Selucas was quite surprised by Jake's strange behaviour of today; all those awkward moments of him being insecure, embarrassed and shy had taken Selucas aback in curious wonderment, because he had never seen Jake (that cool-guy!) act like that before, so when his strange demeanor of unusual insecurity appeared all of the sudden, Selucas was taken aghast in a swift stun of puzzlement by it.
Truly a strange sight to behold! Selucas thought in amazement. That feeble part of Jake is.... really refreshing? Yes, refreshing, because at those moments of weakness that mask - rich in confidence and male-haughtiness - of his went off, showing a more deep and layered character.
Selucas liked that side; it revealed Jake's humanity and his diverse inner nature, more complex and more whole.
It was adorable seeing him panicking in a fit of vulnerability, being anxious about his outside appearance, and being rock-bottom dumbfounded and bewildered by an honest, straight-forward compliment; simple in its commenting, yet taking Jake completely off guard, making him laugh— no, better said: Giggle, like a twelve-year-old girl getting an autograph (and a few kind words) from her favourite celebrity!
The smell of sweat and rubber mats hung in the air as Selucas wiped down the last machine, his shirt clinging to his back.
"Man, that was brutal," Selucas sighed, leaning over, hands on his knees. His tank top was soaked through. "You said back day would be fine." Working out with Jake is three times harder than when I go to the gym on my own! That guy's work-out is really next level! And today it went further than next level.... Seriously what happened this morning to him? What made him so fired up?! Jake was out of his mind; exercising with such herculean power and taking me along with it....
Jake tossed his towel over his shoulder with a tired grin. "I said it would be worth it. Didn't say it wouldn't hurt."
You cruel torturer!
Selucas straightened and pointed toward the locker room. "I need a shower. Now. I can feel the stink."
''I wouldn't call the smell of hard work 'stink', it's a token of hard work!''
''Yeah, yeah, you and your nonsensical cheer-talks can blow off, let's go showering.''
The two of them headed down the hall, dodging a group of teenagers arguing about protein powder. As they reached the locker room, Jake grabbed the door handle and gave it a tug— nothing. Locked.
He frowned. "What the—?"
Selucas leaned in, knocking. "Hello? Someone in there?"
A muffled voice answered. "Yeah! Gimme, like, fifteen more minutes!"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Fifteen?"
Selucas muttered under his breath, "What is he doing in there? Building a sauna?"
Jake tried again. "Hey man, some of us need to rinse off too."
"Sorry! Cleaning staff is late, I gotta finish up."
Jake let go of the handle, exasperated. "That's not even one of the regulars. Who is this guy?"
Selucas looked down at his shirt, then back at Jake. "So…. what now? Are we really going to wait fifteen minutes?''
Jake thought for a second, then shrugged. "Wanna just shower at my place?"
Selucas nodded without hesitation. "God, yes. Please.'' Adding cheekily: ''You have hot water, right?"
Jake smirked. "Most days."
---------
After a calm bike ride together, Selucas and Jake arrived at the latter's house. Selucas was amazed by that beautiful house Jake lived in. Jake really is a rich, well-off boy.
Such sleek, natural wooden panels - neatly measured into perfectness - and such transparency with floor-to-ceiling glass taking up a big portion of space on every side of the building, he had never seen before.... A house could not be more modern than this!
Inside, the cool air of the house was a welcome change. Jake tossed his keys on the kitchen counter.
"You can take the first shower," Jake said, heading for his room. "Towels are in the cabinet."
Selucas gave him a grateful look. "You're a saint."
Selucas stepped into Jake's shower and stopped dead in his tracks. "Whoa," he blurted out in a soft, low voice full reverence. ''So much space....''
He turned on the shower and thought to himself: I'm in paradise!
The water flowed from an oversized rainfall head directly above, cascading like warm silk. The walls were smooth stone tile, with built-in shelves stocked with neatly arranged bottles— label-forward, color-coded, and suspiciously spa-like. Wow, that stuff looks even better than the shampoo and shower gel I brought with me, I have to try that....
"Jake, man," Selucas whispered to himself, "your shower is basically a five-star hotel room."
He turned the temperature up just slightly— perfect. The water hit his shoulders, rolling down his back in steady streams, easing the ache in every muscle from their brutal gym session. He let out a long sigh and tilted his head up, eyes closed.
"Alright," he murmured, "let's make this count."
Selucas grabbed a bottle of shampoo— mint and tea tree, sleek and expensive-feeling. He squeezed a generous amount into his hand and worked it into his hair with slow, circular motions, like he was at a high-end salon. He didn't just scrub— he massaged, lingering on his scalp with practiced care, until his head tingled and the steam doubled the sensation.
Something Selucas really hated was being dirty, and stinking.... So, his shower moment was something very important to him. His usual shower time was over thirty minutes.
Rinsing, he took his time, enjoying how the shampoo lathered thick and rinsed clean without that dry squeak. "God, that's satisfying."
Next came the body wash. He went for the eucalyptus and charcoal blend. Rich foam exploded in his hands. He started at his neck and worked his way down, thorough and precise. Shoulders, arms, underarms— he didn't rush a thing. He even paid extra attention to his calves, muttering, "Can't skip the calves. That's how the sweat wins."
He rinsed again, leaned back into the falling water, and just…. Stood there. I want to stay in this paradise forever.... He thought with great satisfaction.
The warmth, the smell, the quiet— it wrapped around him like a blanket. He closed his eyes, letting the water hit the centre of his back, and exhaled deeply.
Selucas lost himself.
He drifted from thought to thought. First about how he'd never look at his own shower the same way again. Then about how maybe he should invest in better bath products. And at some point, he caught himself just staring at the droplets running down the glass, completely blank.
Then, suddenly, a hard knock hitted the door and Selucas was rudely awakened from his sweet shower enjoyment. He immediately knew why that knock came: Oh, shit, I have completely forgotten the time!
"…. Wait. How long have I been in here?" Selucas muttered.
At the same time Jake said: ''Yo, dude.... Everything okey in there? Are you still alive?''
Selucas peeked around the fogged glass, still surrounded by a cloud of steam. Crap. Jake. This is his house, his place. Oh my god how can I be so impudent?
He quickly turned off the water, grabbed a towel from the warm rack, and stepped out into the hallway. ''I'm so sorry dude....'' Steam billowed around his face. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead.
Jake was standing against the wall across the bathroom, arms crossed, towel slung over his shoulder, and tapping his foot. Jake raised an eyebrow and said: "You were in there for twenty minutes. I thought you drowned."
Selucas offered a sheepish smile. "My bad. Your shower's a vortex of peace and forgetfulness."
Jake smiled: ''Can't deny that— it's for sure better than that one in the gym. But, you know, I'm still sweaty and stuff, and I begin to feel like a mouldy towel myself, so would you mind fucking off, you shameless bastard!''
Selucas chuckled and opened the door wider. "That would be shame, it's huge in here, man, so why not hop in with me? At the gym we also shower together, so why not here?''
Jake rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, at the gym there are two spaces with shower heads with privacy glass in between, and here there is only one....''
Selucas shrugged, cheeks already colouring. "We have been dying together in our own sweat all morning. And it's not weird unless we make it weird, right? Like, it's so steamy and warm in here; you can stand under the shower head and wash yourself, and I will sit on the bench and scrub my back with that handy back scrubber."
Selucas really did not want to give up his pleasant stay in that paradise of a shower....
Jake gave a lopsided smile. "You just made it weird."
Lucas laughed nervously. "I'm being efficient! Okey? Come in, I won't bother you, believe me!'' He shamelessly added. I'm like a rogue Germanic tribesman migrating without assent into the Roman lands and then refusing without shame— or any other sense of guilt whatsoever to leave.
Jake stood there for a moment, processing. Then he muttered, "Screw it," and pulled off his shirt. "Just don't start talking about aromatherapy or whatever."
''Aromatherapy really works, dude....'' Selucas moaned in indignation. ''But well, come in.''
Inside the shower, the warm mist hit Jake immediately, and he gave an involuntary sigh of relief. ''You cheeky bastard, shamelessly claiming my shower, and telling me to come in, like I need your approval.'' He throwed his tank shirt full sweat on Selucas and he pulled his cheeks playfully. ''You really like showering, huh? At the gym you're always so slow....''
Selucas' face blushed, he said: ''Showering and being clean is very important, more important than doing your hair neatly.''
''yeah, sure.'' Jake took off his pants lightning fast, then took down his underwear lightning fast and threw them away. ''The showerhead is my property now.'' In seconds, Jake was completely naked and halfway into the bathroom, not even glancing at Selucas. ''You sit on your bench.''
Selucas stood in astonishment. "Dude— warn a guy, maybe?" He spoke, his face in dazzling bewilderment.
''Well, you admire my body and my abs so much, so I thought it would not be problem to just strip myself without warning given.'' Jake paused at the threshold beneath the showerhead, one hand on the foggy glass door, and turned his head just slightly, smirking. "And we just talked about efficiency, remember?''
Selucas opened his mouth, then closed it again, momentarily stunned— not just by the speed, but by how utterly unbothered Jake was. No hesitation, no comment, just total comfort in his own skin. In a blink he even saw his manly flesh dangling proudly between his muscular legs.
"Yeah, but like," Lucas muttered, still trying to process, "a little heads-up would've been nice. I didn't need a front-row seat to the unveiling."
Jake just laughed it off, while applying shampoo in his hair.
Selucas thought: Like seriously, earlier today he gets all embarrassed over a compliment and now he goes full barbarian-mode and gives me a free-of-charge strip-scene? Not even talking about him being so ashamed about having messy hair. This dude really is of a different level; another dimension than most humans are.
Selucas glanced the other way, and said (trying to make the circumstances a bit less awkward for himself): "You always keep eucalyptus-scented stuff in here? I love the scent of eucalyptus, you know.... Is that eucalyptus in your belonging?"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "You're really going to talk soap choices while we're both naked in my shower?"
Lucas coughed. "Just trying to keep it casual."
Jake smirked, rinsing off. "Casual's long gone, man."
More silence, then a quiet chuckle from Lucas. "This is going to be one of those things we pretend never happened, huh?"
Jake turned off his water stream and reached for a towel. "Nah. I'm leaning toward 'laugh about it over burgers tomorrow.'"
Lucas grinned. "Deal."