Page 41 of Midnight Ink

“A beach? In upstate New York?”

“Lakes have beaches. Come on.” I grab his hand and pull him back to the doorframe. “There’s this little tourist town a ways from here. It’s not that long a drive. Just the two of us.” The defiance in his eyes softens. “Please.”

He inhales through his nose then flicks his eyes, rolling them. “Let me shower quickly. You can come inside. My mom’s not here.”

I follow him through the tiny apartment. It’s pretty bare. Nothing extraordinary. A small TV sits on a stand with a loveseat couch. “Go shower. I’m going to snoop through your shit.” I grin.

He shakes his head as he disappears down the hall. I find some pictures on a shelf and stop to look. There’s one of a woman and a man holding a baby. I know he’s an only child so I’m assuming this is Ian.

I see another of a boy with shocking platinum-blond hair. I wouldn’t think it’s him, but I can see it in his eyes. He must be about ten here. Then another with Ian graduating. His mother’s there next to him, and it should be a happy photo. Neither of them is smiling, though. There are shadows in his mom’s eyes that weren’t there in the previous photos.

Then I see one of those funeral cards in a frame. The man in the baby photo. This must be his dad. I know Ian said he passed away when he was in high school. I decide to look down the hall. I hear the water running in a room to the left, and I see another room with the door open. His mom’s room. Staying the hell out of there.

Then I find another down the hall next to the bathroom and slowly open the door.

A smile springs to my face. Ian’s bed sits disheveled. I walk inside and instantly smile. Art is posted all over his walls. I know it’s the one thing that keeps his mind busy. Ian’s a worrier. He’s always talking about what-ifs and all that shit. What’s the point? Shit’s going to happen whether we want it to or not. Why spend your energy worrying about what could be. Just live.

I see his deodorant and some cologne on his dresser. He has a desk scattered with pencils and paper. I smile seeing the lion he was drawing that first day we met. I open a drawer and see a few more sketchbooks.

I turn to his bed, going to his end table and opening it. “Oh, hello.” A small bottle of lube sits next to a massaging wand.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I snap the drawer shut. “What? I told you I was going to snoop through your shit.” Oh, damn. Damp from the shower, a towel is wrapped around his waist. I lean back on my hands taking in the gorgeous view. “Don’t worry. I didn’t see your prostate wand.”

“Fuck off and get out. I need to change.” My eyes drop, drinking him in. “Maddox!”

“Right, fine.” I stop in the doorway and watch him. “If you ever need a friend to play with, I’m right here. It’s always nice to share your toys.”

He slams the door in my face.

We’re nearly there and Ian’s been quiet for most of the drive. He fell asleep for a little and that’s when I felt bad. “How late did you work?”

“Midnight.” He breathes. “It’s fine.”

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not.” He looks at me with a soft smile. “We almost there?”

I see where I’m looking for and turn down a street before pulling into a parking spot. “Here.”

He looks ahead at the dock with the lake spreading out. It’s warm now and will only get hotter as the day goes by. I get out of my jeep and hear his footsteps behind me. Now he’s wearing a navy-blue sleeveless shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers. Not exactly beach wear, but that’s okay.

“Have you been here before?” I take off my slides and shove them in the back seat. “I’d take your shoes off. You’ll get sand everywhere.”

He listens, taking off his sneakers and socks and placing them in the back seat with mine. I head down to the beach. The hot sand under my feet. The smell of the lake. I wish it were the ocean, but this lake is big enough to pretend. “Yes, I’ve been here.”

We walk in silence until we’re almost down to the water. I sit in the sand and lean back on my hands, and Ian sits cross-legged, elbows on his knees, hunched forward a bit. “You couldn’t relax to save your life.”

He frowns, moving his legs out in front of him. “Shut up.” I watch him for a moment. I like hanging out with him. I love to tease him. He’s fun to rile up. “What?”

“Do you think about that kiss?”

His head swings to me. He short-circuits. “What?”

“You heard me, Ian.” He swallows, looking forward, and just nods. “Then why haven’t you tried again?”

“Why haven’t you?” he dares.