Page 29 of All Roads Lead to You

We finally arrived at the stunning Long Hunter State Park, with its dense woods and a large lake. The sun sat high in the sky still, but soon, it would start going down over the horizon, ending over the water and rolling hills in the distance. I planned to take some pictures of the sunset.

The water felt so good on my sweltering skin. It was cool, just enough, but not so cold that I shivered. I rolled onto my back and floated, staring up at the hazy sky, the world muffled in my ears from being underwater.

When I didn’t hear splashing from Logan coming in, I swam upright and waved at him again. “Come in! The water’s fantastic!”

Fuck, he was such a dud, just standing there, staring. Did he seriously want to set up the tent already? Was he that impatient? It wouldn’t be dark until nine. We still had plenty of time.

His shoulders sagged, and he strode my way before stopping at the edge where the water met the rocks and sand. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, exposing the most defined abs I’d ever seen on a guy. All that football playing paid off, though he worked out five days a week at the school gym, too. Wyatt had also set us up some weights and a bench in the basement.

I submerged my body in the calm, cool water just up to my nose and watched him finally unfold his body. He looked like more of a man than I did, with more chest and facial hair than me.

Logan kicked off his hiking sandals and tugged down his jean shorts, leaving his navy-blue briefs on.

“Take off the underwear,” I said when he stood shin-deep in the water.

“No.”

“Trust me, it’s no fun to walk around in wet underwear. This way, they’ll stay dry.”

Why the modesty? Wasn’t he naked all the time in front of his teammates while at school? You couldn’t afford to be modest in athletics.

Logan stood there, mulling it over before he walked out, peeled off his underwear, and dropped them on top of his clothes.

His body stiffened again as he walked back into the lake, clenching and unclenching his fists, as if itching to hide his junk. He only relaxed when the water went up to his neck. He quickly dunked under and came up, flipping his hair back and dripping water.

“See? The water feels awesome.”

His face fucking lit up brighter than the sun after being hidden behind clouds for days when he finally smiled. It was such a rare sight. It wasn’t a big smile, but it worked for him. “Yeah… feels good.”

“Bitchin’. Now chill and have fun. We’re on vacation.”

He sighed and stared out over the water, his hazel-green eyes lighter and vibrant with the falling sun. “I’m trying.”

“Try harder,” I teased.

I dunked under, getting my hair wet, too. When I came up, I wiped the water from my face, catching Logan watching me with an unreadable expression. He stared at me a lot over the years, as if scrutinizing everything I did with judging eyes. It had been weird at first, but I got used to it, eventually.

“This is a nice place you picked. The backdrop with the wooded hills is gorgeous.”

“I’ve been collecting camping and hiking magazines, along with state maps and tour guides, for years, saving images and information in my notebook.”

I’d seen them when they came in the mail. “You really did your research. That’s cool.”

Logan gave me a quick, shy glance before looking away and dunking under the water again. I shook my head and chuckled. He was so damn weird.

After swimming for a bit longer, we got out, dried off, and put our clothes back on. Then we tackled the tent, getting it all set up.

“I’m going to find us some firewood,” Logan said, walking off.

While he was gone, I pulled out the hot dogs from the cooler and the buns and potato chips out of the bag, along with some ketchup and mustard.

When he returned, I helped him set up the fire.

Before we ate, I opened up my camera case and pulled out my Pentax 35-mm. “Let’s take some pictures now that the sun’s going down.”

“I’m hungry.”

“It won’t take but a minute. Mom would love some photos of us with the sunset and pretty scenery.”

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