It was almost five when Chris parked the car on the gravel parking lot and stepped out of the car. Dylan slammed the door after himself and quickly put his jacket on to hinder the cold air from biting at his skin.
"Alright," Chris smiled gently as he swung a backpack over his shoulder, "let's go."
The two of them started walking up toward the forest opening where the trail began. Dylan had walked the dirt road more than a hundred times over with his family when his mom got the idea of a 'mini-vacation', but he'd never enjoyed it any of those times.
Now, however, he did. Very much.
"I used to walk here with my brother when I was younger," Chris said after a few moments of silence. Dylan turned his head to look at him. He hadn't said much about his brother until now, and Dylan wanted to show that he cared. "But that was before he got sick."
Oh, Dylan thought. "I'm so sorry-" he started but Chris interrupted.
"No, it's not like that, he's not dead," he assured and Dylan sighed in relief in his head. "He... he's in prison. For murder."
"You don't need to tell me this, at least not already," Dylan said. He wasn't sure which he would think was better, the murderer brother or dead brother, but none of them were very good. "We have time."
Chris gave him a soft smile. They continued walking up the road, neither saying anything, just taking in the other's company and listening to the whispers of the forest. After a few minutes, they got to the cleared space for picnics that had a view over the entire city.
"Okay," Chris breathed as they walked closer to the steep hill that lead down to the town, "come on." He set down the backpack and opened it, getting out a blanket and spread it out as close to the edge as he could get.
"A picnic?" Dylan couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he got closer and sat down, "I didn't know you were such a romantic."
Chris laughed, too. "There are many things you don't know about me."
"But you intend to change that?"
"I do," Chris took a seat.
"It's nice," Dylan looked out over the town. By now, it was around five-fifteen and the sun had officially started to set, albeit most of it was still in the sky. He twisted his head around to look at Chris, who was staring out over the landscape. The sun hit his face in a way that made him look very nice, and Dylan had a strong urge to kiss him.
But he didn't. Instead, he leaned back on his arms and stretched his legs out.
"So what do you want to be, then?" He asked and Chris turned to look at him, crossing his legs.
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I don't really know. Dad wants me to-"
Dylan shook his head. "No, I don't want to know what your dad wants. I want to know what you want. What are your dreams?"
Chris stared at him for a long minute, not saying anything. A mix of shock and sadness flashed upon his face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come and left was only a blank slate.
"I... do you promise that you won't judge?" He asked finally, a red color decorating his cheeks.
"I promise."
"It's not what I want to work as, I don't know what I want to be, but I would like to have a piece at a gallery..."
"An art gallery?" Dylan smiled softly and Chris nodded. "You have the talent for it, I'm sure you could." The silence that followed was tense and intimate in a way the Dylan hadn't experienced before. Both of them sat back and looked out over the edge, not saying anything.
"Anyway, let's eat!" Chris broke the silence and turned away, toward his bag. A moment later he had gotten two plastic containers out, and Dylan opened one of them. It was filled with triangularly cut sandwiches, and Dylan's stomach grumbled.
"Did you make these?" Dylan asked and took one out.
"Yeah," Chris chuckled, "who else would have?"
Dylan nodded and took a big bite out of the sandwich, handing the container back to Chris, too, grabbed one.
"So, a marine biologist, huh?" Chris said after he'd taken a bite. Dylan nodded.
"Yeah."
"How did that come to be?"
"Well I was terrified of fish-"
Chris laughed. "You were terrified of fish?"
"Don't mock me, I was like five!" Dylan accused with a grin on his face. "Anyway, I was terrified of fish up until my brother got me one, and mom and dad forced me to research and take care of it. Ever since then I've been fascinated."
"That's... pretty cool," Chris grinned and Dylan felt his ears heat up.
"I suppose," he said and took the last bite of his food. "What about you? How did the football coach's son become an artÃste?"
"Don't- I'm not an artist-"
"Yes, you are, but whatever, tell me."
"There's nothing to tell, I've just always liked drawing. And looking at pretty things," Chris scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, by the way, I've got dessert as well. And a blanket."Â He quickly searched through the bag again and threw the blanket over to Dylan, who in turn wrapped it around himself.
"Wow," Dylan exclaimed, "you bake?"
"Sort of, It's just a small cheesecake. It was my first try, so please don't be too harsh," Chris opened the other plastic box and got out a small glass jar filled with a white mousse-like cake with a layer of jam on top and a bread base.
"This looks amazing," Dylan held the jar in one hand.
"Thank you," Chris grinned. He, too, took a cake and gave himself and Dylan a small spoon to eat with. "Bone apple tea," he exclaimed.
Dylan snorted a laugh. "Bone apple tea?" Chris grinned with a slightly scrunched up nose, his entire face glowing with glee, two very pronounced dimples decorating each side of his lips. But he didn't say anything, just held up his jar in a toast, then dug his spoon into the cake.
Dylan smiled and did the same. The cheesecake was exactly what it was supposed to be, perfectly made and Dylan closed his eyes. He sighed.
"It's really good," he all but moaned. He opened his eyes and smiled at Chris. He chuckled. "Oh, you've got some..." He leaned closer and in an instant, the atmosphere changed.
He lifted his hand and gently dragged his thumb over Chris's bottom lip, catching the rest of the cake. He retracted his hand and licked away the leftover bit.
When his eyes returned to Chris, his mouth was slightly open.
"Can I kiss you?" Chris asked quickly, leaning closer.
"Please," Dylan breathed and then Chris's lips were on his.
The kiss was slow at first, Chris carefully guiding Dylan's lips with his own. He moved his body and Dylan grabbed a hold of the front of Chris's shirt, pulling him closer still. He let his free hand roam upward, toward the black locks that he liked so much. Well there, he dug his fingers into the hair and pulled lightly.
Chris responded instantly, kissing with more ferocity and pushed Dylan back against the ground. Though the air around them was cool, Dylan only felt the heat that spread like a wildfire through his body.
After a few moments, Dylan pulled away to breathe, sighing heavily. Chris rested his forehead against Dylan's shoulder. He placed a short kiss there and Dylan smiled.
"You know, I've been thinking," Dylan said and Chris sat up a bit, raising his eyes until they connected with Dylan's. "You were really an ass when I first met you."
Chris stared into his eyes for a moment before frowning.
"But you weren't really to anyone else. Tell me why."
There was a pause. "Want to know the truth?" Chris asked finally and Dylan nodded, stretching upward and connecting his lips to Chris's neck. "You were hot and smart, and I was intimidated," he breathed as Dylan nibbled past his pulse point.
"For real?" Dylan leaned back.
"Yeah, for real."
Dylan played a bit with the hair at the back of Chris's neck before pulling him down so that their lips could meet once more. He shivered.
"Are you cold?" Chris pulled away to ask, nuzzling his nose along Dylan's neck. Dylan pulled his head up and connected their lips for a quick kiss before saying:
"A little, but it's alright."
"We could leave, I was thinking that we could end the night by watching a movie. Mom and dad won't be home until late tomorrow evening so we have the house to ourselves," Chris sat back on his heels.
"That sounds great," Dylan smiled and sat up. They packed up the picnic things and Chris swung the bag over his shoulder once they were done, unlocking the car with one hand. Dylan walked around to the passenger side and opened the door to get in.
A moment later Chris, too, got into the car and turned the ignition.
"So," Dylan grinned, "do you have a movie picked out, too?"
Chris chuckled. "No, I didn't plan that far."
Dylan leaned back in the seat, taking a deep breath. It was only about seven P.M and the sun hadn't even gone down yet, but still, he felt himself get tired. It was as if they had been out all day and not only three hours. Not that he was complaining, it had been a wonderful day.
Chris pulled into the driveway in front of his house and parked the car and Dylan flinched. He'd fallen asleep, he realized as he looked at Chris, who was smiling.
"You have a little drool on your chin," he teased and Dylan immediately brought his hand to his face, only to realize that there was nothing there. The raven-haired boy laughed and Dylan stuck his tongue out.
"Ha-ha, super funny," he replied and opened the car door and got out. Chris did the same on the other side of the car and both of them started walking toward the front door.
"Make yourself at home," Chris said as he hung his jacket on a hook by the door and gestured for Dylan to do the same. "Do you want anything to drink?" He walked into what Dylan recognized as the kitchen as he stayed in the hallway, looking around the room.
"Uh, yeah, do you have any tea?" He asked as he made his way toward the living room.
"Rooibos or black?"
"Rooibos." Dylan sat down on the sofa. Only a week ago he'd been sitting in the exact same place, only with Chris in front of his and fixing his face after he'd been punched. He instinctively brought his hand to the small scab that was left after that... encounter.
A moment later Chris came into the room with a mug in each hand.
"Will you get the coasters from under the coffee table?" He asked and Dylan nodded, placing the small discs on the table.
"So, what movies have you got?" Dylan asked as Chris plopped himself down into the sofa. He grabbed the remote from a side table and turned the TV on.
"We have Netflix, so everything on there is what we've got," Chris grinned. Dylan nodded and took hold of the blanket that was folded over the arm of the sofa. He spread it out over both of them and leaned into Chris's side.
He threw a glance over at the TV. "You have Dirty Dancing on your list?" He asked, turning his head to look at Chris.
"Don't judge me, Mr. I'm-terrified-of-fish, it's a good movie," he mumbled as his cheeks got red.
"I'm not judging, just asking," Dylan exclaimed, "and I was five!"
Chris hummed with a smile as he connected his lips to Dylan's neck.
"You know, Swayze is kinda hot," Dylan mumbled.
"You're kinda hot," Chris replied against Dylan's skin, making the latter shiver.
///