had started to change. His body had become toned and well built, his face squared and the first thing he had done when he had the chance, was throw away the huge glasses and buy contact lenses. He grew into a handsome young man and no one had mocked him since. So yes, he had glasses, but he used them when his eyes were tired or irritated, or early in the morning.

Alex shook his head, trying to erase the image that popped up in his mind. He had avoided those memories for the last ten years and this wasn’t the right moment to walk down memory lane even though lately it was something he had done on occasion, and he didn’t like it.

He walked into the kitchen, where he met Kevin fixing some sandwiches, and Alex raised an eyebrow. Kevin was a nice guy, with blond hair he kept gathered in a short ponytail. His bright blue eyes were very similar to Gabriel’s, but sweet, while Gabriel always had a mischievous look. He was wearing his usual loose jeans and a white T-shirt.

“Are you still here?” Alex asked incredulously, looking at his friend who was busy with a huge pile of sandwiches.

“Well, it seems so. And it also seems that Gabriel carefully invites only starving people to his parties. I bet they don’t eat for days when they know they’re coming here. It’s not normal. We aren’t a shelter for homeless people!”

“It’s the price for your success.” Alex chuckled, opening the refrigerator for a beer.

“Stop teasing. There will come a time we will be reallyfamous and you’ll be under the stage begging us to have at least one drop of our sweat!”

“God, that’s disgusting, Kevin. No. No way. Look, I wish you all the luck in the whole world, but your body fluids are still disgusting. And I never, ever, want to have something like that from you,” Alex said, shuddering.

“Body fluids? Interesting topic,” said a voice from behind him.

Alex rolled his eyes and looked back at Matt, one of Gabriel’s friends, actually a gay friend…too gay for his taste.

Matt was really handsome; it was impossible to deny it. Shorter than Alex, lean and delicate, with wavy black hair and an impressive pair of bright, baby blue eyes. His smile was so white it could blind anyone. His movements were fluid and his black pants were so tight you could almost see the veins of his thighs.

“What? Do you have a radar for filth? Is it being gay that makes you a hound for these things?” Alex asked him dryly before taking a long sip of beer.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you guys.” Matt grabbed a beer from the fridge, and his blue eyes moved on to Kevin, who was reproachfully looking at Alex.

“Don’t listen to him,” Kevin muttered, picking up the plate full of sandwiches. “Alex is an asshole. But I’m sure somewhere inside him there’s something worth saving,” he said to Matt with a gentle smile. “Do you want a sandwich?”

When the guy left the kitchen, Kevin turned to Alex, who was still leaning against the counter with a beer in his hand.

“What’s wrong with you? Because there must be something. Matt is a good guy.” Kevin glared at his friend. His eyes, usually gentle, became stone cold.

“And he is gay,” Alex muttered.

“Then what?”

“Thennothing. It’s just…he is much toogay. He is flamboyant.”

“You know what, Alex? Sometimes I’d like to kick your ass! Your homophobic side is what irritates me the most.”

“I’m not homophobic.”

“Oh, no. Of course not. You’re just an asshole.”

Kevin left Alex alone in the kitchen staring at his empty bottle. He wasn’t homophobic, but there were moments when he wasn’t sure how his own mind was thinking, or what his own body was feeling and it was confusing.

With a nervous sigh, he made his way toward the living room, dodging someone who was running into the bathroom and, as he walked past the door, the bell rang. He looked at his clock noticing the late hour. Who the hell had yet to come to the party? He snorted as he opened the door, facing a tall guy—seriously, inhumanly tall—who was looking at him through some ridiculous tufts of hair covering his eyes.

Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at the guy from head to toe, noticing a suitcase on the floor beside him. He had dark hair and clear eyes, blue maybe, or grey. He was wearing a black T-shirt over a pair of loose jeans.

“Yes?” He brought another bottle of beer to his lips.