head in the dust

Bright hues literally light up at the sight of his fiance, unable to help the sappy grin that spread onto his features, much like it always did at the sight of Kaleb, still in disbelief over the fact that he was in Greece with his beautiful lover. He literally throws his arms around Kaleb, hugging him from behind the bench and pressing a kiss atop of his head, “Hiya, lover boy.” Jamie coos, peppering his face with a few wet kisses before jumping over onto the bench and resting his head in the other’s lap, “Fuck. You’re beautiful.” The male gushes, fingers outstretching to trace along his cheek and lower lip, “SO what do you want to do today?”

Kaleb wrinkled his nose and made a dramatic throwing-up noise at the wet kisses before finally breaking out into a laugh. “You’re in a good mood,” he replied, gently resting a hand on Jamie’s chest so he could feel his heart beat gently against his palm. “But thanks. I’m not entirely sure what I want to do. I was just going to sit here and relax for a few moments. Enjoy the scenery despite my nose freezing off.”

she smiled widely, “how lucky to win with someone you’re so in love with. i hope to find that someday. not now, but someday.” savannah shrugged, “never been out of missouri and wanted to explore, finally. thought this would be a good way to do that.” 

“it was an insane coincidence, i honestly didn’t believe him when he said he’d won too,” kaleb agreed. “this is a great way to do that. i mean, talk about a once in a lifetime trip. it’s crazy that people who live in europe actually get to just drive to these places.”

“well, kind of have a thing for love. i wasn’t always allowed to love authentically so now that i can; it’s freeing and refreshing. i guess i could say i also really enjoy aphrodite, godess of beauty and sexual desire.” she laughed, “i’m savannah. what brings you on this trip?” she asked curiously.

kaleb’s smile softened into understanding and he nodded his head. “i get that,” he replied, chuckling at her little addon. “me and my fiancé actually won the contest thing. somehow. still doesn’t really feel real, if i’m being totally honest. what about you?”

kasey’s feet were already starting to get sore, so the seat on the bench was basically calling her name. she sat down next to the brunette, someone she recognized from the group, and smiled. “yeah, it really is. i never knew how much beauty could be in one place.”

“can you imagine living here? waking up, stepping outside, and being greeted by all of this?” he shook his head in amazement and then glanced at the girl next to him. “i’mkaleb, by the way. nice to meet you.”

“but art’s how you could capture it. that or a camera.” he sighed and wished he could bury his toes in the sand, “but that’s still not the same, is it?” aaron paused, “first time at this beach, but have been on beaches my whole life.  los angeles you know? cali and all that jazz.”

“los angeles, wow. must be nice. can’t imagine having warm weather most of the year. new york’s a little... snowy for about half of the year.” he grinned and held out a hand. “i’m kaleb, by the way. nice to meet you.”

oliver hadn’t hesitated before taking the seat next to the familiar man. his blue hues on him as a grin crept onto his lips, “are we talking about greece or you?” he chuckled, turning back to look around at the scenery. “either way, the answer is yes,” he turned once more in the direction of the other man, gentle smile still lingering on his lips. “i’m oliver by the way, i don’t think i properly introduced myself earlier,” he reached a hand out for the other to shake before standing up, pulling him with him. “how about we go for a walk? maybe find something for dinner?”

kaleb’s eyebrows shot up at the blatant flirtatiousness of the man next to him and he couldn’t help but laugh a little. he was startled, yet again, when the handshake turned into a hug and he was standing up. “oliver, wow, hi. i’m  kaleb,” he replied. “and that sounds great but i feel like i should inform you now that i’m engaged.”

He huffed and the smile grew, wondering if the man was from the North American East Coast as well. “Yeah, no way.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “This spot is heaven. I will be beach side most of this trip, trust me.” Eyes pulled away for a short moment, When Kaleb introduced himself Snow played along. Reached out to shake hands in turn. “A lucky winner.” A sour taste lingered at the back of his tongue as he said it jokingly right back, though the feeling didn’t reveal itself on his cocky face. “I’m Snow, a humble tattoo artist by trade. Got shipped here from Prague before now. It’s a lil bit more cold there this time of year.” Vinson teased.

Kaleb was a little curious about the shift in his tone when talking about the contest but he decided not to ask about it. He’d had thoughts it was too good to be true, but he really needed something like this. So he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Prague? Man, that sounds awesome,” he said with a big grin. “How long have you been doing tats? I only have one, but I’ve been thinking about getting another. This trip would be a pretty cool time to get one.”

He was lucky enough to have traveled Europe before. Paris, Rome, London, Amsterdam…all with wealthy men and women who wanted to take Alexander with to show him off. However, he never made it to Greece before, even though it had always been on his list to go to. Having made plans to visit the old amphitheaters that were practically the birth of theatre, Alexander decided to instead just relax and unwind on their first day. “It’s always been a dream of mine to visit Greece…” Alex said sitting down next to Kaleb on the bench. 

“Well. Here you are,” Kaleb replied, shooting the guy a crooked grin. “I’ve never actually been outside of the US before. This is... all brand new for me. Just as beautiful as the pictures.”

“Me too! I didn’t know you were from New York also!” Ember said slapping her hands on her thighs smiling happily to have met a fellow New Yorker like her on this trip sticking out her right hand for him to shake. “I’m Ember, by the way. Ember Davidson.”

Ember’s enthusiasm was infectious and he found himself chuckling. “I am. Staten Island boy,” he replied. “I’m Kaleb. Lewis, if you need my last name.” He rested his elbow against the back of the bench so he could turn and face her. “What part of New York are you from?”

“oh, they were most definitely asses, but that’s what makes them interesting.” savannah smiled and then looked away from kaleb and onto the statue, “eros, god of love, passion.”

“ah, i see,” kaleb said with a wide grin. “you have a love for love, then? i admit, being loved by a god does sound very romantic doesn’t it? poetic or something.” he mindlessly twisted the ring on his finger, eyes returning to the art before them. “i’m kaleb, by the way.”

“..Yes, it does have a certain appeal, doesn’t it?” Riggs countered. “Whenever I’m on a beach I think about when I first saw the movie Jaws—it’s hard to get over that phobia isn’t it? But you have to admire the mechanics of it all and the tactful elicitation of terror within the audience.” 

He paused and green-blue eyes rolled back towards his new companion on the sand. “Everyone has a Jaws story—when did you first see it?” He asked, as though the possibility the man hadn’t seen the movie didn’t cross his mind.

Kaleb actively listened, happy a talker seemed to have taken a seat next to him. “Ah, yeah. You’re not wrong there. My first Jaws experience was when I was eight. My brother was always the more adventurous one between us and convinced me to watch it with him one night when our babysitter had fallen asleep. I was too scared to get in the water for three years. Then he pushed me in and now I’m fine. Love the water. Sharks are pretty cool, too.” 

there’s a beach called kavouri about 20 kilometers south out of the center of athens and it’s where the two men currently found themselves. a nice beach secluded from the coastal highway and rather empty due to it being around 15 degrees celsius out. not exactly beach weather. but the sight of the water meeting the sky and the smell of the salt water was a combo that aaron found himself enjoying very much. “it sure is. i wish i was an artist. wish i was able to capture the beauty of a setting sun on a canvas.” 

“i love art, but it’s still just a mimicking of the experience. i wish i could capture this moment and just revisit it when work gets stressful or i’m snowed into my apartment,” kaleb replied, glancing at the man beside him. “have you been here before or is this your first time?”

“It certainly is.” Ember said smiling over at Kaleb brightly brushing some hair off her shoulder taking the beauty that was around her before turning back to him. “Everyone is left to their own devices on where to go right now. It’s kind of fun.”

Kaleb hummed in agreement, his shoulders relaxed and his legs crossed neatly at his ankles. “I’ve never been outside of the US before; rarely even left New York most of my life. You see pictures of places like this and think ‘oh, yeah, that’s really nice’ but you never expect to actually go there.”

“it’s bound to be, it’s ancient greek art.” savannah spoke quietly, even though the museum wasn’t completely silent, it didn’t feel like a place where tones should be anything but reserved in their volume. they were currently looking at the varvakeion athena. she read from a pamphlet, “well actually, it’s roman-era. a replication of a statue of athena that phidias, and his assistants, built to stand in the parthenon.” she shut the pamphlet and looked up at the sculpture again before looking over at kaleb. “do you have a favorite greek god or goddess?” 

kaleb’s eyebrows raised a little at her blunt reply, but his smile was still there, happy to be talking to somebody new. “well they were all kind of assholes, weren’t they?” he asked, head tilted to the side just a fraction. “if i had to pick a favorite, probably apollo. i remember doing this big research project on him my freshman year of college in one of my gen-ed classes. what about you?”

No matter where Snow traveled, the artist always felt at home amongst a ring of fellow smokers. A bad habit for sure, but an easy in when meeting strangers, locals, even upperclass folk. He’d had his fill of ash and idle chatter for the night. Carrying away fresh stories and few names which would inevitably fade from memory Vinson strode along the cobbled path. This city remained so bright even in the dim hours of the day. It was still young. Snow found himself a seat beside a man any normal human would be drawn to. With eyes filled with an optimistic sense wonder. It was easy to turn a relaxed grin his direction, “No kiddin’.” He could hear the beach from this point, smell the salt, “’already my favorite spot on earth, man. I’ve gotta thing for water.”

“Me too, but this is wildly different from the Atlantic back home,” Kaleb agreed. “I’ve never really been on a vacation like this before. My family used to pack up and drive down to North Carolina but that just... doesn’t compare.” He twisted the ring on his finger mindlessly, watching a bird soar over the brightly colored sky. “Oh. I’m Kaleb, by the way. You’re in the group, right? The raffle winners?” He made little airquotes with his fingers and mindlessly stretched his long legs out in front of him before holding out his hand for the stranger to shake.