I could tell Aaron was uncomfortable. Embarrassed maybe. And honestly, I could have repeated to him a dozen times that it was fine he hadn’t been upfront about his family or who owned the beach house but… why? It had hurt my feelings a little when I’d found out and put the rest of the pieces together. I understood why he’d done it.Idid.
But…
He still hadn’t told me, and it made me ache a hair. Just a hair. I couldn’t cure trust issuesovernight.
“Ru—”
Getting up to my feet, I grabbed a log off the stack and walked around to the other side of the pit. “You need another one. I wasn’t an Eagle Scout, but I can tell that’s going to fall over innotime.”
Aaron’s mouth seemed to open before he closed it and pasted a tight smile on his mouth with a nod and a gulp he probably assumed I didn’t noticed, butIhad.
“You still haven’t gotten the fire started?” came Max’s voice a moment before he started kicking up sand just a few feet away, stopping at the edge of the pit with his hands on his hips. “Do you need me todoit?”
Aaron huffed a tight laugh at the same time Max shot him a dirty look. “You do it?Right.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Some of us go into manhood knowing how to do things and don’t need to be in theScouts.”
“Is that why you made me change your tiretwice?”
Max blinked. “Fuckyou.”
They bickered back and forth for the next hour while Aaron started the fire, after grumbling about kindling. Then Brittany, Des, and Mindy made their way to the beach with plastic grocery bags in their hands just as the sun completely fell behind the horizon and everything darkened. Down the beach, I could see another small bonfire going. I’d snagged a spot on one of the chairs they had brought from the house, rubbing my hands over my calves to warm them up while the fire grew larger. Mindy came over and took the seat beside me, spending almost all her time typing on her phone. As every minute passed, it got harder to accept that this was my last night here without making a big dealaboutit.
Aaron was in his element with his friends, arguing with Des and Max about everything and anything. I just watched him. At one point, just as they started busting out the bags of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars, we made eye contact. I winkedathim.
“I think I’m gonna go sit… over there,” Mindy said abruptly, getting up without hesitation and going over to theotherside.
I watched Aaron smile as he got to his feet too and patted her on the shoulder while they passed each other. Then it was my turn to smile as he came to a stop in front of me, both his hands going to cup the top of my head before sliding down until they rested on my shoulders. “What are you doing sitting all the way over here byyourself?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. The chair was lonelyoverhere.”
He frowned as he lowered himself to his knees on the sand, pushing my legs apart on the way. Aaron scooted into the space, his back against the seat, my knees on either side of his shoulders. His hands went to my ankles, circling them. The side of his cheek rested against the inside of my knee. I could feel his breath on it, and that’s what told me he wastalking.
Leaning forward, I moved just close enough to hear him. “What didyousay?”
He peeked at me out of the corner of his eye as he took my hand away from where I had it resting on my thigh, bringing the palm to sit right over those perfectly built pecs, the muscle taut, his body warm. But it was the feel of his heart beating steadily that relaxed me. “I said, I could sit right here for the rest ofmylife.”
“Oh? That’s allyousaid?”
I could see the corner of his mouth perk up into a slowsmile. “Yeah.”
I rubbed my hand in a circle over his chest, feeling more of his bodyonme.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it,” he said intomyknee.
“It’sokay.”
He shook his head. “It’s not okay. I’m sorry, Ru.It’sjust…”
I moved my hand to smooth over the short hair on his head, and he leanedintome.
“Where I’m from, everybody knows about my family. It’s nosecret.”
“I’msure.”
“No, I want to tell you I just… you live in your family’s shadow for so long, and when you don’t want to be in it anymore, everyone thinks you’re adumbass.”
“You’re not dumb. Who made you feel like that?” I asked a littledefensively.
