Page 13 of Our Time

He looks so soft like this. His eyes are outlined with black eyeliner, his lip ring perfectly in place. His cheeks are a little pink from the sun, his hair tossing back and forth from the wind. God, he’s so beautiful and I cannot believe he’s actually mine.

We never discussed what we are, but there’s a mutual understanding that this isit. We’ve crossed the line and we’re both in this. The words will come, I know they will, but for now we’re just enjoying the euphoria of finally being together after years of buildup and tension.

I love him with all my heart and I know deep down, Ryder feels the same way about me. Part of me mourns the years we’ve missed out on, but I know I needed those years to grow. I needed to be in a place where I accepted myself fully before I would truly believe the people around me could do the same. It’s finally our time.

Ryder turns to look at me, finally opening his eyes. “Hey, Ben?”

“Yes?”

“Can we go for a swim?”

“Uhh--” a grunt leaves my lips as Ryder flops on top of me, staring down at me with a grin.

“Pretty please with sugar on top?”

I run my hands over the back of his shirt, feeling his warm skin against my palms. Ryder runs his nose over my throat, making a happy little noise that makes my stomach flutter pleasantly. He loves my scent and can’t seem to stop smelling me ever since I went without blockers this morning. “How about a compromise?”

“I’m listening,” he murmurs from his place against my throat.

“If you get into the car within the next five minutes, I’ll find a hotel with a tub big enough for you to soak in tonight.”

Ryder hums. “Fine, you have a deal. But only because you’re so sexy and perfect and lovely and smellsogood right now.”

I can’t help but snort in surprise, not used to having this sort of attention turned towards me. “Shut up, you dick.”

Ryder pulls away from my throat, giving me a lopsided grin. “Well, if you are what you eat.”

I roll him off of me, shaking my head in amusement and ignoring the way my cheeks are flushed as I remember what it was like to have my dick sucked by Ryder last night. It felt so fucking good. It was beyond words. I always worried that someone going down on me would just remind me how my anatomy is different than an average alpha but instead all I felt was gender euphoria. I felt like I really knotted Ryder’s mouth. It was indescribable how fucking good it was.

Shit. Now I’m sitting in the sand with my dick growing hard. Nope. That won’t do.

I quickly stand up, adjusting my jeans as I go. “Get your ass in the car,” I call out with a playful laugh, shoving Ryder over with the tip of my foot before darting away before he can swipe at my leg.

“You better make good on your promise! I wanna lay in a tub that actually covers my knees and my nipples at the same time!”

“I’ll do my best. Even if I have to blow the rest of my travel budget on it.”

“Well,” Ryder says, standing up and dusting his pants off. “Don’t go that far, Ben. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh? Me? I’m the ridiculous one in this relationship?”

Ryder gives me a soft smile and it takes me a moment to realize why. I’d just called this a relationship. I’d said the thing. I hold out my hand and he takes it. I pull him close against my chest before gently kissing his lips.

“You can be as ridiculous as you want as long as you promise to be my alpha,” Ryder whispers against my lips, more vulnerable than I think I’ve ever seen him. I give him the softest smile.

“Deal,” I whisper back before kissing him again. We get back into the car and continue our drive. We’re about two days away from our destination at this point. We’ve stopped at a few attractions here and there, but for the most part we’ve made pretty good time. We should arrive the same day as the baby shower with enough time to help set everything up.

I’m almost sad that we’re almost there. Being on the road with Ryder has been so much fun. A little adventure where we’re in a little bubble. No one knows us. We can just hang out and be ourselves. Soon, that bubble will be popped. We’ll have to figure out how to navigate in front of people while also learning this new dynamic. Me, anxious about all of this instead of just enjoying it? Yep.

After getting us settled in our room and paying just a little extra to make sure we got a suite with a big tub, I throw our bags on the ground and get comfortable on the bed. Laying back, I can hear Ryder get into the tub, splashing around and humming happily to himself. My chest feels so full of love and adoration for that man. I still cannot believe this is all happening. I feel so fucking lucky.

Pulling out my phone, I decide to facetime my old roommate and check in with everyone. After the phone rings a few times, the screen changes and suddenly Christopher’s face is popping up on the screen.

“Hi!” he says with a wide smile, pushing his wild curls away from his face. “How are you? Are you already at Ryder’s parents’ house? Did you see anything weird while on the road?”

“Oh my god,” I butt in with an amused chuckle. “Slow down, Christopher. One question at a time.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just excited to see you! I miss you now that we don’t live together anymore.”

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