- Marc, did you already get the exfoliate mask?
Hani was so full of clothes on her arms that it was almost impossible to see her face, and her voice came out a bit muffled. Meanwhile, Estella was exasperatedly jumpy over the bed, shaking her arms and celebrating with deafened screams.
Hani was so full of clothes on her arms that it was almost impossible to see her face, and her voice came out a bit muffled. Meanwhile, Estella was exasperatedly jumpy over the bed, shaking her arms and celebrating with deafened screams.
- Barcelona! Barcelona! Barcelona!
In theory, she had already packed, but the content of her bag could still be seen all over the floor of Marc’s enormous room.
- It was the first thing I packed, Hani – He rolled his caramel eyes. Marc was a bit impatient, but it was because he was too excited to go to Spain and meet a lot of… spaniards – Yeah, yeah, Estella, Barcelona, yay. Now put the things inside your bag – he twisted his arm low while saying “yay”.She stopped celebrating immediately, letting her arms fall beside her body, and began to stare at her brunet friend. Marc felt a bit uncomfortable with that staring, but didn’t say anything. He waited a few minutes until some obsessive commentary came from Hani, and his friend didn’t let him down.
- Estella, look... I hate to say this, but he’s right. And we’re late – Hani was already consulting the clock, the typical crazy expression that always made Marc laugh and look with significance to his other friend.
Marc looked at Estella, and his eyes backed to Hani, with his mouth open, looking at her as if she was ridiculous. He saw Estella on his peripheral vision sighing and turning to pack her things.
- The flight is in three hours, Hani – She gave emphasis to the ‘three’ and said the rest with that typical dismay of when she didn’t give a fuck about what others had said.
- Yes, but I’ve already done the math and we have to leave in one hour, max – Marc noticed that her eyelids opened more and more with every word – and where do you think you’re going with that bra?
- What? – What a psychopathic comment from Hani. Marc was a bit scared, like Estella seemed to be.
- That bra. In your hand. It’s mine.
- No, it isn’t – Estella held the bra tight by her chest – It’s my bra!
They both looked at each other for a moment.
- OH MY GOD! WE’VE GOT THE SAME BRA! – After that demonstration of how ridiculous were his friends, the atmosphere went back to normal. It was not like Marc would do that kind of thing if he was a woman.
While Estella packed quietly, closed on her iPod world, and Hani was sitting on Marc’s Louis Vuitton, in an almost lost fight against the zipper to close it, Marc was reciting an endless monologue about his own eyebrows.
- … So, don’t you think that I should take a little more from this one? – He pointed at his right eyebrow and put his face just a few inches from Hani.
- Shit, Marc! What the fuck did you put in this bag? – Hani was pulling the locked zipper hopelessly and Marc was disgusted by a sweat thread that ran over by her face.
Unsatisfied with his friend’s answer, and not wanting to stare at that disgusting sweat thread anymore, he turned to Estella.
- And you? What do you think?
Silence.
- Estella?
Silence.
- Estella.
Silence.
- ESTELLA!
- Hum? – she took her earphones away.
- What do you think?
- About what?
- Humpf, my eyebrows – He said, with an air of 'What more would it be?'.
- Seriously? – She frowned – are you asking me about your eyebrows? I don’t even have an answer for that.
After that, Marc gave up sharing the subject with his friends.
For him, the things passed too quickly, because he spent his time looking himself in the mirror, smoothing his clothes and arranging his hair until the taxi came.
He was indeed very handsome. How could he be so beautiful? What he most liked about himself was his nose, well-marked, imposing, straight and with the line that marked the nostrils well defined. The eyes too. And the smile. But of course he couldn’t forget his mouth. He had a curve on the corners of it that made him so innocent and so malicious at the same time.
When the taxi arrived, Hani forced Estella to sit on the back seat with her, to check the endless list of important things to carry. So, Marc sat on the front seat – not without celebrating in silence, because it was the place where the majority of the mirrors were, so he could admire himself.
After half way flirting with his reflection, he realized that a sloppy beard would be nice on his face. So, he asked the taxi driver.
- What do you think of me letting my beard grow? – After a few seconds without getting an answer, he asked himself why did the taxi driver didn’t say anything and looked askance at him – So?
This time the man turned and stammered something like ‘Yeah, maybe’. Immediately, Mark didn’t like him. Pfft, how humans could be petty and annoying! He went back to admiring his reflex.
The arrival to the Airport of Guarulhos seemed cinematographic. The automatic doors opened, revealing a girl with quick steps. Her too long brown hair spread over her pale face, sketching an expression of worry, while her long legs were winning the hall. The second to pass by the door chewed the gum with her mouth open, arranging her sunglasses and then throwing back her sunburned hair, blond on the tip and dark brown on the root. She looked around bored and pulled the bag to the check-in slowly, despite the insistence of her friend to be faster.
Finally, it was his time. The doors even opened again. While Marc entered the hall, a breeze hit him in his back, shaking the longer lock in the front of his straight light brown hair, strategically messy. He stopped, sighed looking around, messed the rebellious lock of hair back to its place. Like as if it was his last action, popped the collar of his shirt and turned, dramatically, to take his bag.
The trio could be described basically the same all the way to Europe. Estella soon fell asleep by the airplane window. Hani, immediately next to her, couldn’t stand still and kept looking throughout the window. Marc, on the hallway, checked out everybody on the flight and was especially interested on the flight attendant.
When they went back down, Marc was extremely anxious. As soon as he got up everybody looked at him. All those people with those weird ugly coats. They obviously envied him. He was wonderful, his skin, his hair, especially his clothes. No ugly coat.
Everything would be much better if that plane would have taken them directly to Spain. But it hadn’t. He still couldn’t believe that his friends had really convinced him, dragged him to be more precise, to the most random place of the world. Spending a day in Poland would be practically not thinkable, even more because he’d have to spend it completely alone.
Hani and Estella were really very selfish. All of that just because of some audition to a job for the next year. Some little job. He didn’t even pay too much attention when they were explaining, but it seemed to have something to do with football. Fanatics.
At the moment he was outdoors he felt a cold air cutting all the exposed parts of his body. Maybe he should’ve listened to the two about Poland’s winter. It really wasn’t like France. But how was he supposed to know? Why would he go to a country like that during his european vacation? It was pretty obvious that when while traveling, Marc went to the mediterranean countries.
They had to get their suitcases. Hani went to the conveyor belt and sent them to wait on the benches around. After some time, the brunet’s chin started trembling and his nails looked a little purple. That was unacceptable. Maybe he should act a bit.
- Este-e-eee-lla... Es... te... a... – He opted for the closest friend – I... need... a coat. Hold me...
Maybe it didn’t work quite the way he expected. She looked at him sideways while he threw himself over her lap. He must have had exaggerated. Marc loosened up her arm a bit, hit his chin a little more and wore a supplicant stare.
- What’s wrong with him? – Hani asked, pulling the luggage unsteadily.
- Oh… it’s getting dark… I’m… co-o-old… Hani… – She rolled her eyes. Damn it, who did he had to grab there to get a jacket? He got up – Please! I’m serious!
- Well, you should’ve…
- Yeah, I should have listened to you! I know – Marc interrupted Estella, who stopped in the middle of whatever she was doing. She looked at him with those shrunken eyes, judging, like she always did when she wanted someone to feel guilty. She thought for a few seconds, sighed and moved again, taking off her coat. Not like she needed it anyways, she had about seven more on.
- Here. Try to hear us next time.
The flight to Madrid was early morning. They left him at a cheap half star hotel next to the airport. No TV, no Wi-fi. What was he supposed to do in that place? Going out was the last thing in his mind. At least they had some cute employees. Marc didn’t know that polish men were blond with blue eyes and beautiful.
A waiter of the hotel’s restaurant in particular interested him very much. When he tried speaking english to the receptionist lady she called the tall blond one, saying something extremely weird. He turned around a little shy and spoke with a huge accent. How cute!
After that, Marc hanged around the bar and tried to make the polish guy notice him. He smiled and the polish blushed and looked down. Really cute. The restaurant was closed and the waiter was setting the tables.
It could be cute, fluffy, funny, but at one moment or another he had to do something. Marc wasn’t a person who usually threw himself over others. Not if the other one didn’t demonstrate any interest whatsoever. Maybe he should start being a little more indiscrete.
- Hello – Marc striked a pose over the table the man was setting, sticking out his butt as high as he could. The other one widened his eyes and opened a half smile.
- Hm, cześć...
- Yeah, tché... tchz. Yeah. So. When is your break, hm? – He put his hand over the blond’s shoulder. He shook his head.
- Hm, nie... don’t have. Have lot of work for be close airport… – He smiled, clumsy, and continued – And just me and Nikolai work here restaurant…
- Oh, really? It’s good to know I’ll be in great hands during dinner! – Marc bent over – What’s your name?
- Hm, Jan – The pole reached out his hand and the brazilian grabbed it.
- I’m Marc. Do you smoke?
Jan didn’t seem to get it. Actually it didn’t look like he got much of anything of their conversation. Marc made the gesture of smoking with his hands and the other one nodded his head.
- Ah! Tak! Yes!
- Yeah? Where? – The blond one seemed to think the question was a bit weird, so Marc smiled nicely.
- Here back of kitchen…
- Do you wanna go there? – Marc was so throwing himself. But he never kissed a polish before. And maybe that day wasn’t going to be so bad after all – Come on.
- Hm… just finish this table, yes?
Marc stood next to the bar watching the little rock fountain that was there. It was dirty and spent, but in a way it suited the environment. It was right under a big window that showed the snow outside. He felt a hand over his shoulder.
- Smoke? – Jan smiled and made a sigh with his hand, looking at the reception – just don’t let Aleksandra see you!
Getting to the kitchen, Marc followed him through a little dark hallway with a door at the end. He was almost blinded when Jan opened it, the white wilderness surrounding all the horizont. The blondie rubbed his hands and pulled a pack of cigarettes from inside his pocket. Offered one to Marc, who refused.
- No… that’s for the after – Jan glanced at him for a few seconds and lit his lighter. Finished smoking in about three seconds, even less. Marc had never seen someone smoking so fast. The polish man pushed his head against the wall, rolling his eyes of relief. That image made Marc have a lot of impure thoughts – Come.
He took the other by the arm and pulled him in. The kitchen lights were off and the only illumination came from the snow outside. Marc pushed him to what he thought it was a wall, but it made a rumbling noise. It were pots stacked.
- Chyba was pojebalo?! – Jan backed, fallen to the floor.
- I’m not sure what that means, but you speaking polish is sexy! – Marc launched himself at the other.
- Stop! I said… - Jan held him back with a flattened hand over his chest – are you out of your fucking mind?!
- Yeah! You blow me off my mind! – Marc whispered, sliding his hand to press against Jan’s jaw. He resembled a little frightened deer, reluctant to his inevitable end. The brunet tried to be gentle, soothing down and caressing the boy, who stopped resisting.
At last Marc risked touching with his fingers those unbelievably soft lips, despite the freezing cold from that winter. The blond guy shuddered as he felt the brazilian’s breath so close. At first, he just stood still as Marc kissed him. Then he started to kiss him back slowly.
Marc spent a long while there in the kitchen’s floor abusing the poor polish lad. But in the end, Jan wanted that, he he just didn’t know it. And Marc had been only kind enough to show him what did he really like.
It passed fourty minutes, one hour, two. Marc didn’t know for sure, but it should be late and they both would get in trouble if they didn’t get out of there. Jan could be fired and Marc would hear a big lecture from his friends if he got in the way of the trip, especially from Hani if by any meanings they were late.
He said goodbye to the european guy, leaving him sprawled all over the cold and checkered floor, next to the spread pans. Getting to the filthy room, he laid down on the one bed that was found there.
Hani and Estella woke him up by shaking him about two hours later, saying they had to go to the airport to check in. Marc wished only to sleep and he let himself be carried, half asleep, by his friends.
The two of them passed out as soon as they set down. Marc should’ve asked how the audition was. But it was not like they didn’t already know he didn’t care too much, mainly because he wasn’t completely awake.
The sun was already up when the three opened their eyes again. The Airport of Madrid-Barajas wasn’t as wonderful as everybody said. It had a weird ceiling, all curved, and some colorful shafts to support it. Marc believed he could do a way better job with the decoration. There were some unidentifiable things spread through the terminal and some works of art of very doubtful taste.
The only thing he absolutely loved was the extremely huge high ceiling – as the airport also huge – and the fact that there were trees in the middle of a platform. Yes, inside the airport. That was awesome. That was fancy people. From that moment on he decided he’d put a plant in the middle of his own room. Pure luxury!
The airport was twelve km away from the downtown area, and the hotel was almost at Madrid’s ground zero. A taxi ride that far wouldn’t be any reasonable for the two girl, so Marc decided to take the initiative of calling the white car with a red stripe. According to Estella, the official cabs were of that color and had the Ayuntamento de Madrid’s symbol on the doors; it should be that one.
- Hola, ¿a dónde vámonos hoy? – Somebody was excited! Marc liked that driver. He was pretty. And spanish.
- Ah, vamonos a... esto lugar – Estella reached out her hand with the hostel address. She sat on the back and this time it was Marc who pushed her there. The spanish green eyes diverged from the paper to the brazilian one, who watched him. The conducter smiled timidly.
- Bueno... – He pulled the car. Marc could tell the other one liked him. After all, what was there not to like? – Y dónde son ustedes?
- De Brasil – The brunet answered, with a loaded spanish accent.
- Ah, Brasil? Eu hablo un poco de portugués! – At least he tried.
They went talking all the all. He was probably the coolest taxi driver Marc had ever met, which wasn’t little. In São Paulo, he took a cab every time he went out on his own. It was only when he turned eighteen that he started driving his lovely Porsche Cayman S.
The driver’s name was Esteban and he said that the quickest path would be of a bit longer distance than twelve km, and it should take about twenty minutes to get there, but Marc didn’t mind much. If those were his first twenty minutes in Spain, then God what was happening next!
They got there and he didn’t want to get out of the car, but the girls turned to him with a censure look and he opened the door. Could it be true that Esteban wanted to accompany and help them with their suitcases? Estella and Hani refused and Marc wanted to die.
- Thanks, anyway… - He thanked and gave the other man a kiss on the cheek. The spanish lad widened his eyes and stood there for a while. Marc couldn’t see his reaction because his friends pulled him. When he was going to turn back and ask him for his phone number, Hani held him.
- Marc! Stop that! Are you going to scare the first spanish you meet? – How could she say something like that? He was so close to kissing the first spanish person of his life and she was probably jealous because it was him who got the first man of the trip.
They spoke to the tiny woman behind the reception counter, a lady with grey hair and round glasses balanced on the tip of her nose. She showed them the room they would be in, on the third floor, but there was no one to help with the bags. Apparently her nephew was having lunch. And the elevator was broke.
Marc thought it was absurd him having to carry those heavy bags through three flights of stairs! He asked the old woman when was the elevator getting fixed, but she didn’t seem to have heard. Obviously Hani would’ve picked some place like that. He didn’t even want to look at the room.
When the door opened, the brunet let his luggage fall to the floor and covered his mouth with his hands. It was a scandal. It should have about forty square meters tops, counting the bathroom. It didn’t have anything, only three little single beds, and the most he could be happy about was that the bathtub was usable.
He took the corner bed, next to the door, which was across the room from the other two. At least he’d have more space. As soon as the landlord left the room, he opened his hand bag and took his insect spray out, spraying over every single part of the bedroom and bathroom.
- Marc, unless you want to poison us and yourself, I’d suggest you stop that right now! – Estella knew quite well that was for their own sake. And she should be thanking him.
- Who is it that suffers from arachnophobia here? Is it me?
- Marc… - Hani didn’t have anything to complain about either.
- Is it? I don’t think so! – The two girls looked at him for a few moments and then sighed and turned around to unpack their belongings.
When he thought about that, he looked down to that brown monster with wheels. He could barely get it out of his place. Going upstairs with that made him sweat. Which was terrible. Open it would probably not be too easy.
- Hani, you broke my Louis Vuitton! – He decided to scream and see if he could get his friend to come do the work for him. As long as she didn’t drop her sweat again.
- Marc, it was because of me that you could bring that thing! It wouldn’t even have closed if it wasn’t for me. I didn’t break anything, open it up! I will not go through all that again just because you’re lazy.
- You’re so rude! – He decided to postpone the effort and dropped himself over the mattress – Did you pick your outfit for tomorrow already?
He laughed at their reaction. Hani released all she had in her hands and turned around quickly, with her eyes wide open. Estella stiffened and stood there in the same position, turning her back to him and a little curved. Then, still a little bit stiff, turned on her heels to face him. The two of them exchanged looks right after and started to rummage through their clothes.
- I knew this was going to happen! I don’t know why we didn’t pick before!
- Come on, Hani. We always end up changing it, there’s no use in picking it too soon! – Estella disappeared behind the closet door. At least the bedroom had a mini-closet.
- Ella is right! If I’m going somewhere, I have to be well dressed.
- If I’m going to a Real Madrid match I have to be well dressed!
