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Charlie had been excited about his summer in Spain for years. His grandparents, on his father’s side, had promised him a whole summer in Spain if he finished secondary at the top of his class. Tori had been offered the same thing but she hadn’t cared anyway. She’d finished school fine but not at the top of her class, she’d had her own things going on, and so she’d gone off to uni without the holiday.
For Charlie it hadn’t been too difficult to fulfil the terms of the agreement. School came easily to him. Even when he was struggling, at his worst, there was something about getting lost in an essay he didn’t care about or a maths problem - or anything to do with Ancient Greece - that he really did enjoy. So when he’d finished school at the top of his class he’d immediately asked when he could come for his summer.
The thing was…his grandparents and his parents appeared to have forgotten about the whole arrangement. Something which Charlie found unbelievable, hadn’t Tori only graduated a year before him? He found out that since she hadn’t met the terms she hadn’t even mentioned it, allowing the offer to fall under the radar. Charlie had groaned as the whole Spring family sat in the lounge huddled around the family iPad FaceTiming with his grandparents.
“But yes, we would love you to come and spend the summer. We’ll work out a time,” his abuela had said.
That time didn’t come that summer or the next or the next. Suddenly Charlie was staring at the end of uni and job prospects. When, just as suddenly, he received a text message from his father saying that this summer would work best for his grandparents. Charlie was in class and sighed as he read the message. How could he run off to Spain for a whole three months when he should be worried about internships and rent?
After some serious discussion with his roommates they decided he could sublease his room for the summer and already had someone in mind. His best friend Tao, of all people, did a little more convincing, but soon Charlie took the plunge. He finished his final exams and the very next day he was on a plane to his grandparents' place in Mojacar.
His Spanish was, thankfully, passable. It was enough to get him from the airport to the small village and his grandparent’s place without much hassle. When he arrived, his abuela hugged him so tight it almost hurt and talked to him in Spanish so rapid that it made his head spin.
The first few days Charlie spent lounging around, going into town for a coffee for breakfast and then indulging in whatever his abuela cooked for dinner. Spending the time in between investigating the small town. Then he spent a couple of days at the beach, his abuelo joining him in the morning but leaving by noon. It was a nice way to spend his first couple of weeks but then…well he felt he’d done everything and suddenly he remembered what being in a small town was really like.
On one of his explorations he’d found a park. He decided that from his third week on he’d create a bit of a routine for himself. So he got up, after a good lie-in - or what was the point of a holiday? - and then would head out for a run around eleven. The park was never too busy, a few young families at the playground and a couple pensioners on the footpath. Nothing too crowded. Plenty of room for him to run every morning.
He noticed the group of men the very first day.
There was a rather large field right in the centre of the park. And there was a group of men doing some kind of exercise routine: pushups, sprints, the most homoerotic crawling on top of each other. Charlie hadn’t been sure what to make of it so he’d continued his run. Although he’d kept a bit of an eye on the men, he was a twenty-one year old gay man. Of course he was going to look. Then at the end of his run they’d been playing some kind of game. At first he wondered if it was football but it didn’t look right. They were throwing the ball and tackling each other, then he wondered if it was American football but that seemed stupid. Then one guy had been lifted into the air and Charlie had realised it was rugby.
Ugh.
It wasn’t the sport, not really, although he thought it was rather boring. But the rugby players at his grammar school had attempted, and often succeeded, in making his life hell at school. So if there was one sport Charlie tried to avoid it was rugby. Still, this was clearly a group of adult men, who probably had families and jobs and consciences. They weren’t likely to call him gay, derogatorily, or a slur or to laugh at him. Still, Charlie found himself half hiding behind a tree as he did his post run stretches.
This allowed him time to watch the men as they played their game. Which…alright while he may not like the sport he did like the players. They were all deliciously big and built. Call him a stereotype but he’d always been drawn to more masculine buff guys. His friends joked that he had a problem with falling for straight guys but Charlie couldn’t help it. Those big muscles just called to him.
That first day he’d noticed a lot. But the most important one was him, the one player that stood out to Charlie for a variety of reasons. All of them superficial, but what the fuck.
The player was tall, and built, and utterly gorgeous, especially when he smiled and ran a big hand through his shiny auburn hair like he was in a cologne commercial, and well…he almost glowed in the Spanish sun. He was so pale.
Over the next few weeks Charlie was treated to many more chances to watch his rugby player. Yes, his, he was going with it.
He was often shirtless at the beginning of his practice, Charlie thought they might be some kind of team since the same players were out every day, then he’d put his shirt on for their games. His tiny shorts always featured though and Charlie was ever so grateful. The man’s thighs were a thing of beauty.
Charlie had even learned the man’s name. Nick.
One day he’d decided to bring a book on his run to rest and read after instead of heading to the beach. He’d brought a blanket and everything then spread it out in the shade of his hiding tree when he was done with his post run stretching. This time he’d been around long enough to see them take a break from their game. Someone had yelled out for Nick, by name, making a joke about him needing to reapply his sun cream. This was also how Charlie realised the group was English or mostly English. Nick had flipped off the joker but dutifully gone to the sidelines to reapply the cream.
Charlie’s heart had broken a little when Nick had gone to the girl sitting on the sideline and taken the bottle she offered him. Although they seemed like they were organised enough to be a professional team Nick seemed a bit too at ease with the girl. They’d instantly started laughing and joking as Nick applied the cream.
All over his arms and his neck and even under his shirt on his abdomen and then he’d started on his legs. Charlie had had to look away at that point.
Anyway, it seemed like his crush was likely straight and likely dating that blonde girl who came to watch every game, just like Charlie. She did spend quite a bit of time taking pictures of the guys, with a very nice camera. Charlie couldn’t shake the feeling that she and Nick were close. Still…it wouldn’t hurt anyone if Charlie looked his fill and it was a public park so…
The next couple of weeks had continued like that, with Charlie bringing a small rucksack with his blanket and book along for after his run. He would set up camp at his tree after his stretches and he’d read, and watch, until practice was over and the team broke up in the early afternoon. It was a good way to spend his time. A couple of days he even worked on his CV and looked at grad schools and internships on his phone to feel like he was accomplishing something.
Then one day, while he was watching Nick reapply his sun cream, it happened. Charlie was shocked it hadn’t happened before but whatever. And after it happened it was all Charlie could think about.
Nick always applied the cream everywhere: arms, neck, face, under his shirt, in case it rode up maybe, and then his legs and even down into the tops of his socks. He was serious about not burning. Charlie watched every time over the top of his book. But this time Nick did something unexpected, he slid his hand under the bottom edge of his short shorts and swiped his hand along the very top of his thigh. In doing so he pushed his shorts up enough that Charlie could see the side of his truly glorious arse and just how pale it was. Nick now had a wonderful golden tan from being in the sun every single day that no sun cream could combat. Charlie was stunned, shook, speechless. Completely and unbelievably aroused.
Charlie had gone home in a bit of a stupor. Later that night he lay awake trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed Nick’s arse before that. He’d noticed a lot of the players had very nice arses, apparently rugby was good for more than just getting built but Nick’s was special. Whether he was standing or squatting or running his arse always looked good and Charlie should know he did a lot of looking. So why was he suddenly so turned on he could barely think. All from a flash of pale skin.
It wasn’t like Charlie didn’t know Nick was pale, even more so than the other white players. He remembered thinking that Nick almost glowed but then he’d tanned a bit and it had kind of been whatever. Charlie had never been attracted to skin colour so what the hell was going on in his brain?
That night he’d dreamed about Nick. Of his golden arms wrapped around him and his pale arse under Charlie’s hands. He’d awoken with a gasp, hard as a rock and sweating in his grandparents home. Jesus he was in deep.
What the hell? What kind of kink was this? Did people have a tanning kink? Did he?
The more Charlie thought about it, over the next couple of weeks, the less he thought it was about the tan. It was more about how much the parts of Nick that didn’t tan stood out. Calling to Charlie like a beacon...an arse beacon, jesus christ, but it was true. He’d realised this through all the dirty day dreaming that now occurred in his mind. Everything from Nick walking right up to Charlie in the park and taking him against his tree to them meeting in the market and immediately fucking in the car park to running into each other at a gay bar and sucking each other off in the bathroom. But the star of all of these scenarios wasn’t really Nick himself but instead his pale glowy arse. Charlie knew it was pretty shameful to kind of detach the man from his body part even just in his own head. He just couldn’t help it! That arse, it was just delicious.
It wasn’t like Charlie didn’t want to get to know Nick. He did! He was gorgeous and built but he also seemed really sweet for a rugby lad, always making that girl laugh and encouraging his teammates. He seemed to take directions well from who Charlie assumed was his coach. And he was a graceful winner and a gracious loser during scrimmages. So yeah, Charlie didn’t know the guy but he wanted to for sure.
His holiday was coming to a close, just a few weeks left. He’d been accepted into a couple of masters programs and spent a few days deciding which one was the best decision. He’d need to be back in England the week before September first and he was mentally preparing himself for the return to reality. In the end he’d decided on Leeds so when he was back in England he’d have to be quick about packing his things.
On his second to last week in Spain Charlie makes his usual trek to the park although he forgoes his run this time. Instead he rewards himself by setting up his blanket and watching the team of men stretching and warming up. His attention very much on Nick specifically. He is so into it that he doesn’t notice the girl approaching until she stands in front of him blocking his sun.
“Hiya!” She greets with a friendly wave. Charlie blushes at being caught and blinks up at her. She’s actually not as young as he’d thought and was probably closer to his age then not.
“Oh um…hi—” Charlie mumbles, swallowing thickly, a bit afraid of what this woman might say to him.
“I’m Darcy,” she says, holding out a hand. Charlie reaches up to shake her hand but quickly finds himself being pulled to his feet.
“Oh!” Charlie gasps then blinks at her still smiling face. He takes in her bright purple shorts-dungarees and rainbow striped shirt underneath. Then the lanyard around her neck, the lesbian pride flag, and the collection of small pins attached to it. The card at the bottom with her name and the words Social Media Manager. Oh. Oh. She works for whatever team Nick plays for. Oh.
“I’m— er— I’m Charlie,” he introduces with a small smile as the smile on her face grows into a grin.
“Charlie,” she echoes with a truly mischievous expression on her face. Charlie feels his stomach turn over as she throws an arm around his shoulders. “My guy, I need you to solve a puzzle for me.”
She starts walking toward the field pulling Charlie along with her.
“Er—”
“See I’ve seen you watching the boys quite a bit,” she announces and Charlie feels a mortified flush take over his cheeks. “And my gaydar is never wrong, so I think you’ve been watching our dear Nicholas but he’s sure you’ve just been enjoying your many books.”
“Oh! Um! God,” Charlie mumbles, blinking rapidly as he tries to keep up with Darcy.
“See Nick says I’m just projecting, because he won’t shut up about how beautiful and handsome and sexy you are. But I don’t think I’m wrong.”
“Oh…I’m…well I was— was reading really so um,” Charlie tries to turn around but her arm was tight around his shoulders. “I didn’t realise you all thought I was staring.”
“Thought?” Darcy laughs as she continues pulling Charlie toward the field.
She’d waited until the practice was finished and so the team was mostly going through the motions of packing up and leaving for whatever it was they did after practice.
“Nick will never forgive me if I get to talk to you but he doesn’t, you understand of course,” Darcy says still pulling Charlie along in her wake.
“Oh um— um alright,” Charlie mutters when he sees Nick standing at the blanket Darcy usually sits on applying his sun cream. He’s laughing with a guy Charlie thinks is called Sai.
“Oh my god!” Nick shouts, when he looks up and notices them. “Darcy no!”
“Darcy yes!” Darcy answers then winces as both Nick and Sai all but shout back.
“Darcy no!”
“Um…I’m going to…” Charlie says, pulling his body from Darcy’s hold. He shakes his head then hurries away. Humiliated. Of course even if Nick was queer, which Charlie isn’t convinced of, why on earth would he want to talk to Charlie? He gathers his things quickly and heads out of the park.
He’s half way down the street and doing pretty well at holding the tears back at the semi-rejection.
“Hey! Hey wait!” Charlie hears a voice yelling but he doesn’t stop assuming the person is yelling at someone else. “Wait a minute!”
Charlie is shocked when a hand grabs his hand and pulls him to a stop. He rounds on the person and pulls back to deck them, or go down trying, but the person grabs his other wrist gently. When Charlie looks up he sees Nick panting slightly and looking down at him.
“Sorry, sorry,” Nick says quickly, letting Charlie go and rubbing at the back of his neck in a gesture of embarrassment.
“What do you want?” Charlie asks, a bit more harsh then he means to. Nick flinches slightly but ploughs on.
“I just— sorry about before I just— Darcy can be a handful sometimes and she always thinks she knows best. I’m sorry that she pulled you over and I’m sorry that I was so rude. I was just kind of freaked out,” Nick says all in a rush. It takes Charlie’s brain a moment to catch up.
“It’s alright, we don’t— we don’t even know each other,” Charlie says with a shrug. A shy smile forms on Nick’s lips.
“I’d like to get to know you though. I um— god this is embarrassing but um I’ve been watching you for a while when you run, and then when you’re done you stretch and I um…I’ve been trying to get up the courage to go talk to you.”
“You have?” Charlie asks dumbly. Nick nods enthusiastically.
“Yeah you’re like…gorgeous,” Nick says then winces. “That’s a lot, sorry I’m so weird.”
Charlie can feel a pleased blush colouring his cheeks and he bites at the inside of his cheek.
“You’re not weird. Um…thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” Nick says grinning, thoroughly pleased. Then he seems to realise something and his face is horrified. “Fuck, shit, my ride, er— I have to go but can I get your number or I mean can I give you mine?”
“Oh uh, yes please,” Charlie says, pulling out his phone. He hands it to Nick who texts himself then hands it back. He waves then gallops away without another word.
That night as he is getting ready for bed Charlie gets a text.
Nick: Hey I can not believe I didn’t ask your name earlier
Nick: And Darcy won’t tell me because I yelled at her
Charlie: It’s Charlie
Nick: Oh I like that, mines Nick
Charlie: I know you put it in my phone
Nick: 🙄
Nick: I promise I’m not always like this
They text until the early morning falling asleep between one text and the next. In the morning Charlie is so happy his grandparents ask about it but Charlie just shrugs. He makes his way to the park, runs and watches Nick without shame.
After practice Nick makes his way across the field to Charlie, ignoring the wolf whistles of Darcy and another guy, Charlie thinks that one’s Otis.
“Hi,” Charlie says smiling up at Nick.
“Hi,” Nick answers back. “Can I sit?”
“Of course,” Charlie says, scooching over slightly to allow Nick room. They’re almost arm to arm though and Charlie finds that Nick almost radiates heat. He bites his lip as Nick watches him.
“So— um, would it be too forward of me to ask you on a date? I know we don’t know each other but— but I’d really like to get to know you,” Nick admits so easily. There’s no game playing or anything just him laying out his feelings.
“Oh um— um yes, I would— I would like to get to know you too.”
Nick’s smile is the fucking sun.
They go on their date that night and it’s perfect. Charlie finds out that Nick finished uni last year and then joined a semi-pro team in Leeds (!!!). Which is why he’s in Spain, it’s training. Charlie excitedly tells him that he’s moving to Leeds for his masters. The news that they’ll soon be living in the same city breaks down some sort of dam. Letting them spend the next two weeks just enjoying getting to know each other without worrying about what if’s and getting too close or separation.
And when Charlie finally does get Nick’s pale arse under his hands it’s the best it’s ever been.