Emil smiled at him beautifully, as if he’d said something significant.
When he was done with his food, he picked up his shake and raised a brow at Emil who almost snorted his own up his nose. Makai decided to go easy on him and looked out of the window instead of taunting his… whatever Emil was to him.
THE NEXTweekend, they went on an actual hike together. Makai packed them lunch and snacks, and Emil made sure they had enough water and even some Gatorade in their backpacks.
They drove to the Escanaba Lake Trail and picked the shortest trail to start with. Sure they’d been taking walks, but these were intermediate hikes, and 2.5 miles would be just fine to start with. Besides, the place was close enough they could drive there every weekend if they really wanted to.
Armed with bug spray and long pants to avoid getting attacked by ticks, they started the trek.
“So your mom told me your birthday is next week,” Makai said after they got onto the path proper. From the initial spot, the paths merged for the different trails that went around and in between Escanaba Lake and Pallette Lake.
“Uh-huh,” Emil grunted, watching his feet as he stepped through a muddy bit of trail. “Why?”
“Well, there’s this thing I have with me, let’s see….” Makai stopped and took off his backpack, then made a show of trying to find something inside the pack. Finally, he pulled out a bundle that was wrapped in a towel. “Here.” He handed it over to Emil, who looked confused.
When Emil opened the wrapped present—a Nikon something-or-other camera that had come in a kit with two objectives—the expression on his face made Makai wish he’d thought of taking some video with his cell phone.
“W-what?” Emil stuttered, turning the camera in his hands. Makai took the camera case and the extra objective from him and pointed at a button on the camera.
“There, I made sure it’s fully charged, and there’s a huge memory card in it.”
Emil looked lost. Completely and utterly lost. “You got me a camera?” he finally managed to ask.
“Yes. Well, to be fair, your parents paid half of it, so it’s much better than what we thought you’d be comfortable of them or me spending on you. Even on a birthday.”
Nora and the sheriff had told Makai they’d pay half, and the budget they had was around four hundred dollars. Makai had told them that their four hundred had been just enough. It hadn’t, really, but Makai understood they weren’t made of money, and he could certainly put in a couple of extra hundred to get Emil a camera that was a bit better.
“I don’t—” Emil said, then lunged to hug Makai tightly, clutching his precious camera in his hands. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Makai said without thinking, and the endearment caught both of them at the same time.
Emil pulled back a little but didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled Makai into a kiss that left them both breathless. “There. Now let’s see….” And there he went, figuring out his new camera.
“I thought you’d want it here today, and I know it’s not the ideal place to learn it all, but at least you can take photos now, and then next time we come here, you’ll know some tricks and can take better ones?” He hiked his bag up his shoulders and kept the second objective on top of the bag, wrapped in the towel, so it would be easy to get if Emil wanted it.
There weren’t other hikers around, so their leisurely walk and the occasional pause when Emil stopped to take pictures seemed oddly intimate. When they got to the midway point, they went to the designated shelter spot that had a fire pit and some seating.
Not that they wanted a fire, after all it was summer and they had no use for a fire then. There were bugs, though, which was annoying, but it could’ve been worse.
Makai was setting their lunch on a bench when he noticed Emil was taking his picture.
“What are you doing?” he asked, making his tone playful instead of annoyed.
“I don’t have any candid photos of you,” Emil replied, his wide smile barely visible from behind the camera. “I can stop if you want me to.”
“No, do whatever you want. You have a few minutes before the food is bugged to hell.” Makai waved his hand to shoo away some of the insects that weren’t deterred by the bug spray.
They ate sitting side by side and talked about their plans for the next week.
“Evy said you can come to the next session on Thursday if you want.”
“Well, I actually have a meeting with your dad on Thursday, but that’s at one. What time’s your thing?”
“Eleven, so we could still make it.” Emil frowned and reached for his water bottle. “I don’t understand why Dad insists on the meetings still.”
“To be fair, we haven’t had one scheduled meeting, because last week he had the training thing he had to go to,” Makai reminded. “I don’t think he wants to have the appointment set because he thinks I’ll go off the rails and start murdering people”—Emil made a face at him—“it’s more about integrity. About who we are as men.”
Emil ate and thought about it for a while. “I guess I can respect that. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.” Emil stretched his fingers a little. “I forgot my splints.”
