Atlas smiled and nodded. “There are lots. When you’re finished, we’ll find some together.” Bazel might want to read theLord of the Ringsbooks, or he might want something different in the fantasy genre. In a way, it was like a whole new world was opening up for him,
“I like that,” Bazel said just before stumbling on a root. Atlas caught him by the arm and kept him upright. Well, almost. He ended up in Atlas’s arms, and he wasn’t going to complain.
“You okay?” Atlas asked softly before taking advantage of the quiet and the fact that they were alone to kiss Bazel, pulling him tight against him. Bazel put his arms around Atlas’s neck, his hands warm against Atlas’s skin. In an instant, it grew warmer in the shade and Atlas’s shorts became way too damned tight. Fuck, if they came on others right now, he was going to put on quite a damned show.
He ended the kiss and backed away, taking a minute to adjust things so they weren’t so freakin’ noticeable. “Did I do that?” Bazel asked, smiling smugly.
“You aren’t supposed to talk about it, but yes. You did.” He breathed deeply and thought of other things to get his damned dick to go down. “Come on.” He definitely had to get himself under control. It seemed that he only had so much of that when it came to Bazel. Normally that would be an amazing thing, but he kept hearing the captain’s voice in his ears, and that worried him. Still, Atlas pushed it away for now. They continued theirtrek through the forest until it ended at an open grassy area around the dam.
There was no one else there, so Atlas let Evie run while Bazel hurried over to the concrete structure and peered down to where the water ran over the barrier that regulated the water height in the lake. “Why they do this?” Bazel asked.
“To create the lake. I’m not sure why this one was created other than for recreation, but without this there would just be a small stream like that.” He pointed to where the creek continued after the dam. It was the best answer he had.
“Is the water warm?”
“I think so. When we get back, there is a place where we could swim, and we can find out.” Evie had found a stick. She brought it over, and he threw it. She bounded after the slobbery thing before bringing it back. This was as close to a family type outing as he’d had in years. He sat on the grass, and Evie hurried over, rolling and scratching her back before coming the rest of the way to lie next to him. Atlas let Bazel explore and sat in the shade, as content as he could remember in a long time.
Bazel ran as far as the road, stopping to watch the creek as he raced down the hill on the far side. Then he came back and sat right next to him. “It’s so pretty here and very green. It isn’t so green back where I come from. It’s a lot of brown. There are trees, but mostly people plant them. Sometimes there are storms that make the air fill with dust and it not safe to go outside, but you have to anyway because you have to work to eat.”
“Is that what your father does?” Atlas asked.
“Sometimes. He builds roads there. Mostly he have men who work for him, but he have to be there to make sure they work. That’s what he say. My father cough all the time.”
Atlas nodded. “I guess you’ll never see them again.”
“No.” Bazel looked away. “They do not want me because I bring shame to them. They say that I not their son anymore.” Helowered his gaze. “So yes, I never see them again.” He rested his head against Atlas’s side, and he held him.
“It’s okay to be upset and to let it out.”
“Women cry and wail.”
Atlas gently lifted Bazel’s head until he looked into his eyes. “You can feel anything you want. I promise I will never tell anyone.” Bazel nodded and rested his head against him again. Atlas didn’t know if he was crying or not, and he didn’t press. All he did was hold him to let Bazel grieve the loss of his family. He didn’t see his own family all that often, but they talked on the phone, and Atlas knew they were there. But he found it hard to imagine knowing your parents were alive and yet never being able to see them again, and on top of that, being aware that they did not want you. That was what sucked the most, knowing that as far as Bazel’s family was concerned, he was unwanted.
Evie got up and walked around them, then settled next to Bazel and put her head on his lap. Words escaped Atlas, so he sat quiet and still, letting Bazel process a loss that he would never truly understand. And how the hell could he? Why someone would just toss aside a person as wonderful, open-hearted, and as kind as Bazel was beyond him,
“Are you okay? Do you want to stay here for a while or go back?”
Bazel held him tighter, and Atlas took that as a sign to stay where they were, so Atlas listened to the breeze and soaked up some of the summer warmth until Bazel straightened up and wiped his eyes. “I sorry.”
Atlas shook his head. “You are not to be sorry. They are the ones who will be sorry because they are the real losers here, because they were the ones who lost you. It’s because of them that you left and came to this country, and because of that, I got to meet you. So….” He blew a raspberry. “That’s what they get.A whole lot of nothing because you’re here and I’m not sending you back.”
Bazel sat gaping before putting his hand over his mouth. “What is this…?” He made apffftsound.
“It’s called a raspberry, and it means up yours. Suck it… and too bad so sad, you lost out… all in one single sound.” He made another raspberry, and Bazel giggled again. It was a soft sound, but welcome. “Are you ready to go? I think by the time we get back, it will be lunchtime and we’ll all be hungry.” He got up and helped Bazel to his feet. Then he called Evie and took Bazel’s hand as they made their way back along the trail toward the truck.
“Where your family?” Bazel asked as they walked.
“My parents are in Arizona.”
“Oh yeah. I forgot. What is this Arizona like?” He looked over at Atlas like he was hanging on every word.
“It’s hot.” He smiled. The last time he’d visited, Atlas had sworn he was melting, the heat had been so overpowering.
“Like where I came from?” Bazel asked.
Atlas shook his head. “You come from a place where the air is humid. In Arizona it’s very hot and really dry a lot of the time. When it’s winter here, it’s nice down there, and I go to visit. But in the summer here, it’s really hot there. My mom and dad don’t seem to mind, though. Dad can’t take the cold and has trouble breathing. But they will come to visit sometimes, and I go down there in the winter for a while.” He sighed a little. “But it isn’t all that much fun. They live in a retirement community near a place called Scottsdale. It’s perfect for them, but I like things to be a little more active.” He shrugged. “And Mom and Dad like to eat at five thirty in the evening, and I’m not hungry then. But they’re good people, and they did their best for me when I was growing up.” So he had no reason to begrudge them the life they wantedand deserved. His parents had worked hard all their lives, so if Arizona made them happy….
“So will they come to visit because it’s warm? Where they sleep?” He was growing agitated,
