It was a slow and gentle drive in Drew’s car and Ryan’s heart hammered in his chest in slow thumps as the rolling hills of Aspen drew close. He licked his soft lips, tasting the sweet cherry flavoured chapstick he had used earlier. When Drew said he had something great planned for their practice “date” after school, Ryan was not expecting to be driving thirty minutes away from Redwood Valley.

It never really occurred to the blond boy that Drew would take the entire thing so seriously. It was after all, a practice date for when he was ready to ask Nora out, which Ryan liked to remind himself of. But as the two of them drew closer and closer to Aspen, Ryan’s heart quickened its pace, his stomach fluttering at the prospect of what was to come.

Ryan let out a gasp as the beautiful small town of Aspen came into view, nestled between the valley of gorgeous green hills and snow peaked mountains. He had never been out here before, only having heard of it from Nora who had family there. He couldn’t help but rest his chin over his arms on the window pane of the car, breathing in the crisp and clean air that was filled with the lovely scent of the dense pine forest beneath them.

For a moment, the blond boy just took in the natural sight before him as they car drove past, not bothered by the future that loomed over his head like a dark cloud, not bothered by the fact that in a few weeks, days or even hours, what he had with Drew would be over. He allowed himself to take a deep breath, urging his mind to let go of what would be lost and to live in there here and now.

If Drew was really meant for Nora, then he would let him go. But for now, he would allow himself to bask in the dark boy’s presence and take everything that Drew will allow him to have.

Before Ryan knew it, the car had slowed down to a stop and he and Drew had arrived at the Aspen Hills Alpaca Sanctuary, nestled in the rolling hills just outside of the small town they’d passed. The blond boy breathed in as he stepped out of the car, the air was cool and crisp, and the sky a beautiful shade of pink and orange.

Ryan’s first thought was to ask Drew to take a picture with him, but he stopped himself when he turned to see Drew aiming his phone’s camera at him with a wide smile on his face. Ryan’s cheeks flared, his lips turning up into a smile as well.

“What are you doing?”

“You look so cute, I couldn’t help it,” Drew said as he pocketed his phone. Ryan shook his head, rolling his eyes.

He looked away and wet his lips, breathing in before he turned back to Drew. “Um… why…,” he paused, looking down for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say. I’m being stupid, aren’t I? he asked himself. He knew what the answer was. Heck, he knew what Cain would say but it had to be done. “Why are we here?” He asked, tilting his head toward the sign of the sanctuary.

He was almost a hundred percent sure that Nora was not going to like this place particularly for a date. Though she liked animals, cats and dogs were as far as Ryan knew she was willing to go near. Alpacas, not so much.

Drew bit his lip and shrugged. For a moment Ryan saw what he thought was annoyance in Drew’s dark eyes, but it was gone before he could blink. “Well, I thought that even though this is a learning experience, there's no reason for it to not to be a good one,” he stated as he moved closer to Ryan. “Why not make it the best date?”

 Ryan’s tummy fluttered at those words, tingles shooting up his spine. Why in God’s holy name was Drew so perfect?

The tall boy reached out a hand to him as Ryan neared him, his hand waiting for Ryan’s. The shorter boy licked his lips as his eyes met Drew’s and then down to the boy’s outstretched hand. He pressed his lips together, his heart continuing its slow thump and urging him to take in the moment.

Slowly, he let his hand fall into Drew’s, lacing their fingers together. The two boys walked hand in hand through the gates of the sanctuary, welcomed by a pretty lady in her mid-fifties with glowing dark skin, greying locs and a kind smile. After Drew paid their entrance fee, the two followed the woman down the path into the fields, where a group of alpacas and some llamas on the far end of the field grazed on the grass and played with each other.

They stood there in the middle of the path for a moment and watched the fuzzy little creatures, both of them in awe at how cute and serene, yet so chaotic a bunch of animals could look at the same time.

They were each given a small bucket of hay to feed the alpacas, if they wanted. Ryan was nervous to even walk near them, afraid that they would run from him or even attack him.

“They like people,” the lady assured him. “Just remain calm and they’ll come to you. They’re curious,” she added with a kind smile before leaving the two boys on their own.

Ryan bit his lip as he watched them, a sense of amazement filling him as two of the animals walked slowly toward him and Drew. One had a darker brown coat and the other had light brown with dark spots scattered through its side. Their noses twitched, probably from the smell of the hay that Ryan and Drew carried. He stepped back and they stopped, cocking their heads in a way that was weirdly similar which made Ryan chuckle at how amazingly cute they were.

“Oh, they are so cute,” he cried softly and Drew chuckled as he tightened his grip on Ryan’s hand. He felt the nervousness radiating off the blond boy in waves and wanted to reassure him to the best of his ability. Though it was Drew’s first time seeing the animals as well, he was more courageous than the junior by his side. They stayed there for a moment and allowed the animals to come to them on their own, just to make sure that they were comfortable around them.

Putting his hand in the small bucket, Ryan took out a handful of hay and stretched out his palm slowly. The dark brown alpaca moved first, coming to Ryan slowly as it stretched its neck and put its mouth to the boy’s palm.

Ryan smiled widely as he turned to Drew, as if to say look at me, I’m doing it! The tall boy shook his head slowly with a smile, and Ryan could almost see the pride in Drew’s gaze as their eyes met. His heart fluttered.

A few more of the animals joined them and the two boys allowed them to nibble gently on the hay in their hands until the sun finally set and they were made to leave the fields. Seeing as it was time to go home, Ryan and Dave quickly went to wash their hands and went back to the car. But Ryan couldn’t go back home yet. He wanted Drew to know just how much he had enjoyed this date. Alpacas were his favorite animals of all time and seeing them so close, being able to touch and pet them, was like a dream come true.

“Thank you,” Ryan whispered when they got to the car, turning to face Drew. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

The tall boy watched him silently for a moment and it felt as though all the world had stopped, everything was on pause and he could only hear the sound of his breathing, the sound of his heart thumping slowly as he waited for Drew to respond. It felt as if it was just the two of them in the world right then.

Drew moved closer to the boy, his strong arms circling him until Ryan’s chest was flat against his, their eyes meeting and lips mere inches away. “It was my pleasure,” the tall boy whispered. His fingers traced the blond boy’s cheek gently, his breathing jagged and eyes moving between blue eyes and pink lips, as if wondering, thinking.

And all Ryan could do was breath in and close his eyes, pushing the thoughts that screamed at him to push Drew away lest he break his own heart again for loving a boy that was not his. He pushed away all logic and fell into the moment, free falling into the warmth of the boy who was so close to him, allowing his lips to meet Drew’s gentle ones in a kiss that blew his mind away and made him feel on top of the world.

If this was what it meant to be in love with someone who belonged to another, then Ryan wanted to be in love now and worry about the heartbreak later. Because nothing else felt better than this.