Most Ardently

by Gabe Cole Novoa

“Oliver! Come swimming with me!” Oliver’s toes sank into cool mud as he stood at the edge of a large, placid lake. He’d removed his shirt already and stood in just his trousers with the sun warming his bare chest—flat from his clavicle down to his hips. The smooth expanse of his skin, like glazed ceramic, was so easy. Natural. His. “Oliver!” The voice came from the lake, where Darcy was treading water. His long brown hair was dark and wet, his grin all but glistening in the light. He waved his arm over his head, water dripping down his forearm and over his bicep. “Come in! The water is so refreshing; you’ll love it.” So, with a grin, he stripped off his trousers and leapt into the lake, his breath catching in his chest as the cool water enveloped him. He broke the surface with a laugh and swam toward Darcy, arms arcing overhead, feet kicking, chest rising and falling back into the water. He’d never swam like this—so easily, so carefree. It had never felt so natural to be in the water, to feel it kiss the bare skin of his flat chest. It was perfect. A dream. He was dreaming. Ahead, Darcy became blurred even as Oliver neared him. He blinked hard, clearing the water from his eyes. Darcy’s face sharpened into focus, then slipped away again, like peering into a stranger’s spectacles. Oliver swam harder, beating his legs faster, and he was so close, but Darcy was blurry and the water was lukewarm. He could barely feel it against his skin anymore. Even the strain in his legs fade...