She laughs. “I’ll keep that in mind. Have a nice night. I’ll see you in the morning.” I watch as she gets up. Byndley movesdown to the other end of the table to fold herself into her outdoor gear before waving at Brevan.
He’s just putting his hand down. We’re alone in the room now. His eyes meet mine, and that damn smile. God, he’s so handsome.
I gesture toward the door with my head. His answering nod has us both getting to our feet. We dress in our outdoor clothing in silence and meet at the door to walk outside together. My eyes immediately take in our surroundings, looking for any of our crew that we might need to avoid. Not seeing any, I glance at Brevan again.
A smile climbs as I realize he’s doing the same thing.
If someone had asked me if I’d ever find myself in a relationship that I needed to hide, I’d have laughed. Literally nothing seemed worth hiding. If I can’t have it in the open, is it worth having? Is the risk worth taking?
When Brevan’s eyes meet mine and my heart skips around like it’s playing hopscotch, I realize just how wrong I’ve been. Yes. The risk is worth it.
Besides, he graduates in just a couple short months. There will be no need to hide then. We can get through this short period of hiding what we’re doing. Protecting it. Growing together.
We’re still silent as we make our way to my dome, and I let us inside. Once stripped down again, I perform the same ritual I have every time I’ve stepped inside—lighting the fire in the woodstove again.
Thankfully, the dome isn’t enormous, so it doesn’t take long to heat up once a nice fire is burning. Brevan sits on the edge of the bed watching me. Waiting. When I’m finished, I join him but remain on my feet and wrap him in my arms.
His head presses into my stomach, his arms around the backs of my legs. Brevan sighs, and I hug him tightly, running my fingers through his hair.
“Are we going to keep seeing each other when we get home, or is this something that stays in Iceland?” Brevan asks quietly.
“I’d like to continue seeing you, but I want to know how you feel about it,” I answer.
Tension I didn’t realize he was holding onto drops away, and his shoulders relax. “I want that too.”
“Come on. Climb up the bed. I want to get you in my arms.”
“Clothes off though, right?” Brevan asks as he moves back. The expression he’s giving me makes me smile. “We’ve been outside and in classrooms and under lava rock all day. We shouldn’t bring any of that into bed.”
“Clothes off,” I agree.
We discard our clothing for the day and then climb up the bed and under the covers. I bring him into my arms, and together, we watch as the sun dips through the sky behind the mountains in the distance.
My fingers trail along his bare arm, tracing and admiring his muscles. Brevan is still, his heartbeat steady. His breathing even. I think maybe he’s fallen asleep when he says, “I never thought I’d be on a trip like this.”
“No?”
He sighs. “Well, I never would have thought to visit Iceland. I mean, ice is literally part of its name.”
I chuckle.
“But I don’t know. I think a part of me thought I’d never leave the US. Football isn’t one of those sports that travels out of the country, you know?”
“I do know that. I’ve been to Canada once, when I was in college. A fun trip to drink before it was legal for us in the US.My passport expired two decades ago, and I only just renewed it for this trip.”
He nods. “I had to renew mine, too. My parents took Cody and me to Canada a couple times before they died. Then my grandparents did once before my Grandpa died.”
From what he told the group during his introduction, I know his grandmother didn’t have the funds to take him traveling after that. I squeeze him a little tighter. “Where else would you like to travel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never truly thought about travel.”
I kiss the top of his head. My heart hurts for him. Not only has he known far too much loss in his short life, but he’s also grown to worry about fears that a child shouldn’t have had to. I’m not surprised that travel was never high on his wants list.
“Think about it now.”
Brevan is quiet for a minute. “I guess the usual places people want to travel—England, the Scottish Highlands, the Pyramids, Greece, with its blue waters and white buildings on the side of mountains. But like I said, I’d never have thought about Iceland. What other magical places are out there that I haven’t thought about?”
“Greenland is right next door. I hear it’s breathtaking there.”
