30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Nick

Day 16

Logan looked a little better this morning as he sipped his coffee by the fire, writing in his travel journal. His hair was adorably wrecked, and he was growing a beard again. His shirtless body was more tanned from the sun, looking golden and covered in a splash of freckles that would vanish in the winter.

When he looked up at me climbing out of the tent, he gave me a small smile that made my heart and stomach flutter. He definitely looked better. His grief wasn't gone, but he was pushing through it, probably for Hunter.

"Morning," he said, taking another sip from his tin mug. "There's coffee in the press there, next to the fire."

"Thanks."

I grabbed my cup from my backpack and poured myself some much-needed caffeine.

I stood and looked around the camp area, which was full of cedar trees and a dry landscape. At least it was shaded. There were rock faces jutting out from the ground. But to see the main attraction, we'd have to hike to the edge of the world, not too far away.

"There's not much water either. There's a creek, but it's not that close, and I doubt it's enough to swim in. It also depends on if it's rained lately."

"That's fine. I just want to see the canyon."

"Listen, I was thinking…"

"You keep doing that."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Ass. Anyway , I was thinking we'd just head out tomorrow, if that's okay with you. We lost a day, and I really want to reach Lake Tahoe. That's the place I most want to visit."

I set down my coffee close to the fire and kneeled between his legs, spreading them so I could sit inside them.

"Anything you want. This is your trip, Logan."

"It's your trip, too."

"I'm just here for the ride, and a ride it's been."

His fingers ran through my sleepy hair, and his pretty hazel-green eyes glowed in the morning light. "It really has."

I reached my face up to him, and he met me the rest of the way to give me a quick kiss. We weren't alone around the campgrounds, though most people were still asleep or too busy at their camp to notice.

I pulled away and sat next to him, running my hand along his leg, dusted with fine, golden, curly hair.

"Too bad we can't mess around," I said.

Logan chuckled. "You're insatiable, not that I'm complaining."

"I really am."

"Tonight, if you want. After hiking the canyons, the camp here has a shower facility."

"Epic."

Logan squirmed in the foldout lawn chair. "Although, my ass is pretty raw. I'm not sure I can take another pounding right now."

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?"

He looked at me with a hard stare and a raised brow. "Yes."

I snorted a laugh. "You got it. On a serious note, are you feeling better?"

Logan pulled out his smokes and lit one up, then offered me one, but I shook my head. "Not really. I'll fucking miss her like hell, but I'm more concerned about Hunter. I'm just itching to go back there and be with him. Fuck him that he won't let me."

"You're not, like, really mad at him, are you?"

"Nah. I just… feel helpless, you know?"

"I get that."

"They were there for me, and I need to be there for them."

"You will be."

We sat by the fire in the morning, sipping our coffee, and just holding hands before Logan let go and grabbed a hiking map of the area sitting next to him.

"I thought we could go hike the Bright Angel trail down to Indian Garden. The hike is about nine miles in total. Going down will be the easy part; climbing back up three thousand feet won't be. We'll need food and plenty of water, though there are stops we can fill up on water and places to take breaks in the shade. When we get back, I read about a really cool spot where we could sit and watch the sunset. Are you up for it?"

"Definitely. Sounds fun."

We stuffed our backpacks with an extra canteen of water, some peanut butter sandwiches, several granola bars, and a couple of apples, while we strapped the other canteen to our bodies. We also brought sunscreen, but we'd already doused our skin because we'd be exposed to the sun most of the day.

It didn't take long to reach the start of the trail to the Southern Rim from our campsite, but before we made our descent, I snapped several photos, taking some of Logan, and he took some of me.

The morning wasn't too hot yet, but it soon would be.

"God, this place is gorgeous. Look at the colors on the cliff faces," I said.

"It looks like it's had some rain, too, because the plant life is pretty green and full. I bet the Indian Garden is gorgeous."

The trail was relatively easy, so we'd probably run into a lot of hikers out there, but the view was to die for. No matter where we turned as we wound down the trail, we had a stunning view of the canyon. There were a lot of browns, but you could see varying colors of reds on the canyon walls, along with green growth and the bluest sky you'd ever seen without a single cloud. I made sure to take a lot of pictures.

Logan and I stopped at a resting point with shade and water at the three-mile mark. We sat on some rocks, ate our sandwiches, and washed them down with water.

"This place is totally epic," he said. "It looks so ancient, yet you can feel this power behind the canyons like… they're mysterious."

"It really is. I'm glad we got to come. I'm glad I got to come with you."

Logan looked around to make sure we had no onlookers, leaned over, and kissed me, tasting salty from sweat and peanut butter.

"I'm fucking glad Dad made me take you. It really changed our lives, didn't it?"

"It really did."

After catching our breath, we filled up our canteens with water from the spout provided, even though we still had quite a bit, and moved on.

"Fuck, it's getting hot," Logan grumbled, wiping the sweat off his face with his shirt as we walked. "It's going to be hotter as we get down there. The sun bakes the rocks below, and it gets trapped down there."

The temperature was definitely climbing, making the hike more of a struggle, though we were just winding our way down. I wasn't looking forward to the climb back up.

We also started drinking a lot more water. It was a good thing there was another watering station and bathrooms by the time we finally reached the bottom.

I took several shots of Logan as he led us through the hike, his pert ass the main focus of some of my more inappropriate images. Who knew I'd be an ass man for a man? He was going to laugh when he saw the pictures I took of it… or punch me. It'd be totally worth it.

But when Logan turned his head back toward me for a second, I caught his face at the exact moment before he turned back around. He looked sexy, with sweaty hair spilling over the blue and white bandana around his head. He wore a small smile, and his eyes were filled with love and knowing. He gave me a glimpse of the man he was to become, full of confidence and acceptance with who he was. I really hoped my camera caught the beautiful expression that made my heart beat a little faster.

When we finally reached the bottom, we chugged our water and filled up our canteens before we sat down to eat a granola bar and an apple. Then we went exploring the Indian Garden, which was lush with drought-tolerant plant life. There were even some large trees offering plenty of shade to cool things down a bit. The temperature had to be at least one hundred, if not more. There was also a small creek trickling through, and we used it to splash water on our faces and arms before we soaked our bandanas and wrapped them around our necks.

Logan and I stopped by the donkey pen and petted their heads.

"Maybe we should take one of these back," I said.

"I wish, but we should've hired them up top. Think of it this way. Our legs will get a good workout. You'll have the beefiest set of thighs of all the tennis players."

"My thighs are just fine, thank you very much."

"That they are," he whispered in my ear.

After exploring and relaxing for about an hour, we made our way back up. After the first thousand feet, we both regretted it. Even for athletes like ourselves, it was still a tough trek. The hike was not made for the faint of heart.

"Fuck, my legs are burning," he said.

"On fire is a good description of how my legs are feeling right now."

We had to sit often and drink plenty of water. Once we finished our canteens, we pulled out the spare ones to have easier access.

Before we reached the top, we discovered a little alcove and ledge looking over the canyons. Even better, it provided shade, so we climbed it, sat down, and dangled our legs over the edge. A slight vertigo hit me, but the view was stunning.

Logan wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. Neither of us worried anyone would catch us, since there weren't many hikers headed upward. We were alone here. It felt like we were at the edge of the world, and humanity was over, except for us.

He kissed my sweaty cheek before resting his head on mine.

"I can't think of a more beautiful place to spend with you, Logan."

"Wait until we sit and watch the sunset. Once we're plunged into darkness, I'm going to kiss the fuck out of you."

But he didn't wait, pulling me into a deep kiss.

We didn't let go of each other when we pulled away, looking out at the beautiful world surrounding us.

"I wish Hunter could've seen this."

"And he will because you and Hunter are going on a road trip together one day. It may not be next year. It could be ten years, but you're going to do it. He deserves it, and you two need to do this together."

He nodded. "I like that. That's a good plan. I just hope…"

"What do you hope?"

"I hope that we're still together and you come with us. It wouldn't be the same without you, either. You've fucking changed my life, Nick. I finally feel comfortable being myself because of you. And you helped me through my grief. I still fucking hurt, but it hurts less with you here."

"You've changed my life, too, and for the better. I like where I'm at right now. I also hope we continue on this path."

We kissed again, and Logan stood, offering me his hand. I took it as he hefted me onto my feet. "Let's get back, have a shower, a couple of beers, then see that sunset."

As planned, we showered and drank a beer. Then, as the sun started to go down, Logan and I headed to find a spot to sit and enjoy the show.

I was taking pictures of him when a man offered to take some of us together. I shoved the camera into his hands and rushed to Logan's side. As much as I itched to wrap my arm around him, I held back, but it was Logan who put his arm over my shoulder, beaming for the camera.

"We're allowed to give each other brotherly hugs, you know," he said through his teeth.

True. Just like it was okay to camp together, eat dinner at a restaurant together, or see a movie together. I was getting so wrapped up in protecting us from outsiders that I'd forgotten.

I put my arm around him, too, and we smiled for the camera. The guy took several shots of us before handing it back to me. I thanked him, and we went off in search of a secluded spot away from hikers and vacationers.

"My legs still fucking burn," I said as I sat down on the rocks between Logan's spread legs and leaned back into him. He wrapped an arm around my front and gave me a peck on my neck. We'd found a ledge like before to dangle our legs off of.

"Same. Just wait until we get to Lake Tahoe. That frigid mountain water will heal us right up. The lake will be around sixty degrees or so."

"I can't wait."

He leaned forward and rested his head on my shoulder. "I feel so free out here."

"Yeah, it really does feel that way."

Logan tugged the back of my head and brought my lips to his, kissing me. His scruff tickled and chafed, all reminders that he was a man—a man I was falling fucking hard for.

"Do you think my mom and Mrs. McKnight are out here watching us? Do you believe in life after death or that we go somewhere? Our family isn't very religious, but I often wonder if there's more after we go."

"I don't know. I'd like to think so, but my scientific brain says no."

"Yeah, that's like what my brain says, too. I wonder if humans created life after death because we struggled to let go of our loved ones. Sometimes it's hard to imagine those we love just end up as dust and bones, back into the soil."

It was heavy thinking, but Logan was often like that as I got to know him. He also got me thinking deeper, too. Most of my friends were rather superficial back in high school. Logan's friends were probably similar, which explained why he often separated himself from others, not only to mask that he was gay.

I hadn't been much better, assuming Logan had just been a dick on the whole. All that time, he'd been struggling and suffering from loneliness.

"There it goes," he whispered in my ear.

The sun slowly sunk behind the tall cliffs, blanketing the world in oranges and reds as the sky started to turn purple, dotted with the first stars forcing their way into our world.

And as it grew darker, you could see the entire galaxy out there.

"Look!" Logan said, pointing.

We watched a shooting star plummet to Earth and then another and another. The sky danced and performed just for the two of us.

"Make a wish," he whispered.

I wished we would never end, and it would always be like this between us. It was absolutely fucking perfect.