The fresh air breezing over his face helped ground him, reminding him that he wasn’t there anymore. He wasn’t that guy anymore, either. Not just physically, but mentally.
He felt light, yet strong. His vulnerability had only brought them closer, and Jaden was pressed against him, sharing comfort. Trusting him had been the right choice, and Henry couldn’t stop smiling.
Jaden finally pulled away from the hug and opened the picnic basket. “I haven’t dated trans people before, but that’s just because… um, I don’t really date, like I said.” He laughed sheepishly. “But I want to.”
Henry had to swallow back his eagerness in order to think straight. Or, not-at-all straight. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. So… thank you for telling me all of that.” Jaden smiled and offered him a napkin.
Henry chuckled and accepted it. “You’re welcome. Thank you for listening. Didn’t expect to get so much off my chest.”
He was hungry now, and he felt great. These things had been locked away for far too long, like rust gnawing at the secret corners of his heart. Getting them into the open air made his spirit feel brighter.
It was all so sudden, but sudden didn’t mean it couldn’t be profound. Just like a change in the weather could leave the landscape forever altered, Henry was gonna catch this man, whatever it took.
“Which way will sunset be?”
Henry squinted around, just to show off a little, before pointing to the sky over a corner of the clearing. “Should be around there.”
If only he knew the area, he could have impressed Jaden by gathering mushrooms to add to their picnic. Foraging, another of his hobbies, was usually seen as kind of eccentric, but Jaden had taken well to everything else.
Probably better not to risk poisoning him on the first date in an unfamiliar biome. Henry shook his head and shelved the thought. He had to save up his impressive talents and deploy them strategically.
Jaden beamed. “Probably a real-life guide and not a serial killer, then.” His laugh startled even Henry, who grinned.
“I solemnly swear not to serial-kill you. Well, I suppose it would be a single kill. That’s not very exciting.”
Jaden grinned. “I wanna make a le petit mort reference, but that’s probably inappropriate.”
The little death—it meant orgasm in French, Henry knew. His heart skipped a beat, and suddenly the warm heat of Jaden pressing into him was awakening the cravings he’d long ago set aside.
Ignoring this would be difficult—and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. The prickles of heat along his skin made him crave skin contact like nothing else.
“I want to kiss you.”
“Please,” Jaden whispered, turning his face toward Henry.
It was all the invitation Henry needed to press their lips together and finally get a taste of the cutie who had been captivating him all day.
Their kiss was warm and sweet and slow. Their lips slid together as they tasted and explored, the first sparks shooting through them.
Jaden’s lips were so soft and precious, and he clung to Henry’s chest and stayed perfectly still, like he was waiting for Henry to take the lead.
It only came naturally to do so. Henry wanted to kiss him until he left him gasping, and then treat him to a night that he’d never forget. He growled under his breath and sucked Jaden’s lower lip, but it just made Jaden giggle softly against his mouth.
How fucking precious he was, and he didn’t even know it.
The kisses quickly deepened, and before long, they were gasping into each other’s mouths, hands roaming up and down backs and arms and shoulders.
“You’re really…” Jaden trailed off, sounding hoarse, when they finally pulled apart. “Hot. God. You make me forget words.”
Henry grinned. “Thanks,” he teased. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Very compliment, yes.”
That made Henry giggle, which made Jaden dissolve in a fit of laughter of his own. They both flopped onto their backs and gazed up at the sky.
It took Henry a second to remember that it might make Jaden nervous to see that much open air, but when he looked over, Jaden had his eyes closed and a smile on his face. He looked giddily contented, if that were even a thing—satisfied, yet almost childishly pleased with himself.
Frankly, it was adorable.
Henry chuckled and sat up to rummage through their picnic foods, setting out the spread on the other blanket.
“What if I’m too tired to sit up?” Jaden complained from the ground.
Henry grinned as he plucked a grape off the stem. “I can deal with that. Open up.”
Jaden’s eyes flew open. When Henry pressed the grape against his lips, he bit it and mumbled, “Not where I thought that was going.”
They both dissolved into laughter again.
Yeah. Today was going just fine by any standards. Maybe, just maybe, this could work out as more than one date.
He tried to ignore how desperately he wanted it to and tell himself only if it’s right, but he couldn’t shake the instinct that told him that of course this was right. It already felt strangely like they’d known each other for years.
“You know, we’re not in a rush today,” Henry said slowly. “We do live in the same city. We can see each other again.”
Jaden’s eyes cracked open as he looked over at him. The hope on his face was undeniable. “You want to? I’m not too… weird?” He sounded surprised.
“Of course,” Henry breathed out, widening his eyes in surprise that Jaden was even asking the question. “Duh. Oh my God, duh.”
That sent Jaden into another blushing fit that made him cover his face, but he was beaming too hard to hide. “Then yeah, we could hang out sometimes. I don’t have any friends, really. That would be nice.”
Henry’s chest swelled with excited anticipation, even if it was tempered by Jaden’s statement. Seeing Jaden again wasn’t all he wanted. He either hadn’t quite understood what Henry was suggesting, or he wasn’t interested. And Henry was almost positive it was the first, not the second.
Maybe Henry was the crazy one for even thinking of it, after knowing each other for just one afternoon so far. But… there was no mistaking what his heart wanted.
Just see how tonight goes, he told himself. They could make it work back in Denver. He was sure of it. Jaden was worth the work. That just left one thing: asking him out, properly, for a second date… before the first date was even over.
That conversation could wait until after supper.
7
Jaden
As afternoon drew to a close, the first sign of evening creeping up on Henry and Jaden was the chill in the breeze. They’d each shrugged on extra layers as the scorching daytime heat faded.
The lamplit picnic area was perfectly serene and romantic, and nobody had interrupted them.
Watching Henry’s effortless confidence reading a map and compass to get them here on their bikes had been so hot. Jaden had always wanted the confidence to navigate, but he’d never gotten that far in his outdoor pursuits. Back in college, he’d gone on trail runs. That was as wild as it got.
But Henry did real wilderness shit. This must be nothing to him. Jaden found himself letting Henry lead the way, and he actually enjoyed it.