Winston runs ahead of us as we head down the driveway and onto the dirt road, stopping every few steps to look back and make sure we’re still coming before tearing off again.
“Has he always been this excited?” Silas asks, watching him pounce on a rock like a cat before he continues running with legs and ears flapping in every direction.
“Yes,” I say with a laugh. “Always.”
Silas glances back at the garage as it fades out of view, and I do the same. I know where his head just went, because mine has been there too. How everyone is seeing us as friends again… but it’s more than that.
We’re quiet for a moment as that thought swirls in my head, with nowhere to land. But… why do we need to make sense of it right now?
“You know…” I say slowly. “We don’t have to figure it all out right away.”
Silas looks at me, and I meet his eyes, bumping his shoulder with mine.
“No one needs to know anything until we do,” I say.
He releases a breath with a nod, and I see a flicker of relief in his gaze.
“Yeah.” He nods. Then he looks ahead, hesitating for a moment. “What…doyou know?”
I shrug. “About as much as you do. That we’re friends again, who apparently like kissing each other.”
Silas huffs and shakes his head. “I mean…” His gaze flicks toward my parents’ house as we pass it. “Are you… you’ve been with girls, and…”
Ah.
“Yeah…” I nod slowly. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this too.
Winston stops ahead of us, turning back like he’s debating if we’re worth waiting for, then disappears into the dune grass that leads to the beach.
“I’m not really sure,” I say slowly. “While I’ve never been with another guy, I think… I’m bi, I guess? I’ve realized I’m attracted to guys too, but it’s all very… new.”
Silas’s eyes quickly flick towards me before he looks away again, and I smile.
Is that jealousy?
“What about you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I’ve only ever been with Bell, so I don’t know.”
I stop, slapping a hand to his chest to turn him towards me. “Really?”
His eyes widen slightly, and his cheeks flush before he looks down at the ground. “Yeah,” he mumbles.
I take him in for a second, then glance past him to the hollow heart field stretching out along the road. As surprising as that is, I guess it makes sense. His entire life has been the farm, and it’s not like there’s a big dating pool here.
And he completely hid himself away after I left.
I let my hand fall from his chest and smile softly at him. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. We’re just going to figure this whole thing out as we go.”
His eyes lift to meet mine again, and he nods with a small smile.
A splash sounds on the other side of the path, so I quickly turn and head through the dune grass, breaking into a laugh as I step onto the red sand.
Winston tears out of the ocean, water flying everywhere as the stick in his mouth is launched into the air. He runs after it, pouncing on it as it lands in the sand, then takes it back into the water.
“Is he playing fetch with himself?” Silas asks, stepping up beside me.
I huff and shake my head. “It would seem that way.”
