As a White Knight on His Steed (CrissColfer)

"I've Missed You"

Chapter 7 – “I’ve missed you”

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Driving toward Ride ‘Em Cowboy Ranch Camp in the car that he’d received as a gift for his high school graduation, Chris couldn’t tell whether he felt more nervous or excited.  This was the first time he’d be back at camp in nearly six years.  More importantly, it was the first time he’d be seeing Darren.

Chris tried to keep his feelings in perspective.  Yes, Darren had been the best friend he’d ever had, but that had been a long time ago.  They’d been children the last time they’d seen each other, and now they were both 18 – legally adults, even if Chris still had a hard time wrapping his head around that fact.  They were two totally different people now, and he couldn’t expect to have the same kind of relationship with Darren that they’d shared during those childhood summers.

Over the years, Chris had become very adept at concealing his feelings, even from himself.  He hid behind a biting wit and an aloof attitude, channeling all of his energy into a drive to be successful with his writing, his acting, his speech and debate club.  Now, Chris felt like the best thing he could do was to keep Darren at a comfortable distance so that they could work together smoothly this summer.   

Following David’s directions, Chris drove slowly along the camp’s dirt road, then turned off onto an even narrower dirt track that led to the secluded bunkhouse he’d be sharing with Darren.  Parking next to another car, Chris figured Darren must have already arrived.

Chris had barely gotten out of his car when Darren came flying out of the bunkhouse and threw his arms around him.  “Chris!” he cried.  “You made it!  It’s so great to see you, man!”

Chris stood stiffly in Darren’s arms for a moment.  It had been so many years since he’d been hugged by another boy that he didn’t know how to react.  Come to think of it, it had been nearly six years, and the other boy had been Darren.

As Darren squeezed him tighter, saying, “I can’t believe you’re really here.  Man, I’ve missed you!” Chris tentatively returned the hug, then quickly stepped back.

“Come on inside,” Darren said, beaming at Chris.  “It’s kind of small, but we’ve got the whole place to ourselves.  This is gonna be totally awesome!”

Chris followed Darren into the bunkhouse.  Aside from the requisite twin-sized bunk bed, there were two dressers, two desks, and an open door leading to the bathroom.  “I put my stuff on the top bunk for old time’s sake,” Darren said.  “But I’ll switch if you want.”

“No, that’s fine,” Chris said, realizing with a start that these were the first words he’d spoken to Darren.  “I’m used to being on the bottom.”

Darren looked at him closely.  “Are you okay?” he asked.  “You seem tired, or something.  I know it’s a lot longer drive from Clovis than from San Francisco.  Do you wanna take a nap?”

“No, I’m okay,” Chris replied, making an effort to smile. 

“The rest of the summer staff won’t be arriving ‘til later,” Darren said.  “David and Ryan told me they left a few horses in the corral, if we wanna go for a ride.  What do you think?”

“Sure.  Just give me a minute to bring my stuff in from the car and go to the bathroom.”

Fifteen minutes later, Chris and Darren were walking along the once-familiar path to the corral.  Darren kept up a steady stream of excited chatter.

As they neared the fence, Chris’s eyes were drawn to two of the horses – a bright chestnut and a golden palomino.  He thought he recognized them as two of the young horses he and Darren had worked with during their final summer at camp.  “Is that Copper and Nugget?” he asked.

“Sure looks like them,” Darren answered, getting a scoop of grain from the barrel and opening the gate so that he and Chris could enter the corral.

Chris noticed the way Darren’s energy immediately shifted as he approached the horses.  His almost manic giddiness was replaced with a calm, gentle confidence.  He shook the bucket slightly, causing the grain to rustle enticingly, and the horses pricked their ears and ambled over.

Chris took a handful of grain from the bucket, allowing Nugget to nibble it gently from his flat palm before haltering the gelding.  He passed a second halter to Darren, who placed it on Copper.  Then they led the horses out of the corral and over to the hitching post.

Chris felt his tension ease as he and Darren groomed and tacked up the horses.  Both boys spoke to their horses as they worked, and by the time they had mounted up and were heading out on the trail, they had fallen into an easy conversation with each other.

They began by talking about their horses, reminiscing about what they’d been like the last time they’d seen them, when Copper was only a two-year-old and Nugget was three.  They laughed together about how Chris had spent a week calling Nugget “Puppy Chow” and threatening to sell him to a dog food company if he didn’t learn how to back up without rearing.  Then they went on to a discussion of all of the other horses they’d known and loved (some definitely more so than others) over the years.   

By the time they returned from their ride, Chris had let his guard down enough to say, “I can’t believe I’m going to get paid to do this all summer.  And I’m really glad I get to do it with you.”