Page 38 of Unexpected Boyfriends

“Guess that’s a yes,” chuckles Axel. “Do you like pizza? There’s a decent pizza restaurant in the village.”

“I love pizza!” I reply. I really do like pizza, but to be fair, anything he suggests will be greeted with the same level of enthusiasm. I'm just happy to be with him.

Axel grins. “Me too. Pizza it is then.”

Ten minutes later, Axel pulls into a street parking. The glow from the bulb lights around an old-fashioned box sign up aheadcatch my attention. They announce 'Marino's Pizza Restaurant'. As we walk up to it, I take note of the small wooden tables set up on the pavement, tricolor umbrellas open over each table and foldout chairs around each one. The tables are set with red table linen, and each has a candle in a jar and a small vase with a plastic flower in it.

Colored lights are strung between the umbrellas and along the restaurant windows, imbuing a jaunty, cozy atmosphere.

“Sweet,” I exclaim, looking around.It looks inviting.

“Where do you want to sit - inside or outside?”

The evening is warm and the sea breeze has dropped right off since darkness fell. It’s a beautiful night, perfect for eating outside.

“Outside sounds great.”

We seat ourselves at a table, and order soft drinks while we select our pizzas.

“Do you come here often?” I ask Axel, once our order has been taken. Then I laugh, realizing what I've said.

"Oh. That sounds like a pick up line, doesn't it?"

Axel chuckles. "It does, but not one I'm likely to use. It's too much of a cliché."

"So what do guys of your generation use as a pick up line then?"

"First... quit with the 'your generation' stuff - I'm not an old man, okay? A-n-d secondly, it's not really a line I like to use, but most of my friends just go up to people and say 'wanna fuck?' "

"Are you serious?"

Axel nods, lips twisting and nose wrinkling. I can tell he's not that impressed.

"And, does it get results?" I can't believe it would. But maybe sometimes just asking for what you want is the shortest route to getting it.

Axel laughs. "Surprisingly, yes, sometimes. Mainly at parties though, where everyone's a bit buzzed. It's not my pickup technique, I promise."

"What's your technique?"

"I just pickup dudes on the beach," he replies. My eyes go so wide I probably look like a cartoon character, and I pretty much have to pick my jaw up off the table.

"Chill, dude," he says, "I'm just joking. You're the only one I've done that with."

Phew. For a minute there I actually believed him.

"I don't really have a line or technique or whatever," he goes on. "If I meet someone somewhere and we get along, we usually just agree to meet up again. Pretty casual. I've only had a couple of boyfriends."

I don't really want to get into a conversation about his previous boyfriends, because there's a little green-eyed monster that dwells inside me apparently, every time I think of Axel with someone else. So I redirect the conversation back to where we were before the detour.

"So, I'll ask it differently this time... how familiar are you with this pizza place?"

“I often get pizza here, but usually to take home. And I’ve been coming here for years. The owners are Italian and the pizzas are to die for."

"I'm expecting one helluva pizza then," I tell him.

A comfortable silence falls between us, and we smile and smirk at each other.

Then Axel takes my hand across the table and begins stroking it with his thumb. I’m surprised he’s being this open with his affection in public.

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