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Three best friends walked slowly and calmly along the cozy promenade of the park, enjoying the fresh air and the evening, painted with warm sunshine. Each of them was absorbed in their own thoughts, and a quiet, peaceful silence reigned between them. Rehearsals, studies and several small concerts that they had to hold took a lot of their energy, but none of them complained.
On the contrary, they even liked it, because they understood: all this is worth it.
They liked to watch how they made people smile, how they enjoyed their performances, and a pleasant addition was that for their work they received a small reward for the work done. It is nice to realize that a favorite activity with loved ones ceases to be just a hobby and turns into a source of income. Even though it was not much yet, but this is only the beginning. Creating their own band was the best decision in their lives.
Axel felt very nervous that day and several days before. By the end of the first day, it was already noticeable that something was bothering him. However, when asked about his condition, he brushed it off with the usual phrases: "Everything is fine" or "Didn't get enough sleep."
His nervousness, obvious to those close to him, made them more vigilant and worried.
His behavior caused concern among his friends, because it was unusual for Axel Ohman, a person who was always calm and balanced, who kept everything under control and rarely showed his anxiety, which made them more vigilant and worried. This meant only one thing - something had happened and there was no need to pressure him.
Few people knew, but behind Axel's external calm and confident mask, there was internal anxiety. It was as if he was struggling with an invisible resistance inside himself, holding back waves of emotions that could come out, and inside he felt some kind of tension that was difficult to describe in words.
Perhaps he was afraid to admit his weaknesses to himself or was worried about something that remained a mystery to others.
All the way he kept glancing at Kevin, his best friend, his bandmate, and the person he loved with all his heart.
It seemed like it had always been there, for most of his adult life. Axl had loved him that night, all those years ago, when they first met. And as a little twelve-year-old boy, he hadn’t understood it then, hadn’t realized what he was feeling, why he was so drawn to this lanky guy. As he got older, he realized it was love. He was head over heels in love with his friend.
As time went on, his feelings grew stronger, more and more intense, and they weren’t going to go away. He hadn’t dared admit it for a long time. At first, he was haunted by fear – fear of rejection, fear that everyone would find out about his secret. Later, a new fear was added to these worries – that confessing could ruin their band and their friendship.
Today, they kept stealing nervous glances at each other. Jakob, their third comrade, noticed their awkward play with his eyes and felt an unusual tension. He knew about Axel's feelings. He had told him about it during a big fight with Kevin, seemingly over some trifle.
But Jakob didn't know one thing: that day he had finally decided to confess to Kevin. His heart was overflowing with feelings, and he could no longer keep them to himself.
That was the reason for this state. All these days he had been thinking, thinking a lot.
Watching these two for these days. Not only days, but years. Jakob decided that today it would be best to leave them alone, in their deep, sincere silence. They really needed to talk. He came up with a completely ridiculous excuse that he himself could not believe, and with a light sigh he turned on his heels, heading home. Before that, he quietly whispered in Axel's ear: "Go ahead," nodding slightly towards Kevin, as if helping his friends go into their own circle of solitude and calm, pushing them towards happiness. It was as if Jacob had read Axel's innermost thoughts.
Axel felt his palms instantly go cold, and thoughts began to spin in his head - a mixture of anxiety, surprise and reluctance to break this short, but so meaningful pause. He looked closely into his friend's eyes, noticing the sincere and piercing hope in them, it could have happened too long ago - and, slightly embarrassed, nodded, agreeing with this unspoken approval.
Jacob left, leaving the two of them alone in this warm silence, permeated with a slight sense of uncertainty. After a leisurely stroll along the quiet and cozy streets, illuminated by the soft light of street lamps, they approached the bassist's house. The guy paused thoughtfully at the threshold of his house, his face darkened by internal experiences. He turned to Kevin slightly nervously and timidly said:
- If you want, you can stay with me for the night.
His voice trembled, as if he was afraid that these words could violate the boundaries. His gaze did not dare to rise, falling on his shoes, which suddenly became the only interesting object in the world.
There was a thick silence in the air, and it seemed that even the fresh evening air could not break this awkward pause - as if time had stopped to emphasize the significance of this moment. At first glance, nothing special: the usual offer they made to each other in their childhood years - an invitation to stay overnight was a natural event almost every weekend, often even after school they spent the night at one of the three of them. But for him at this moment it meant much more.
“Okay, I don’t mind,” Kevin agreed softly. “But do you have anything to eat?”
Axel exhaled with relief, smiled involuntarily and with sincere warmth in his voice answered:
“Of course, let’s go, we’ll feed you.”
It was a simple offer, which at that moment he filled with his good desire to please and show his support. At that moment, there was something more to it — not just friendship, but a sincere desire to be close and share these moments, filling them with warmth and trust.
The elevator hummed softly, filling with a warm, almost living metallic aroma, evoking a feeling of cozy mutedness. The narrow space, with its confinement, collected the breath into a single, pulsating rhythm, as if the walls were listening and feeling together with them how the breath flowed from the chest to the lungs.
Unexpectedly, on the way to his floor, Kevin — his tall silhouette, towering over Axel like a protective rock, seemed to read an anxious premonition in the air. He rested his palm on the handrail, leaned closer to Axel's face, practically coming very close to him. Kevin's blue eyes sparkled like fragments of a star, and seemed full of trepidation, expectation and subtle determination.
- Can I? — Kevin whispered, his voice barely audible, almost a whisper – more of a breath than a word.
Axel, still lost in the incomprehension of what was happening, nodded in agreement, as if drowning in excitement. The heat on his cheeks – his inner ardor and trepidation – became sudden and bright. The heaviness that had been squeezing his chest settled, and it suddenly became difficult to breathe. His fingers suddenly trembled, and the frame of his glasses shook.
Then he kissed him – something light, trembling, like the first tender petal at dawn. It was just a touch of lips, thin, weightless, leaving behind millions of unheard voices and sincere emotions. Kevin, slightly moving away, looked at him with tenderness and expectation, as if he knew that this was the beginning of something important, inevitable, and trembled waiting for a reaction.
The elevator hummed, showing the floor. The number flashed with a bright light, and the doors swung open with a quiet rustle. They went out and moved towards their apartment in complete silence, filled with indescribable trepidation and tenderness. When the lock finally gave in to Axel's efforts and opened, the men went inside, their silence filled with unspoken words, soft movements and light warmth, as if their hearts were beating in unison, creating harmony, shrouded in pleasant anxiety.
“You... You kissed me...” Axel said timidly, his voice was quiet, as if he was afraid to scare him away, that he would realize what he had done and leave. - Axel... - Kevin began, but his words were interrupted by Axel, who smiled tenderly and said:
- Do it again... Kiss me, Kevin, - he said, his face was filled with a gentle blush, and a spark of hope and trepidation played in his eyes.
He leaned down softly, his shoulders dropped, his hands found their place - one carefully lay on Axel's waist, as if taking him in her arms, pulling him closer, Axel slightly tilted his chin back, the lenses of his glasses reflected a soft, warm light, creating the illusion that a slight spark was flashing between them - the energy of the meeting, the magic of the moment. Their breath seemed to merge into one warm, barely perceptible whisper, filled with the aroma of fresh coffee and slight embarrassment enveloping their entire being. At that moment, the space narrowed to the quiet rustle of clothes and the beating of two hearts, beating in unison. - Wait, - Axel whispers, - glasses...
- Leave them, - he answered quietly.
- Really?
But instead of words, he feels a light touch of lips, their warmth and softness, slightly chapped after the walk, a slight taste of coffee on them. They were exactly as Axel imagined: gentle and quivering. The sigh of their breaths intertwines, the kiss deepens, but does not become abrupt - the movement is smooth, harmonious, as if their souls have found their place. The boundaries between them are erased: Axel's palm confidently lies on Kevin's cheek, stroking with his thumb, and the other palm softly intertwines with his fingers, creating a strong knot of warmth and trust. A special silence appears in the air, thickening with warmth - the whole universe seems to have shrunk to his little, cozy apartment, which will soon be theirs.
Axel's mustache lightly tickles Kevin's upper lip, leaving a short trail that evokes a thin, muffled laugh - without a shadow of awkwardness that had been between them before, only with pleasant tenderness. When they finally pull away, their glasses are slightly tilted, their breathing is ragged and slightly trembling, but their gazes are full of calm and inner balance, they have taken the right step towards true happiness. They freeze for a moment and smile like children, pressing their foreheads to each other.
“Jacob will be happy,” Kevin suddenly says, “and he was right. I should thank him.”
“For what?”
“He pushed me to tell you... Well, I just didn’t know how to say it, so I decided to just kiss him.” His cheeks are flushed, and he lowers his gaze, as if he was ashamed of it.
“He told me the same thing... But you beat me to it,” Axel smiles warmly. “And I’m very glad about that.” - Me too... You have no idea how... - quickly kissing him on the nose, - and we'll send flowers to Jacob, let him enjoy being right.
They stand in an embrace in the soft silence of the hallway, and no one wants to disturb this fragile harmony. It is no longer awkward, as before - it is a cozy harmony, the one that warms the heart and soothes the soul, making you feel safe and calm in the arms of trust and tenderness.