Sydney: Undercurrents

[BondiRaw]

1

 

Sydney, 2006. Spring lingered in the air, cool but charged with the pulse of the city. In Darlinghurst, neon lights flickered against the darkened sky, and on Oxford Street, bars overflowed with bodies in search of something—desire, companionship, or just a fleeting sense of connection before sunrise.

 

Wang Zhe stood at Taylor Square, a whiskey sour in hand, the streetlights casting sharp angles on his features. He had been in Australia for four years, finishing his Master’s in Architecture at UNSW, working an internship, living a life that was stable yet lacking something he couldn’t quite name.

 

His phone buzzed.

 

Matt (412m): “Alone tonight?”

 

Wang Zhe took a slow sip, letting the alcohol burn slightly down his throat before responding. He and Matt had been living together for three years now. Not entirely open, but not strictly monogamous either. There were unspoken rules, blurred boundaries, moments when Matt would “disappear” for a night and return the next morning with the scent of someone else lingering on his skin.

 

He ignored the message and instead opened another chat.

 

A new match.

 

A stranger—white, ruggedly built, with piercing eyes and an aura of danger. His bio was simple:

 

“No games. Just raw.”

 

Wang Zhe hesitated for only a moment before typing back: “Where are you?”

 

A location dropped into his chat: a short walk away, in Surry Hills.

 

2

 

He went.

 

Ryan was even more intense in person—taller, broader, his presence filling the dimly lit apartment. The air was thick with smoke and sweat, sheets tangled from previous encounters.

 

Wang Zhe stood at the door, heart pounding. He wasn’t sure why he was here. To get back at Matt? To break free from his own restraint?

 

Ryan studied him for a long moment before smirking. “You’re hesitating.”

 

Wang Zhe didn’t answer.

 

Ryan stepped closer, tracing his fingers along Wang Zhe’s jaw. His voice was a low, rough whisper. “You want something different, don’t you?”

 

Wang Zhe exhaled, slow, shaky. Then he closed his eyes and let it happen.

 

That night, lust overtook logic.

 

3

 

Morning came, sunlight streaming through the half-open blinds. Wang Zhe sat on the edge of the bed, lighting a cigarette, watching as Ryan moved through the kitchen, shirtless, brewing coffee like it was just another day.

 

His phone buzzed.

 

Matt: “Where were you last night?”

 

Wang Zhe stared at the message, his grip tightening around the phone. He could lie. Say he crashed at a friend’s place. But…

 

Ryan leaned over, glancing at the screen. A knowing smirk played on his lips.

 

“Your boyfriend?”

 

Wang Zhe turned to look at him. There was a challenge in Ryan’s gaze, an invitation to keep playing this game.

 

Instead of replying, Wang Zhe stood, dressed, and walked out the door.

 

4

 

He thought it would be a one-time thing.

 

It wasn’t.

 

Ryan became a pattern. No promises, no explanations. Just late nights, alcohol, and the kind of craving that made Wang Zhe forget everything else. Unlike Matt, Ryan didn’t ask questions. He took what he wanted, and Wang Zhe let him.

 

But Matt was no fool.

 

One evening, Matt sat on the couch, eyes sharp as he studied Wang Zhe. “You’ve been different lately.”

 

Wang Zhe took a slow sip of his beer. “How so?”

 

Matt let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. “You fucked someone else.”

 

A pause.

 

Wang Zhe didn’t deny it.

 

Matt leaned back, watching him, something dark flickering in his gaze. “Was it just revenge, or… do you actually like him?”

 

Wang Zhe remained silent. Because he didn’t know the answer himself.

 

Matt moved closer, lowering his voice. “You like how dominant he is, don’t you?”

 

A shiver ran down Wang Zhe’s spine.

 

Matt smirked, fingers grazing the back of his neck. “You forget—I can be like that too.”

 

Before Wang Zhe could react, Matt kissed him. Harder, rougher than usual. Like he was staking a claim.

 

Pinned against the couch, Wang Zhe gasped for breath. His mind told him to resist. His body didn’t.

 

5

 

Ryan didn’t back down.

 

Neither did Matt.

 

Instead of a choice, it became a collision. A push and pull that neither of them wanted to break.

 

One night, Matt sat beside Wang Zhe, fingers tracing lazy circles on his wrist. “Have you thought about it?”

 

“Thought about what?”

 

Matt smirked. “Us. Him. Together.”

 

Wang Zhe’s stomach twisted. “You’re insane.”

 

Matt shrugged. “Am I? Or am I just saying what you’ve already been thinking?”

 

He didn’t answer. Because maybe, just maybe, Matt was right.

 

6

 

Sydney nights stretched long, tangled in sheets, sweat, and whispered challenges.

 

On Oxford Street. In a Surry Hills apartment. Back at their home in Glebe.

 

Three men, caught in a game of control, pleasure, and something deeper—something neither of them could quite define.

 

Some nights, Wang Zhe would stand at the window, watching the city lights flicker below, remembering the boy who had arrived from Beijing four years ago, never imagining he’d end up here.

 

But he wasn’t that boy anymore.

 

And he didn’t regret it.

 

Because for the first time, he wasn’t just waiting for life to happen.

 

He had stepped into the fire himself.

 

And he wasn’t afraid to burn.

 

(To be continued…?)

[seattlebbbtm]

Intriguing