“It is what it is,” I say with a shrug.
He nods at my T-shirt. “So, this is your hometown? You went to high school here?”
“Yup. Born and raised.” I take another sip from his water bottle before passing it back to him. “Enough about me. Where did you grow up?”
He sets the bottle beside him and pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. “Near Detroit. I went to a private school there. My mom’s a lawyer, and my dad’s an orthopedic surgeon. Our family’s kind of a big deal back home.”
That checks out. He gives off “city boy” vibes. Despite living in Michigan my entire life, I’ve never been to Detroit. It’s only a four-hour drive from here, but I don’t have any desire to go there. Too many people.
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “So, how old are you? I know you said you’re in grad school, but you look young.”
Hunter smiles sheepishly. “I’m twenty-three. I know, I have a babyface,” he mutters. “You?”
Babyface. Yeah, that definitely suits him.
“Twenty-one,” I answer. “So, when will you graduate?”
“Well, if my research goes according to plan, then I’ll complete my master’s degree next spring.”
“Your family must be proud of you.”
He shrugs, eyes flickering away. “I think they wish I would’ve followed in their footsteps. They wanted me to go into law or medicine, like my twin brother. He’s in his second year of law school.”
“Landon?” I recall.
He blinks at me like he’s surprised I remember. “Yeah.”
“Are you two close?”
He shifts, his sneakers digging into the sand. “We used to be. We went to the same college for undergrad back in Detroit. Shared an apartment. But now it’s just… complicated.”
I can sense he doesn’t want to elaborate further. He crinkles the plastic wrapper of his granola bar, balling it in his fist.
“So why botany, then?” I ask. “What made you choose this?”
He chews thoughtfully. “My grandma. Myobaachan.She lives in Japan—where my mom’s from.” His smile deepens, crinkles forming next to his eyes. “When we were kids, my brother was obsessed with sports. He went to football camp every summer, and my parents didn’t want me to feel left out, so they’d send me to Kyoto to stay with myobaachan. She used to take me to this botanical garden near her house that had bonsai trees. That’s how I fell in love with plants.”
My brows furrow. “Bonsai trees are the tiny ones, right?”
“Yeah,” he says with a soft chuckle. “It’s a Japanese art tradition with live plants. I’d love to learn it someday. It takes a lot of patience and practice.”
Something in my chest stirs as I listen—like each word is peeling back another layer, revealing a part of Hunter I’ve never seen before. It feels like unraveling a mystery.
I lean back on my hands and look out at the glittering lake, sailboats dotting the horizon. For a moment, we don’t talk, but it’s not awkward. We listen to the wind rustling through dune grass and the soft crash of waves.
He’s sitting close enough that our arms almost touch. Close enough that I can hear his soft breathing. Close enough that it hurts.
“Hey, Mason?” he says quietly.
I turn my head, meeting his eyes. “Yeah?”
“I’m really glad you joined me today.”
I swallow, heart pounding, and smile. “Me too.”
***
Michigan weather can be unpredictable. Seventy degrees one day, and fifty degrees the next.
