Quickly, before the dark descended, Ben and Alexei set up their tents, got out their tiny gas stoves to heat water for their dinners. Ben threw on his sweatshirt when the air cooled, slipped his feet into his camp sandals.
He was settled on the ground, sticking his spork into his mac-and-cheese-in-a-bag, when he decided to make his attempt. To see if he could get back in Alexei’s orbit again.
“So you have a baby sister, too, huh?”
Alexei looked up from where he was rooting around in his own freeze-dried meal-in-a-bag.
“Yeah,” he said with a ghost of a smile. “Alina. She’s a paralegal in Portland.”
“And that’s where you live, too?”
A long pause.
“Yeah,” Alexei eventually answered. “Although I’ll be moving when I get back.”
“Yeah? Where to?”
Another long pause.
“I don’t know yet.” Alexei bit his lip. “Was thinking I’d figure that part out while I’m out here.”
Interesting.
“We’re originally from Vancouver, though,” Alexei added, “in Washington. Not the one in BC. It’s a smaller city, right across the river from Portland.”
“Cool.” Ben took some more bites of mac and cheese. Waited to see if Alexei would reveal anything else. He was rewarded only a few minutes later.
“She’s the only one who knows I’m here. Alina,” Alexei clarified, staring down into his food. “Well, and you,” he added with a glance toward Ben, a small smile on his face that Ben received in the very center of his chest. But—
“No one else?” he asked, careful and confused. He’d gathered Alexei wasn’t super social, but damn. Everyone Ben knew was aware he was here. It was sort of a big deal, hiking thousands of miles, being gone from civilization for months. Even if Alexei wasn’t hiking the whole trail, being here at all was an accomplishment. Hell, making it across Fuller Ridge was an accomplishment. Ben was pissed he didn’t have service, so he couldn’t text Julie and Carolina all about it right now.
Alexei crumpled his trash, stuffed it into a Ziploc bag. Sat with his arms clasped around his knees. His forehead had that signature furrow; Ben could tell he was pondering something.
“Six months ago,” Alexei said slowly, “I came out to my parents as gay.”
Ben bit his tongue. Held his breath, stomach tensed.
“I was raised in a very conservative, religious family, so I knew…”The furrow deepened. It was getting darker; Alexei’s face was half hidden in shadow. Ben wished he could see those summer blue eyes more clearly. “My parents said that if I actually planned on living that way…”Alexei trailed off again. Ben wanted to reach across the clearing, squeeze his hand, tell him he was doing just fine. “Anyway, they cut me off.”
“You mean, like, financially?”
Ben was pretty sure that wasn’t what Alexei meant. He didn’t even know why he’d asked it. It had just been a funny way to phrase it, and damn, Ben felt sick.
“No.” Alexei’s voice sounded calm, steady now. “My family believed you earned what you needed. They never gave me money for anything past high school.”
“So when you say they cut you off…”
“They said I’d no longer be their son.”
“Lex.” Ben’s voice sounded the opposite of steady and calm, tinny and far away to his own ears.
But Alexei only dropped his head back. Looked up at the emerging stars.
Ben licked his lips, trying to figure out what to say. He should know what to say here. “You said this was six months ago?”
Alexei nodded.
“And you haven’t talked to either of your parents since?”
