Ren came by Jimmy’s workplace later that day, a big smile plastered on his face. Jimmy felt proud of him and what he’d done. It must have taken a lot for him to go and report the bullies. Ren was not confrontational in the slightest. He sat at the table next to the counter and Jimmy made his favourite coffee, freddo cappuccino, and set it in front of him. He switched the A/C on and took a seat next to him with his frappé.

‘Hot day, today, huh?’ Jimmy said.

Ren sucked on his drink and moaned. ‘God! Yes. It’s been so good.’ His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed his drink. ‘You know what the weather is like in London?’

‘Is it rai—,’ Jimmy started, but Ren cut in.

‘It’s raining. Pissing down with rain, as a matter of fact.’

Jimmy laughed. That was a new phrase for him. Pissing down with rain.

‘Do you have any bugatsa? I’m a bit hungry and I’ve got a sweet tooth,’ he said.

Jimmy chuckled. A month ago, Ren couldn’t pronounce good morning in Greek, and now he was casually slipping Greek words into his sentences. Jimmy prepared one and Ren dug right in.

‘How come you had to work today?’ Ren asked him between mouthfuls.

Jimmy looked at the door. A regular passed by but didn’t come in.

‘I had to pick up a few extra shifts. My dad is drowning in debt, so I have to help him as much as I can, or else I’ll inherit that debt.’ Jimmy didn’t particularly want to think of that particular future, because that future involved his father passing away and he was already one parent short.

‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘I see. And how long will you be doing extra shifts for?’

Jimmy shrugged. ‘A guy that works here had to go back to his town, so until he’s back at least. My dad doesn’t understand I can’t simply ask for more hours, so I’ll be doing as much as possible now before the guy’s back, to let him off my back.’

‘What time do you finish today?’ Ren took the last bite and pushed the plate in the middle of the table.

‘Nine,’ Jimmy replied.

‘Fuck! What time did you start?’

‘Six.’

‘That’s a long shift, all right. And I was gonna ask you if you wanted to go out tonight,’ Ren said.

The two of them on a night out? What could possibly go wrong? ‘I don’t mind,’ Jimmy said before he could stop himself. He was asking for trouble.

‘Great! Stelios has gone over to Athens to visit Markos so I’m all alone at the moment,’ he said.

Ren and Stelios seemed to be getting close. The butterfly in his stomach expanded and made him breathless.

‘We can go to Ladadika. We still haven’t taken you there.’

Ren tilted his head. ‘Are you going to invite the guys?’

No. He didn’t want to. But it would be for the better. Help him gain control.

‘If you want to,’ Jimmy told him.

Ren dismissed the idea. ‘Let them have some time alone. They are a couple. They need some alone time.’

Jimmy wanted to suggest they didn’t have a problem getting they alone time in front of them, but something kept him from saying it. Fine. An evening out with Ren. He could control himself. He wasn’t an animal. He’d kept off men all his life, he couldn’t see why tonight would be any different.

Ren stayed in the restaurant until Jimmy’s colleague came to replace him. Jimmy changed in the bathroom and sprayed his body with some deodorant before joining Ren and taking him out to the street.

‘So, what’s so special about where we’re going tonight?’ Ren asked.

‘It’s just a highlight of the city. It’s sort of a cross between a red light district and a nightlife centre. It’s mainly consisted of bars and clubs today, not as many brothels.’

They arrived at the square and Jimmy pointed at several places he had visited over the years with or without the guys. There were several tavernas and more than a few clubs. A Brazilian bar was crowded with life and the cafe on the other side was swamped with customers.

They roamed through the stone-paved alleys of Ladadika and had a few drinks at several places, mainly at the tavernas and the clubs which didn’t charge for entry. By the time they were coming out of an empty club, the line outside was a block long and midnight had hit. Ren seemed surprised by how quiet the clubs were, so Jimmy had to explain Greeks went out at midnight and didn’t go back home until the sun was out.

‘That sounds fun. It’s like the clubs in Vauxhall. The clubs stay open until midday the next day on the weekends,’ Ren said.

‘I didn’t know you guys had clubs that closed so late. Everyone here thinks only Greece has a proper nightlife because everything closes so early in Europe.’

Ren stumbled on the pavement and Jimmy held him up. Wrapping his fingers around Ren’s arm he noticed his muscles had thickened and become more defined since he’d arrived. The Greek cuisine suited him well.

‘You Greeks are so arrogant, aren’t you,’ he laughed. ‘You think you do everything better.’

‘That’s because we do,’ Jimmy responded and let go of Ren’s arm as soon as he’d found his balance.

‘Although to be fair, you wouldn’t want to be caught dead or alive in Vauxhall with the amount of drugs going on when the lights are down,’ Ren added.

‘Thank you for reinforcing my previous statement,’ Jimmy laughed.

He pointed to a bar in another square in the Ladadika district, and they went in. It was a Czech bar with Czech beer on draft and bottle, as well as a small Belgian selection.

It was a small square bar with a handful of tables and bar stools. They took a seat at one of the corner tables and ordered two Kozel.

‘What do you think of Ladadika so far?’ Jimmy asked Ren.

Ren’s head tilted backward and his eyes were closed. His lips formed a smile. ‘It’s nice. Everything is nice. You are nice,’ he said and extended his hand to touch Jimmy’s face.

Jimmy pulled back as the waiter returned with their beers.

Jimmy took the glass in his hand and initiated a toast.

‘Sorry. I forgot. Friends,’ he said and lifted his beer as well. ‘To friendship,’ he exclaimed.

They clinked their glasses. Before Ren drank from his glass, Jimmy tapped his glass on the table and drank his beer.

‘What was that for?’ Ren asked him.

Jimmy blinked. ‘Oh, you don’t know? It’s to remember those who are not with you.’

Ren pursed his lips and tapped his own glass on the table.

Jimmy looked around him, but the bar was empty and the bartender was busy talking with the waiter.

Were they talking about them? Had they seen Ren touching him or heard what he’d said? He looked back at Ren. He was supporting his head with his hand, looking at Jimmy with his big blue eyes and long eyelashes. His hair was in disarray, making him look even cuter than usual.

Jimmy sipped his beer and Ren gulped his, ordering another two. By the fourth, the room was blurry and way too dark. By the fifth, the bar was closing and they had to get out. Ren couldn’t walk straight, so Jimmy wrapped one of Ren’s arms around his neck and held him up from the waist. That resulted in Ren’s face resting right next to Jimmy’s. He no longer cared. Ren’s hair smelled of coconut shampoo and beer. The people on the streets were too busy with their nights to pay them any mind.

They found their way to another club and they paid five euros at the door to be let in. It was full, which made sense, as it was three in the morning. Jimmy wasn’t sure if he should buy a drink for Ren, considering he could hardly walk, so he got both of them some water.

‘You don’t have to look after me, you know,’ Ren said. ‘I am absolutely fine. Get us a beer or something.’

With hesitation, Jimmy bought a round. As soon as he returned to Ren, Ren grabbed his hand and danced around him. Jimmy passed him his beer and went to sit on an empty stool.

Ren’s hands grabbed Jimmy’s waist and pulled him back to him. Jimmy looked around, but most of the people surrounding them were dancing. He turned around to face Ren, but his hands kept on Jimmy’s waist. They danced. By the end of the second song Jimmy was getting thirsty, so he bought another beer. Ren was still nursing his bottle.

Ren was still dancing when Jimmy returned. He smelled of beer and the stale cigarettes of everyone’s smoke around them. Jimmy didn’t care. He loved watching Ren dance like no one was there. Like the room was empty. He had so much freedom. He never looked around to check people’s reactions. He didn’t twitch every time someone passed by him. His hands moved in any direction they wanted and his hips with such finesse that had it been Jimmy in his place, he would have been mocked. If Jimmy tried to dance like that, which he knew he couldn’t anyway, everyone would stare. Everyone would call him names.

Jimmy stood in front of Ren and they danced together, making sure to keep enough distance between them. Ren’s muscles glistened with sweat, and his neck, long and wet, beckoned to Jimmy. He wanted to envelop Ren in his arms and lick every inch of his naked body.

Ren’s hair was unruly, but it had always been. The fact he was bobbing his head like a maniac didn’t help tame it. He stared at Jimmy. No one else. His blue eyes stayed on him. The more sips Jimmy had, the more he didn’t mind. Ren was sexy in a way unlike anyone he’d met before. His lips, small and always moist, begged to be taken.

Without realizing it, he was only a breath away from Ren’s body, and they were dancing as one, in unison but independently. Ren’s eyes never left Jimmy’s.

The lights went out as the beat dropped, and Jimmy did the unthinkable. He kissed Ren. And Ren kissed him back. Jimmy’s lids went red and when he opened them there wasn’t any darkness anymore. And people behind Ren were staring.

Jimmy pushed Ren back. He had to get out of there. He had to put a distance between him and the walking temptation. He couldn’t do this. Not now, not ever. What if someone who knew him had seen him? What if they told his dad? He already had lost one parent. He couldn’t—He didn’t want to imagine life with none.

The breeze hit him as soon as he was out. Cold sweat ran down his spine. He staggered to the taxi rank and entered one. Home. He needed to go home. The driver sped off. He saw Ren from the corner of his eye.

He turned his eyes away from him. He couldn’t see him again.