Page 60 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
But the trail was horribly public. He broke the kiss. “Keep going or head back?” His pulse was a little too fast and his cock way too hard.
Fazil blinked rain from his eyes. “Didn’t you say there was a vista view up ahead somewhere?”
He nodded. “The rest of the trail runs along a ridge. Not too much farther. I’d get out the map and check, but...” He gestured upward. “And the view probably isn’t all that great now.”
“We’re already wet and it’s not cold. Might as well keep going.”
“Maybe it’ll stop.” He strapped his backpack on—thank goodness he’d taken the waterproof one—and they worked their way up the trail.
The rain let up and the air cleared when they reached the ridgeline and the view beyond.
“Well, damn,” Fazil said. He put his hands on his hips, face full of wonder.
Though misty, the mountains were coming out. He pointed to the north. “Glacier Peak.” Others, too, but he doubted the names would mean anything to Fazil. If things went well, they would come back. If not? Then not. He wanted Fazilhere, but he’d take what he could get.
In the valley, mist rose from the rain. Fazil took in the view while Todd dug Fazil’s cell phone out of the backpack. When he offered it, Fazil furrowed his brow.
Todd snorted. “Pictures?”
“Oh God, yeah.” He took the phone and snapped several. “Still not sure who I’m going to share these with.”
“Friends back home? Why not them?” From the sound of it, he had quite a social life.
“It’s complicated.”
“More than mine was?” He couldn’t imagine Fazil’s social circle beingquiteas convoluted.
“Nothing like that.” Fazil turned around, taking in more of the view. “Can we keep going? It’s stopped raining...”
“Sure. But there’s a price.”
Fazil huffed out a breath. “I tell you about it.”
“You tell me about it.” Maybe the key to understandingthisFazil was learning about who he was now. That was thepointof this weekend.
They continued along the ridge, picking their way along the path at a slower pace to take in the stunning views and the hillsides of wildflowers. “I told you about Kris.”
“Your ex-girlfriend? Yeah.”
“She went from me to another guy. Same circle. Pinball, gaming, parties.” He kicked a stone down the path and looked out at the valley. “The breakup was mutual. I have no room to complain...”
“But it still hurts to see her with him?”
“Yeah. Lance. He’s a reasonable dude. Cute, too.”
Todd couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
“What? I can look! Even at the straight guys. Same as you.”
“At the girls, too.”
Fazil pursed his lips. “Yeah, and I get told I’m...” He croaked and paled. “Well, Iama cheater.”
“Stop. We were kids and dumb and didn’t talk to each other. You said you didn’t fool around on anyone else.”
“I didn’t.” Fazil scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, it hurts to see Kris with Lance. She’s so much happier with him than she was with me.”
Todd slowed to a stop as a few things clicked together in his mind. What was really eating at Fazil. “It’s not you.”
