“Let’s hang out while you’re here,” Miles blurts out. Even he’s not sure where that came from, and there’s internal panicking when Calvin tilts his head, staring at him. “I mean—not only for the marketing, and not only for the piece I’m doing for you. If you want someone to hang out with, I know the best things to do around here—uh, not that I’m forcing you to. No pressure, really.” Oh god, he’s rambling. It’s all the fucking sugar in his system. “I don’t want you to be bored while you’re here, since you’re here because I asked, and I think you’re pretty cool, and that’s such a dorky thing to say, I know—”
“Miles,” Calvin interrupts.
“Yeah?”
“You’re fine.” He does that smile of his, the one where the corners of his mouth slightly curve up, his shoulders go slack, and his amusement reaches his eyes. The one which makes Miles’s heart leap in response. “I think you’re pretty cool, too.”
Miles freezes, his brain short-circuiting. He hasn’t felt this rush of emotions for anybody in a long time, or ever.
“I’ll be here,” Calvin says, still smiling. He walks off toward the elevator, and when he vanishes behind the doors, Gabby whistles. She doesn’t say anything about whatever the hell that was, but she does wink.
Chapter Twelve
Megan’s a force to be reckoned with and she sits down with both Miles and Calvin the first chance she gets. She shows them videos and memes that are currently trending, and sets out milestones for them to achieve, as well as a content schedule. Miles can see Calvin making a very strong attempt to not turn around and leave, and he can’t blame him. The whole conversation makes Miles dizzy and overwhelmed, too.
She assigns Miles to be Calvin’s unofficial tour guide. Not that he’s complaining. Calvin doesn’t complain, either, and it’s fun hanging out with him every single day. He’s started seeking him out every morning, and it’s nice to see Calvin’s hackles slowly lower the more they spend time with each other.
They’re trying to figure out what to do one day when Megan takes it upon herself and says to Calvin, “Miles can rent a boat and take you to Crystal Bay; you can take pictures of the place, especially the sunset. Don’t forget to tag the inn.”
“Sunset at Crystal Bay?” Miles asks, startled. It’s a popular spot for couples, and he’s caught off-guard. Megan glares at him, and he clears his throat. “Yes, boss.”
So, against his will—even if he’s way too excited about yet again spending time with Calvin—Miles rents a boat and takes him to one of the best sights of the lake where he can snap photos and upload them as stories on Instagram. Crystal Bay, which is about an hour’s ride away from the inn, has shores surrounded by tall trees and blue-green water that’s popular with tourists.
It’s also romantic as hell, and Miles wonders if Calvin is thinking the same.
“You know what I realized?” Miles asks as Calvin snaps photos. “I’ve never actually seen you swim, despite being next to a lake for weeks now.”
“I haven’t seen you swim, either.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a tourist.”
Calvin raises an eyebrow at him. “How is that even relevant?”
“You’re here as a tourist, yet you’re not doing tourist things.”
“I told you, I like being here because I like how quiet it is.”
Grinning, Miles says, “Another thing I realized is that if you’re not going to post selfies, then we might as well have just taken the photos and videos for you and you could have posted it on your own time. You didn’t actually have to come all the way out here.”
Calvin cocks his head and folds his arms, the wind tousling his dark hair around. “You’re trying to trick me into taking a selfie.”
“Just saying.”
“Come here.” Calvin gestures for him to inch closer.
“Wait… seriously?” He was only teasing, and he’s utterly out of his element when Calvin yanks him by the sleeve and holds his phone out. He flips the camera into selfie mode and Miles is pretty sure his heart’s about to burst out of his chest when Calvin snaps a photo.
“You’re okay with me posting this, right? I’ll type here that I’m hanging out with a friend and tag your inn.”
Holy shit?“Yeah, of course,” Miles says, looking at his screen. Both their hair’s a mess because of the wind, and Calvin looks so damn cute in his glasses. They’re both smiling at the camera and the photo is angled in a way to show the water behind them.
Miles doesn’t think he’s ever seen Calvin post something so casual on his social media before, and it makes his skin buzz.
He watches over Calvin’s shoulder as he types in the words. Miles doesn’t notice he’s leaning into Calvin’s space until Calvin posts it and then turns to him, and then backs away by a fraction. Calvin’s eyes dart to his mouth before he looks away abruptly.
Awkward.Miles clears his throat.
“Can you send me that?” He hopes that Calvin doesn’t read into what he’s saying, or doesn’t think he’s a creep for even asking. “Without the text, I mean. Just the photo of us. Uh. It’s a nice photo.”
