He loved June.
He didn’t know why or how he was able to tell it really was love, but he knew no matter what kind of actions or attention June was willing to give him didn’t make any difference. Aaron shouldn’t hold his feelings hostage for the sake of hoping June would come to rescue them. June deserved his love without the confusion and the messy, spiraling anxiety getting in the way.
Aaron went to sleep promising himself tomorrow he would go to June like he used to, take him in his arms and kiss him senseless. It was worth his chances of being rejected, in hopes he could make up for the time he’d lost playing hard-to-get.
June spent the night at Angie’s like he used to. Woke up to the smell of coffee and chorizo filtering through the floor vents and felt much better than he had several hours ago. When they climbed down the stairs into the living area, Ms. Delgado smacked June upside the head with a hand towel for being so damn loud when she’d been trying to sleep and then wrapped him in a hug because her motherly-instincts detected he’d been having a crisis. She fed him until he couldn’t eat anymore, and then told him to go shower because he was working today whether he wanted to or not.
It was a welcomed punishment for all he cared. Charlie had the day off, and June liked the distraction of dealing with people around the lake. It would give him more time to sort out his feelings and his plan to make Aaron feel wanted.
Mad as he was at Brynn for sticking his nose in the middle of their business, he was relieved he now understood where Aaron’s behavior had sprouted from. It didn't have anything to do with the limited amount of time they had left together, but rather the level of affection they were showing each other. June might not be mature enough to have figured it out himself, but he did realize that from where Aaron stood, there was a simple solution.
Irony was a bitch, and he had to be more squishy. Or Romantic. Or both. Whatever.
Several hours into the morning shift, June found himself tossing ideas back and forth with Angie, and wishing it wasn’t as surreal as it felt. This was exactly the kind of thing one of his sisters would have done previously with a mad crush on one of the dock boys; not something he should be doing with Aaron of all people. June was hilariously and exponentially bad at this. So bad that when he suggested one especially ridiculous idea, Angie doubled over laughing on the sticky tile floor until she couldn’t breathe.
He was going to fail miserably.
Around noon, the very topic of conversation showed up, looking tired and dismal and surprisingly unsurprised to find June working. Aaron frowned at him pitifully from behind a line of customers, waited with his shoulders slumped and even his hair drooping until the shop cleared out.
“Hey, Aaron!” Angie waved cheerfully, trying to ease the tension before it exploded.
“Hey.” He forced a smile and then turned back to June.
When their eyes met, it was like how the Pacific met the forest. Sheer cliff sides and crashing waves and wild, violent winds. A shiver rolled straight through June, from his head to his toes.
“Can I talk to you?” Aaron asked.
June nodded, mouth full of cotton and stomach jumping with crickets. He looked to Angie, and she nodded at him, gesturing with her chin toward the door leading to the back. He licked his lips.
“Yeah, come on.”
Aaron followed immediately, the sound of his flip-flops quacking louder than comfortable and making June nervous. He had no idea what Aaron wanted of him now, other than to maybe break it all off because June was such a maniac when it came to relationships. And honestly, he wouldn’t even blame him. At this point, it was probably rather warranted.
June turned around, panic rising in his throat, and met Aaron face to face. Swallowed his pride and reached out to snag him by the neck and pull him in. Stood on his toes, arms tight around his shoulders and chin tucked into the crook of his neck. June took a long, deep breath, having not realized how much he missed the solid shape of Aaron against him until now. One week. That’s all it had been. One week of strange behavior and June felt like he was cracking under pressure. How was he ever going to survive after this summer without him?
“I’m sorry.” June squeezed his eyes shut as Aaron’s hands curled around his ribs. He hugged him harder. “I shouldn’t have left you alone last night.”
Aaron nodded in agreement. “Guess it was payback for me leaving without saying anything last week, huh?”
June didn’t know what else to do, so he just shook his head. No. It had nothing to do with payback or revenge. Only June’s ignorance. His fear and his stubborn nature.
“What’s going on with us?” June croaked. “Why can’t we get anything right?”
Aaron surprised him by chuckling. Hands running up and down his back until June released him in favor of meeting his eyes.
“We’re just different,” he said. A little sad. “And neither one of us knows what we’re doing.”
“Yeah, me especially,” June allowed. “I suck at communicating.”
Aaron shrugged. “I’m too needy.”
The air between them settled on something both confused and yet comforting. Perhaps it was the way their bodies were magnetic like this; standing close enough there was nothing else between them. Fragile and beautiful and scary all the same. June was fine china falling off the top shelf, and Aaron was desperately trying to catch him.
“Do you have to stay and work?”
June hadn’t realized he’d been leaning on Aaron’s shoulder then, absorbing his warmth from where his cheek met his neck. He had a fleeting, gentle thought that he was lucky Aaron was a little taller than him. They felt good together.
“Not if we climb out the window,” June said as Aaron’s hands worked to untie the apron strings at the small of his back.
“Let’s do it,” Aaron agreed.
June never explained to Aaron that he’d called Arco, talked to Brynn, and had gotten to the bottom of things on his own. He celebrated the fact he had another opportunity to make things right between them. With so little time left and so many intense emotions, it was only reasonable to learn from his mistakes. He didn’t want to be a stupid teenager falling in love for the first time anymore. He wanted some stability. Was inclined to work for it now, even at the cost of his pride. He was done being obnoxious and scared. Summer romance or not, death right around the corner or not, the game they were playing was getting old.
June stared himself down in the bathroom mirror, practicing the word boyfriend until it felt normal on his lips. He could do this. He was sure of it. Aaron wanted affection, and dammit, he was going to get it.
June took his time stripping himself of his clothes and starting the shower. He made sure to look himself over thoroughly before deciding everything was exactly as it should be. He was not bruised, pale, or tired. He looked alive and warm. Maybe a little flushed around the ears, but that was fine. The raven black locks of hair that fell over his forehead had gotten long over the past few weeks and were now almost in his eyes. They stuck up like little ducktails around his ears and the nape of his neck. It was usually around this time his father would tell him to get a haircut, and he would refuse for another week or so to be difficult.
Other than the stark white lightning-bolt scar under his armpit and pectoral, June thought he looked good. His stomach muscles were tighter now than when he’d first gotten here this summer. Not quite the definite abs Aaron had (lucky bastard) but lean and strong; flat plains. He shifted from foot to foot and liked the way his hips rolled softly; almost feminine. Like the softer curves of his jaw and cheekbones, and the dark lashes surrounding his blue eyes, June found strength in those features. They made him an odd combination of intimidating and welcoming. Soft and firm. Quiet and loud.
Aaron had seen just about all of this before, and June was glad because it did wonders to calm his otherwise vibrating nerves.
He leaned over the sink, adjusted his Mp3 player in the borrowed speaker he’d stolen from Angie this morning, and
nodded to himself when the volume was appropriately loud. Music was good. Aaron liked music, and at the very least, it was a happy distraction during awkward moments.
Hopefully, this wasn’t going to be awkward, though.
The last thing June did before fixing the water temperature and stepping inside was throw the towel hanging on the rack under the sink, so he had an excuse to have Aaron come in here. Once under the spray, he hastily scrubbed himself down and waited. Took a few huge breaths and focused on the rivers of soap cascading down his body until there were none left.
He swallowed, peeled back the opaque shower curtain, and reached for the bathroom doorknob. Tuned it slightly and opened it just far enough so his voice would be heard from the other room.
“Hey, Aaron!”
The boy had been lying on the bed when June left him, and although June couldn’t see him from this angle, he knew he was still there.
“Yes?”
“C-Could you bring me a towel?” He cleared his throat. Tried to sound innocent. “From the hall closet.”
There was a long, painful hesitation, and then something June couldn’t quite catch beyond the noises surrounding him. He waited; body angled hidden behind the curtain with nothing but his eyes peering out. He felt absurdly like one of those fish that buried themselves under the sand and waited to strike.
As Aaron approached the door, his hand appeared first, holding a soft pale blue towel that matched the one June discarded under the sink. June was careful not to touch the towel as he reached past it, wet fingers slipping over the strong curve of Aaron’s wrist. He followed the gentle green veins of Aaron’s forearm up to the crease of his elbow, and then halfway behind the cracked door to the shoulder and part of his face June could make out.
When their eyes met, it was instant, sizzling electricity. Something potent shot right through June down to his toes and ricocheted back up to his groin. He caught his bottom lip between his teeth and tilted his chin down slightly, eyes angled up. Pleading. Almost. Maybe they reflected the chaos of his emotions more than he thought they did.
June had a lot of things to work on when it came to dealing with Aaron and their relationship. He had to learn how to be softer and more open. To use his words and his actions in a clearer way, instead of confusing and misleading. He had to readjust to a more romantic and sweet way of dealing, and as of right now the easiest way to do that was by feeding the lust that came naturally. He recalled his turmoil back in the hotel room. The moment he’d stepped out of the shower then, and wondered how to repay Aaron for the perfect date he’d given him. At the time, June had only been able to come up with something physical.
Luckily, Aaron had taken to it well, and with a little luck, he would now too.
June reached out with his free hand, careful not to push back the curtain farther yet. He snagged the towel Aaron held without releasing his wrist, and dropped it to the floor at their feet, just outside of the tub.
“J-June?”
“Hhmm?” June cooed, hand moving from wrist to Aaron’s forearm. Fingers splayed flat, tracing the muscle there until he caught sight of violent goosebumps breaking the surface of his skin.
“What are yo—”
“Come in with me,” he whispered, fingers curling around Aaron’s elbow and pulling his arm beyond the shower curtain. On the inside, he was able to manipulate his fingers open so that Aaron could feel if he wanted.
June swore he heard the gallop of Aaron’s heart from between them, and if it wasn’t then, it was his own, and that was fine too. He moved Aaron’s palm slowly, sinfully down his side until it came to life on its own. The gentle slide of fingertips and thumb playing at his waist. More lip biting. More eyes meeting. June hardly realized he was smirking.
“Y-You sure?” Aaron asked him, voice caught in his throat. “The shower isn’t very big.”
June quirked an eyebrow at him. Suggestive.
“That’s the point.”
Aaron’s hand vanished immediately. Back to the safety of beyond the curtain where he could then peel his shirt off and start unbuttoning his pants. June, curious as he was, refrained from watching him get undressed in favor of scooting down to the other end of the tub where the shower head was still spraying feebly. He debated on the temperature for a second or two and then decided he was not about to have a hot shower make-up session without it being hot. He turned the faucet until steam rose at his feet.
When Aaron was ready, the curtain slid back a few more inches, and June felt the weight of eyes on him. Aaron’s bare chest and shoulders weren’t anything new, but the way he brought one leg over the lip of the tub and slipped in was. June had to stand back a little farther to make room. With two of them in there, it was almost impossible not to touch each other.
Aaron looked him up and down shamelessly; almost greedily. There was an unexpected hunger running wild in his eyes that made June impossibly aware of the way their bodies reacted. Similar to when June hugged Aaron in the back hallway of the ice cream shop, he was struck by the difference in height between them. Was surprised to find that again, it did not bother him, but rather made him want to lean forward and lick the sensitive skin around Aaron’s neck he could reach.
This was immensely different than back at the hotel room—where there had been a single light around the corner. In here there was a pot light directly above them, blaring down hot and yellow onto their shoulders and doing nothing to hide the fact that both of them were on the verge of being pathetically turned on. June swallowed, refusing to be ashamed of the fact he could see now, how blatantly and brilliantly Aaron’s dick—no—his cock, overshadowed his own.
“I’m a grower,” June argued more with himself than Aaron, because he was a piece of shit and didn’t know how to keep his competitive mouth shut. Honestly, it must be his natural state of defense. He didn’t know anymore.
Aaron snorted, covered his mouth with his hand and laughed louder than he had in the entire week. The sound bounced off the walls around them, and June burned with embarrassment.
“Shut up,” he hissed, although it was hard to be mad when he was the one that had initiated this.
Aaron reached out to him, still shaking with laughter, and placed both his palms flat against the sides of June’s neck. His green eyes were kind, gentle, and honest.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured, and June wanted to step on his toes almost as much as he wanted to kiss him.
Stupid Valentine.
“You’re a sap.” June barely ushered the words before Aaron leaned down to press their lips together.
Tentative at first. Slow and familiar. The way their mouths moved was reminiscent of how much they’d longed for each other over the last week. Aaron was gentle with him. Curious hands staying above his chest and playing in the soft hair at the back of his neck. Fingers curling and uncurling. Readjusting until he had a solid grip and June pressed closer. He opened his mouth to Aaron, tilted his chin up and let their tongues dance for a long moment. Long enough to need oxygen.
When Aaron’s mouth came away from June’s, he pressed their foreheads together and let out a shaky breath. It was almost pained. Vivid and merciful relief.
“I missed this.”
June didn’t know how it was possible to miss something they’d never done before, but he nodded in agreement anyway and took the opportunity to ease Aaron’s hands off his neck. Slid them down his chest and to his sides. Let go and stepped closer to Aaron to demolish what few centimeters separated them. He wound his own hands around the small of Aaron’s back and felt the dimples there. Traced them slowly. Glanced up to see how Aaron reacted and was not disappointed.
He was panting. Completely enthralled by whatever feeling June’s fingers ignited against his skin. June, more mesmerized with the act of making Aaron feel good, was not prepared for the way his hands reciprocated. They grabbed large handfuls of his ass cheeks and spread them. Kneaded them and rocked June’s hips closer. Their erections rubbed in all the
right ways, and if June wasn’t so invested in doing more than they had last time, he knew he could get off on that alone.
He licked his lips and forced the low, breathless sound of his voice from his lungs.
“M’gonna suck you off.”
Aaron’s lip trembled as June leaned up on his toes to nibble at it. Sucked and bit and kissed until Aaron was whimpering beneath him. He left two hickies on the column of his neck, and one over his left nipple because June remembered how Aaron liked that last time. He continued down, hands firm and strong. Teeth grazing abs, sloppy kisses and tongue laving hot trails in its path. June's fingernails threaded through the course hairs leading a slender line from Aaron’s navel to the base of his cock.
He hesitated, looked up with both his hands against the front of Aaron’s thighs, and then dropped from his squatting position to his knees. It was a tight fit against the sides of the tub, but it would have to work.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Aaron shifted back into the wall for support. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a nervous laugh. “You’re gonna suck my dick to an Usher song?”
It dawned on June then, his Mp3 player had betrayed him, and what was supposed to be his mellow alternative playlist was actually a playlist his good for nothing best friend had made last summer before buying her own. June blinked, mortified with the irony as Nice and Slow filtered through the room. His stomach dropped.
“I’m gonna kill Angie. It’s her playlist.”
“Sure it is.” Aaron smiled down at him, eyes narrowing. He shifted his legs a little farther apart. “I’m sure your towel disappeared on its own too.”
June felt like his whole head was going to explode. If he weren’t so turned on, he would have crawled over the lip of the tub and fallen to the tile floor in a fetal position for the rest of eternity. This could not be happening to him.
The Maple Effect Page 35
