Page 44 of Sass in the Grass

“No, that was his parents. They’re the ones that taught him all this, living with nature stuff, and his older brother. The mom and brother moved after the dad passed, but Coach stayed at the OG homestead. Pretty cool, actually.”

“So, he won’t be homeless, if…the camp doesn’t…?”

“No, Jovian,” Mike assured. “But he’s a big part of the camp. He loves it. I think that would hurt him a lot.”

“It would hurt him?” Jovian suddenly felt something in his chest that he barely recognized. Deep concern for another person. “I don’t want to…I can’t even…”

The other two stopped and turned to Jovian. Alan whispered, “He won’t die or anything.”

“Yeah, Jovian, I’m sure he’ll be fine, just sad.”

“Well, he shouldn’t ever be sad! Like…like ever! He should literally be happy all the time!”

“Jovian, are you…in love with him?” Mike asked.

“What? Are you insane? I barely know the man,” he lied as he pushed through them to stomp toward the cabin.

“Wow, he’s got it bad,” Jovian heard Mike say, and while every instinct in him wanted him to turn and fight about it, he had few friends at the camp, and he knew he’d only push them away if he told them off.

Not that he truly considered them friends, but…they were…friends?

It was becoming too much, and he didn’t want to think about stuff like that.

“Jovian, stop,” Alan said in a harsh whisper.

“What?” he asked after spinning to face them. Mike grabbed his hand and yanked him toward the trees.

“He’s coming!”

“Dixon?”

“Yes! Do you want him to know you were spying on him?”

“I wasn’t! That’s rude!”

“Shh!”

They hunkered down in the bushes as they watched Dixon jogging by, his ass flexing under his cotton shorts, his huffed breaths coming out like a bear running through the woods. Jovian watched, transfixed on him, and he wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth. Damn, the man made him shiver and drool.

“That was close. What the hell would we have said?” Mike asked.

“That Jovian’s got the hots for him and wanted to check out his future home,” Alan answered simply.

“You’re just a riot today, Alan,” Jovian said as he brushed off his clothes of the leaves and dirt from hiding.

“Jovian, you like the man, and it’s obvious. Stop stressing about it. So, he’s not the type of guy you thought you’d go for.”

“I…” He wanted to argue that, but there was no argument. It was very true. He wasn’t rich. He didn’t live in a big house in a gated community. He lived in an off-the-grid cabin in the middle of nowhere. Just to go to lunch or for a day of beauty, he’d have to drive hours…if he lived with Dixon.

Lived with him. As he walked with the others back to the camp, he barely saw the vistas of absolute serenity. The clouds hanging just over the peaks to the south of the lake, the green of the pine and spruce and the purple and yellow of the wildflowers.

The trail itself was well-worn and narrow, but on either side were stones that were bright gray and white, tall grasses that swayed in the perfect breeze.

All the things that were alive around Dixon, in a perfect world for…for him. For Jovian?

“Listen, Jovian,” Alan said as Mike jogged ahead to collect Kathy from her ceramic class. “We’re giving you a hard time, sure. It’s what friends do, but I get it. I’m in love, and I know the look and I know how scary it can be. Dixon may not be the kind of guy you thought you’d fall for, but he’s not someone you would be ashamed of being with, right? Just because he’s not like you or not like you thought of when you thought of a guy?”

“No, I’d never be ashamed of him. Ever. He’s not like…like I thought. Do I really love him?”

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