Chapter 1: Poolside Spark (Silas POV)

I’m Silas, and this is where I’m supposed to be—behind the turntables, running this damn show. The sun’s blasting down on this pool party like a furnace, hot enough to fry an egg on the deck, and I’m soaked already, sweat pouring off me in buckets. My bare chest’s glistening, dripping over the ink sprawled across my skin—tattoos I got half-drunk and never regretted—and I don’t give a crap how I look, ’cause I feel it. The bass is pumping through these beat-up speakers, loud and deep, rattling the ground under my sneakers, shaking the cheap plastic table my gear’s perched on. I’m in my zone, headphones slung loose around my neck, one ear free so I can hear the crowd losing their minds—yelling, splashing, going nuts. This place is a madhouse—water flying, people hollering, some dude cannonballing into the pool like he’s auditioning for a stunt show. Total mess, but it’s my mess, and I’m eating it up. Shirt’s long gone, tossed somewhere by the cooler, and I know I look good up here—lean, tanned, owning it. You’ve gotta sell it when you’re the DJ, right? Confidence is half the gig.

I tweak the fader, fingers slick with sweat, keeping the beat tight, crisp, thumping right through their bones. Let my eyes drift over the crowd—they’re wild, screaming, jumping, some drunk guy sloshing beer all over himself and laughing like an idiot. Then I see him. Nico. Haven’t laid eyes on him since high school, back when we’d mess around with beats in his garage and talk big about getting outta that nowhere town. He’s different now, though—sharper, hotter. He’s by the pool, peeling his shirt off slow, like he knows every eye’s on him, showing off a body that’s all lean muscle, tight lines, strong as hell. Word is he’s a dancer now—big deal, famous or something—and damn, it shows. My gaze sticks as he kicks his shorts off, casual, leaving just these tight black briefs that cling to him like a second skin. My mouth goes dry, throat tight. He doesn’t even glance around—just dives into the pool, smooth, fast, cutting the water like a blade, showing off without even trying.

He climbs out, and I’m toast. Water’s streaming down his chest, rolling over his arms, dripping off his fingers, catching the sun in little flashes. Those briefs—wet, plastered to him—hug every damn curve, every line of his thighs, his hips, everything. I can’t peel my eyes away, don’t even want to. His hair’s soaked, flopping over his eyes as he shakes it out, droplets flying, and my heart’s slamming harder than the bass I’m dropping—pounding like it’s gonna bust out of my chest. I try to focus, keep my hands steady on the deck, tweak the sound, but then it hits me—my dick’s waking up, stirring, pushing against my shorts. Oh, crap. I’m supposed to be the cool guy, the one in control, spinning this party into chaos, but Nico’s standing there, dripping wet, and I’m a mess, unraveling fast.

I fumble the fader—fingers slip, clumsy—and the beat stutters, hiccups for a second. Catch it quick, thank God, twist it back into line, but my face is burning, cheeks hot under the sun. He’s looking at me now—head tilted, eyes locked on mine—and I swear he knows, sees right through me. His lips twitch up into this smirk, slow and teasing, and he mouths, “Caught you,” deliberate, like he’s playing with me. I’m caught, yeah, hooked like a fish, but I’m not about to back down. Grin back at him, wide and reckless, mouthing, “Fuck yeah,” trying to play it off like my insides aren’t flipping out. He starts walking over—water still sliding off him, leaving a shiny trail on the concrete—and the crowd’s noise, the music, it all blurs into static. It’s just him, closing in, that smirk growing, pulling me like a damn magnet.

He stops at my booth, leans on it casual, elbows propped like he owns the whole damn place. “You always this obvious?” he says, voice low, cutting under the roar of the party so it’s just for me. I laugh, shaky, shaking my head to clear the fog rolling in. “Only when it’s worth it,” I shoot back, and my eyes drop—can’t help it—down to those briefs for a split second before snapping back up to his face. He’s close now—too close, close enough I can smell the chlorine on him, sharp and wet, mixing with something warm, something that’s just Nico, hitting me hard. My pulse is racing, thumping in my ears, and I don’t know if it’s the heat baking me or him standing there, messing with my head. “You think I’m worth it?” he asks, half-joking, but there’s this spark in his eyes—dark, daring me to bite.

“Hell yeah,” I say, and it comes out rough, scratched raw, like I’ve been yelling all day. He grins, big and bright, and I feel that buzz—like the air’s crackling, charged up right before the beat drops, ready to explode. We don’t talk much after that—don’t need to. Dunno who moves first—me, him, doesn’t matter—but suddenly we’re slipping behind the deck, ducking out of sight from the crowd, a tangle of heat and want. My back slams the wall, rough stucco biting my skin, and Nico’s on me, fast. His hands press hard into my chest—wet, warm—and his lips crash into mine, wild and messy, like we’ve been starving for this since forever.

It’s chaos—his mouth hot, tasting like pool water and something sweet I can’t pin down, maybe soda he drank earlier. I’m lost in it, hands grabbing at his slick skin, pulling him tight against me, feeling every inch. He pushes closer, grinding into me, our dicks hard, straining through our shorts, and I groan into the kiss—loud, sloppy—making him smirk against my lips. Music’s thumping out there, crowd screaming, water splashing, but back here, it’s just us—sweat, heat, this insane rush tearing through me. My fingers dig into his hips, holding him there, and he presses harder, hips rocking, making my head spin, vision blurring at the edges. We’re panting, breathless, and I don’t care if anyone hears, don’t care if they catch us. It’s Nico—Nico from back then, Nico now—and me, and it’s real, raw, slamming into me like the drop I didn’t see coming.

We pull apart, gasping, air burning my lungs, and his taste lingers—sharp, sweet, stuck on my lips. The crowd’s still going nuts out there, bass shaking the ground, but behind this deck, it’s quiet—just our ragged breaths, chests heaving, and this fire we’ve sparked, smoldering between us.