Page 6 of His For the Summer

That thought — that they once may have been exactly like me — terrified me more than anything.Because what did it say about my future?

I walked behind the line of kids, keeping an eye out for stragglers, while Jay switched gears and began teaching some of the geeky kids how to speak in Klingon or whatever that language was.Whatever it was, it made them laugh and tease him, and brought out a side to Jay I had seen little of.Who knew he could be fun?

“Who knew we’d be at this cabin with all these nerds?”a kid in front of me said to his friend, and I scowled.I tried not to dislike campers — they were kids, after all — but Beckett and Slater were by far the worst of this session’s group.Entitled little assholes.

“They’re not nerds,” I said.“They’re awesome.”

Beckett turned to me, scowling.“What’s so cool about learning fake Star Trek languages?”

“Ah, so that’s what they’re talking about.Interesting that you recognized that detail,” I said.

He ducked his head and mumbled something that sounded like, “I used to watch it.”

“Maybe Jay and the others are cool because they know what they like and they’re proud of it.”

“Not if what they like is dorky stuff,” Slater objected.

“Let’s put it this way.They’re having fun while you two are pouting like assholes because you’re worried about how it might look for your image to join in.But what image?We’re in the middle of the goddamn wilderness.You’re still worried about what the kids back at school might think of you for knowing a word or two of Blingon.”

“Klingon,” Beckett corrected, and I almost laughed.

“Right.Well, you get my point.Who’s the cool one here?”I asked.

“Us, obviously,” Slater said.“We’re like you.”

I rolled my eyes.“It’s even worse if you think I’m cool.You’ve picked the biggest nerd out of the group to idolize?”I didn’t know if that was true, but the look of shock in the boy’s eyes made it worth it.I looked up as we came into a big clearing and Jay turned toward me, his brows up.I stepped forward and held out my arms.“All right boys, this is our spot for the next two nights!Who can show me how to put a tent together?”

“Not me!”Jay yelled, his eyes sparkling with humor, and the kids all laughed.I liked this side of him, the one that made a joke out of things, instead of feeling self-conscious about his lack of knowledge.I wasn’t sure I could have pulled that off.

“Okay, I’ll help Jay, while also assuring him that grass can’t eat him.”The campers laughed again, because Jay’s antics were already becoming legendary.“If anyone else needs help, let me know.We’ll be here to guide you, but I want you to at least try to put the tents together first.Remember to stake it down well, and to check your campsite for rocks before you lay your tent down.The last thing you need is to spend the night with a sharp rock jabbing you in the back.”

I unloaded my backpack, stopping when I saw Jay comically struggling with his own.“Stupid clip,” he groaned, tugging the sternum strap the wrong way, so it tightened even more over his narrow chest.Before seeing him swim the other day, I would have called him slender, but I knew now that his build was athletic, if lean.And he was a great swimmer, good enough that maybe he’d done it competitively.

I reached for the clip, showing him how it worked, ignoring the strange tingle at the tips of my fingers as they brushed against his neck.Those incredible blue eyes were on me again, those long golden lashes fluttering as he looked up at me.

Why the fuck did I keep noticing his lashes?

“You’d better put on sunscreen,” I said, pulling my hand away before anything more could happen.

He set down his backpack with a groan, and unzipped a pocket, tugging out a huge bottle, smiling his endearing grin.“SPF 70.It’s how I keep my porcelain complexion looking so great.”

“Is that so?”I replied, grinning.

He chuckled.“I don’t tan, so it’s porcelain or lobster red.Nothing in between.I figure it’s best to lean into my paleness.”

“I like you how you are.”I didn’t look at him as I pulled out my gear, opening the tent bag and shaking out the fabric, then fastening it to the tent poles.When I glanced back up at him, he was staring at me with wide eyes, swallowing hard.

“That’s our tent?”

“Don’t worry,” I said with a smile, thinking he must be worried about sleeping with only fabric as protection.“I’ll keep you safe.”

He swallowed again, and his throat worked as if he was trying to force himself to swallow.“It’s really, really small,” he squeaked.

six

Aiden

“Whatthefuckisthat noise?”Jay said, rolling over in his sleeping bag and startling me out of my, er, activities.After about an hour of tossing and turning, loud sighs, and many complaints about how poorly our sleeping mats cushioned the hard ground, I’d thought he was finally asleep.Apparently not.

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