“How long does it take for a candle to burn down?” he asked.
“I dunno.” Diego nipped at his neck. “I thought you weren’t scared of the dark.”
“I’m not,” Ricky said, momentarily distracted by how Diego’s upper lip was snarling slightly. So hot! Then his survival instinct kicked in again. “How long do you think we slept?”
“Twenty years, give or take.”
“I’m serious!”
Diego let his head flop against the sleeping bag before it turned to consider the cave. “A few hours maybe.”
“What time is it?”
“Business time,” Diego said with a naughty smirk.
Ricky stared at him a moment, grappling with temptation before he sat up again. What a dumb day to forget his Casio calculator watch! He patted his boyfriend’s wrists, but they were equally bare. “When did we get here?”
Diego sighed in frustration before he pushed himself up on his elbows. “Let’s see… I picked you up at seven. Takes half an hour to drive here, plus the walk, so it was probably eight by the time we got settled. Edibles need about an hour to kick in, and if we slept for a few more after that—”
“It’s way past my curfew!” Ricky said, scrambling off him in panic. “My mom is going to kill me!”
“There’s no sense in doing the time if you can’t enjoy the crime,” Diego said, adjusting himself openly.
Ricky stared for a moment before shaking his head to clear it. Not that it helped much. He was definitely still high. And out in the middle of nowhere. He had school in the morning too. Oh yes, this was the end of his life! Unless they hadn’t slept as long as they thought.
“I really have to go,” Ricky said pleadingly.
“All right.” Diego got to his feet. “Help me grab everything and we’ll continue this some other time.”
“Thanks,” Ricky said with a surge of gratitude.
He scrambled around the cave, bringing things back for Diego to pack. Ricky only slowed when gathering their food. “Do you think foxes like hotdogs?” he asked.
Diego snorted. “Probably. How come?”
“I think one lives here,” he said. “Do you mind?”
“If you’ve got time to mess around with meat…” Diego said leadingly, but he was only teasing, because he resumed packing. Ricky put a hotdog in a bun and set it next to the tunnel where he’d seen the glowing eyes. After watching for a second to see if anything would appear, he turned around and saw Diego smothering the fire. Ricky grabbed one of the few remaining candles to provide light as he finished. Then they went outside, the night calm and quiet. What if it was even later than he thought?
Diego hesitated when they reached the woods. He already had the pack on his shoulders, but his hands were full of plastic bags and the radio. “What are you scared of more?” he asked. “Trees or getting grounded?”
In other words, Diego wouldn’t be able to carry him this time unless they stopped to pack things properly.
“I’ll help.” The candle he held had already blown out, so he pocketed it and took the radio from Diego, which freed one of his hands so Ricky could cling to it.
And he did, because the woods were even more frightening than before. Maybe the weed was to blame. It sure seemed to intensify everything he felt. The shadows seemed to close in around them as they walked.
“I’ll protect you,” Diego said, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “From anything.”
“Even a bear?” Ricky asked.
“I’d headbutt that fucker until he got the point.”
“What about ghosts?” Ricky asked.
“I’ll scare them right back to Hell.”
“What if a treant grabs us?”
“I don’t know what that is, but if it’s got balls, I’ll kick them.”
Ricky kept naming monsters, and Diego kept describing how he would defeat them. Before he knew it, they were back at the clearing where Frankenstein was parked. Ricky ran to the Trans Am—which was unlocked, as always—and climbed inside. Then he stared at the radio, one of his knees bouncing, while waiting for it to light up so he could see what time it was. The engine growled, but the radio didn’t have a digital display like he expected.
“Where’s the clock?” he asked.
“Built into the tachometer,” Diego replied.
“The what?”
Instead of answering, Diego squinted at the dashboard. Then he grimaced. “When’s your curfew again?”
Ricky leaned over. The gauge that had the RPM thingy also had an old-fashioned clock with a minute and hour hand, both of which were pointing straight up. His curfew was usually at ten, but it was a special occasion, so his parents had said he could stay out half an hour later than usual. And now he wouldn’t get home until past midnight.
Diego raised an eyebrow at his miserable groan before he began driving. Cautiously at first, but once they were off the dirt road, he began speeding. Ricky didn’t ask him to slow down.
“Still got a bit of a drive ahead of us,” Diego said, leaning back with a devilish grin.
Ricky’s eyes darted down to his bulge and back up again. It’s not like he didn’t appreciate the idea except… “For our first time though?”
“That was supposed to be back in the cave.”
“I figured,” Ricky said with a guilty wince. “Sorry I couldn’t handle the edibles.”
“Nah, they took me by surprise too. And you ate two of them. So if anything, I’m impressed by how well you handled it.”
Ricky perked up at this. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks. I’ll show you how well I can handle other things on our next date.”
“I’m ready whenever you are,” Diego said with a smoldering stare that practically scorched Ricky to the seat. “Just don’t ask me where. I can’t think of anything more epic than doing it in a cave.”
“We could always go back there. I liked it.”
“Even though the woods are spooky?”
“That made it even more exciting. Next time, I want to stay the whole night in Candle Cave.”
Diego grinned. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“Yeah. I just wished I hadn’t fallen asleep. I liked how you set everything up. It was very romantic.”
“Romantic, huh?” Diego said, as if trying the word on for size. “Nobody’s ever called me that.”
“You really are,” Ricky said. “I would have put out.”
“Yeah?” Diego had an air of smugness as he shifted gears and went faster. “That’ll give me something to think about when I’m home. Or on the way there, because I don’t know if I can wait.”
Ricky’s pulse picked up. “That’ll give me something to think about while I’m grounded for a month.”
Diego’s brow furrowed. “You really think that’ll happen?”
“Probably. My birthday is coming up, so they have to set me free by then. For now, I want to enjoy the time I have left. Speaking of which… Would it be torture if I groped you for the rest of the way?”