Camping Trip

Chapter Fourteen

"Please?" Lucas clasped Aiden's hands. Aiden sighed. He couldn't say no. He wanted to. But he couldn't. Lucas's smile widened. "Is that a yes?"

"Fine." Aiden grumbled.

"You two are going to freeze." Evie said from the safety of her sleeping bag.

Connor gave them a similar look. "She's right. We can't even put down a fire."

"We'll warm up when we get back." Lucas waved them off, digging out his swimming gear. Aiden's consisted of a pair of shorts. He doubted even a wetsuit would keep him warm in this downpour for very long.

Aiden dashed into the tent next to the main one and changed quickly. He didn't bother with setting aside a towel to bring down, it would only get wet in the rain.

"Ready?" Lucas called in.

Aiden went out to him.

Lucas's curls were already being weighted down and stuck to his skin. Aiden's gaze wavered over his bare chest, and then he stared hard at a stray lock of hair that stuck out over his ear.

"Ready." Aiden nodded. He led the way to the rock pools. They were deep, and slightly flooded from the rain. He eyed the spot where the gentle stream became a torrent and warned Lucas to avoid it.

Lucas gave a nod, and then jumped in.

Aiden followed suit. He shuddered at the chill in the water and came up gasping for air after only a few seconds.

"Wait here" Lucas swam to the other end, and then held up a bright pink frisbee. "I'm going to throw!"

Aiden had no idea where the frisbee came from. He also wasn't sure why Lucas was so insistent they come out. But he was glad after a while. Throwing a frisbee when you couldn't touch the ground resulted in some very wild throws, some tragic dives, and a lot of smiles.

Lucas tossed the frisbee, falling underneath the water with the effort. The pink disk spun up, and was carried by a gust of wind to the edge of the rock pool. It landed in the rivers strong current, and Lucas surfaced in time to see it fall over the edge.

Aiden felt a little bad, but as he swam to the edge he realised how badly his body needed a break.

"You're panting pretty hard." Lucas commented.

Aiden jumped. "You're a fast swimmer." He cast an eye over Lucas's torso as he leaned against the edge of the pool with him, "And you're breathing hard too."

"I'm tired." Lucas shrugged. "I'm ready to sleep like a baby." His green eyes trailed down Aiden's chest, examining his body to the point where it disappeared into the water.

Aiden lowered himself back down.

"Sorry." Lucas said with a small smile. He didn't look very sorry.

Aiden floated closer to him. "I don't mind."

Lucas swallowed before speaking, with a hesitant smile. "Do you mind standing up again then? I wasn't finished checking you out."

"Okay." Aiden stood up, but he was close to Lucas, and their lips ended up together. The cold water and rain had numbed Aiden's skin, and he could feel the same had happened to Lucas. His chest was cold. His lips were cold.

Icy fingers touched his sides and Aiden jumped, breaking their lips apart.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, his voice unsure.

"Nothing." Aiden said quickly, "Your hands are cold. It just startled me." He pressed his lips against Lucas's again before the adrenaline in his blood turned into something like worry or anxiety.