Page 63 of Touch In Excess

Stone threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, babe. Count on it.” He slapped his hands on his thighs, then pushed himself up. “Come on. Let’s get this run over with before I quit and head over to that new Tim Hortons.”

Skye groaned as he followed. “You’re a dick. I want a doughnut so fucking bad right now.”

Stone burst into laughter again, then seized Skye’s hand and pulled him toward the path that led to the main street instead of the rest of the park. Skye grinned and let himself be tempted into their own small, gluttonous sin.

‘You really like the ocean?’

Skye took a moment to make sure he understood the question Rami had signed. It seemed…silly, but he realized a second later that Rami didn’t seem entirely comfortable. They’d only been at the beach for a few minutes. Skye suggested a spot that was far off the beaten path—not much of a hike, but it only had street parking and no shops or restaurants.

Locals would visit, but most other people avoided the spot like the plague. And that was one of the reasons Skye loved it.The other was the small jetty made up of big, dark rocks that hosted the tiny signs of ocean life in their own little bubble.

It was like an aquarium, only the animals weren’t trapped behind glass, and he kind of loved that. He dreamed of retiring somewhere like this—somewhere that felt well and truly like his.

‘Do you want to leave?’

Rami looked startled. ‘No! Why do you ask?’

Skye gestured at him. Rami was tense, his legs pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, only loose enough to sign. He was normally not the most expressive man, but today was even worse. His face was completely blank, and Skye was starting to feel like maybe he’d done something wrong.

Rami stared at him for another long beat, his face still unreadable, and then his shoulders moved with a sigh. Skye couldn’t hear it—he’d taken his hearing aids out since the white noise of even the smallest waves tended to drown out words—but he could see the shifts in Rami’s body.

He felt finely attuned to them. Like he was a song only Skye could hear.

‘I’m having a bad day,’ Rami eventually confessed slowly on his hands so Skye could follow. ‘Sensory overload,’ he spelled.

‘Is there a sign for that?’

Rami shrugged. ‘I don’t know if there’s an official sign for it. My brother has a home sign, but I never use it with anyone else.’

One of the things Skye loved most about ASL was that—the ability to create a little sub-language within his circle of his most trusted friends and family. He wondered if he and Rami would have some of their own, one day. He liked the idea.

‘If it’s too much, we can leave,’ Skye promised him. ‘We can go back to my place. Or yours. Or we can do the date another day. Or?—’

‘Stop.’

Skye dropped his hands quickly, and for reasons Skye pretended not to understand, Rami’s cheeks darkened.

Rami licked his lips. ‘I want to spend the day with you. And I want to spend tonight with you.’

‘Yes.’

Rami’s eyes brightened, though he didn’t smile. ‘I want to spend time in your favorite place, even if it’s too much for me.’

Too much. Skye liked that sign. It was very…expressive, even with Rami’s currently blank face. But it came with a rush of guilt because Skye loved being at the beach, but his love didn’t need to eclipse Rami’s discomfort. Skye was happy to accommodate him. He was happy to twist their day into the shapes that were easy for Rami to fit into.

‘I have an idea.’ Skye stood up and extended his hand, but Rami didn’t take it. After a beat, he wriggled his fingers, but Rami remained firm.

‘We’re leaving?’

‘Trust me,’ Skye insisted. He could see then Rami’s resolve crack. Rami trusted Skye with an absolute faith Skye wasn’t sure he’d ever felt like he’d deserved before now. But he had promised himself weeks ago that he would never, ever abuse it.

Taking his hand, Rami let Skye haul him to his feet. He stood off to the side as Skye gathered up the beach blanket, then collected their shoes. Luckily, they hadn’t brought much, and it was only a few minutes before they were back up the dune and heading for the parking lot.

Skye turned his head when he felt a short tap on his bicep. Rami had stopped, and he looked almost on the verge of tears.

‘What’s wrong?’

Rami swallowed thickly and shook his head. ‘I ruined…’ Skye didn’t understand all of what Rami was signing. ‘Broken. Sorry.’

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