FIRE ISLAND 2022
A late Saturday morning. A golden glow streaming in through the windows. We take our time waking up. One of us is in the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee (for the coffee drinkers), some are lazily scrolling through their phones on the couch, or perhaps one of us is still sleeping, dozed off in restful peace. Two of us are hanging by the pool, giggling quietly, calmly talking about trivial life ponders, floating as the sun warms our bodies and shimmers on the water’s surface. Most of the day is spent lounging outside, strolling to the beach, saying hello to kind gay men who walk by and take us in with their own eyes. Electrifying. Arousing. The waves on the beach are powerful, majestic, entrancing. We swim, we jump, we laugh and scream. We hug and it feels good to be wet, in contact with another man. We lay out in the sun, and feel the salt deepen in our pores, lightly cooking our skin. Our lips feel crisp, but moisturized - we have blistex. We drowsily saunter back to our house, stretching and laughing and sighing deeply, taking in the sea air, feeling the sand stick to our feet and ankles, then watch it shake itself off with every hollow creaking step on the boardwalk.
Another dip in the pool sounds perfect. We let go of the last bit of beach we held on to as tequila Gatorade cocktails are passed around, and Aperol spritz’s are sipped. We talk about the personal achievements in our lives that we are most proud of, we all listen with held space and kind eyes. We pour love into each spoken vulnerability.
We continue on this lazy stream. Boyfriends cuddling other boyfriends, friends cuddling friends, boyfriends cuddling each other. It’s here: love and care and safety and acceptance.
The sun travels half way across the sky playing his greatest hit - golden hour. We feel ourselves shift, we feel the tequila buzzing in our veins, we feel the fire in our chests, we feel the excitement and primal pride of being gay men. The laughter increases, the happiness amplifies. We transform. We check in, we hug each other from behind, hold space to see each other’s hearts, and pour a little more love before we take the night. Our skin vibrating with anticipation, our souls shivering with the need to explore. We take one collective breath. It all comes to this very moment - the underlying main character of the day. We unleash ourselves into the fold. We dance.
