Chapter 51 (1/2)

Fifty-one

Its pa.s.sions will rock thee

As the storms rock the ravens on high;

Bright reason will mock thee,

Like the sun from a wintry sky.

From thy nest every rafter

Will rot, and thine eagle home

Leave thee naked to laughter,

When leaves fall and cold winds come.

–Percy Bysshe Sh.e.l.ley, When the Lamp is Shattered

“Gege, hurry up!” Wearing an orange lifejacket, his brother waved to him from a yellow rowboat some way off.

Xu Ping pulled a tired smile.

The metal paddle felt heavier and heavier in his hands, and his sore muscles were threatening to quit on him any second now. The orange life jacket was burning under the blazing sun, and it felt like a winter parka in midsummer, making him suffocate.

Dropping the double-ended paddle onto his lap, Xu Ping stopped to rest.

He wanted to shout to his brother to tell him not to paddle out too far, but when he opened his mouth, he found that even his vocal chords were exhausted.

The tiny rowboat beneath him was rocking on the ocean surface dizzying Xu Ping.

He turned towards the beach from which they had departed and saw that it was already far off.

There was a skerry around seven kilometres southwest of the main island that was big enough for two people to sit back-to-back during high tide, and the water there was clearer with more coral and schools of fish. It was a good spot for scuba diving, said Uncle Lin.

Xu Ping raised a hand to his forehead. The golden light reflecting off the water was so strong that he could barely see.

He heard his brother’s excited voice. “Gege, hurry! This way!”

He looked down at his palms. The water was very close, rocking his little vessel like a baby’s cradle. He could see the fishes not far below him, but their dim, quiet world seemed not to be disturbed as they swam idly away, his existence undetected to them.

“Gege! Gege!”

Xu Ping pulled another tired smile and picked up the paddle.

Xu Ping tied his boat to a rock and plopped down beside his brother, panting. “Water.”

Xu Zheng unzipped his backpack and took out a bottle for his brother.

Xu Ping gulped it down so hastily that water was dripping down his cheek.

“Gege is so weak.”

Xu Ping shot a look out of the corner of his eye but didn’t bother to retort. After twisting the cap back on, he pa.s.sed the bottle back and collapsed onto the rocky islet.

Xu Zheng crouched down beside him.

“What are you staring for?” Xu Ping questioned in a breathless whisper.

“Gege has really, really white skin and really, really long legs.”

Not knowing how to respond, Xu Ping turned his face away.

“And a really, really pretty neck.”

Xu Ping hummed a quiet answer.

His brother’s hand brushed his ear and lingered on his neck.

“I want to do it with Gege.”

Xu Ping’s face instantly burned, but he eventually regained composure. “Didn’t we do it yesterday?”

“Not the same.” Xu Zheng hugged him from behind sneaking a hand underneath his t-s.h.i.+rt to pinch his nipples. “I really want to do it now.”

His words brushed Xu Ping’s ear making the elder shudder.

Xu Ping turned around. “You rowed for so long. Aren’t you tired? I can barely lift my arms.”

“Yes, but I still want to.”

Xu Ping closed his eyes and sighed. “Can you wait until tonight? Until it’s just the two of us in the room…”

“But I can’t wait, Gege.” Xu Zheng interrupted. “I was thinking of you all this time, about your body. But Gege rows so slow.”

He planted a kiss on Xu Ping’s neck.

“Can we, Gege? There’s n.o.body here. You did it with me yesterday on the beach.”

He quickly stripped off his t-s.h.i.+rt baring his muscular torso.

Xu Ping stared dumbly at his brother.

Without any sense of shame, Xu Zheng stood up before Xu Ping and unb.u.t.toned his pants taking off his underwear, too. He kicked the garments aside as he exposed his tight thighs and swollen genitals under the sun.

Xu Ping’s mouth opened to say something, but he found his voice was shaking so much he could not.

Xu Zheng knelt down on one knee and took off Xu Ping’s sneakers and white socks.

Xu Ping tried to retract his feet, but his brother clutched his ankles.

He studied his gege’s toes for a while and then bent down and planted a firm kiss on the back of his foot.

An airplane flew across the cloudless, azure sky drawing a straight white line.

The ocean breeze was swaying lazily while the water lapped at the reef.

A white seagull swooped low.