Light of Heart (LGBT+) ✔

Set up

Warning: some swearing/crude language ahead.

"Man, you should have seen that goal! You really chose the wrong moment to pop to the loo." Devon claps my back and downs the last gulp of his beer. I look at the TV in the corner of the dark bar. On the screen Liverpool is playing against Manchester. City or United, I don't know, but I don't care either, so it doesn't matter. Devon clearly is a football enthusiast and he supposes I am too, because in his opinion every guy is or should be. He's a good friend, but I prefer a good psychological thriller to spend my time. I only fake interest because obviously some of those men have fine legs and an equally fine ass and a great body in general. I wouldn't mind getting it on with one of them if he were gay.

Meanwhile, Devon is chatting away with Luke about Liverpool's keeper. I let my eyes glide over the crowd. I can't make out many faces, because they're either turned to the TV or it's too dark.
"Hey, Abel!" A voice pops up next to me.

"Hey, Ramiro!" I briefly clasp his shoulder while he gives some money to the bartender and takes two cocktails in his hands. "You here as well? I didn't know you lived here in the neighbourhood."

"Nah, I'm just visiting my cousin. He lives in the university dorms like you and nobody under thirty stays at home on a Friday night, right?"

"Of course." The conversation already comes to a dead end. After all, we don't know each other that well, but we share some classes and we've worked together on group assignments.

"Hey, you're gay, right?"

"Yeah, I am. Why?"

"My cousin's gay too. Would you like to meet?"

I shrug. It's not the first time someone I know, tries to set me up with their other gay acquaintance, but it's not like it will hurt to meet that cousin of his and it spares me the struggle to politely decline.

"Devon, Luke, Ramiro wants to present me to his gay cousin, so I'll see you in a bit." They just nod and dismiss me, not once glancing away from the TV screen and cheering loudly when Liverpool almost scores.

Ramiro leads me to a table without a clear view of the screen where a boy with thin, dark blond hair is seated. He can't be much taller than me and his entire build nearly mirrors mine. I burst out laughing.

"You wanted to set me up with another twink? Yeah, right, like that would work." The boy glances up and Ramiro looks at me confused.

"What's a twink?"

I shake my head. "Never mind." I stick out my hand to the boy. "I'm Abel and your cousin here wanted to set us up because we're both gay, but he clearly doesn't know anything about gay subculture."

The boy laughs and shakes my hand with a firm grip. "I'm Emilio and I'm aware of his ignorance. I've tried to educate him, but he refused because he was afraid I would tell him all about the ins and outs of gay sex."

I chuckle. "Like any other straight man. He doesn't know what he's missing."

"Hey! I could say the same", Ramiro butts in indignantly. "You ever had sex with a woman?"

"No, but I kissed a few girls when I was like fourteen. That's probably more than you can say."

"Same." Emilio looks pointedly at Ramiro. "I bet you've never kissed any boys."

"True. But I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear about my sex life, so why would I want to hear yours?"

"Of course we wouldn't, because you have none." Emilio snickers and I laugh at Ramiro's face. "By the way, Abel, take a seat. I think we'll fit together like two pieces of a puzzle to smother Ramiro with our gayness."