Chapter 12

It annoyed me that Nathan kept trying to dig. Even more so that he'd disappeared when we got to the park, but I instantly deflated the second that ice cream cone was in front of my face. Something fluttered in my stomach at the memory of sitting on a back porch sharing an ice cream cone that turned into a first kiss. How Nathan had tasted like chocolate and marshmallow even though he didn't particularly like my favorite flavor. He'd gotten it because it made me happy.

"I could never forget." Something twinkled in his eyes like he was reliving the same memory.

My face heated as I licked the sweet treat and hummed as the flavors slipped me further into the past. We'd been so scared that my parents would come outside and catch us after that first kiss, so Nathan had pulled me off into the bushes. We'd laughed as we hid amongst the leaves and continued our kissing until we were flushed and excited. We didn't get to go any further before my dad came outside looking for us.

A wave of sadness washed over me, thinking about my parents again. When they found out about me being gay, they didn't care. They weren't even surprised. They were the epitome of a supportive and loving family.

"Thank you for this." I gave Nathan another smile as the present came crashing back.

He leaned against the wall next to me as we waited for my friends to arrive. When I finished my cone, I crumpled the napkin and shoved it into my pocket. As Nathan licked the excess ice cream from his fingers, I was drawn to his lips and tongue, wanting to taste him again.

"Asshole!"

I cringed as Art called out to me. His arm was wrapped around Tilly's waist and Daniel trailed behind them. Daniel's shoulders were drooped, looking uncomfortable as hell. He was often the third wheel with those two. Why did he always bother to hang around them if he didnt like it? Daniel was a lot like me in that if it weren't for them, we'd probably both be loners.

As soon as they stood in front of us, Art dropped his arm from around Tilly, holding a fist out to Nathan. "This the dude?"

Nathan gave him an awkward fist bump. "Guess I'm the dude. Nathan Grant. It's nice to meet you."

Art gave him an upnod. "Sweet, man." His arm went back around Tilly, not bothering to introduce himself or anyone else. It was rude as hell.

I huffed out a sigh before motioning between my friends. "This is Arturo, Tilly, and Daniel. Pardon them for being so rude."

Art barked out a laugh before leaning in and trying to kiss Tilly. She made a disgusted face before shoving him away. "Get away from me, you creep." She moved to stand next to Nathan, and I assumed that they were in one of their off-again phases. Daniel looked embarrassed, his face turning slightly red before he gave a small wave.

"Ew, man. No one calls me by my full name." Art's face screwed up as he watched Tilly scoot in closer to Nathan. Nathan seemed to be unaware of what she was doing, but I knew this game. She was going to use Nathan to make Art jealous and since I hadn't bothered to stake any type of claim on him, she felt like she was free to do so.

Without even thinking about it, my hand slipped into the back pocket of Nathan's jeans. His head snapped in my direction as the air around us filled with wolf whistles and cheers from my friends.

"It's like that, huh?" Art laughed as he reached for Tilly again. She dodged out of the way and then wandered off toward one of the rides. It would be a small miracle if she stayed with us today. It wasn't often she put up with Art's shit when they were off.

The weight of Nathan's stare on the side of my face made my heart pound. Claiming him in such a way said we were something more. We weren't anything, but since I'd already fucked this up, I might as well make the most of it. I bit my lip and turned in his direction. Grabbing the back of his neck, I dragged him in for a kiss. Nathan froze against me for a moment before giving in. His hands landed on my hips, which I was thankful for because I wasn't prepared for how unsteady his kisses would make me.

It was Daniel that snapped us out of it. "So much for ‘just a co-worker for the summer.'"

Nathan broke away laughing, his cheeks flushed as he turned back to my friends. "Maybe not just a co-worker. No."

Daniel nodded to the attractions. "Well, should we get going or are we going to stand around here all day bullshitting?"

Nathan and I sat at a small table in the bar at Bennett's Fish Shack after ditching my friends. We rode the few rides that were there, and then Art got overly competitive with a little kid on the go-karts. Then, he had a fight with the operator over a parents complaint about his language, so we decided to call it a day.

A waitress set two beers on the table between us and walked off. Nathan picked up his glass and sipped it, the foam sticking to his upper lip. He licked it off and studied me for a moment before speaking. "So what was that back at the park?"

My neck prickled at the question. I knew what he was referring to, but I wanted to play ignorant. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

His fingers drummed against the table, eyes squinted as he debated what to say. "I went from being the guy my uncle hired to work with you, to having you stuff your tongue down my throat."

Laughter bubbled from my chest as I took a sip of my beer. "I didn't try to stuff my tongue down your throat."

"You so did."

We both paused for a moment before we laughed and then a comfortable sort of quiet fell between the two of us while we waited for our food. I didn't often come to Bennett's. While the food was delicious, it was another pricey tourist trap, like so many other things in this town.

The smell of grease filled the air as paper boats of fried fish and chips were placed down on the table. Nathan reached for the malt vinegar and shook some over his plate and I made a face at him. "I still can't believe you like that stuff."

He shrugged. "I don't know. My mom used to put it on hers, and it was just something I kind of copied. I can eat it without, but I feel like it's missing something."

I made another face at him when he picked up a piece and bit into it. "It feels like you're ruining a perfectly good piece of fish. What's the point in getting it if you're just going to disguise the flavor?"

Nathan laughed, setting the piece back down and picking up fries instead. "It really bothers you, doesn't it?"

Did it? It was one of those quirks that I always thought was different. Thinking back to hanging out with the Grant family all those years ago, I remembered watching Nathan and his mother smother their food in the acidic substance. Not only did I not care for the taste, but the smell was horrible and hung around forever. "It's not my favorite." I picked up my fish and dunked it in the tartar sauce. Now it was Nathan's turn to make a face at me.

After taking a bite, I chewed and swallowed quickly. I laughed and set it down. "Looks like we both have something we don't like."

This was so strange. We'd known so much about each other four years ago, but this was like learning about the other for the first time. Weird first date jitters without it being a first date. It wasn't a date at all. This was just two guys getting a meal together. I wouldn't even call us friends yet.

By the time we'd finished our meal, we'd also finished a second beer. I was feeling a little buzzy, and Nathan led me out to the main road. We started walking in the direction of his uncle's house, and I could sense the question coming. The evening was cooling off quickly with the breeze blowing off of the ocean. I didn't want him to ruin it, but it was coming, and there would be no avoiding another argument unless I caved.

"Can I give you a ride home tonight?"

I sucked in my cheeks as I kicked at a rock on the sidewalk, my hands stuffed into my pockets as I thought about how to answer him. "I don't think that's a great idea."

Nathan stopped walking, so I followed his lead. Cars drove past us on the road, probably wondering what the hell we were doing just standing here giving each other a stare-down.

I didn't want to ruin what had turned out to be a great day. My shoulders slumped as I thought of a shitty excuse to get out of a ride home without causing another fight.

"I rode my bike to your uncle's house. I can get home."

Nathan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest before shaking his head. He started walking, seeming to accept my answer. "One of these days, you'll stop being such a stubborn ass about that."

I smirked in his direction as we continued down the street. "I seem to remember you enjoying my ass."

The air filled with laughter, and I felt like we were back on the right track.