We stand here on the overlook for a long while, wrapped up in each other, backpacks still on our shoulders, the whole world spread out below us.
…
The fire pops and snaps cheerfully in the stone ring, casting flickering golden light across the small clearing. We’ve already demolished the burgers we cooked on the little portable stove, and the empty beer bottles are lined up like trophies beside the log we’re using as a bench. The night air is cool and clean, carrying the sharp scent of pine and woodsmoke.
Andrew is sprawled half against me, one leg kicked out toward the fire, the other bent so his knee rests against my thigh. He’s on his third beer and clearly feeling it, cheeks flushed, that signature cocky grin firmly in place.
“You know,” he says, gesturing with the bottle, “for a guy who spends all day covered in motor oil and yelling at old cars, you grill a surprisingly decent burger.”
I let out a deep, rumbling laugh that shakes my chest. The sound always seems to hit Andrew right in the ribs; I can feel him trying, and failing, to keep his smirk from softening.
“Surprisingly decent?” I echo, raising an eyebrow. “High praise coming from the guy who burned toast sobad last month that the fire alarm thought we were under attack.”
Andrew snorts, nudging my shoulder with his. “That was one time! And in my defence, I was distracted.”
“Distracted by what? Your phone?”
“By you walking around the kitchen shirtless,” he shoots back without missing a beat, then immediately tries to play it cool by taking another swig of beer.
I laugh again, louder this time, the deep belly laugh that always seems to disarm even his cockiest moods. Andrew’s ears go pink and he ducks his head, muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “shut up.”
I reach over and ruffle his hair roughly, messing it up even more than the hike already had. “Careful, smartass. Keep talking like that and I’ll make you cook breakfast tomorrow.”
He bats my hand away, grinning. “You wouldn’t dare. You know I’ll just burn the eggs on purpose and blame it on the mountain air.”
“Mountainair?” I chuckle, wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him in closer. “We’re barely two thousand feet up, you dramatic little shit.”
Andrew leans into me willingly, his head dropping to rest against my shoulder as the fire crackles between us. For a moment he’s quiet, the usual cocky energy softening into something warmer, more content.
“This is nice,” he says after a while, voice quieter. “Just us.”
I hum in agreement, my hand rubbing slow circles on his upper arm. “Yeah. It is.”
Chapter Fifteen
Slade
It’s Wednesday morning and I’m flat on my back under an old Chevy, working on a leaking transmission cooler line. The fitting had cracked right where it meets the radiator, and I’m carefully replacing the section with new high-pressure hose and fresh clamps. My hands are covered in fluid and grime, but my mind is still half-lost in the weekend.
That camping trip with Andrew keeps replaying in my head… the quiet nights by the fire, the way he looked sprawled out naked under the stars, the raw, open moments we stole in the middle of nowhere. I really needed that. The ache of not being able to hold his hand in public or kiss him without looking over my shoulder had been weighing on me heavier than I wanted to admit. Those two days in the woods helped more than I expected.
A throat clears behind me. “Morning, Slade.”
I slide out from under the car on the creeper, wiping my hands on a rag as I sit up. Todd’s standing there holding two coffees.
“Oh, morning,” I say with my usual easy smile.
He holds one out to me. “Got you a coffee from that place you like.”
I frown slightly, taking the cup. “Which place?”
“You know the one… on Main Street by the bakery.”
I stare at the cup for a second. That shop is clear across town from the garage, and from where Todd lives. “You went all the way over there just for this?”
Todd shrugs, a little too casually. “It was no problem, man. Enjoy.”
I laugh softly, still a bit confused by the random kindness. “Yeah… I will. Thanks, T.”
