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When Ash didn’t text again right away, Cass set his phone down on the coffee table and closed his eyes, hooking his arm back behind his head to fluff the couch pillow. Another of Bri’s muffled cries from the bedroom told him he might be out here in the living room alone for some time still, and he was tired enough that he thought he might doze off.

He’d had the best day. Ash hadn’t been kidding when he’d described how beautiful the trails were up here, and the whole hike and their picnic overlooking the lake had been incredible in so many ways. Hell, even the drive there and back, about an hour each way, had been wonderful—the scenery was amazing, and he’d gotten to hold Ash’s hand almost the whole time. They’d talked, too. Mostly about hiking and all the trails in the area that Ash had taken Bri to. But then, on the way home, when Bri had fallen asleep, Ash had opened up even more about his family, his sister, how he’d felt going back to that hiking trail where he had such fond memories.

It had been a different form of intimacy and vulnerability. Cass had appreciated every second of it.

He’d appreciated every second of this trip, actually, and being here with Ash, being allowed and able to have all this intimacy that he craved so much, was only another reminder of how temporary this was.

On Monday, he’d have to pack his stuff up and go back home. Yes, they’d talk and text every day, like they had been doing for months now. But this was so different. So much better. So much more than he’d ever realized it could be.

He honestly wasn’t sure how he was going to do it. He would, because he had to. His mom and dad needed him, and he couldn’t just abandon them. But there was no doubt, already, that it was going to be much, much harder than last time.

Thankfully, his depressing train of thought was interrupted by his phone buzzing from the coffee table. He turned onto his side, reached over to pick it up, and swiped to unlock the screen.

Ash (10:21 p.m.): She might be asleep. Gonna give her a couple more minutes just in case

Ash (10:21 p.m.): Don’t want to be interrupted, after all ;)

Cass almost groaned at the implication of Ash’s text, a flush of heat rushing straight to his groin in anticipation.

Cass (10:22 p.m.): You promised to show me both choices

Ash (10:22 p.m.): I did

This time, he did groan, and he lifted up his free arm to cover his eyes as he shifted onto his back, trying to ignore how his body was reacting.

Ash was taking him swimming tomorrow. That was the one thing they’d managed to plan for their day while Bri would be gone with Grant and his girlfriend, Mei, at the zoo. When Cass had mentioned he hadn’t brought swim trunks, Ash had offered to let him borrow some. That had led to a discussion about swimwear and Ash’s preference, as an ex-competitive swimmer, for wearing something more streamlined than standard swim trunks. And that had made Cass quite curious.

He needed a distraction until Ash could join him.

Sitting up, he frowned and scanned the room. The dishes were done, and the living room was clean; he’d taken care of all of that earlier, after they’d finished eating. His gaze landed on his backpack, which sat by the front door. He could try to get some schoolwork done. He had an assignment due on Monday and then another one due Tuesday night. But he had exactly zero motivation to do that right now.

Sighing, he collapsed back onto the couch and closed his eyes again.

He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, a warm, heavy weight was draping over him, hands snaking up under his shirt. He groaned and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend as Ash’s lips grazed along his cheek.

“Sorry to make you wait so long,” Ash whispered in his ear.

“Mmm, glad you’re here now. She’s asleep?”

“Mm-hmm, yep, finally,” Ash answered. He shifted until he was stretched out completely on top of Cass, both of his hands resting on Cass’s chest. Then he wasted no more time, his lips capturing Cass’s in a gentle caress.

Despite the obvious heat and desire, everything remained soft, with a sort of teasing slowness to it. Ash’s kisses deepened and then backed off, leaving Cass to chase him for more. He slipped a hand under Ash’s shirt, groaning as he smoothed his palm up Ash’s back and down again. And in response, Ash broke the kiss and lowered his mouth to Cass’s throat.

Sparks shot through him with each touch of Ash’s lips, and the second time he groaned, pressing both hands into Ash’s lower back, he felt a puff of warm air against his neck.

“I love that sound,” Ash said before kissing the same spot on Cass’s neck again. He propped himself up on one arm, his other hand resting on Cass’s chest, and a silly, teasing grin grew on his lips. “Ready?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”

Ash grinned again, leaned in and kissed Cass’s lips one more time, then pushed himself up to his feet. “I’ll be right back,” he said, and he disappeared down the hallway.

Cass sat up, unsure of exactly what to expect, and he tilted his head back and sideways to watch as Ash slipped into the bedroom, mostly closing the door behind him. Not more than a minute later, the door opened again, and Ash came out. Shirtless. Cass’s pulse sped up, and he shifted for a better view as Ash headed toward him, that teasing grin still on his face.

Ash reached the end of the hallway and paused, draping a colorful beach towel over his shoulders.

“So, these are one of the pairs of swim trunks I have.” He turned around slowly, showing off a pair of bright-blue swim shorts.

“Mm-hmm,” Cass mumbled, taking in the view as Ash continued turning. He only barely glanced at the shorts, his eyes drawn to the lean, taut muscles of Ash’s arms, chest, and back and how the shorts accentuated the curves of Ash’s ass. He swallowed hard, his gaze flitting back up to meet Ash’s.