The Wishing well

by Corbin Grey

  Together we had moved around the houses more often and a friendship had developed from this. He, the party-loving daredevil and I the reserved henpecked.

  Maybe I could learn something from him in the next few days and loosen up a bit. I would not always be so lucky, that the women approached me, it was time, to finally take the initiative myself.

  Alex had noticed my look and looked at me questioningly.

  "Maybe you can show me a thing or two this weekend? You know, how you meet your dates and all," I printed around.

  He looked at me in surprise and nodded briefly, we drank our drink in silence.

  "Let's drop off the luggage and get through the security check, then we'll have a little drink before we go," he suggested.

  At the check-in, there was not much going on and it was our turn quickly. The stewardess, a pretty blonde, gave me a friendly smile when Alex handed her the tickets.

  "You fly first class, you didn't have to wait. There's an extra check-in for you."

  I looked at my ticket first and then at Alex. He suddenly acted all innocent and busy as if nothing had happened.

  "Please use exit D. I hope you have a pleasant flight."

  "Why the first class? It's only a two-hour flight," I asked Alex.

  Alex twisted his eyes annoyingly.

  "Because we can afford it. It's time for you to enjoy your life. The money is for spending, you can't take it with you in the end anyway. So, let's go out and have fun."

  "But for a flight?"

  Alex looked at me angrily.

  "Stop. We're not discussing this. My party, my music. I invited you, and it's going the way, I want it to go. If you don't like it, you can always turn around and go back to Mommy."

  He was pissed and let me feel it.

  "With Svenja..."

  "Was it different, yes yes, I know. But Svenja is no longer there and that's good," he interrupted me immediately and pushed me to the security gate.

  "You desperately need more alcohol, was the fuck so bad, you're still so uncomfortable?"

  I couldn't think of a suitable answer to this question and I did the only right thing, I kept my mouth shut.

  We quickly passed the security checkpoints and headed for the next bar. Hardly had we the glasses in the hand, Alex cleared his throat briefly.

  "You need to clear your head and be open to new things. That's why we're going to Rome. Svenja is history, besides that, many hot chicks would be happy, if they could get a date with you. You just don't get it, and now drink."

  Alex

  That quite a few guys, including myself, also wanted to have sex with him, I concealed at that moment.

  He had been through enough in the last days and weeks and needed a nice weekend to get his mind off things. If this required women as well as a lot of alcohol, I was willing to make this sacrifice. Above all, he had to become a little more self-confident. The rest of the time we spent with casual small talk and more long drinks. When it came to boarding, I was decently drunk.

  As soon as we had made ourselves comfortable in the plane, we were surrounded by very eager stewardesses, who wanted to read every wish from our eyes. I emphasized again and again that my best friend Daniel is single. In addition to excellent whiskey and coke, Daniel also received a note from the pretty brunette. I complacently toasted him and was amused by his reproachful look. After only a few long drinks the plane started its landing approach. Finally, we were in Rome, we had quickly passed the security gate and fetched our luggage.

  "We're taking the train, aren't we?" Daniel asked and looked around searching.

  I shook my head briefly and pointed towards the exit. The drivers of various hotels were standing there with nameplates and waiting for guests. Daniel suddenly laughed out loud and pointed to a sign.

  "Mr. Ron Hole and Mr. Cuni Lingus, what joker called himself?"

  I steered the man with the sign purposefully towards him and greeted him.

  "I did that," I grinned at Daniel.

  He was speechless and just shook his head. Surely our driver guided us through the crowd and brought us to a fancy limousine, that was waiting for us outside. Daniel looked at the car with awe and got in. Inside, a chilled bottle of champagne awaited us.

  "Very romantic," Daniel grinned and poured us a drink. I shrugged, the champagne was part of it, whiskey was not on the menu.

  The limousine drove off, Daniel looked out of the window and watched the landscape, he looked happy and satisfied.

  "So, what hotel are we staying at?"

  "Let me surprise you, you'll love it."

  I told him nothing more.

  Finally, we reached our destination and the driver opened the door for us. Daniel got out and stopped with an open mouth. Our hotel was located right next to the world-famous Trevi Fountain and other sights.

  "This is a joke, right? Our hotel isn't here and you're kidding me."

  Daniel still did not believe it. In the meantime, the bellhops had already taken our luggage to the hotel.

  "Anything for you," I joked and pushed him gently into the lobby. Daniel let himself be led in without resistance and looked around in awe. The hotel exceeded my expectations. A large noble reception hall with various statues and noble armchairs awaited us. At the reception, the concierge was waiting for us.

  "Welcome to Hotel Roma. I hope you had a pleasant journey."

  I nodded briefly and took out my reservation confirmation and handed it to him.

  "Yes, you booked two classic rooms," he tapped on the keyboard.

  "Just a moment. We're almost there."

  The moment dragged on and I slowly became impatient. I had to go to the toilet. The whiskey and coke began to press.

  "I'm afraid we have no more Classic Rooms available," the concierge began carefully.

  "So what?"

  "I'm afraid there's been a small incident, but I can offer you a suite as compensation."

  I looked at Daniel and nodded at him.

  "Then you take the suite and I'll take the Classic. What do you say?"

  "Excuse me, the suite is for both of you," the concierge interrupted us.

  I looked at him speechlessly, it was more than unpleasant.

  "We've been trying to reach you. We are sorry. If you wish to cancel, we can reserve two rooms for you at our sister hotel."

  Before I could say anything back, Daniel decided for me.

  "We'll take the suite and two bottles of whiskey, as a little excuse for the inconvenience."

  The concierge nodded friendly, so everything was settled. Daniel beamed at me.

  "The hotel is perfect, there's no way you're getting me out of here."

  The concierge took us to the suite and showed us around the premises. For a moment, my breath stopped. Fifty square meters, a separate living room, a huge bathroom and a breathtaking view from the balcony.

  Quickly we had unpacked and stowed away our things. I took a look at the bed, as huge as it was, we would both have enough space. Too bad there wouldn't be more running in it.

  I went out on the balcony and looked into the heart of Rome. Everything was within walking distance, we were right above the Spanish Steps. I took a look at the Trevi Fountain, supposedly it fulfilled wishes. If I had a wish free, I knew immediately what I would wish for.

  My sentimental thoughts were interrupted by the room service. The promised bottles of whiskey had arrived. The bellman pushed the car into our suite and was about to leave when Daniel stopped him.

  "Where's the coke and ice for the Johnnie Walker," he asked the bellboy, who looked at him in horror for a moment. It took a moment, then he promised to get the things. I had a hard time suppressing my laughter, as far as expensive drinks were concerned, Daniel was a total noob. He noticed my amusement and looked at me annoyed.

  "What? Johnnie Walker is a Coke and ice drink?"

  I poured us a generous amount and handed Daniel the glass, he looked at me skeptically, took a small sip and pulled a disgusted
face.

  "But not the Blue Label bottle for 159 euros," I grinned at him.

  Daniel choked and turned red. After he had regained his breath, he pointed to his glass.

  "150 euros? For that? It'll cost you a lot of money to get drunk.

  "It should taste good, not to get drunk. Can't you taste the vanilla, the cocoa, the dark chocolate, the cinnamon, the roasted hazelnuts and the nougat?"

  Daniel looked at me with big eyes, that I was a whiskey connoisseur, I had not told him before.

  "Honestly, it makes my mouth tighten and it tastes like dirt."

  I laughed out loud, that's what I liked about Daniel, his open and honest way. Before we could go into the subject in-depth, the page was back with the requested coke and ice. The look he gave us spoke volumes, we committed a mortal sin.

  Daniel

  "It tastes much better that way", I decided and saluted Alex with my whiskey and coke. Alex just smiled at me, he drank the whiskey straight.

  Quickly I had emptied the first glass and poured myself another one. Alex raised his eyebrow.

  "We'll be poor at these prices here in Rome."

  "Relax, I invited you for the weekend. You got to get out of the house, and if it costs something, it's okay. We're only young once."

  I was about to argue when Alex interrupted me.

  "No. No discussion and no excuses. I'm not Svenja, I enjoy my life and you will from now on."

  Reluctantly I agreed with him. Svenja had indeed always been very frugal and did not think much of celebrations and parties. For her sake, I had always refrained from doing so and had stayed at home. I took another big sip, the alcohol warmed my stomach. A stomach that was empty and desperately needed some food.

  "Food? Otherwise, you might as well get me drunk and tuck me in."

  Alex went to the table and picked out the menu for room service. Together we studied the menu.

  "Well, that sounds all well and good, but it certainly won't get you fed up," Alex said skeptically.

  "We're in Italy, so let's get some pizza somewhere," I decided.

  We quickly cleaned up and left the hotel. In one of the numerous alleyways we found a quiet little pizzeria. We generously ordered some starters and as a main course we had the pizza of the house style.

  While we eat our way through the appetizers, we drank plenty of delicious white wine. By the time the main course arrived, we had already emptied the first bottle and ordered another one.

  "When are you going to tell me, what you have planned for your days here in Rome?" I asked Alex.

  "Today, we'll explore the area and take it easy. Tomorrow we will go to the market Campo di Fiori and then we will do some barhopping. What do you think?"

  "No culture?"

  "We have a lot of cultures right in front of our hotel. The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and so on and so..."

  I liked the plan, I just didn't like culture and tourists. The next bottle of wine was decapitated and I became drunker. Hungry we went for the delicious pizza and a delicious Tiramisu for dessert.

  Time flew by and before we knew it, it was evening. The street lamps lit up the streets and alleys. After another bottle of wine we paid, Alex pulled out his credit card and paid our bill.

  "You and your friend should go to the Trevi Fountain and make a wish," a rough voice said at once. Surprised, I turned around and saw an old, bent woman with a headscarf standing next to our table.

  "The well?" I asked, puzzled.

  "It's a wishing well and tonight is a special night. Love and happiness are in the air."

  She pointed at Alex, I looked at him in surprise.

  "But we're not..." I started and turned back. The old woman had disappeared, so I got up and searched the street. She was gone.

  "That was a little bit funny," I said to Alex.

  The waiter came back with our receipt.

  "You know that old woman, who was at our table?" Alex asked.

  The waiter looked at him irritated.

  "Just now. Small with headscarf and bent. She said something about a wishing well."

  The waiter shook his head slowly.

  "I didn't see anyone."

  "She was just at our table. You saw her, Daniel," Alex insisted.

  "Scusi, I probably missed the lady," said the waiter.

  I put my hand on Alex's arm as he started to respond and shook my head slightly. He understood my gesture, thanked me friendly and we left the small bistro together.

  "We're not crazy, you saw them too, Daniel."

  "Yes, I did, but she's gone now. What are we going to do with this young evening?"

  "We'll have another drink."

  Alex steered purposefully towards the Piazza di Trevi and looked around searching. He quickly saw a small bar with a few free chairs and sat down. Without hesitation Alex ordered a few long drinks for us. From our seats we had a good view of the square and the fountain. I had imagined something smaller under the fountain. Not a structure about 50 meters wide, with masses of tourists standing there and throwing something into the water.

  I stopped the waiter.

  "What do the people throw in the well and why?"

  "It's supposed to bring good luck. A popular belief says it's good luck to throw coins over your shoulder into the well. One coin leads to a safe return to Rome, two coins to the thrower falling in love with a Roman, three coins to a marriage."

  Alex listened intently and kept looking at the well.

  "Can't you wish for something else?" he asked curiously.

  "Sure, tourists wish for all kinds of things, and sometimes wishes come true."

  I didn't believe in such stories and thought the whole thing was mummenschanz, but if it made people happy, it was fine with me.

  Our conversation flattened a little and we continued drinking in silence. The long drive and the many wines slowly showed their effect. Tired I watched all the tourists, scurrying around the place and throwing coins into the well again and again.

  "And what if it does work," I murmured to myself.

  "What?"

  I pointed towards the well.

  "Do you think this will work? I make a wish and voilà it happens?"

  Alex thought for a long moment before answering.

  "Maybe there is such a thing. Miracles happen often enough. I'd be willing to give it a try."

  I nodded slowly.

  "Okay, let's go to the well and make a wish," I decided spontaneously.

  Alex looked at me surprised and quickly paid our bill.

  Only a few minutes later, we stood with our backs to the well together. Both of us held a coin in hands.

  "On three. One... two... three!"

  I counted out loud and flipped the coin.

  I wish for the great love!

  Without thinking much, I had formulated the wish in my mind. Satisfied, I smiled at Alex.

  "And what did you wish for?"

  "It won't come true if you tell," he immediately instructed me.

  Happily grinning and drunk we went back to our hotel.

  Alex

  I was superstitious and believed in fate and higher powers. I didn't want to admit that to Daniel.

  With her words, the old woman had awakened in me a hope, which I had not dared to believe before. When we stood together in front of the well and threw a coin into it, there was only one wish for me, which I expressed in my thoughts.

  I wish Daniel is gay!

  Even if it was a silly wish, that would not come true, I expressed it. The more time I spent with Daniel, the stronger my affection for him became. He was my dream man. The man of my dreams, who was straight and went through a bad breakup.

  I took a look at the drunk Daniel, who walked happily beside me. I hadn't seen him that happy and relaxed for a long time. This made me very happy and distracted me a little from my unfulfilled love.

  In the hotel room, we puzzled over who got which half of the bed. Luckily for me, I won and chose the right side.
On the other side, I'd never get a wink of sleep. Daniel had a great laugh about it.

  "You don't sleep naked, do you?" he suddenly asked.

  "Don't worry, I don't like my dick dangling out like that."

  We were ready for bed. As we stood together in our pajama pants and with naked upper body at the washbasins, my eyes glided again and again inconspicuously over Daniel's well-trained upper body. A well-trained, clean-shaven chest, a flat stomach with a six-pack. Securely shaved, I thought about it briefly and tried to imagine what was under the pajama trousers. I had never seen him naked before.

  Together we climbed into bed. As big as the bed was, we had enough space and didn't get in each other's way, even if that wouldn't have bothered me.

  "Good night, Jon-Boy."

  "Good night, Elizabeth," Daniel replied laughing.

  After a few moments I had fallen into a deep sleep.

  Drunk asleep, I snuggled up against the warm body that had nestled up against me. With my arm I went under the shirt and stroked the tender and soft back. The familiar closeness excited me and my cock became hard. Slowly I slid closer and pressed my hard cock expectantly against his hard flat belly. Slowly I leaned forward to kiss his neck gently.

  "What are you doing, Alex?" a voice gently interrupted me and I froze.

  It took me a moment to find my way around. Panic ran through me, I frantically tore my arm out of Daniel's shirt and slipped away from him.

  Heat rose to my face and I began stammering helplessly.

  "I, you, well... Shit, I... I'm really sorry. The alcohol, I really thought you were.... Denise, right, I thought you were Denise

  I really got myself into trouble.

  "Not a thing. Nothing happened," Daniel replied surprisingly calmly and stood up slowly.

  "Really?"

  "Yeah sure, you snuggled up a little, that can happen and I didn't find it that unpleasant."

  With that my confusion was complete and I was at a loss for words. Not that Daniel had anything against gays, but that he reacted so casually to my approach was very surprising.

  Daniel looked at me curiously.