Page 34 of When We Were Younger

Apparently, my dog is an even better judge of character than I thought.

I look down at Dorothea, ready to ask her if she's ready to keep going, but she reaches out and puts her free hand on my chest.

"Truth or dare, Stephen."

"Truth," I say.

"Did you and Mindy date?" she asks, and I can't stop the snort that works its way out of my nose.

"What? I think I have a right to ask after she just-"

"Peed all over me like I was her property?" I interrupt, and she huffs.

"It's okay if you did, I don't care. I'm just curious," she says, but her tone betrays her. She cares. She cares big time, and that feels fucking good.

"No. Mindy and I did not date, or hook up, or so much as share a bench at the park. She's a relentless flirt, but I've never been interested."

"Good. Not that I care, but Mindy is a bitch. One time when we were thirteen, I got my period during a basketball game. I had a blood stain on the back of my skirt the whole time we cheered, and even though she was right behind me in formation, she didn't say a thing. It was humiliating. She can choke." Dorothea breaks out of my hold and starts to stomp down the trail. It takes me a few strides, but I quickly catch up to her.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that? I would neverhave given Mindy the time of day if I knew she had slighted you," I say, a hint of humor in my tone even though I'm completely serious.

"Yeah, okay Stephen. I wasn't going to tell the boy I liked an embarrassing period story, even if he was my best friend." She rolls her eyes as she reaches out and grabs my hand once again. I make a puppy dog face down at her as butterflies start to wildly flap their wings in my stomach.

"You liked me when we were thirteen?" I ask, and she hip checks me.

"Shut up. Of course I liked you when we were thirteen. I think I liked you before I knew what liking a boy meant."

Pride surges in my chest, and I mentally toggle another notch in the 'Stephen and Dorothea were always meant to be' column in my brain.

"Well then I suppose I have a question for you as well. I probably should have asked you this before I kissed you but," I stop walking and turn so that we're facing each other. Daisy May sits on the ground at my feet and the three of us take up the middle of the trail.

"Is there someone waiting for you back in Los Angeles?" I ask. I hate how vulnerable I sound, but I can't help it. She takes a step closer, close enough that our bodies brush up against each other. She looks up at me, and her blue eyes shine in the morning sun.

"No, Stephen. There is no one waiting for me in Los Angeles, or anywhere else. In fact, the only person I've been interested in for a very long time is right here onthis trail." Her voice tapers off, growing impossibly quiet as she makes her confession. I watch as she pulls her pink bottom lip between her teeth, and I lose my control.

I swoop down, capturing her lips with mine as my hands come up to cup her cheeks. She moans instantly, and I take the opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth. I groan at her sweetness. She tastes like strawberry iced donuts and a hint of coffee and everything I've been missing in my life. She melts into me, wrapping her hands around my neck and tickling her fingertips at my hairline. My dick wakes up, hardening and straining against the zipper of my jeans. I can feel her nipples on my chest, hard little diamonds that I want to pinch and suck into my mouth. My hands have a mind of their own, traveling from her cheeks to her hair, down her back and to the firm globes of her ass. I squeeze as I pull her tight to me, swallowing her gasp when my cock presses into her.

I'm two seconds away from throwing her to the ground, ripping a hole in her leggings and taking her in the dirt when a wolf whistle brings me back to earth. We jump apart as a group of teens walks past us, pointing and laughing as they go. Dorothea goes bright red as she runs a hand over her face. I turn and adjust myself, tucking my hard on in a way that is uncomfortable, but at least it's not popping out to say hello any longer. When our eyes meet again, the two of us burst out in hysterics.

We laugh and laugh until tears stream down ourfaces and I'm clutching my aching abs. When we finally catch our breath, I take her hand and whistle for Daisy May to stand up and start walking.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Let's finish this hike before I do something that will most definitely get us arrested."

18

DOTTIE

After our kiss on the trail, we spend the rest of the hike talking, walking hand in hand. Now that we've gotten past the weirdness of having seen each other againandleaned into the physical chemistry bubbling between us, it's like we can finally loop back and catch each other up on our lives over the years. He mostly listens as I babble on and on about moving to California, the shoebox apartment Keeks and I shared in The Valley, and how I barely scraped by and got my GED while Kira killed it at USC.

"Thank god I've got this pretty face to fall back on, because my brain is useless." I say as we stroll past another million-foot-tall oak tree. Stephen stops walking, so abruptly it almost knocks me off my feet.

"Don't say that. Don't ever fucking say that. You're stunningly beautiful, yes. You always have been, but you're so much more thanthat. You're so smart, Dorothea. You're well-read and artistic and kind. You're witty and quick and so funny. Just because you struggled a bit in school doesn't mean your brain is useless. Your brain is my favorite part about you."

His tone is sharp, but his touch is light as he pushes a stray lock of hair out of my face and behind my ear. It takes my breath away. I only nod my head like a bobblehead as he stares past my eyes and into my soul. My heart skips several beats, and he starts to walk again, leading me along by the hand like his words didn't just flip my worldview upside down.

After that interaction, I hastily change the subject to focus on him. He tells me about his college experience, living at home and commuting to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I knew he'd planned on studying Construction Project Management, but I had no idea that he'd also studied urban planning and sociology. He says that if his dad ever finally retires and hands over Hudson Family Construction, he wants to shift the focus away from development and more towards revitalization. Apparently, Stephen has a real philanthropic steak and wants to provide affordable housing and accommodations in underserved areas.

When I say that I’m surprised to hear that Mr. Hudson hadn't retired yet–he'd been saying he was looking forward to his lazy days for as long as I could remember–Stephen just shrugs.

---