Page 21 of Beyond the Summer

"It upset you."

I smiled, twirling my toes in the water."It made me smile.You didn't see that part, because I drove off.My fault."No one ever stood up to my father like that.But Ben had.Of course, Ben hadn't known who he'd been yelling at, but the fact that he'd called my dad out on his rudeness had been enough for me.

Ben was staring down at the water."I lied to you.I made up all of those rules to avoid you."

"What?There's not really a reason to guard the door of the art cabin?"

"You knew?"he gasped, as if his lies hadn't been absurd enough to be completely obvious."Well, I shouldn't have pressed you about your sexuality.Everyone comes out in their own time.I know that."

"You shouldn't have, but you did it out of kindness.You wanted me to feel free to be myself."

"I keep threatening to spank you."

"Kinda sexy, if we're being honest."

"And now I called you an entitled prick!"

"Have you spent the last week over-analyzing every goddamn thing you said and did?"

"More like the last eternity," Ben said, laughing softly."If that amount of overthinking stresses you out, you don't want to know what's really going on in my head."

"I don't get it.Sure, you said something that was wrong, but it was fine.We all say the wrong thing sometimes.It's what happened afterwards that mattered to me.In the tent, you read me that story, you made it better."Impulsively, I laid my head on his shoulder."And you came here to find me, to apologize."

"I am sorry," he murmured, scooting closer to me."If that was a hint."

His hand slid up my back, and I bit back a pleased sigh."Look, I know I'm gay," I said, taking a shaky breath."Like, really gay.It's hard for me to even fathom being sexually attracted to a woman."

"Okay."Ben was quiet for a moment, kicking his feet in the water.Then he shifted against me a little, throwing me off balance.I laughed as I tumbled into his lap.

When I went to sit back up, he pressed my shoulder down, and I went with it.I rolled over, adjusting my feet so I was sideways across the dock, on my back, looking up at him, his firm thighs supporting my head.

"You're very pretty," he said, running his thumb down my jaw and across my lower lip."I don't like to see you sad."

"Really?Because maybe you shouldn't call people douchebags if you don't want them to be said."

"I said prick, I think," Ben said, brushing my hair off my forehead, then twirling his fingers in the soft strands."Parker was the one who said douchebag."

"Oh.Right.Much better."I didn't even know what I was saying, because I never wanted him to stop touching me.Ever.

"Is it not true?"

"Worse.It's way too true."

"Well, admitting it is the first step to getting better."Ben beamed down at me."There are solutions.For example, have you considered not being a prick?"

I smiled."That one never occurred to me.Where do I start?"

He burst out laughing."Um, is that difficult to figure out?Maybe they have remedial anti-douchebag classes somewhere."

I turned my head, looking out at the water, blinking back tears, and he cupped my chin, forcing me to look at him, his eyes serious once again.

"Sutton, I know you're a good person.I know you know how to be kind.And I didn't mean to hurt you.I fucked up.I could just as easily have told Parker what I see in you."

My breath caught."What do you see?"

Ben's hand slid down to my throat, holding me gently as he forced me to look up at him, to make eye contact.At this distance, his eyes were streaks of molten gold and burnt umber, and it was beautiful.I could look into his eyes for days."I think you might be really amazing.And it scares the shit out of me."

"Why?"

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