the biggest part of what I feel—”
“Cooper! Please, the suspense is killing me. Just—”
“I’m gay.” I wait a second to let it sink in. “That’s why there won’t be any future girlfriends.” Why I don’t care for Jace’s porn collection. Why I can’t tell him all the uncomfortable shit.
Annie chuckles and says quietly, “That is exciting, Coop. You should let yourself be excited. Life has plenty of other problems to worry about, so don’t let that be one of them.”
This great advice is coming from my sister?
I hold my tongue and look to the tents in the distance. “How do you think Mum and Dad and everyone will take it?”
“I can’t say for everyone but Mum and Dad will be fine. No need to angst over telling them. I know they won’t care.” She shrugs. “Might be a bit trickier at school though.”
“Yeah, I don’t plan on coming out at school. Just Mum and Dad. The rest can wait until university. Or until it’s a need-to-know situation.”
“Need to know? You mean if you find a guy you like? Is it too early to start matchmaking? Because Darren’s cousin—”
“Too early!” I add a growl in case she tries to play Cupid anyway, and I hastily change subjects. “Whatever happened between you and Darren anyway? I thought he was your first.”
Annie sighs. “I wasn’t very nice to him a couple of years ago. I lead him on. When he asked me out I turned him down.”
“Why’d you turn him down?”
She studies the stone in her hand then passes it to me. It’s dark grey and long, like a dolphin. “He was too nice.”
“How is that a problem?”
“Well, back then it was.” She pulls the sleeping bag up to her neck. “I didn’t want to hurt him, and I knew I would.”
“But did you like him?”
She smiles. “Yeah. I still do. Haven’t you noticed I’m always out of my room when Jace has him around?”
Until she said it, I hadn’t.
I grin. “Why don’t you apologize? Maybe you could try again.”
“I sorta missed the boat on that one. He has a girlfriend now.”
“Oh.”
“But it’s all right. Live and learn, right?”
“You sound like Mum.”
The way Annie cuddles against me says she likes the compliment. We stay like this, sharing warmth and staring at the wide river and the inky tree shapes, until our eyelids droop and exhaustion sinks us toward the riverbed.
“I know what it is,” I mumble through the last bit of consciousness I have left.
“What’s that?”
“We all want to be a ten on the Mohs scale. But we’re not. It’s why I love diamonds.” And the idea of not getting hurt.
She yawns. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
We use our last bit of energy to pull ourselves back to the campsite. Annie zombies off to her tent, and I drag myself to mine.
My sleeping bag is damp from the night air and the wet rocks. I shiver as I curl into a tight ball to keep warm. My teeth chatter uncontrollably.
I’m too tired to fumble around for more clothes. Jace stirs and I curse my shivers for waking him. His adorably sleepy voice says, “Huh? You cold?”
“I’ll be fine,” I murmur, except it comes out as a chattering of teeth.
Ziiiip . Jace lifts his sleeping bag. “Come in here. I’ll keep you warm.”
“S’okay.”
“Don’t make me drag you in here, Cooper.”
Will he really drag me in there? I can’t say it sounds terrible, but sleeping next to a pissed off Jace who can’t sleep doesn’t sound better. I pull my damp bag over to Jace. I slip one leg inside his opened bag and the warmth instantly cocoons my skin. I fold my body in all the way. His hot skin touches my arms and legs.
“Mmm. Better,” he says, eyes drooping shut. “Better close the zipper or your back’ll get cold.” I twist to follow his instructions, but Jace quickly threads an arm over my side, finds the zipper and closes it.
My body refuses to ignore this intimate closeness with Jace’s body. To stop a burgeoning erection, I shut my eyes and catalogue my
“Cooper! Please, the suspense is killing me. Just—”
“I’m gay.” I wait a second to let it sink in. “That’s why there won’t be any future girlfriends.” Why I don’t care for Jace’s porn collection. Why I can’t tell him all the uncomfortable shit.
Annie chuckles and says quietly, “That is exciting, Coop. You should let yourself be excited. Life has plenty of other problems to worry about, so don’t let that be one of them.”
This great advice is coming from my sister?
I hold my tongue and look to the tents in the distance. “How do you think Mum and Dad and everyone will take it?”
“I can’t say for everyone but Mum and Dad will be fine. No need to angst over telling them. I know they won’t care.” She shrugs. “Might be a bit trickier at school though.”
“Yeah, I don’t plan on coming out at school. Just Mum and Dad. The rest can wait until university. Or until it’s a need-to-know situation.”
“Need to know? You mean if you find a guy you like? Is it too early to start matchmaking? Because Darren’s cousin—”
“Too early!” I add a growl in case she tries to play Cupid anyway, and I hastily change subjects. “Whatever happened between you and Darren anyway? I thought he was your first.”
Annie sighs. “I wasn’t very nice to him a couple of years ago. I lead him on. When he asked me out I turned him down.”
“Why’d you turn him down?”
She studies the stone in her hand then passes it to me. It’s dark grey and long, like a dolphin. “He was too nice.”
“How is that a problem?”
“Well, back then it was.” She pulls the sleeping bag up to her neck. “I didn’t want to hurt him, and I knew I would.”
“But did you like him?”
She smiles. “Yeah. I still do. Haven’t you noticed I’m always out of my room when Jace has him around?”
Until she said it, I hadn’t.
I grin. “Why don’t you apologize? Maybe you could try again.”
“I sorta missed the boat on that one. He has a girlfriend now.”
“Oh.”
“But it’s all right. Live and learn, right?”
“You sound like Mum.”
The way Annie cuddles against me says she likes the compliment. We stay like this, sharing warmth and staring at the wide river and the inky tree shapes, until our eyelids droop and exhaustion sinks us toward the riverbed.
“I know what it is,” I mumble through the last bit of consciousness I have left.
“What’s that?”
“We all want to be a ten on the Mohs scale. But we’re not. It’s why I love diamonds.” And the idea of not getting hurt.
She yawns. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
We use our last bit of energy to pull ourselves back to the campsite. Annie zombies off to her tent, and I drag myself to mine.
My sleeping bag is damp from the night air and the wet rocks. I shiver as I curl into a tight ball to keep warm. My teeth chatter uncontrollably.
I’m too tired to fumble around for more clothes. Jace stirs and I curse my shivers for waking him. His adorably sleepy voice says, “Huh? You cold?”
“I’ll be fine,” I murmur, except it comes out as a chattering of teeth.
Ziiiip . Jace lifts his sleeping bag. “Come in here. I’ll keep you warm.”
“S’okay.”
“Don’t make me drag you in here, Cooper.”
Will he really drag me in there? I can’t say it sounds terrible, but sleeping next to a pissed off Jace who can’t sleep doesn’t sound better. I pull my damp bag over to Jace. I slip one leg inside his opened bag and the warmth instantly cocoons my skin. I fold my body in all the way. His hot skin touches my arms and legs.
“Mmm. Better,” he says, eyes drooping shut. “Better close the zipper or your back’ll get cold.” I twist to follow his instructions, but Jace quickly threads an arm over my side, finds the zipper and closes it.
My body refuses to ignore this intimate closeness with Jace’s body. To stop a burgeoning erection, I shut my eyes and catalogue my
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