It was a men’s hostel where engineering students stayed. The third floor belonged to third year students. The guys had already shed the shaky sexuality of adolescence on the second floor. Now manhood was oozing out of every pore on their bodies. There was manly pride in their swanky sweat and in the strong smell that savoured it. The hairs on their underarms and groins were now boldly bushy. Electrons of emotions would readily rush at a moment’s discretion all the way from their energetic hubs of heart to their new excitable epicentres of sexual identity to flood the earth and fill the air with lusty seeds of seamless love. The floor was a shivering volcano of seething hormones.

There was a new kind of love in the air on this floor. The love between boys, or men rather, that they had now been metamorphosed into. This love was a revelation to some, but revulsion to many. Science has had established that homo sexuality is an innate part of every individual, pronounced in some, subdued in some. History had also established that it is as old as civilization and had even named historical characters that were gay to corroborate it. Yet individuals weren't quite sure about their dispositions. Those who were aware considered it abnormal or perverse. Thanks to an exploding information age now some were finally able to explore their inclinations. Some though were experimenting with homosexuality as a stand by option for their primary orientation. The thing was ultimately looked upon as taboo. In this melting potpourri of emotions, hormones and sensuality, two eighteen year old boys in the men’s hostel fell in love with each other for the first time.

One guy had just had a heart break. His girlfriend of five years, had suddenly found 'real' love elsewhere and had unilaterally decided to downgrade him to a 'friend' only. He had returned her all the 'souvenirs' of their love - letters, photos, gifts. His ego was mighty hurt. But he had refused to take back the ring that he once had slipped into her delicate finger.

Whether it was secondary, primary or a co-existing instinct of his sexuality he didn't know, but Kris of late was feeling a magnetic pull at the face of a boy in his hostel - Rex. There were eight guys in every room, with four double beds in each, a common bath room on each floor. Rex and Kris stayed in one room, on adjacent beds. Rex's face, figure, his smile and lips, his sharp nose and bony cheeks, his compact bum and slim waist, elegant walk and innocent talk - everything earned Kris's ardent appreciation. So much so that he started copying his styles - dressing, timings, etc. He wanted to match up to him. He was doing what a boy would do otherwise to impress a girl, but tacitly.

He struck a friendship with Rex. They became close, their routines matched. He delighted in the casual stray physical contacts he received from Rex. They were like sips of water to his parched physicality. One night he got driven away to Rex's bed and he started licking his fingers in a dilapidated desperation. When Rex would move he would slip back into his bed. The heat in his body was increasing and so was the seat of his sexuality. He was nervous but restless. He chanced further and subtly kissed Rex's soft lips. There was hardly a second's time before Rex got up with a start, but as he had been deeply asleep, Kris could just manage to spring back to his bed and feign a sleep. Rex looked around, and slept again, unable to understand what had happened. Kris was feeling guilty on multiple accounts. But his craving heart was also inconsolable. He really loved Rex. But it seemed after that night that Rex was not like 'him'.

However there were other motivators. There were other 'pairs' of love-birds in the hostel. Some would openly make love with each other in front of staring eyes of the inmates. There were some secret lovers were not so bold and would love at the corners or hiding behind things.

Once, a small quarrel happened between Kris and Rex. Kris had spoken some harsh words, perhaps in frustration. Rex had stopped talking to Kris. The whole world was falling apart for Kris. Entered a third guy Sam and this set to complete the love triangle.

Sam was also in the same room. Sam and Rex were now often to be seen in the company of each other. Kris's heart was burning, tearing, shearing away. "Are they in love or just friends?" He would ask himself. Sam was also friendly with Kris and they would occasionally talk. But Kris wasn't able to dig out what was going on between Sam and Rex.

Entered a fourth guy Res and the triangle was about to be twisted; or almost. But Res was so conspicuously in love with Sam! He would scamper after Sam almost like a servile pet, but Sam wouldn't even throw a bone at him. "What's all this? Why all this? It’s so simple, I go with Rex, and Sam goes with Res. Then why God is complicating this whole thing?" Kris would ask himself in exasperation.

One night when everyone was asleep Kris saw Res kneeling at Sam's feet, begging for his love while Sam was just coldly reasoning with him. "Why are you doing this to me?" He could hear the weeping whispers.

This new twist to the affairs somewhat gave a sense of direction to Kris. He decided not to fall too low in his love for Rex. He loved Rex, true, but Rex sadly didn’t. Was there any way out? Rex seemed completely oblivious of all these goings-on.

One afternoon, Kris and Sam were sitting on the parapet of the balcony, lost in their own thoughts. There was some distance between them. For once their hands inadvertently met. The heads turned first towards the trespassing hands then at the blushing faces. Was it some surge of supercharged current that passed through the hands from one’s testes to the other’s heart? There was surely a sea of warmth that followed that chance cross connection for swept Kris away. Kris in the new found instantaneous ecstasy placed his hands fully over Sam's and looked at him, pleadingly. Sam didn't withdraw his, just glanced at Kris. Sam’s eyes were enquiringly looking into Kris’s. Kris was melting, moulding inside, but was Sam too? The still expressions on the face of Sam didn't betray much.

Hope was rising on the East of Kris's Life. That night proved fateful. Kris was lying down on his bed. His heart and penis were sobbing and throbbing silently and secretly. He was looking at Rex when he cutely almost curtly said 'goodnight' and went to sleep."How indifferent to my suffering is he!" Kris quietly exclaimed to himself. Slowly all the lights were switched off. His parched soul's gaze then fell over Sam. "Is he asleep?" Kris wondered.

He waited for some time for all to settle down.

Then he got up and went to Sam and gently sat by the edge of his bed. Kris wasn't sure how Sam would react to his intrusion. He was also aware of the other night when Sam had shabbily treated Res. But that Res was so mad over Sam had also made Kris to now indulgently ogle at him, his body, his lips, his eyes in a new air of admiration. In his love for the ‘smart and handsome’ Rex he hadn’t noticed that Sam was so ‘sensuous’ indeed. Sam was dusky, not as fair as Rex. But his body odour was so over whelming too! “So sexy” felt Kris.

"Did I see them snap, his eye-lids?" The bed sheet Sam had been covering himself with had got quite unwrapped due to his repeated turns on the bed. His black shorts were slightly loose and Kris could see in the dim light coming from the corridor the top of the underlying blue brief. A slim sleek waist he had. Unsure, anxious, Kris placed his shaky hands over Sam's bony belly. Sam opened his sleepy eyes. They were passive as ever. Kris shuffled his hands and stopped. Still there was no response. "Is he accepting my advances?" he wondered.

Then he did the sudden act. He slipped his hands into the shorts. "Oh, My!" His penis was erect! "Wow, so large, so long!" Kris thought. Holding the circumcised shaft for some time he casually caressed it. Slowly his hands strayed onto the thick bushes adjacent to the red rod. But when he gripped and squeezed the balls below, Sam's body twitched. Kris had got the go-ahead! He swiftly unbuttoned Sam's shorts, lowered them a little, exposing his undie. He then fondled and fingered Sam’s genitals for a long time before Sam's pelvis arched up suddenly in a start. Sam swiftly placed his hand over Kris's. Kris nodded and withdrew his hands. He then came back to his bed. He was happy.

His happiness increased in the morning seeing a sexy smile on Sam's face. It was Sunday and sometime after breakfast Sam came to him and asked," Let’s go out together". Kris had no reason to refuse such an exciting proposition. They went out to the market, from there took a taxi to a restaurant. After lunch, they went to a cinema hall. Kris was saying yes to all that Sam was suggesting. He was getting blown away in a powerful sway of super excited emotions.

Once inside the hall there were two movies going on. One was that people cheered and one, that no one – the stealthy play of their secret love story. Their hands would clasp, caress, fawn, fondle, grip, grease and hold, hit onto each other. Then they would move over each other's bulging trousers, groping over the shuddering mounds. They would also stray as long their hands would stretch and run and rub over each other's inner thigh.

A climax was about to vent out in a colossal volcano in that dim dark corner of the hallowed hall. Their heart beats and the pulsations in their penises were in a wild race trying to beat each other. They cursed the world once which was busy watching the movie. Why was it there? Why did it not go away? Leave them alone for once? They wanted to collapse onto each other, strip each other to their barest skins, smooch every inch of their burning flesh, clasp their thirsty souls and hungry bodies tighter than their very desire for life on that wretched planet. A few drops of pre-cum wetting their undies were the only tell-tale signs of gratification of their surging urges. But they had been restricted and rendered into small sobs from their overpowered sexual bowers.

The movie ended. The two red-hot bodies went out. Hands occasionally touched each other, pleading with God at every touch to turn that moment of contact into eternity -into an eternal bliss. They went dragging their sagging souls aimlessly ahead.

Seeing a pedestrian bridge overlooking the sea, they went atop and rested their failing bodies over the railings. They looked at each other with a pleading look, sympathizing with each other's plight. Their love had no place in the crooked 'straight' world. The sky was reddening. It was getting dark. Sam turned back and turning at Kris said, "Come".

They went into a two storied shopping mall behind the bridge. The top floor consisted of office spaces only and all were shut down by then. A gap between the pillars on the side wall showed an empty terrace stretching over a part of the building. They slipped through it and went to the edge of the terrace and settled down.

From there they could see people including a lot of 'straight' couples loitering on the pathway below leading to the bridge. Soon Kris turned and cupping Sam's face in his hands, kissed his lips. He knew Sam smelt sensuously strong. But now he was indulging in his very musky breaths. He had craving for his dark lips too. He was getting jealous of the many cigarettes that they held between them all the day. But now they held his lips. It was an endless kiss. The lips were locked for long. Kris didn’t care, nor did Sam to cease. They were thirsting for each other for close to twenty hours. Now only the over voltage current of love could gush through the sealed lips from one soul to another.

Kris then kissed all over the face of Sam. Again and again, over and over he kept kissing every inch of his smooth skin. He licked fervently all over his cheeks, nose, eyes, forehead, ears and neck. Kris’s face penetrated the lapel of Sam’s T-Shirt. With heavy breaths he drew from the signature smell of Sam’s velvety chest and stuffed up all his soul with it.

His head then dropped down. Unzipping Sam's jeans, he pulled it down. When he pulled down Sam's undie came popping out his muscular, manly penis staring straight at Kris's mouth. Kris instantly took it into his. He sucked at it greedily, moaning with a lot of interspersed "mm" "hmm" "ah" and "oh" overlapping his gasping breaths. Sam was still all the time. Only his hands were steadily rocking the bulge in Kris's pants.

After a short while Sam squirted a truck load of yellowish-white salty-sour sap into Kris's ravenous mouth. Kris didn’t drop a drop of it. He couldn’t afford to. It was so precious to him! He meanwhile also had cummed in his extreme excitement.

Sam pulled up his undie and stuffed his sluggish shaft inside and then zipped up his jeans. Shortly, an unsuspecting watchman came to them and told them it was not allowed to sit out there. They got up, acquiescently. Close save!

On the street down they were walking back to the bus stop when Sam halted at a shop and bought a gum and gave it to Kris. Kris popped it into his mouth and they went back to their hostel as fulfilled lovers.