Moonbow | Tyrus

Eight

Cyrus's POV

I've been to this park several times now this summer, but almost always with TJ. The difference now is that I see TJ talking with his family on the other side of the lawn, but I can't go over to him. I've only been here for five minutes, but I'm already feeling the restlessness hit me. My body wants to be with his, but my brain tries to distract it by helping my dad organize the trays of appetizers on the picnic table. 

I recognize many of the folks here. All of them are from Citrusdale, although I've met very few personally. I do recall the faces of a few running kids, for I played hopscotch with them when I walked by a few days ago. They were in the midst of finishing drawing their chalk course, and they wanted me to be the first to test it. Of course, I couldn't possibly say no. TJ didn't mind me being late to meet him that day. He knew that I couldn't let myself disappoint those excited children. 

I finish placing the tray of danishes that my step-mom made on the table, and then I turn to my dad, looking for more work to keep me occupied.

"Anything else you want help with?" I ask. 

"You've helped a lot," Dad answers. "Why don't you go talk with some of the other kids your age. Make some friends."

He goes over to join my step-mom by the couple barbecuing shish kabobs on a tiny park grill. Now alone, I can't stop my eyes from glancing over to where TJ stands with his mom, which I recognize from the photos he's shown me, and two other people, a man and a woman, who both look somewhere in their twenties or thirties. The woman has the same blonde hair as the other Kippens, but the man does not. He has darker hair and darker skin but a light, cherry red shirt tucked into his jeans. 

After a moment, TJ notices me staring at him, and he raises his eyebrows a couple times then gives me a silly cross-eyed smile, which makes me laugh. I know I can't go talk to him here, but I don't think I'll be able to last this whole evening if I can't talk to him, so I take out my phone to text him.

Me: Meet me in the trees behind the playground.

TJ notices his phone alert and checks the message before responding with a nod. We both find our own ways to casually sneak out of the main event and off to the large cluster of trees that act as a wall between the park and the bike path that leads out to the ridge. In the forestry, I find TJ waiting for me, and he smiles at my entrance. 

"Don't you look good today," he says. 

"You say that everyday," I reply.

"Because you look good everyday. I especially love the moose shirt."

I glance down at the pattern of tiny brown moose on my button-up. I bought this with Buffy in the spring at a consignment shop, and it's easily become my most worn shirt.

"Thank you," I say. "How are you?"

"I'm..." he pauses to think of a word. "...s'well."

"Who were the other two people you and your mom were talking to?" I wonder. 

"Oh, that was my sister, Kim, and her husband, Shawn."

"Right. I almost forgot that Amber wasn't your only sibling."

"Yeah, most of them don't come around too often," TJ explains. "Kim lives nearby, so she comes to visit sometimes, but the others aren't as close. Lesley's in British Columbia, since she just finished university there. Travis lives in Australia now. And Aron lives in Salt Lake city, so he comes around occasionally when he wants to make the drive."

"Interesting," I respond. "And are all your siblings as handsome as you?"

I step up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist as he looks down at me with a grin. He tilts his chin down to meet his lips with mine, and there's a sweet silence for the moment he's kissing me. When it ends, his hands trace my upper arms down to my elbows and then find their way to my torso, sending chills through me with every move. 

"You really have a one-track mind, don't you?" he says. 

"Hey, it's not my fault you're so attractive," I argue. 

He keeps his eyes on me for another moment then steps back, letting me go, and I feel the cold of his absence seep in. 

"I wish I could talk to you not hidden in a forest," he says. 

"I'm sorry," I say, feeling like it's my fault, even though I know it's not. "My dad would freak out if he saw me with you."

"That's okay," TJ responds. "I would only be able to tell my family that you're my friend, and if I could be around you, I doubt I'd be able to keep myself from doing things that...aren't things friends do."

"So I guess we'll just be strangers for today," I conclude. 

"Yeah," TJ agrees. "Strangers."

We both stare at each other for a moment, neither one of us doing or saying anything. Then I finally speak up.

"TJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we start later?"

He nods rapidly. "Yeah."

I give in to the tension and collide my lips with his, taking his face in my hands, and he falls back against the tree trunk behind him as he pulls me in harder. My energy kicks into high-gear as I make every attempt to get as close to him as possible. We make out for what must be close to ten minutes before TJ finally has the discipline to pull back. We both work on catching our breath as my body's adrenaline levels sink back down, and I try to convince the voice in my head that here is not the time and place to continue further. 

"Okay, cool," TJ says between breaths. "Strangers."

"Mhmm."

All of a sudden, the shuffle of grass sounds, and I leap away from my boyfriend, seeing my father coming through the trees. He glances between TJ and me, obviously not expecting to see us together, and I try to come up with a quick excuse. 

"I just came over here to look at the trees, and TJ was here," I say.

My dad glares at my boyfriend but accepts the reason, simply telling me, "Well, stay in sight. Can you help Mrs. Baker with unloading her stuff from her car?"

"Yes," I comply. 

I step away from TJ, giving him one last look before heading off with my dad. Once I'm out of the trees and back by the field of people, I hear my text tone go off, and I check my phone to find a text from TJ. 

Bad Boy Piano Guy: My parents aren't gonna be home tomorrow. Wanna come over?

Me: Yes.

A/N: No notes, because I have one more chapter coming as soon as I proof read it. Don't go to sleep yet!