Page 46 of All Roads Lead to You

“Anytime, bro.”

I winced at the familial reminder.

At least I could say I got my first real kiss with the very man I wanted in my life, and not by some stranger in a bar who didn’t matter. That meant something.

I fell back onto my pillow and laid there with my arm tucked under my head, as Nick closed his eyes and fell asleep. Meanwhile, I relived our kiss. Lesson or not, it was a kiss I’d never forget, and that made it special.

Chapter 14

Nick

Day 5

Even with the air conditioning cranked, it was hotter than Hades as I kicked off the blankets. The Sunlight streamed through the cracks of the blackout curtains, and as my hazy vision cleared, the pounding in my head grew. Fuck, I hated hangovers, but I had no one to blame but myself as I made promises to my aching head that I’d never drink again, but I always did.

God, why is it so hot in here?

Then I discovered the source of the heat. Logan. His big body was pressed up against mine, spooning me. He was a fucking furnace. I would’ve laughed had my head not felt like it was about to be split in half with a crowbar. I found it almost hilarious how much of a snuggler he was because he didn’t give off the sweet, snuggly vibe at all. He was just drawn to me, which I kind of found weirdly flattering.

Then my brain went straight to last night. Did I really just teach Logan how to kiss? Oh fuck, I got a boner, too. It all came crashing back harder than my splitting headache.

It’s fine. He’s fine. I’m fine. No one’s freaking out.

It had been strange kissing a dude—a grown man, not a thirteen-year-old best friend. There was nothing soft about Logan, no matter how gently we kissed.

Dayum. Okay, moving on.

As much as I didn’t want to move, I needed to take a piss and drink some water, so I shifted and wiggled out of his heavy grasp. Logan suddenly bolted up, wide-eyed, then his eyes rolled up into his head, and he fell back onto the bed, clawing at his brain.

“Oh, god, I’ve got a gnarly headache.”

“Yep, and your breath is gnarly, too. The curse of drinking too much.”

“So is yours, ass.”

I snorted a laugh and winced as I climbed out of bed, headed to the bathroom, and peed. My bladder felt so much better, but my head not so much. I washed my hands and poured two glasses of water from the faucet with the glasses the motel provided. After handing one cup to Logan, I dug around my backpack to pull out my bottle of aspirin.

“Here, take these.”

I handed Logan two pills, and I took two myself, washing them down with water.

“Thanks.” He rubbed his temples and shut his eyes. “We aren’t driving anywhere until I feel a bit better.”

“Agreed.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, unable to take my eyes off him for some reason. His hair was a wreck, sticking up in places and flattened in others, and his lips were swollen. The only thing he wore were his red briefs. Had he been undressed all night? But so had I. I remembered removing my clothes and then touching his bare skin at some point.

Stop looking at him, weirdo.

“We better get dressed and call our parents before we head out.”

“Yeah. Let me take a quick shower,” he said, slowly climbing out of bed.

After Logan got out of the shower, wearing a new pair of briefs in blue, he pulled clothes from the suitcase and started to get dressed as I called home from the motel phone. I called collect because expensive long-distance rates would be charged to our room bill.

“Nick, is that you, sweetheart?” Mom said over the phone.

“Yep, it’s your most favorite offspring.”

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