Eroda Sunshine

To Seek Strangers

The Golden Shower joke had at first embarrassed Louis even more than he'd been upon finding Harry peeing. But when Louis heard Harry giggle, his own laughter began to bubble up into his throat, and he started to loosen up. This was ridiculous. Why should he be shy about it? So inhibited?

"I'm gonna kick your ass," he said in between chuckles, secretly very grateful that Harry had had mercy on him and taken the unpleasant difficulty out of this encounter. After all, they'd seen each other without clothes, and what is more natural than peeing when you feel the need? It was human. He was making something out of nothing.

"Good one, Harold. Let's go back to the hut. No flashlight," Louis reminded him.

Harry was jarred at the notion of Louis calling him Harold. But then he recalled that he hadn't told Louis his real name was Harry, not Harold. But, thinking it was cute, he kept quiet about it and didn't correct him.

Louis put more wood on the fire on their way into the hut. Harry understood his love of having a fire now. It made their home more cozy, and even though there were no animals here, it gave Louis a sense of safety. That was what Harry had surmised. Not to mention something like that would become a habit very easily when you lived alone on a deserted island.

A zing of desire whipped somewhere in Harry's middle. That had been happening way too frequently as of late. Louis set something off in him that no one else before had ever done, and it unnerved him. Yes, Louis was hot, and yes, they were the only two on this island, but was that somehow the only reason Harry was drawn to Louis? Sure, Harry had sexual urges, and Louis was provocative, but he wasn't convinced they would have been drawn to each other in the UK or the US amongst so many other people. That is, if Louis had been gay, he harshly reminded himself. Was it just convenience that brought out this desire? It was hard to tell at this early stage. And no way was Harry going to bring it up in conversation.

The flirting was likely just a game to Louis. It was much more to Harry, but that had to be kept under wraps. This morning he'd unearthed a startling finding. They had both been on the edge of their own beds, which were, of course,  pressed up so tight together that they had, in effect, one big bed. Their legs had been pretzeled together. No telling how it had come about, but it was quite a discovery for Harry. Maybe Louis had done this intentionally. Wait . . . not intentionally, but subconsciously and unwittingly in his sleep. Or maybe Harry had. That was much more likely, as Harry was gay. Harry was afraid he was slipping – even in his sleep.

Make no mistake – Harry loved the feel of their legs intertwined. He just wished he knew how it had transpired. Louis had stirred in his slumber, and Harry had gotten a very fleeting glance of him opening his eyes, presumably to see if Harry was awake. When he saw Harry's eyes open, Louis closed his own promptly, and Harry waited for Louis to disentangle his legs. Harry was jolted to find that Louis did no such thing. He merely continued to pretend to be asleep. Harry smiled gently to himself. He had never known a single straight guy who would not have drawn back in this instance. But the most likely scenario was that Louis was lonely for female company. And there weren't any females here.

Hell, Louis could use him if he wanted to – Harry reflected. Harry wouldn't mind one bit. But wait . . . he'd want it to be real feelings, not just an itch that needed scratching.

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Now that hurricane season was over, the weather never changed. The rain that came about every other day was expected now, and since it was usually short-lived, Harry didn't mind it. They spent long afternoons basking in the sun or resting in the shade, and when the rain came, they chilled in the hut. And talked. Always talking. This really was the life. Never going hungry or thirsty, having a roof over his head and clothes to wear made Harry appreciate the simple things in life. He could be on this island struggling to stay alive and trying to make a hut that wouldn't protect him very well, he mused. Instead, he had Louis, who was very proficient at things of that nature, and Harry felt secure.