A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (Love Conquers All series) ORIGINAL VERSION

Chapter 19: "Underneath" (Revised)

Baby, better watch your step
Never mind what's on the left
You're gonna see things you might not wanna see
It's still not that easy for me underneath.

- Underneath, ADAM LAMBERT

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The dirt road led them away from the paved rural road and beneath a canopy of evergreen boughs, coming to an end at the edge of a meadow of tall, brown grass. Brandon parked the car and shut it off. Josh looked around. "Where are the caves?"

"Over there." Brandon pointed across the meadow.

Josh frowned. "Where?"

Brandon laughed and grabbed a small bag from the backseat. "Come on, I'll show you."

The two boys left the car and walked through the dried grass, halting when they reached the far side of the meadow. A moderately-steep dirt incline led down to a small rock-bar next to a wide creek. Josh glanced doubtfully at the slope. "How do we get down?"

"It's easier than it looks," Brandon assured, then grinned. "It's getting back up that's the challenge. But I've done it a bunch of times." He moved around to a more sloping part of the embankment. "Just follow me. The dirt is kind of loose, so you just sort of surf down."

The doubtful look held on Josh's face. "Is it...dangerous?"

"What?" Brandon shook his head and smiled. "No. It's actually kind of fun. If you want, you can sit down and slide. That's how I did it the first time. I was kind of scared but only that first time." He stepped onto the sloping crest of the incline where the dirt was denser and held beneath his foot. "I'll help you." He looked at Josh then tentatively held out his hand. "It's fun, I swear." His heart thundered in his chest as he waited to see if Josh would take his hand. "I won't let you fall. I promise."

Josh hesitated, started to reach for him, then withdrew uneasily. "I-I think I can do it."

"Okay," Brandon murmured and lowered his hand. "Step down, right here."

Josh swallowed, eyes anxious as he practically crawled over the edge and stood nervously next to Brandon. Fear and uncertainty filled his eyes as he looked down the embankment. Brandon knew from experience that the first time was daunting, and a little scary. It looked a lot worse than it was.

"Okay. Now just-"

The ground gave way beneath Josh and the boy yelped in panic as his feet slid out from under him.

Brandon's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, catching him before he went into a downhill slide. Brandon laughed as Josh clutched at him, eyes wide, struggling to get his footing in the loose soil. "You're okay," he grinned. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall."

This time, Josh wasn't shy about holding onto Brandon—in fact, refused to let go as his breath came quick and ragged.

Choking back a soft laugh, Brandon said, "Maybe we should sit down and slide."

Josh nodded, his legs unsteady.

They sat down and Josh maintained a grip on Brandon's arm. "Hold onto your butt," Brandon grinned and scooted forward. The slight movement dislodged the dirt beneath them and they were off, sliding wildly down the incline. Josh gasped and clutched Brandon's arm with both hands, the fearful look on his face quickly morphing into nervous laughter.

The base of the embankment sloped out gradually and they came to an easy stop, both laughing. "See?" Brandon grinned. "Told you it was fun."

Josh swallowed a quiet laugh, breathing hard. "Yeah." He swallowed again. "Kind of scary, too, but not so much."