Ain't No Sunshine ¦Maylor

6.

„Does everyone stare this way at you? I only look this way at you.”
~ The Police

It was a nice June morning. The chirping of birds was heard even though the already big traffic. It was already warm outside and Brian wished to be out there while looking at the world from behind the huge windows in the main hall of the pool. The smell of chlorine and hum of water were incredibly annoying that morning.

He fiddled with swim guard whistle that dangled on a twine strapped around his neck. Even the relaxing view behind the glass couldn't soothe Brian's mind. He tried to recall what exactly happened on Saturday at Roger's. It was Monday now and even the whole Sunday of thinking didn't give him the answers he wanted.

"Guess what?! On my way here I saw a woman taking her turtle on a walk! The turtle was walking on a leash!" Roger walked in in his dark trunks, a towel thrown over his shoulder and a coffee in his hand.

Brian instantly smiled as he saw it was the towel with Roger's name on it. His mum gave it to him for his birthday once. Brian found it embarrassing but also adorable.

"Really? A turtle? Ridiculous." he tried to fake a laugh but it didn't come out right.

Roger walked into the canteen to set his coffee on the table. He also tuned the radio to a different station that he liked more. Some old 50s typical rock and roll song came on. Then Roger left the room and smirked when he saw Brian tapping his foot and wiggling his butt a bit here and there.

"So is there something on your mind?" the blond asked. Brian shook his head with a stern 'no'. "Ok, so I'm gonna swim now." Roger informed. He knew exactly what he's coming for.

He got into the water and swam two lengths. Brian was still standing in the same place, biting his nails with narrowed brows. Roger decided to swim closer to where was he standing. Before he could touch the edge of the pool, Brian stepped closer and looked down at Roger.

"Listen, I remember some things from Saturday and I know I was very annoying and grumpy and that's totally not how I wanted to spend that evening. It surely scared you away from being my friend but it's mostly your fault." he spat it out on one breath. Roger looked up at him with wide eyes, but also with a wide smile.

"Yeah, ok, it's my fault." he shrugged his shoulders, making little waves appear on the surface of the water. "But when you were drunk, you accepted your hair the way it is. A few more visits at mine's and you'll be the most self-loving person in the world."

Brian didn't have a response to that. Those words combined with Roger's genuinely happy smile just made their magic.

"Anyway..." his mind note said that 'anyway' is a good way out when you don't know what to say. Well, he forgot that you also have to say something after 'anyway'. "It was nice to see you in something other than trunks."

"Good to know that red isn't the only color that suites you."

"Oh do you really think that?" Brian raised his eyebrows. He knew the compliment wasn't said by Roger on purpose. Well, Roger said it kind of unconsciously, but liked how it came out.

"Of course. You look good in that uniform." Roger's cheeks went warm with a light shade of pink. He always got nervous when he complimented someone, even if it was just a friendly remark.

They locked eyes and just fell for it. Brian examined every different tint of blue in Roger's eyes, thinking how he's seen them darker and lighter for the past few months. Roger was fascinated with how Brian's eyes were more green than brown in places where the sun rays reflecting from water illuminated them.

"What's the color of your eyes?" Roger tilted his head to the side, moving his legs in the water.

"People say it's hazel." Brian flipped his hair and batted his eyelashes. "It's great, I know." he flashed a toothy smile. Roger smiled at that. Every morning between six and seven am he was just in the best mood, but he didn't notice that. During that hour, he didn't give any care in the world.

"Yeah, see? You are so self-loving. I told you it'll happen." the blond pointed up at Brian, still smiling.

"Agh, it's just something about you that makes me feel great about myself." he smiled, fiddling with a strand of loose curl. Suddenly he widened his eyes. "But don't get it that way that I say you're ugly! You just have that aura or something, because you aren't ugly. I'd say you are an average beauty, but not ugly. I mean, I can't judge if people are ugly or pretty, it all depends on the point of view." the curly haired ended with a sigh, his face going red all of sudden.

Roger laughed at his save. Brian brang his hand to his forehead and covered his eyes muttering an 'oh God'.

"Yeah, I'm pretty self-confident person." Roger nodded his head. He didn't want to go on and on about it, but he was ok with his body, his character and everything else.

"Oh I believe that you are confident. Really, I admire you for coming here with that towel with your name on it." Brian scoffed. Roger shook his head and also scoffed. They were chuckling for a minute and then it died down into the comfortable silence. And they were both smiling.

"But hey, weren't you going somewhere with that talk about Saturday's evening?" Roger raised his brows and squinted his eyes. Brian looked a bit surprised, like he forgot he was even saying something like that, but then lightened up in realisation.

"I wanted to tell you that there's this new film about sharks coming up in cinema next week and they say it'll be good. So I thought that we could go together." Brian crossed his arms on his chest and swayed a bit on his feet.

"Sorry, I have a plans with my friends already..."

"Stop lying, you don't have any."

"...so- Hey!" Roger narrowed his eyebrows and his mouth parted in disbelieve. "I was going to say that I'm joking and I don't have any friends, but still, how could you!?" he splashed some water onto the other man and swam away. Brian was left laughing and with wet shins.

"Next Friday at six pm in front of the cinema. Don't forget!" he told him and came back to canteen, smiling whole the time.

A few minutes passed, Brian reading his book, this time it was some horror from Stephen King and Roger swimming back and forth, humming to the song he knew, that was currently on the radio.

"Hey, but that film..." the blond stopped and was trying to catch his breath. "...it's Jaws, right? You don't mean some documentary about sharks?"

"No, I was talking about Jaws. Just forgot the name." Brian answered, not looking up from his book nor walking out of the canteen.

"If you picked this film just because you are trying to get me being scared and clinging onto you, you'll be disappointed, because films like this don't scare me." Roger mocked in a posh tone.

"I'm not trying to do that." Brian put his book down and stretched his legs while sitting on the wooden stool.

"I think you are, but I'm not a pussy so sorry, it's not gonna work."

The curly haired man yawned widely and cracked all his fingers at once, making Roger emit a loud 'ew' noise and swim away as fast as he could.