Better Sorry than Safe

8.

Whoever told Sem girls were difficult was lying. Girls were easy. He could simply slide a bit closer, tell them their hair looked nice or whatever, and they'd probably get the hint.

No, take boys instead. Boys were the nerve-wrecking difficult ones. Especially if you're completely in the dark about whether said boy even likes boys too.

It didn't help that Sem's stupid brain had started providing him with all these horror images he hadn't thought of before. He was suddenly reminded of a boy from school who'd been so disgusted when a gay guy hit on him, he went ahead and outed the guy to everyone. Connor could do the exact same thing, if Sem happened to be wrong about that spark he felt.

Stop thinking like this, and relax. Connor isn't the type to do that at all.

No matter how much Sem tried telling himself that, relaxing was more impossible than Daniel's math homework. Damn, what was the matter with him? He'd never doubted himself this much ever. Hell, he shouldn't be doubting anything. The set up was nothing short of perfect.

After the delicious pizza dinner, when Connor had asked for someone to help him put up the climbing net for games tomorrow, Sem had taken his cue without missing a beat. He volunteered, and together they'd nicely secured the net between a couple of trees just outside the camping spot. The net ended up looking somewhat like an oversized hammock, and of course Sem suggested they had to test how comfortable it was. Connor had agreed.

And here they were.

The only reminders that they weren't entirely alone, were cars zooming by on a nearby highway, and the light of their group's campfire in the distance. Sitting in the hammock-like net, they had a perfect view of the sun, which was slowly disappearing behind the trees. The setting was almost sickeningly romantic. Maybe that's why his stomach was acting up, and kept doing such distinctly unnatural, nervous things. The scenery. Yup, that had to be it.

"You alright? You're kind of quiet."

Sem looked up at Connor, who was sitting next to him in the large net, and managed a smile.

"Already used to my motor mouth huh? I'm just a bit tired I guess."

Tired, his ass. Sem was a tightly wound bundle of tenseness.

'Hey, I kinda like you. Let's go out some time.' How hard could it be to spit that out? If his throat could stop closing up each time he tried to say those exact words, that'd be great. Come on, he'd said he'd go for it. Now he better damn well go for it.

"This net's more comfortable than I thought," Connor said, "I think you could actually sleep on here." He broke eye contact, glancing down at the ropes below them.

The moment had passed. Damn it.

"You like sleeping outside in nature and stuff then?" Sem jutted his thumb in the direction of the highway. "Surrounded by herds of wild cars in their natural habitat."

Connor let out a chuckle. "I'll sleep wherever, but I do like it out here. It's nice being out of the city every now and then."

'Let's get out of town, and go hiking together sometime then.' That was a good way to ask him out, right? Much more casual. Then again, it may be too casual, and fail to get the point across. Was it good enough?

Before he managed to make up his mind, Sem felt the net move. Connor shifted, and leaned back to lie down next to him. His arm brushed against Sem's, and the unexpected contact send butterflies flitting throughout his stomach. Oh, shit.

"And how are you liking it here? Better than expected?" Connor asked, tilting his head slightly to the side to look at Sem.

Of course Connor remembered Sem blurting out that he'd been forced to go camping. But it didn't feel so forced anymore right now. And it was definitely better than expected with Connor so close, and literally being able to feel his body heat.