“We should talk.”
“So you said.”
Silence was met with more silence as they stared at each other in the dimly lit room. Pattering raindrops fell against the window and let them know there was a whole world out there still spinning while they were wrapped in a little bubble neither wanted to burst. And though their bodies wanted something entirely different from lying on the bed and cuddling, they fell asleep that night with the promise of sorting out what they wanted to take out of this relationship before jumping deeper into it.
Chapter 3
Nathan
“TRY TO keep up, will you?”
Nathan flipped the bird as he secured his running pack, clicking it shut along his chest. He and Leo began jogging up trail 15 of Table Rock. They spent a good chunk of the morning looking around Old Idaho Penitentiary before they decided to challenge the hot sun with the nearly three-mile hike up to the peak of the mountain that overlooked the city. Nathan acted as a tour guide, of course, pointing out the bishop’s house before passing a vineyard farther down with an Italian villa-style home Leo found amusing.
“Do you miss being home?”
Leo finally shifted his gaze from the home as they walked farther up the trail. “Well, it’s only been what? A day and a half? Are you tired of me already?”
“No! I was asking a genuine question.” Nathan laughed with a shake of his head.
“Yeah, I do miss home. I’ve been in San Leo all my life. My parents apparently couldn’t find a better name for me than Leonardo, after our town.”
“Hey, I think Leonardo is a great name.”
“I love it, don’t get me wrong, but it gets a bit annoying when we’re at family reunions and someone says Leonardo and ten of us turn around, thinking we’re the one being called. I swear, there’s way too many Leos in my family.”
Nathan smirked and purposely bumped his arm against Leo’s, then kicked a rock in their path. “You secretly love it, I can tell.”
“I’ll never admit to it.” Leo winked at him and shrugged his shoulders. Their fingers brushed as they walked side by side. “It’s to be expected, though. My family’s been in San Leo for generations. We’ve helped shape it into what it is today with the help of many other families. It’s almost tradition by now to have, at least, three or four Leos in each generation.”
The way Leo talked about his family made Nathan a bit jealous, hearing how close they were and how much they seemed to care about each other. Besides his cousin and his dad, Nathan’s family were pretty much on a holiday-and-birthday-talking basis. Every other day in between was spent as strangers unless tragedy struck, which, fortunately, was rare. He always wondered what it would be like to be part of the kind of family that got together every few years for reunions simply because they wanted to, not because they felt like had to. But it wasn’t something he dwelled on. Nathan had a small group of people that kept him sane, and that was enough for him to get through his life without any qualms.
For a Sunday midday, the trails were fairly empty. A few people here and there walked beside the two jogging men, taking pictures and enjoying the views Table Rock offered. Nathan had only been to the mountain a few times himself: once after his high school graduation, when a bunch of his classmates decided it’d be fun to spend a few hours at the top of the hill and drink themselves into a stupor to celebrate their newfound freedom. Another time with his dad, though they didn’t make it all the way to the top because of the older man’s bad knees. It wasn’t a regular thing for him, though, but if he became serious about fitness, as opposed to the handful of times he had told himself he was going to get in shape, he might just become a regular at Table Rock.
They stopped at the caves for a few minutes, and Leo looked around at the graffiti with a disapproving look on his face. “Why would kids want to ruin something this beautiful?”
“Teenagers have no sense of beauty,” Nathan stated, then chugged the warm water from his bottle before following Leo farther into the cave. “City got tired of cleaning up after them.”
“Shame. I don’t know why they would waste their time coming all the way up here just to deface something. I guess my teenage rebelling didn’t extend to breaking the law.”
“Mighty Saint Leo, huh?”
Leo caught the humor in his tone and turned to face him with a smile forming on his lips and squinted eyes. He reached out to grab the straps on Nathan’s backpack and pulled him closer, then locked their mouths together in a short kiss. “I wasn’t a saint.”
“So you keep saying.”
“And you think I’m lying?”
“No, but I think maybe your version of a saint and mine are completely different.”
“I agree, but you can’t deny I’m one of the good guys.”
“That’s still up for debate.”
“Asshole.” Leo nibbled on Nathan’s cheek with a playful growl before he retraced his steps out of the cave and continued to jog up the trail, not too far from the top, where a cross that was illuminated each night stood.
He took pictures of the city once they arrived at the peak, including the big B that could be seen from the top as well as from the busy streets of Boise. They took a couple of silly selfies as well, much to Nathan’s protest since he always thought he photographed horribly. Once that was finished, they sat down on an unoccupied wide concrete bench, and Nathan pointed out Treasure Valley, the Boise Foothills, and the Owyhee Mountains, watching the awe on Leo’s face as he took everything in.
“Surely it can’t be more beautiful than Italy.”
“As a native, I’m biased,” Leo said truthfully, smirking at Nathan before he peeled off his sweaty tank top and stuffed it into his pack, then took a sip of his water. “But Boise’s beautiful either way. Thank you for bringing me up here.”
“Of course. I’m trying to make the best of your trip. I’ve still got a couple places lined up that I want you to see.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t combusted from having to be out of the house so much.”
“Shut up.” Nathan rolled his eyes and punched Leo’s arm playfully, then turned away to hide the blush that formed on his cheeks from the way he was being stared at. He could easily chalk the blush up to being hot from the beaming sun, but he wouldn’t be able to lie to those sinful blue eyes staring back at him. “So listen… about what happened yesterday—”
“We don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready,” Leo said, then took another sip of his drink. “I’m just trying to go at a much slower pace than I usually do. Ruining things with people I really like is a forte of mine. I’m working on breaking away from that.”
Nathan nodded and bit into his lip, then brought his legs up to sit cross-legged on the concrete slab. “So does this mean you really like me?”
“That’s still up for debate.”
“Wow!” He couldn’t help the embarrassing laugh that came from him and covered his face as he doubled over and nearly fell off the bench in the process. Leo didn’t help but attempted to push him over, and Nathan slung his legs out in front of him in an attempt to catch his balance. “Hey!”
“Careful. I don’t think an ambulance would be able to get up here if you crack your head open.”
“You’re the one who’s gonna have to pay my medical bills if I do!”
Leo looked around the empty hilltop as if Nathan weren’t talking to him, and Nathan reached over for his uncapped bottle of water, then poured it over Leo’s head a second later. Nathan dropped the bottle and tried to run away from Leo, but didn’t make it too far before he was grabbed around the waist and lifted into the air effortlessly. His screams, laughs, and protests echoed off the old rocks. Water dripped from Leo and now soaked into Nathan’s shirt and pants as they wrestled around the hilltop until they finally called it a truce and sat beside each other to catch their breath. A comfortable silence formed between them with blue eyes and brown eyes communing with into each other, saying more words than their lip
s currently could.
NATHAN WAS the first to break the silence, though it was usually Leo who took the first step in everything between the two of them. “I don’t have it all figured out yet, L, but I know what I want. There’s never been any doubt in my mind about that.”
“Nathan, we don’t….”
“I’m ready to talk about it. And I know you are, so just let me get it out of my system before I change my mind.”
Leo bit into his bottom lip and nodded, then opened his mouth and shut it again, as if he were trying to find the right way to say whatever was floating in his mind. “What happens if it’s not what either of us expected? I don’t want to risk the chance of losing you because we decided to rush into things.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Life is about taking risks, isn’t it? We won’t know if we don’t try.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I’m going back home in twelve days.”
“So why not make the most of the time we have together, rather than waste it? That’s basically your motto. Don’t change it because you’re scared of what might happen. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.” Nathan paused, looked down at his fingers with a shrug, then turned his gaze toward the city he’d grown to love in the years he’d lived there. “I’m scared too.”
Nathan didn’t know what was going through Leo’s head, but his gaze was burning a hole through him.
Finally Leo crawled over, gripped his chin, kissed him heavily, and pressed their foreheads together as their lips parted. “I’m not going anywhere either. No matter what, promise me we’ll stick through it together.”
“I promise, Leo.” It wasn’t as if Nathan could bear to lose Leo, even if he wanted. Leo had become part of him, embedded deeply in everything that allowed him to function on a daily basis, and not having that would make him completely crumble. But those words, those facts were lodged in his throat. He was unable to speak what he really felt in his heart, the way it beat twice its normal rate with the simplest of touches. He more than promised; he swore it with his entire being.
ANY DREAM, daydream, or fantasy he had about making love to Leo utterly paled in comparison to experiencing it in real life. Nathan swore he entered another dimension as he was wedged between Leo’s strong body and his pillow-top mattress, as if they were meant to be pieced with one another.
Everything he had heard throughout his years about sex was true…. It wasn’t as pretty as they made it out to be in movies; there was no big, epic, life-changing moment that suddenly made him want to tell Leo everything he felt inside, but that didn’t take away the fact that having Leo make love to him was the single greatest feeling he’d had in his twenty-two years on this earth. The way he cared for him, made sure he was comfortable, kissed him as if he were the last man on the planet, stared at him as he thrust his hips, driving himself deeper between clinging walls, it was intoxicating. And when Leo kissed him and called him beautiful, Nathan knew he was addicted to the high he felt when he was Leo’s first and only priority, like nothing else in the world mattered but the two of them in that moment, in that bed, together.
“Are you okay?”
The room was bathed in shades of red and orange as the sunset shone brightly through his window, the sheer curtains doing nothing to shield the light from seeping in. “Better than okay.”
“Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
“Mm, I’m thinking I don’t know why we waited two whole days to finally get it on, but it was damn worth it.” Nathan smiled at him, kissed his lips before rubbing his nose along Leo’s cheek, taking in his after-sex scent. “I don’t know why I was so nervous.”
“You were astonishing.”
“Astonishing? Wow, Mr. College Grad. Look at you pulling out the big vocabulary for me.”
“Shut up, will you?” Leo closed his eyes and shook his head, sinking farther into the pillows with a content sigh. “You can never let me have a single moment, can you?”
“Nah. It’s gonna be my mission in life to ruin every single serious moment you ever have.”
“Of course you would. Bane of my existence, I swear.”
“Don’t act like you don’t like it,” Nathan stated with a kiss along his shoulder, then down to his chest and leading to his stomach. “Say you like it.”
“Nope,” Leo said firmly, though he popped the P slightly in an attempt to hide the amusement in his tone.
“Come on. Say you like it or endure torture.”
“You’re going to torture me anyway, so I won’t give you the satisfaction.”
Nathan let out a sound of disapproval as he continued farther down, pushing the blankets off Leo’s legs until he was exposed fully. “Last chance.”
“Not happening.”
“Going once, going twice.”
Leo shook his head but didn’t say anything, biting down on his bottom lip with eyebrows furrowing together.
“Good luck, Mr. Reyes. Torture is commencing.”
Nathan moved to settle himself between Leo’s legs as he slowly dragged his tongue down every inch of his throbbing length, then circled around the tip once he reached it. Leo groaned and writhed against the mattress, gripping the sheets on either side of him while Nathan covered his sensitive member with his warm mouth and hummed in pleasure with every bob of his head. The slow, steady, repeating motions of sinking his mouth over him continued with each bob, increasing the depth until the tip of Leo’s hardness bumped the back of Nathan’s throat, noises radiating from Nathan. He leaned back to wrap his fingers around the impressive member, taking in every inch, admiring it as if it were a prize he’d won, something to be cherished. He kissed every inch, claiming the territory, watching how crazy it drove Leo to be caressed, and it only gave him more confidence to continue rather than stopping his advances.
Leo panted as Nathan stretched out to lie on top of him. He kissed his lips with a hint of a smirk forming on his own. “You are a terrible human being.”
“No, I’m not. Would a terrible human being help you finish what he started instead of letting you figure it out on your own?”
“I suppose he wouldn’t.” Leo breathed and reached up to rub his long fingers over Nathan’s ass while attaching his lips to his neck, kissing breathlessly. “You’re still astonishing, by the way.”
Nathan snorted and dropped his head down on the pillow beside Leo’s, his body burning up as blood rushed to his own penis, giving him the same fate his lover now suffered. “And you’re magnificent.”
“Mm, say it again.”
“You’re magnificent,” Nathan repeated, then turned to whisper the words in Leo’s ear. Seconds later he was filled to capacity once again with Leo’s most intimate part, and Nathan instinctively rolled his hips to meet every upward thrust executed by Leo. “Fuck, Leo….”
“Can’t get enough of you.”
“Never do.”
“Impossible,” Leo said, and sealed the promise with a kiss as they welcomed the night with moans and sweet nothings whispered into each other’s ears.
Chapter 4
Leonardo
THE DAYS seemed to fly by as Nathan and Leo got lost in each other in more ways than one, and they wished there was a pause button on life so they could extend the trip a little while longer. Still, nine days were left, and they planned on making the most of each and every one despite Leo’s departure looming over their heads.
Wednesday morning Nathan’s dad called as they were stepping out of the shower to get dressed for their day in Hyde Park and asked if they wanted to meet up for lunch. Nathan didn’t seem too happy about it, but Leo convinced him to accept, and they set a place and a time before hanging up.
“What? Do you not want me to meet your dad?”
“It’s not that. I’ve just never really introduced him to my friends before.”
Leo raised an eyebrow, but he knew he wasn’t going to get much out of Nathan. Though he said his relationship with his father was fairly good, there was someth
ing that led Leo to believe otherwise. It didn’t feel the same as when he gushed about his father and the shop he built from the ground up and how they always had Sunday dinner together and bonded over little things like antiquing. But he didn’t want to press too much, especially since he basically twisted Nathan’s arm about accepting the lunch date.
“If we leave now, you’ll be able to show me Hyde Park before meeting up with him.”
“Or I could think about other ways to pass the time.”
Leo chuckled and circled his arms around Nathan’s waist, then leaned into a kiss before shaking his head. “No, because if we get back into bed now, there’s no chance of us leaving it, and I’m becoming a hermit now thanks to you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a hermit. Plus you have me, so what’s all this complaining I’m hearing?”
“It’s not complaining. We can be hermits tomorrow. Today I want to go out. You said Hyde Park was one of your favorite spots.”
Nathan nodded before dropping his head against Leo’s shoulders and mumbling against his thin white T-shirt. “It is, but I’ve gotten used to takeout or watching you cook in my kitchen half naked.”
“If I promise to cook for you completely naked tonight, can we go out?”
“Mm, you’re driving a hard bargain.”
“Is it working?”
“Only if you drive.”
Leo chuckled and reached down to grab the keys from Nathan’s hand, then kissed his cheek and led him out the door.
Hyde Park, on 13th Street, was fifteen minutes from Nathan’s apartment. It was busy with midday goings-on by locals and tourists visiting Boise’s historic district. Parking was hard to find at that hour, but they managed to squeeze in between a minivan and a Ford F150 near the 13th Street Pub and Grill. Though only a few blocks long, Nathan explained there were good restaurants and stores to shop and it was a short walk to the Camel’s Back Park he said they could visit later in the day if they were feeling up to it.
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