A box of condoms?
“Uh.” I said, holding them up. “Did we grab the wrong bags on the way out?”
Devin went bright pink all the way to his hairline.
“Umm,” he snatched them away in a hurry, then looked frantically around the kitchenette before reaching up to one of the top cupboards and shoving them in there, closing the door so fast the bang echoed through the whole cabin.
“Chris was buying them and asked me ifIneeded to and I couldn’t figure out a way of saying no without either raising suspicion or seeming irresponsible,” he said without drawing breath, reaching into the same bag and producing a tube of lubricant as well, holding it in his hands like he’d been caught with a murder weapon.
“So I guess I have a lifetime supply now,” he added, laughing nervously.
“Twenty is a lifetime supply?” I asked.
Devin shrugged, still toying with the lube and not meeting my eyes. “Based on the average number I use per year, I’ll be in a nursing home before I’m done with that box,” he said.
Which was kind of a surprise. But then, now that I knew he hadn’t actually been dating Marta, it shouldn’t have been.
I hadn’t seen Devin with… anyone, ever, as far as I remembered. Aside from Marta.
“Same here,” I said before I could think better of it. “Although I think they’re meant to have, like, expiry dates.”
“Might not matter,” Devin said. “I had to corner you to find someone to bring with me here. I wanted to apologize for that. You can still go home, I’ll hitch a ride with Marta, you’re not stranding me here or anything and I think Brad’s caught the hint.”
My stomach knotted up at the thought of leaving now.
“Do youwantme to go?” I asked, hoping the answer wasno, I want you to stayand fantasizing that it might beno, I want you to stay so we can make out and maybe break that box open.
“You promised me you’d read me the rest of that poem,” Devin said, a tiny smile playing around his lips, finally looking up at me.
That wasn’t exactly what I’d promised, but if it was what hewanted, I wasn’t about to say no.
“I will,” I said. “Anytime you want.”
Devin’s smile brightened just as there was a knock on the door.
“We have fire!” Chris called through it. “Come on, you can have some alone time later.”
Devin laughed softly, setting the lube down. “We’ll be out in a minute,” he called, looking at me again.
“I’m counting down the seconds,” Chris called back, his voice fading as he walked away.
“You heard the man,” I said, happy to be done with this conversation. I’d come so close just now to giving myself away, and I knew it. If I had to explain to Devin why I wanted to stay, I wasn’t sure I could do it without telling him too much.
“I heard the man,” Devin agreed, poking through the rest of the bags. “I think that’s everything that needs to be refrigerated,” he added, grabbing the marshmallows. “Come on.”
I followed him toward the campfire, grateful to Chris for interrupting that particular awkward conversation.
Now I just had to keep avoiding conversations like that until Saturday morning, and I’d be fine.
10
Devin
Morgan was sowarm.
I’d always known he would be, we’d sat close before, but I’d never really had an excuse to snuggle up next to him. Now that we had one blanket draped over both of us and I’d wriggled my way into the crook of his shoulder, I couldn’t ever remember being more comfortable.
“Toasted enough for you?” Morgan asked, passing me a marshmallow that was still smoking faintly from the fire.
