5. Don't worry, Ali, he is not my type

JACOB

I looked at Michael and wondered what was wrong with him. He had been acting kind of strange, and his face and neck kept turning red. Maybe he was getting sick.

Earlier, when I went to the bathroom to check on him, he said he was fine, but I wasn't convinced. So I decided to keep an eye on him.

But he seemed to act normal the rest of the evening after we arrived at the bar. I ordered us a round of drinks and split into two teams for the pool.

"Michael's on my team since I promised to teach him how to play," I announced and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Go ahead and steal my boyfriend, why don't you?" Alison rolled her eyes.

"I know how you feel, sister," Francis joked.

"Is that okay with you, Mike?" I looked at him and winked.

Michael gave me a shy smile. "It's cool."

We played a few rounds, and wow...Michael wasn't kidding when he said he was bad at it. He was absolutely terrible.

"Alright, buddy, I think you are pushing the stick way too aggressively," I chuckled as Michael flung the cue ball across the room.

"Sorry. I got too ambitious," Michael laughed. It was the first time I saw him laugh, and I had to admit that it made him even more adorable. "Show me how it's done, Mr. Professional," he winked. I guess all he needed was some alcohol to boost his confidence.

I stood behind him and showed him how to angle his arm. "You need to tap the ball, not hit it with all of your strength. Gotta control those muscles." I joked.

"Stop flirting with my boyfriend, Jacob. You're standing too close to him," Alison said all of a sudden. I looked at her to see if she was serious, but she was grinning ear to ear.

"Don't worry, Ali, he is not my type," I laughed it off and looked at Michael. He had a serious expression on his face. Did I offend him? Nah. Why would he care if he is my type or not?

I ordered a few more shots and finished a few more rounds. Then I suddenly had a crazy idea.

"Hey guys, why don't we go for a swim?" I suggested.

Alison laughed. "Are you crazy? It's 2 am in the morning!"

"I like the way you think, Jacob. But where would we find an open swimming pool at this hour?" Francis looked at me curiously. His blue eyes were sparkling with excitement. He must be up for an adventure just as much as I did.

"Who said anything about a swimming pool?" I looked at him and smiled dubiously.

"Then where are we going?" Michael chimed in.

I thought about it for a moment and knew the perfect place for a spontaneous swim. "There's a lake 3 miles from here. And since I didn't drink that much, I can drive us there, and we can go take a dip," I declared.

"Excuse me, big brother. Aren't you supposed to be a responsible adult here?" Alison furrowed her brows.

"We are all adults. You're with your boyfriend. I am your brother, and Francis here is gayer than Boy George. What are you worried about?" I narrowed my eyes. "You can keep your shirt on. I have a hoodie in my car you can change into."

"I want to go," Michael said enthusiastically.

"Fine. Let's go find that lake," Alison relented.

****

It didn't take us too long to arrive at the lake. We gathered near the edge and prepared to swim.

Francis took his clothes off. I looked at his muscular physique admiringly then started to take my own clothes off. I saw Michael looking at me on my peripheral vision. I wondered why he kept staring at me all the time.

He looked away as soon as our eyes met. I furrowed my eyebrows then I remembered he wasn't feeling well earlier. Maybe this was a bad idea. The water was cold, and the last thing I needed was to get him sicker.

"Hey, you don't have to do this if you're coming down or something. Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that when I suggested it," I said.

He looked at me with confusion. "Huh? Why would you think I was coming down with something? I'm a little tipsy, but so is everyone else. If anything, the water will sober me up," he chuckled and took his shirt off.

I looked at him.

He had a nice chest and back. His skin looked incredibly pale and smooth under the moonlight. I averted my eyes because some reason, I felt like I shouldn't be looking at his naked body even though we were both guys. It wasn't like I was super attracted to him or anything. Maybe it was because of the fact that he was my sister's boyfriend.

"Who wants to go first?" Francis asked.

"You go right ahead and test the water. I bet it's freezing." Alison laughed.

"Yup, I'm not going in first," Michael agreed.

"You guys are a bunch of wimps. This is not that hard. Just watch me," I challenged, then ran from the shore and dove straight into the water. Alison was right. I gasped as the freezing water shocked my skin, but I shook it off immediately. This wasn't the worst thing I had experienced in life.

"It's fine. Jump in, losers!" I called out.

Francis was the first one to accept my invitation. He laughed out loud as his body hit the water. "Holy shit, it's cold. Fine my ass," he complained.

Alison let out a squeal and dived in. I saw Michael looking at us and laughing. His blue eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Are you coming in, or are you going to just stand there?" Alison called out to him. Michael hesitated a little, then jumped in.

He landed right next to me with a big splash. He lifted his body up and brushed his wet hair back with his fingers, then looked at me.

I smiled as our eyes met then I swam closer to him. "Hey, are you still feeling alright?" I whispered. I don't know why I kept worrying about him. I should be focusing on my date.

"I am fine, Jacob. You don't need to be concerned," Michael said and let out a small chuckle.

"It's just that you looked a little pale back at the bar. Maybe you have a fever." I impulsively reached out and touched his cheek with the back of my hand to check his temperature.

He jolted backward as if he got electrocuted and stared at me wide-eyed.

I narrowed my eyes. That was an overreaction, I thought. I hope Michael wasn't homophobic.