Rasheed gawked at the painted ceiling, the plated walls and hand-tiled pillars. “Have I given you the ‘holy shit your parents are rich’ line yet?”
Al snorted. “No not yet, but you can skip it. The society pages have written about it enough.”
“Shiiiiit,” Rasheed muttered. “This pool is gorgeous.”
“It is, I’ll give you that. But you know, there’s one thing I’ve never ever gotten to do in it. In all my years.”
Rasheed raised an eyebrow. “What’s that love?”
Ali smirked and took off his belt. “Skinny dip.”
Both eyebrows went up. “No.”
“Oh yes. I’ve always wanted to, but with so many family members about it wasn’t ever possible. I’ was scared someone would come home… but with everyone in Dubai for now, they don’t know I’ve come back from school holiday with a rather sweet young bloke I’ve been screwing quite often…”
Rasheed laughed and colors flushed over his face. “What, someone else is here?”
Ali balled up his shirt and threw it at him. “You scallywag!”
“Hey that’s a $400 Italian shirt isn’t it? What would your mother say,” Rasheed teased, picking it up and unfurling it.
“She’d say it’s six months old, so it’s out of fashion and I need a new one,” Ali snorted.
“Oh bollocks. Mmn, it smells good.”
“Don’t you keep it now,” Ali warned, in that teasing tone Rasheed loved.
“Why? You don’t need it. You’re going in there naked.”
“So are you,” Ali insisted.
Rasheed considered his boyfriend. “Am I?”
“Oh yes. Cause I want to stare at you shamelessly naked.”
“God, Ali, you flatter me.”

It was enough to give Rasheed the push to strip. He found it thrilling it be in this cavernous, hollow, swimming pool room with a beautiful brilliant man. Once the pants came off, the rest of the clothing fell away with ease. There was of course, plenty of ogling, between giant cannonballs and splashing.

When they were out of breath, the water stilled and they came close. Rasheed grabbed Ali’s hand and gave him a tender peck on the lips. “This is a lot of fun.”
“Only cause it’s with you.”
Rasheed smiled. “You’re right, swimming is more fun with a friend. And skinny dipping is marvelous. It feels so strange with just bare skin. I could get used to it.”
“Oh reaaally?” Ali kissed him again.
“Yes really.”
“Can I touch you?” Ali pleaded. “I want to feel you in the water.”
“Oh hell yes… it’s very uh, not traditional…or religious… but…”
“You like it when a man holds you hm?” Ali asked.
“Just you,” Rasheed murmured, dipping his head for another kiss.

Each man found each-other in the water, held eachother, and began to stroke. Ripples formed on the surface, then the water grew turbulent.

“Here back up,” Rasheed murmured, backing Ali up until they were pressed against the wall. Ali hooked a leg around Rasheed’s legs, and they frotted and moved as lips dueled and crushed.
“Oh press like that…fuck yeah.”
“Nnng….!”

Panting and moans echoed off the vaulted ceilings. The water turned cloudy. Ali’s leg cramped and he had to put it down.
“Oh goddamn,” Rasheed sighed. “Skinny dipping is marvelous.”
“You smell so nice. You’re really warm,” Ali murmured. “I want to sink into a hot bath now and have some chai. And cuddle you.”
“I like cuddling,” Rasheed agreed, nuzzling Ali’s jaw.
“I like you,” Ali whispered.
“I wish your family would be more understanding of us.”
“I do too… but fuck them. I won’t let them stop us from being happy. Rasheed?”
“yeah?”
“When I finish graduate school, and get a job, and figure out where I’m settling…I’m going to ask you to marry me.”
Rasheed gasped. “oh Ali do you mean it?”
“I do. Fuck what they say. I want to dress in my very fancy tailored suits – vintage, to piss off my mother, have a breakfast with you across the table from me, and come home to your smiling face and talk about our days. We’ll go on holiday in Thailand, Israel, Morocco, Bermuda, wherever, and we’ll make many photo albums and it’ll be wonderful.”
Rasheed broke out into a huge smile, eyes wet and sparkling. “I would like that future very very much.” He caught Ali off guard with a kiss that made him squeak.
“You made a noise like a mouse!”
Ali giggled. “I did didn’t it?”
“You did. Now I don’t know about you, but we’ve been in here so long, my balls are getting wrinkly. Wait, well, more wrinkly.”
Ali guffawed. “Well let me see about that! Oh wow, they are. It may be that you’re just getting old and saggy.”
“I am not! Also, aren’t you older than me?”

Fresh laughter echoed as they stumbled out of the water. A bath and chai waited. Eventually they would retire to a rather large bed where they could continue being naked and keep each-other warm all night long.

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Captions are fictional.