Page 40 of It Starts With Summer

Ben stared at me for a long moment, not blinking.“You do not think I’m sexy.I had the biggest crush on you last summer!”

“You hated me last summer!”I protested.

“I was afraid to talk to you last summer,” Ben said, shaking his head.

“What about now?”

“Seeing you with Ravi, I know he’s your person.”Ben smiled a little.“And besides, Sutton said he only bottoms, so that makes you a top?I didn’t know that.”

“I’m vers,” I said, smirking.“Fuck, you’re not into Sutton, are you?”

Ben groaned, shaking his head, but the way his eyes darted around made me think his denial wasn’t completely honest.“He is physically attractive, which I’m sure you’re aware of, but that’s as far as it goes.”

I elbowed him.“He’s hot as hell.And you have my permission to fuck him.I do not own that thick, sexy ass, nor do I want to own it.”

“Because you’re in love with Ravi?”

“Shut up.We’re…” I trailed off, not exactly sure what to say.“It’s supposed to be a secret.”

“You two are about as subtle as a billboard in Times Square.You look at him like you want to crawl into his lap and stay there forever.”

Because I do.I smiled a little.“How does he look at me?”

“He stares at you whenever you’re not looking.And surely you notice how he moves closer to you every time you’re in the room.The other day at the evening campfire, you showed up, and he got up mid-conversation to go sit next to you.He didn’t even say goodbye or anything!”

I blushed, staring down at my fingernails.“I really like him.”I smiled shyly “So you’re free to have some sexy fun with Sutton, if you want.He’s a hot lay, I’ll give him that.”

Ben snorted.“I don’t want to be with someone who isn’t out.The whole pretending thing is too stressful for me.Besides, I’m not interested in guys who have no value other than sex.And Sutton is… I don’t know, an entitled prick?”

“He definitely went to prep school,” I said, shaking my head.“He has those douchebag vibes.Now that I have Ravi, it’s a little difficult to remember what I ever saw in Sutton.”

A clatter behind us made both of us turn around, and Sutton was standing there, staring down at the water bottle he’d dropped.He sighed and picked it up and turned back towards camp without acknowledging either of us.

“Fuck, I shouldn’t feel bad about hurting his feelings,” Ben groaned.“He’s not a nice person.”

“Does he even have feelings to hurt?”I asked, and Ben smirked at me.

“You know he does.”Ben ruffled my hair.“Everyone has feelings, and we were being mean.I’ll give him a chance to cool off and talk to him.”

“Well, you can tell him I’m sorry, but you know, not that sorry.He hurt me, too, and he has never apologized.”I stuck my tongue out at Ben, and he laughed.

“Mm, not like our boy, Ravi.Ravi’s gonna love you and protect you with his whole heart,” Ben said, smiling.“You two make sense to me.You balance each other out.”

“If only we didn’t have to fake it,” I said.“He’s always right by my side, but always just out of reach.Being in the same bunk bed as him is like torture.”

Ben stood, grinning mischievously as he brushed his hands off on his shorts.“You know what?I think I might have an idea to help you two out.”I raised an eyebrow, curious to hear his suggestion.

“What’s your idea?”I was impatient to know what Ben was thinking, but he was already walking away, leaving me hanging.He turned back.

“It’s a surprise,” he said.“Oh, and Sutton and I leave for our group’s overnight backpacking trip tomorrow, so you’ll have to wait for your surprise, but you’ll have plenty of time for shenanigans in the meantime.”

nineteen

Parker

WhenI’dfirstmetRavi, I never would’ve imagined we’d be here: alone in my bed, tangled up in each other, and truly connecting on a level I hadn’t experienced before.With Ben and Sutton away on their backpacking trip, it was the two of us in our cabin.And it was fucking perfect.We weren’t even doing anything, just snuggling and talking quietly about the campers’ antics after an exhausting day on the lake, and I wanted nothing more than to hold my boyfriend.

Okay, maybe I wanted to do something about my growing erection, but that was for later.I hugged him tighter, enjoying the way his hard body felt against mine, and I buried my face against the crook of his neck, breathing him in.

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