Gen was convinced the directions Riley had given them had to be wrong as they circled the lake campgrounds for a third time. The lake itself was large, over three miles in diameter, and there were different places all around where people could set for camping, bonfires, and other outdoor activities.
Mika read the text again, also confused. “‘By the woodline’ isn’t very specific,” he said, annoyed. “The whole area is surrounded by woods! Which one is he talking about? Ugh!”
“And of course we had to be in a dead zone so we can’t call them.” They had taken different vehicles, Gen’s truck and Riley’s SUV. Riley’s group had gotten further ahead about twenty miles back and now Gen and Mika were having trouble deciphering his vague directions to find them.
Mika sat up. “Oh wait, I got a signal! I’ll call Kelly.” She answered on the second ring.
“Where are you guys?” she asked, worried. “We’ve been waiting for you forever!”
“That’s just it, we don’t know where to go,” Mika said. “Riley doesn’t know how to give good directions.”
“What do you mean? He said to go to Briarwood Lane. Our campground is a mile up the road.”
Mika looked blankly out the window while Gen glowered. “I really, really hate autocorrect.”
“Tell Riley his autocorrect got his ass in trouble,” Mika said. “We’ll see you soon.” He hung up and rolled his eyes. “I hate technology.”
They pulled into the campground less than ten minutes later, their friends already lounging in their soft back camping chairs, a soda in their hands. They raised their cans in greeting as Gen parked the truck.
“‘Bout time you guys got here,” Marcus said, “I was starting to think you’d driven into the lake itself.”
“You can blame Riley’s phone,” Mika said as Kelly walked up to give him a hug.
She gasped in her throat and tilted Mika’s head. “Did you get into a fight with a hose or something? Holy shit!”
Mika clapped a hand over his throat and glared at Gen who smiled. “I have no regrets.”
“Damn, you guys must have had a lot of fun after we left,” Riley said, jabbing his finger into Gen’s neck. “You got two of ‘em.”
It was Gen’s turn to glare.
“I have no regrets,” Mika said in a low mocking voice.
While Gen and Marcus got the camping and water stuff out of the back of the truck, Mika helped Kelly set up her tent then they both helped Riley with his and Marcus’. They all pitched in to set up Gen and Mika’s tent which was much bigger than either of theirs.
“I am so ready to get in that water!” Kelly said, tearing off her shirt, exposing a bright pink bikini top, her hair falling over her shoulders.
All the guys agreed. It was only a little past nine in the morning and it was already getting warm. They weren’t going to start grilling for a few hours so they had all morning to do whatever they wanted.
Before Mika stepped into their tent, Gen leaned down and asked, “Wait, are you sure you’re okay with everyone seeing your scars? You barely wanted to show me.”
Mika grinned up at him. “Oh, they won’t see them, trust me. I’ll be out in a minute if you want to get the boards.”
Gen and Riley were on the dock in just their swim trunks holding their paddle boards and planning which direction they would go when Mika stepped out of the tent, dressed in a full body wetsuit, his hair tied up in a high ponytail, his bangs hanging over his eyes. He grabbed his paddle board that Gen had left nearby for him. Kelly was walking past him when she stopped and said under her breath, “Damn, that boy be fine.”
Mika’s gaze followed where Kelly was looking. He saw Gen standing at the edge of the dock in his trunks, paddle board and paddle propped up at his side, his arm slung around them, holding them up. His mohawk was slicked back, falling in layers to his neckline. His body was toned and defined, skin so smooth Mika was sure the water would just slide right off of it. His legs were muscular and tight and he could see a tattoo on the side of his right calf. The tattoos on his right arm looked detailed and sharp in the sunlight, as though they were all brand new. He saw the shape of the bridge tattoo on his right shoulder blade, and the outlines of several other tattoos on his left arm.
Kelly was right, he did look sexy.
He narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the dock saying to Kelly as she walked with him, “Please stop eye-fucking my boyfriend, it’s embarassing.”
“Be proud that boy is all yours, honey. Hell, if I had a man that looked that good, I’d have a hard time getting my nails out of his back, too.”
Mika blushed at the implication. “We haven’t done any of that,” he said under his breath.
Kelly looked at him. “You’re waiting?”
He nodded.
She smiled. “Good for you.”
He sighed, “But it’s not easy. I mean, look at him!” They shared a laugh, Gen and Riley looking their way. Gen looked Mika over, understanding why he had said no one would be seeing his scars. The wetsuit covered nearly every inch of his body, from his ankles up to his neck. Even his hickey was covered.
“You know,” Mika said conspiratorially, leaning into Kelly and covering his mouth so only she could hear, “Riley doesn’t look too terrible, either.”
Kelly snorted as Mika laughed, but there was a hint of a blush creeping along her neck she hoped would be ignored.
“What are you two laughing about?” Gen asked as they approached.
Kelly and Mika just grinned and didn’t answer. “Where’s Marcus?” Kelly asked, looking around and not seeing the final member of their group anywhere.
Riley rolled his eyes. “Bathroom. He said he had to take a shit.”
“Well, he better hurry up and pinch it off, I wanna get going.” While they all waited, they got on their boards, making sure their balance was good so they didn’t fall into the cold water.
“Have you done this before?” Mika asked Gen.
“I’ve been separated from people, not places, Mika,” Gen replied, steadying himself on his board and expertly helping Mika on to his. “My family and I do this sort of thing all the time. I can even surf.”
Mika grinned wide. “You can? I’d love to see that.”
Gen laughed. “If we ever get to go to the ocean, you will, promise.” He was telling Mika of all the other outdoor stuff he enjoyed doing when Marcus finally appeared, his leg already tethered to his board. Like a practiced professional, he tossed the paddle board into the water and jumped on, gaining his balance immediately and sailing over the water several feet before making the board come to a stop.
“Show off,” Riley complained. “How are you even able to do that?”
“Practice, my dude! Someday, when you’re all grown up, you’ll be just as good as me.”
“Ha ha,” Riley replied. He dipped his paddle into the water and pushed off. “Let’s go see the sights.”
The group casually paddled farther out then moved to skirt the perimeter from a distance. Gen had been to the lake several times with his family but he hadn’t been to this part of it before. He took in the scenery, while contributing to the group conversation. He was amazed by the size of the trees and the depth of the woods in this area, too.
“I heard there’s an old cabin back there,” Marcus said. “We should check it out sometime.”
“A solitary cabin in the middle of the woods?” Kelly said. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Someone might be living there,” Mika pointed out. “That wouldn’t be unheard of.”
“Could also just be someone’s vacation spot,” Gen shrugged.
“Or there’s some psycho cannibalistic serial killer in there,” Kelly said, shuddering.
Riley shared a look with Gen. “Now I really wanna go.”
“Same.”
Mika looked at Gen. “Really? Even if it’s dangerous?”
“Because it’s dangerous. It wouldn’t be any fun if there wasn’t at least something creepy about it.”
Riley nodded. “What if there’s some mystical creature no one’s ever heard of out there?” he asked, wide eyed.
“Now that would be cool,” Gen said. They continued to make more and more wild and ridiculous guesses about the assumed cabin, Marcus joining in. Kelly paddled up to Mika.
“Let’s see, Gen now has a boyfriend, real friends, and now a best friend.” She counted them off on her fingers. “Now he needs a work friend.” She smiled at Mika who couldn’t help but grin adoringly at Gen’s back. He really was coming so far so quickly.
A thought suddenly occurred to him. “I’m wondering if his progress isn’t because he’s already familiar with all of us.”
Kelly looked thoughtful. “That’s actually a fair point,” she said. “Bonds are always more easily made when there’s already some connection established. For us, it was through you. We all also have separate classes apart from Algebra so he’s able to more firmly establish the connections we have going. But you’re right, what if it’s a stranger?”
“I know he said as a joke that he wanted to be able to talk to someone without feeling the urge to puke,” Mika said, “but I’m wondering if that’s actually something that happens. Even if it’s not actual puke but a bad stomach ache or something.”
“That’s how it starts,” Gen said, his voice raised so he could be heard from where he had paddled out with Riley.
Mika and Kelly exchanged a look as Gen looked back at them with a small grin.
“I get a stomach ache and then I vomit.”
“I didn’t know you could hear us,” Kelly said, also raising the volume of her voice slightly.
Riley said, “We’re upwind from you and you’re naturally a loud talker, Kel.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and he gave a crooked grin, his own tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. Gen adjusted his motions so he could get next to Mika.
“Literally talking about me behind my back, huh?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s not very plus ultra of you, Mika.”
Mika giggled. “It wasn’t anything bad and you know it.”
“True, and you did make a good point. I think it’s been easy with you guys because they’re your friends and I trust your judgment. I don’t know yet how it’ll go with other people, and that includes coworkers.”
“Well, you won’t know until you get there,” Mika said. “Obviously I won’t be able to help you with the work part of it, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“Just have to hope no customers approach me,” Gen said. “That, I know, will set me off.”
“Customers don’t approach you?” Marcus asked.
“Have you seen me? I wouldn’t approach me to ask where the mustard was.”
“I’d approach you,” Mika said, smiling wide.
“Yeah, now. You never did before.”
Mika’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what?”
Gen laughed. “I’ve seen you when you go in with Jo and the kids. Obviously I didn’t notice until that first time I saw you in English Lit, but after that, it was like I could always find you in the store and I wasn’t even looking. You never saw me, though.”
Mika’s face was blank. He remembered when he had asked Gen if he was a new student in Algebra, Gen said he’d been there since the beginning of the semester; same with English Lit. And now he was finding out he had probably passed Gen a dozen times or more at the store and didn’t know? What changed?
That smell…burnt wood and bourbon. He had nearly plowed into him on the way to class that fateful morning and smelled his soap. He had never smelled it before and it grabbed his attention because of the few memories he associated it with. He looked at Gen, at his wide, honest grin, dancing eyes and soft handsome face. Even with the piercings, he was still so beautiful in Mika’s eyes.
His breath caught in his throat; Gen was beautiful, not just outside, but in his heart, as well. Mika may be the most beautiful man in the world to Gen, but Gen was the most beautiful man in his world. Even now, the beauty of the trees, the shimmering lake, and the sound of the birds couldn’t compare to the radiance that beamed from his Genya.
He gave Gen the most loving smile he had ever produced in his entire life. “Well, I see you now,” he said.
Gen reached over and took Mika’s hand, gazing into his eyes. Mika brought Gen’s hand to his lips and kissed it softly. I love you, Gen Parker, he thought to himself. One day I’ll say it with more than just a kiss on your knuckles.
Gen’s hand moved to touch Mika’s face, gently caressing his cheek. How he loved it when Gen held him this way. Gently and with no more intention behind it than a soft touch. He tilted his head into Gen’s hand, covering it with his own. Gen leaned over carefully on his board and kissed Mika once, softly on the lips. He looked into his eyes, both of them sharing a smile. Gen’s lips parted, as though he were about to say something, when a voice shot through their moment.
“You two aren’t alone, you know,” Kelly said, startling them back to their surroundings. Riley and Marcus whistled and cat-called to them, shifting the mood to one more playful and ridiculous.
Gen and Mika grinned and rolled their eyes, separating and rejoining the group, telling the guys to shut up or they’d get shoved into the water. Gen even pushed the back of Riley’s board and Riley wobbled a little but regained his balance quickly, cussing Gen out while the latter laughed, his head thrown back.
Mika and Kelly paddled next to each other, catching up to the other three, both of them calling out for them to be careful and stop goofing off.
Marcus raised his paddle in the air yelling he was master of his domain and could not be made to fall. Kelly and Mika pushed him off his board and laughed.
-*-
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