Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
The sun sat high in the sky. Sam was surrounded by groups of teenagers and families.
He revelled in the anonymity. He might be anywhere on the Mediterranean coast if he ignored the fact that the conservation area where they’d found a ton more squid over the course of the week lay off the coast directly ahead of him.
That day he wasn’t working at the aquarium. He was a tourist, enjoying the city like everyone else. And the lure of the sand had been calling him.
He closed his eyes and lay on his towel. Whilst he was looking forward to home, he would miss the heat on his body. Then a shadow crossed over him. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky when he lay down so he opened his eyes to see a silhouetted figure above him.
“Room for one more?”
Sam held out his arms. “I don’t own the beach. See. There’s so much of it.”
Wolfgang plonked himself down next to Sam and rolled his towel out. He opened his bag and pulled some packages of food out of it.
Food I bought.
“I figured you might be hungry.”
Truth be told, Sam had been starving for half an hour. He hadn’t wanted to leave his stuff to get food.
“Thanks,” he said. “For bringing my things.”
“Wrong,” Wolfgang replied, holding up a churro. “Bought fresh from the bakery.”
He handed Sam a coffee cup.
“I even got you a flat white. Your favourite.”
“Wow. You’re pushing the boat out.”
He took his T-shirt off before taking a pastry for himself. Sam averted his gaze and focused on the sugary treat as he dipped it into his coffee.
“I owe you my life and so much more besides,” Wolfgang said.
“Now he remembers that. It didn’t mean all that much to you those nights you ignored me, did it?”
“I didn’t think you wanted me to speak to you.”
Sam had nothing to say. He had cried so many tears in the Formica prison cell Wolfgang had cast him into. What did he want from him now?
“I really liked you, Wolfgang,” Sam said, with a sigh. “From the beginning. When we got together. When you said you needed to speak to me…well I thought it might add up to more than a roll in the hay.”
He reached across for Sam’s hand, who quickly shifted it out of reach. “Don’t,” Sam said. “Please.”
Wolfgang nodded and stared out to sea. Sam took a huge bite of his churro. He’d never been one for eating his problems away, but this could convert a man. The crispy fried dough was a taste sensation.
“I didn’t come to Valencia to make friends, let alone to meet someone,” Wolfgang said carefully.
“That is why I didn’t tell you about Claudia.
Not because I wanted some fun before going home.
I have never, ever had feelings like this for another man.
I told you that. Do you think this is easy for me? ”
Sam believed that what had happened between them had been unplanned. He didn’t have a problem with that. He did, however, take issue with being treated like a commodity.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” Wolfgang continued. “Every night this week I thought to myself, should I go over? Should I talk to him?”
“Why didn’t you?”
He frowned. “You’re not all that approachable, you know.”
Sam had to admit he had been hard on him. Every time they had spoken at the aquarium he’d given Wolfgang a scowl for his trouble. His mother had always said that his temper put up a wall between him and the outside world.
“How come you aren’t in Madrid?”
Wolfgang threw the remainder of his pastry at Sam. “Because I’d rather be ignored by you.”
Sam grabbed the crust and lobbed it for the seagulls that had taken up sentry watch near them. They all squabbled for the treat.
“I can’t fault your taste.”
“There you go. Two beers.”
The barman put the drinks down and Wolfgang paid. None of them had been to the place below their rooms. It seemed only right that they should have at least one drink there.
Also, they may have formed an uneasy truce, yet Sam didn’t want far to travel if he needed to storm off to his room.
“You choose the nicest places,” Wolfgang said with a sniff.
“I suppose we have to celebrate the last Saturday before we go home.”
He caught Sam’s eye. “Home. Then what?”
Sam took a hefty swig of his beer. This was the question he’d been pondering himself all those nights in his room when he became sick of reading about bloody squid.
“No idea yet,” he replied. “Something overseas definitely. I’m not letting the last couple of weeks ruin my whole life. You’re not that hot.”
Wolfgang winced. Sam wasn’t about to pull his punches.
“Ruben said the work we’ve done with the squid has given me a niche. There are other places studying them and with a reference from him, it should be straightforward.”
Wolfgang winked. “A squid specialist, eh? Don’t you want a change of creature?”
Sam burst out laughing. “Why? Because squid would remind me of the dastardly yet dashing German hunk who broke my heart? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Dashing?”
“Dastardly too,” Sam replied with a sweet smile. “What are you going to do? Marry Claudia, have babies and a lot of extracurricular sex for the rest of your life?”
There were so many men in the world like Wolfgang. Sam didn’t get it. He’d never been able to be anyone other than himself.
“Ouch,” Wolfgang said.
“The truth can be a painful thing.”
The sadness that washed over his face made Sam instantly regret his barbed comment. Perhaps he had overplayed the ice-maiden act a little too much now.
“Sorry,” he added. “I have no right to judge.”
“You do have every right after what I’ve put you through,” Wolfgang replied. “Please don’t think my feelings were false. I fell for you despite trying very hard to fight it.”
Fell?
“Past tense?” Sam asked.
Wolfgang met his gaze. “Hardly.”
The sweat on his back had soaked into the sheets. They lay there, still entwined in each other. Of course, the inevitable had happened and had been as amazing as all the other times. They might struggle to realise what they meant to each other. Yet in the sack they had no such issues whatsoever.
“I was absolutely not going to do that,” Sam said.
The heat in his room resembled the surface of Mercury but he wouldn’t let Wolfgang take his arms from him for anything.
“I’m glad you did.”
“Well if I’m sending you home to Germany to a life of normality, the least I can do is put a spring in your step.”
He kicked Sam. “Springs everywhere.”
Sam rolled away. The heat finally beating him. “God it’s so hot in here.”
Wolfgang kissed him. “Come back. I miss you.”
Sam had no intention of complying. Instead he sat up and crossed his legs. Wolfgang scooted across and laid his head in Sam’s lap.
Why did something so perfect have to end?
“When’s your flight?”
Wolfgang groaned. “Do we have to talk about this?”
“Yes.”
“Thursday morning. You?”
“Thursday afternoon. I’m bloody dreading it. I’ll hear everyone else saying their goodbyes and banging on about what a wonderful time they’ve had. I’ll be lucky if they spare a scowl for the mad gay in the attic.”
Wolfgang caught his hand and brought it to his lips. “I cast you in that role. I’m so sorry, Sam.”
“Oh well. At least we found the fucking squid.”
They both collapsed in fits of laughter. His eight weeks in Spain had been crazy and way more than he’d signed up for.
Surely not every overseas role will be like this.