WINGS

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It was an early morning and he and Sam stayed behind while their groups went on their morning hike. Mason volunteered to help sand down long spears of wood, very slender and flexible. Bow projects for the kids to make themselves and take home. Counselors were gathered in groups, teamed up on in two's. Sam stood beside him, carving out wooded arrows.

Mason was rather enjoying working with hands, it gave him a sense of accomplishment compared to the failure of his last corporate position. Office protégé to labor hand, how messed up was that. Still, summer would be over soon, and July was just around the corner. It had been Jennifer's last visit that reminded him why he ventured out alone in the first place. Among other things, like the thought of Brent and their future together. He'd left Brent and his current ambitions behind, mostly to get out from under the shadows of his brother, and his fiancé. More importantly, to find himself.

It made sense that every human being at one point or another in their life, thought about who they were, or the direction life was taking them. In these last couple of months, Mason saw a glimpse of what he had been missing. Making friends, finding new places to explore, and by being sheltered from the world by his big brother, just how naïve he was to people and to society. But wasn't that the whole point?

Maybe he should have felt guilty for leaving the way he did, but he didn't forget what started this whole mess in the first place. It wasn't so much that he lost his job, it was the fact that Brent didn't ask or bother to talk him about it before he went over and decided to go all military on his boss. After looking back on it, he blamed himself as much as he blamed Brent. Mason tried to put himself in Brent's shoes and went over the history in his head. He didn't see it before now, but realized he had done nothing but whined the whole time he worked there. Brent must have believed he was miserable, and only wanted to help. He could understand that. But there was no denying that Brent handled it all wrong.

Sam smiled. "Want to switch?"

Mason shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Mason picked up the spade and began to whittle the piece of wood branch. Sam's smile, reminded Mason of the times he and Brent would work on the house, painted the walls, and even the simple stuff like when they got into a water fight in the backyard. All of the little things they shared or did, day to day. He'd found a friend, a best friend to share his life with, and he missed that. Sam was kind and friendly, and he'd been pretty generous when it counted. But still, he wasn't his fiancé.

The one thing he could count on was that he knew Brent always had his back. That safe secure feeling of always knowing he was being looked after. Always encouraging him, pushing him to be his best when he didn't think he was going to make it through. And then there was the sex appeal, the undying attraction he had toward him. His eyes smiled, lustfully, imagining that sexy bravado Brent displayed whenever he was marking his territory over him in public. Brent's guard was always up, jutting his chest, with eyes that peered down at him in that sensual way that said, you're with me, behave yourself. Smug and cocky sure, but it was an aspect of Brent's magnetism that could stir his sexual desire as fast as a match could spark to a flame.

A tender laugh escaped, thinking about when Brent would just lie in bed, playing possum, sprawled out naked for the taking. It drove Mason wild, and every time he crawled up next to him, Brent grew this macho grin even with his eyes laid closed.

Mason shook it off, but was careless about his actions and thinly sliced into his finger. "Ah! Son of a bitch."

Sam dropped what he was doing. "Shit. You cut yourself. Let's get you inside and have a look at that."

"I can take a look if you want?" called the nurse, concerned.

"No!" Sam turned, realizing. "Sorry. I mean it doesn't look deep. I can handle it. He just probably needs a band-aid or something."