In his shoes, Henry wasn’t sure he would have been able to go on a blind date in another state. That took balls.
“No need to apologize,” Henry reassured Jaden easily. “Tell me anything you want.”
They had a little while to drive, after all, and just the two of them to make conversation for the whole rest of the day—and tonight, and in the morning.
How the hell was he going to manage all of that? He hoped Jaden had more experience than him in managing an overnight date. Henry’s last successful first date had been years ago, and that had led to a relationship, so he’d been off the market ever since.
And look how well that had gone. His stomach still flipped when he thought about trying to date again. And there was no escaping the fact this was a date.
Henry’s heart raced, and he pushed his own anxiety back. There was nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
So far, he hadn’t really gotten to know Jaden, but he already sensed that he was smart and funny when his anxiety wasn’t taking over his adrenaline system. Surely he’d be open-minded, too.
Jaden gulped. “Right. So, I got depressed. Had to drop out of college, and I moved here—Denver, I mean—to get away from the memory of being such a loser.”
It was hard for Henry not to interrupt and point out that Jaden was being a badass right now, no matter how much anxiety he had about it. He bit his lip to keep quiet and let Jaden talk.
“I live by myself now, in a little apartment with a mountain view. I work from home, doing phone-based jobs. They don’t pay well, but it’s something, at least. It’s not a phobia of people, it’s… agoraphobia, that’s the technical term.”
Henry glanced past Jaden at the wide-open, flat scrubland beyond and its pale dirt, tufts of scrubby bushes, mountains in the far distance. It had to be the worst place ever to bring an agoraphobe.
Open spaces scared Jaden? And he was going to the Grand Canyon? This was… a hell of a choice.
Henry wasn’t sure he’d met anyone like Jaden before. The only way the poor guy could see nature was from his window, and Henry practically lived outdoors. How much more opposite could they get?
The way Jaden talked to him, like he wasn’t sure which word came next, made it clear that he didn’t hang out much with people face-to-face.
“What did you like before the depression spell?” Henry asked. He kept his tone gentle, trying to be as non-threatening as he could, since Jaden watched him like a deer in the headlights. He knew he had that effect on people sometimes since getting ripped.
Jaden paused. “Nobody asks me about that.” He seemed taken aback, but not in a bad way—just curious now as he looked at Henry. “Why do you ask?”
“I used to be in therapy.” Henry’s throat felt tight as he thought of those sessions, trying to explain and justify who he really was, how long he’d known, and how sure he was. A very different kind of therapy, but still… he knew how it felt to be sure you were about to be abandoned. So he touched Jaden’s arm. “Remembering the things that I felt passionate about helped me remember I was a real person behind the monsters in my brain.”
And even though he’d just been vulnerable—not at all the tough guy people saw when they looked at him—Jaden didn’t judge him for admitting his past. He just smiled at Henry slightly, letting out a breath. “Huh. Well, I used to like generic stuff… animals and walking outdoors. I never knew what I wanted to do. I was majoring in science, but I hadn’t decided what field when I… yeah. Started my life as a hermit.” His lip twitched with self-deprecating humor.
Henry filed those details away. “Really? You liked to spend time outdoors?”
“I loved it.” Jaden sounded wistful as he drew a sigh.
“Well, I’m a wilderness guide, so…” Henry trailed off. Could he be the support Jaden needed to pick up one of his old hobbies? It was way too soon to tell.
“You are?” Jaden perked up. “Maybe someone knew what they were doing here.”
“Fate?” Henry winked.
For the first time, he got a hint of adorable embarrassment from Jaden, like any old first date, even if they were really in a private car on their way to a helicopter ride and then a picnic. This was the most surreal first date of his life.
“Yeah,” Jaden murmured, his cheeks flushed as he glanced anywhere else in the car but Henry. His smile was shy but hopeful.
“Well, my buddy Trip chose one for me. I was kinda torn between a few options, and he said he had a good idea…”
Jaden made a funny squeaking sound. “Trip? I met him. And my brother chose a raffle box on my behalf. Were you the one who wanted to talk to me?”
“Oh, my God.” Henry covered his face, and it was his turn to blush. “How much did he tell you?” Trip had caught him trying to get a better look at Jaden after he’d come to his defense, and he’d just stormed over to play spy, before Henry could stop him.
Boy, was Henry glad that fate—in the form of their meddling friends—had intervened.
“Enough,” Jaden winked, but then he grew distracted. “Are we going straight to the helicopter?”
Henry nodded. “I think that’s the itinerary. But we can ask to change it.” He was already figuring out who to call when Jaden put a hand on his knee.
“No. I’ll be okay, I think. I just need to know what’s coming so I can prepare for it.”
Henry’s skin lit up under his thin cotton walking trousers. He covered Jaden’s hand with his own, wanting to provide comfort. It wasn’t just comfort, though.
He suddenly couldn’t look away from Jaden, their gazes locked. The sparks that ricocheted between them seemed to feed back into each other. In seconds, it was hard to breathe. All he wanted to do was slide his hand up Jaden’s wrist to his forearm, and maybe his shoulder, and kiss him.
Fuck. He was pretty. It was impossible not to notice those wide, dark eyes framed by long lashes, and the full lips. Jaden looked like the twink next door, and he seemed almost too good to be true.
“So,” Jaden said, his voice squeaking again, “what do you do? No, wait. You said. I mean, what does it involve?”
“Guiding?” Jaden nodded, and Henry squeezed his hand and smiled. “Mostly leading small groups. I do walking tours and backcountry guiding, though the latter tends to be for longer trips, up to a week or two.”
“Yourself?”
“My own outfit? Nah, not yet. I’m working on it,” Henry said with a confident smile. “I’m just about ready. Until now, I’ve been happy to hang back and keep… well, a steady job.”
“Oh, that’s understandable.” Jaden seemed to be breathing better now, building his confidence.
“So you said your brother chose which raffle box to put your ticket into?” Henry prompted.
Jaden breathed out a quiet sigh, but the exasperation was affectionate as he rolled his eyes. “Yeah. We’ve always been pretty tight. He moved here to look after me.”
Henry was a little less worried that Jaden was pushing himself way too far to meet someone else’s expectations. He smiled. “Do you live with him?”
“Oh, God, no.” Jaden laughed, his eyes wide with horror, which made Henry chuckle. “We thought about it, but we’d hate each other instantly. We get in each other’s space too much.”