Page 48 of Spring Fling
Chapter 31
Aiden
The camera was heavy in my hands as I walked down the trail. Trees were just budding with new leaves, and birds chirped as the sun broke through the scattering of gray clouds. This was what I lived for: capturing simple, quiet moments in life.
I’d come out here with the idea of taking some pictures and clearing my head, but the more I walked and the quieter it got, the more my thoughts became scattered. All I could focus on was how deep I’d gotten with Joe. How did I tell him? The last thing I wanted was to come across as overly clingy.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out, a smile stretching my face when I saw Joe’s name on my screen.
Joe: I want to see you.
Maybe coming across as clingy was the last thing I needed to worry about. It meant something that he wanted to see me as well.
Me: I’m at Discovery Park.
Joe: What are you doing out there?
I snapped a picture from my camera, the irony not escaping me as I sent it to Joe.
It took a few minutes for a response to come through, but when it did, my smile only grew, and it was stupid how easily the guy could make me happy.
Joe: Are you open to some company?
Me: I’ll never tell you no.
The park wasn’t close, and it would take him a while to get there, so I headed back toward the visitor center to wait. It would be easier for him to find me that way.
It took a good thirty minutes for Joe to get there, but the second I saw him step out of the car wearing those snug black jeans and a dark gray thermal shirt, I wanted to climb all over him. Damned if we were in public.
“Hey, sweetheart.” A smile spread across his face as he made his way over to me and I tossed all caution to the wind, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a quick kiss. The feel of his lip piercing biting into my skin, grounding me and letting me know he was really there.
He chuckled as I pulled back. “You miss me or something?” he asked.
“I always miss you.” I shrugged, grabbing his hand and leading him toward one of the trails. While I had enjoyed my initial walkwhen I’d gotten to the park, it was much better now that I had company.
“What brought you out here to take pictures today?” Joe asked as we kept walking. I hadn’t even bothered to lift my camera to snap a single shot.
“I don’t know. Was doing a lot of thinking and this is normally a good distraction.”
Joe’s brow creased in concentration. “What were you thinking about?”
I turned to him, looping my arm around his neck. There weren’t many people out, as it was still on the cooler side. “You mostly. Us. Where this was all going.”
Joe nodded, but he didn’t seem to relax any.
“Would you calm down? It’s nothing bad. I’m mostly trying to think about how we need to tell Nathan eventually and how we’re going to do that.”
His shoulders finally slumped, giving way to the realization that I wasn’t out here thinking about ending things. Not that the alternative was any better. My brother was fucking scary, and last New Year’s Eve was proof of that.
“He’s not going to castrate me or anything, right? I sort of like my balls. They’ve been attached to me a long time and they help me make some decent money.”
We both laughed, trying to break the tension of the moment. It was something we’d eventually need to tackle. The truth was, Ihad no idea how Nathan would handle it. I’d like to think that my brother would keep a level head and realize I was capable of making grown-up decisions. He’d always been my protector, but this was the one place I didn’t need him to hover.
I grabbed Joe’s hand once more, and we kept walking. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds a little more, lifting the chill from the air. For midday in early April, it wasn’t all that bad.
No more words were exchanged for a while. We were content to walk and bask in each other’s company. I even managed to lift my camera a few times and take some pictures. The scenery at the park was always stunning, and I felt lucky that Seattle was so close to the beach. It was a far cry from the tropical paradise Joe and I had enjoyed back in Cancun, but I didn’t always need that. Maybe that was what made what Joe and I had special. We could have fun, but the simplicity was still exciting.
Joe didn’t realize at first when I lifted my camera toward him, capturing a few candid profile shots. He turned as the shutter snapped, cocking an eyebrow at me, but not complaining. He grinned as he focused on the path ahead of us as I kept taking shot after shot. That was nice as well. We could have both. The wild and fun vacation with sexy beach pictures, and this.
