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Chapter 10

    Boy, Daniel really knew his cheese.

    We drove for about thirty minutes and turned off the main highway. After another few minutes, we hit an old gravel road that I instantly recognized. This was the way to the state park that my father took me and my mother before things turned to absolute crap.

    Excitement bubbled through my system; I loved this place. No matter the time of the year, it was beautiful. Despite it being dark, the moon was high and bright in the sky, like our own personal lighthouse.

    “I haven’t been here in forever,” I mumbled absently.

    “Really?” Daniel sounded surprised. “Well, that’s good. I was afraid you would think coming here was lame.”

    I peered out my window, watching the dense trees as they passed. Eventually, Daniel turned down a dirt path and slowed to a stop. “Now, this is where this comes in handy,” Daniel said as he pulled an old bandanna from the middle compartment in his car.

    Lifting an eyebrow, I felt more excitement bubble through my system. “You’re going to blindfold me? What do you have planned?”

    “It’s a secret.” Daniels grin was infectious. “You don’t mind do you?”

    I pondered quietly to myself. Being blindfolded didn’t seem to bother me all that much. I shrugged. “Nah. It’s fine.”

    Daniel smiled brighter as he leaned over pulling the blindfold over my eyes and tying it gently behind my head. “No peeking.”

    With a smile, I nodded.

    “Promise?”

    A light laugh escaped my lips. “Promise.”

    “Ok!” With that, I heard Daniel open his door, shut it, then walk to the trunk. I strained my ears to hear the slightest sounds in order to give myself some sort of idea to what he was planning. Sadly, I couldn’t hear much more than Daniel rustling in his trunk.

    I saw quietly for a moment. Suddenly, my door opened, making me jump, but Daniel’s soft chuckle made me smile. “Can I take this off now?” I asked.

    Daniel laughed. “Not yet.” He fell silent for a moment. “I’m going to take your hand, ok? I’ll lead you so you don’t trip.”

    Biting my lip, I felt an uneasy feeling settle in my stomach. In part, I craved Daniel’s touch, but I still wanted to keep some distance between us for my own protection. The last thing I needed was to get too attached to him, only for him to pull away at the last minute.

    I sighed in order to shut out my thoughts and smiled lightly as I turned my head in the direction of his voice. “Ok.”

    Daniel wound his hand around mine, softly pulling me to my feet. His fingers wove through mine. The motion was so alien, completely unlike anything I ever felt with Jerry. I liked it though. Returning the motion, I held Daniel’s hand firmly as he led me blindly through the trees.

    I stumbled a few times, but Daniel moved slow and placed a hand firmly on my lower back to keep me steady. His touch seemed to ignite my skin, making me feel hot in the cool air. When we came to a stop, Daniel released my hand and undid the bandanna around my eyes.

    My mouth fell open at the sight before me.

    There were dozens of tall cylindrical, white candles illuminating a large square area nestled in-between the trees. In the middle of the lit area was a thick quilt laid out with a large wicker basket sitting to one side. It was beautiful.

    I stood gawking for the longest time.

    “Is this too cheesy?” Daniel asked self-consciously from beside me.

    Turning, I found him standing with his hand in his hair. He looked worried and shy; it made me smile. Happiness swept through me so quickly I couldn’t process the thoughts going through my mind. Unable to find words, I closed the distance between our bodies and threw my arms around his back.

    It took him a second, but he returned the hug gently.

    “Thank you, Daniel,” I managed to choke out.

    Daniel laughed lightly. “So I did well?”

    I lifted my eyes and stared up at him. “You did. I wasn’t expecting anything like this. Not for me.”

    “Well, this is for you, just for you.” Daniel released me and pulled my hand into his once more. Still smiling, he led me to the quilt and sat down. Smiling down at him, I sat down beside him. “I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, but I made some food.”

    I frowned. I hated that Daniel tiptoed around the food topic. When I didn’t speak, he continued.

    “You don’t have to eat it; I just thought you would maybe enjoy a late night picnic under the stars.” I saw him blush, and it made my smile intensify.

    “Actually, I’m pretty hungry,” I said with a grin even though I embellished a little. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew that I needed to eat. Problem solved.

    Daniel grinned immediately. “Good!” He flipped the basket open and began pulling out individual containers of food. “I tried to make all healthy food, but I’m a shit cook.”

    “I find it hard to believe that you’re shit at anything,” I said with a laugh.

    Daniel stopped what he was doing and offered me a lopsided grin. “Well, I would like to play into that and say that I’m absolutely wonderful at everything, but then that would be a bold-faced lie.” He grinned once more before shifting his attention back to the basket. “I made a citrus fruit salad, regular salad, but then I didn’t know if you were a salad person, so I also put together a few turkey sandwiches.” He took a deep breath and went on, making my smile brighter the more he rambled. “I wasn’t sure if you ate meat. I mean, I’ve never seen you eat meat, so I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

    He turned suddenly to me and ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Not that I watch you eat,” he explained as a blush blossomed on his cheeks. “Oh god. You probably think I’m a total creeper now.”

    I burst into laughter. “Not at all,” I managed after each wave of laughter ceased.

    “Hey,” Daniel grumbled, though a smile pulled on the corner of his lips, “stop laughing at me.” He paused briefly then added, “Actually, keep laughing. It’s a really nice sound.”

    I flushed and glanced down at my hands.

    “It’s cute when you do that too.”

    I blushed an even darker shade of red as I lifted my eyes. Daniel shot me another one of his beautiful smiles. “I’ll have the salad…” I mumbled to change the subject, but I couldn’t hide the smile on my lips.

    Sitting cross-legged beside me, Daniel divvied the food and handed me a plastic fork. “I didn’t know what kind of dressing you liked, so I got them all.” Daniel laughed nervously.

    “I’m an Italian kinda guy,” I said happily.  

    Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Me too.”

    We ate in silence for a moment; however, the silence wasn’t an awkward one. It felt nice to be able to sit with someone quietly. I admitted to myself that it was getting rather difficult to tell myself that I didn’t like Daniel.

    “So,” Daniel began quietly, “are you going to tell me what that was between you and your father, or are we just going to ignore it?”

    I wrinkled my nose and sat the remainder of my salad down. Somehow, I felt compelled to fill Daniel in on anything he wanted to know; however, would he really want to know what I had to say? “It’s complicated,” I began with a sigh. “Things between me and my dad were never perfect. I was always one of the strange kids, and I think he wanted me to be more like him. Well, when I was younger, he used to make effort to be around me, show me how to do things I never thought I could do.”

    “Like what?” Daniel asked interestedly

    “Well,” I wracked my brain for an example, “he would take me fishing here, and I always refused to take the fish off the line by myself. Dad knelt beside me and patiently told me that it was something I had to do. He talked me through the whole process, and I eventually worked up the courage to try it on my own. Things like that.”

    “Oh.”

    I went on. “Something changed as I got older though, he became more distant; he didn’t want anything to do with me. One day after school, he was waiting in the kitchen for me. He had my sketchbook, and he confronted me about some drawings I did.”

    “What were the drawings?” Daniel rolled onto his side and looked up at me.

    I sighed once more. “They were drawings of naked guys.”

    “Oh.” Daniel sounded as if he knew where this story was going.

    “Yeah. He lost it and ended up getting pretty physical.” I closed my eyes at the memory. That day, my father threw me against the wall and held me by my shoulders as he yelled at me. I couldn’t even remember what he said, but he balled his fist and punched me square in the jaw. I decided to leave out those details. “Things between us were never the same. Now, any chance he gets, he makes me feel like complete crap.”

    “Does he still…” His voice fell off.

    “He only hits me if I catch him in one of his drunken tirades.” I answered his question even though he didn’t finish it.

    Daniel was silent for a long moment. “That’s awful, Tyler. I’m so sorry.”

    I shrugged and fell to my back. “I just try my best to stay away from him.”

    “I guess I got lucky,” Daniel said softly. “Both my parents took me being gay pretty well. Though, my father did try to buy me a lap dance on my twenty-first birthday from this stripper with giant breast implants.”

    “Wait,” I began as I rolled to my side. “You went to a strip club on your birthday?”

    Daniel laughed. “Well, it was a surprise from my Dad.”

    “Some surprise,” I said with a smile. Then something popped into my head. “Wait. Wait. How old are you?”

    “I’m twenty-three. Why?”

    “I just thought you were older.”

    Daniel shrugged and smiled. “I graduated high school and saw that your father’s firm needed an assistant. I applied, and he hired me. All those boring clothes probably make me look older than I actually am.”

    He had a point. This was the most youthful Daniel ever looked to me; it was a nice look on him.

    “Hmm,” he breathed. “Looks like it’s my turn to ask a question.”

    I propped myself up on one arm. “Shoot.”

    “What was your first relationship like?”

    My face instantly burned. “I’ve never had one.” Besides Jerry, but I didn’t add that aloud.

    Daniel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? I find that hard to believe.”

    I wrinkled my nose. “I’ve always did my best to stay as far away from people as humanly possible.”

    “So that means you haven’t done anything?”

    My face burned brighter. “I’ve never done anything.”

    Daniel sat up suddenly. “Not even a peck on the lips?”

    I laughed nervously. Great, he thought I was a total freak. “Nope.”

    “This is your first date isn’t it?”

    I shook my head silently, as Daniel smiled brightly. Why was he smiling? “Why are you smiling like that?” My embarrassment level was out the roof.

    “No reason. I’m just happy that I’m your first, and I’m very happy that I decided to go as cheesy as possible.”

    I smiled and sat up. “Why is that?”

    “Well, it just means you’ll remember this for a really long time. My first date was with this football idiot. He took me to the most expensive restaurant in town, stiffed me on the bill, and then had the audacity to try to have sex with me in his car. It was really pathetic.”

    “Guess I got lucky.” I couldn’t help but grin. How in the world did I end up on a date with Daniel? He was so undeniably wonderful.

    “I guess you did,” he said, mimicking my grin.

    “Does that mean you’ve had a lot of, um, relationships?”

    Daniel laughed. “I’ve had a few, but nothing has ever been too serious. Your father keeps me pretty busy, and that doesn’t leave much time to have a boyfriend.”

    My stomach dropped slightly. Daniel not having time for a boyfriend caused a drop of sadness to drip through my system. It was ridiculous, I know, but I couldn’t help but visualize being with Daniel.

    “I could make time,” Daniel said too quickly. “I just haven’t found anyone worth my time.” He was running his hand through his hair nervously.

    “Why am I here with you right now?” I asked suddenly. The words were out of my mouth before I knew it.

    Daniel sat silently as his face became serious. “I’ve already told you, Tyler. I like you.”

    “Is that all?”

    Daniel raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. “There has to be more?”

    I sighed and laid on my back, staring up at the stars through the entangled tree branches. “I’m not used to having someone like me,” I said truthfully. “I’ve been alone for so long that I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or feel. I’m confused because I want to be here, but I don’t know why you want me here. It just doesn’t make sense.” I felt breathless and even more embarrassed than before.

    A hand brushed against my fingers, sending a rush of heat up my arm. “I don’t know what to tell you, Tyler. I can’t make you like me, even though I’m trying really hard. If you want me around, I will tell you that all you have to do is get used to me being around because as long as you want me here, I plan on staying.”

    My heart was thudding in my ears like war drums. Taking a deep breath, I moved my hand slightly, closing the distance between our fingers. Instantly, his fingers intertwined with my own. “I don’t want you to go anywhere,” I said breathlessly.

    “Then I won’t.”

    We remained staring up at the stars. Daniel did his best to show me a few constellations through the branches of the trees, and even pointed out the North Star. I sat silently and listened to him speak. He spoke so eloquently, and I absorbed his words eagerly, almost hungrily. I didn’t want this moment to stop.

    Daniel’s hand felt right against mine, and even though I didn’t know what was going to happen, I felt like this was where I needed to be. Daniel liked me, and I liked him. It was as simple as that, right?

    “What are some things you want to do, Tyler?” Daniel asked suddenly, yanking me away from my thoughts.

    “What do you mean?” Confusion lingered over my face.

    Daniel chuckled to himself. Releasing my hand, he rolled onto his side and propped himself up. Instantly, I felt cold without his touch, but I rolled onto my side to meet his emerald gaze. “I want to know some things you want to do.”

    I raised an eyebrow and thought to myself. What were some things I wanted to do? Hell, growing up, I passed on doing so many things. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to drive. I was always too scared to give it a try.”

    Daniel smiled and bit his lip. “Ok. What else?”

    A smile grew on my lips as well. “I don’t know, Daniel.”

    “I have a plan.” Daniel’s lopsided grin grew.

    “What kinda plan?”

    “How about we take turns. You tell me what you want to do the next time I take you out, and then I get to pick the next. We have to do what each other asks, no questions asked.” There was a sparkle in Daniel’s eyes.

    I opened my mouth to speak, but fell silent. Daniel’s plan did sound fun, but what if Daniel asked me to do something that I absolutely knew I couldn’t do. Realization crept through my senses, making me smile brightly. That was his plan; He was going to try to break me out of my comfort zone. “That sounds like a wonderful plan, Daniel.”

    “I’m glad you think so. Looks like I’ll be taking you driving soon.”

    “Looks like it,” I added with a grin.

    We sat silently for a moment, and Daniel kept his eyes glued to mine. Something in the cool air changed, warming my skin. I stared deep into his eyes as he raised his hand and lightly brushed his thumb against my cheek. I closed my eyes at his touch, turning my head slightly to bring myself closer to the heat of his hand.

    When I opened my eyes, Daniel inched himself closer to me, keeping his eyes to mine. It was as if he was searching my very essence for something that would stop him, but I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him. Badly.

    Closing the final inch between us myself, I touched my lips to Daniel’s gently. He pulled away softly, searching my eyes once more before he lowered his face to me. This time, the kiss deepened, making me close my eyes as my free hand found its way to Daniel’s dark hair. He let out a soft moan as my fingers wrapped around his locks.

    The kiss slowly intensified, becoming urgent as Daniel’s hand traveled down to my waist. I opened my mouth, giving his tongue entrance. The taste of him was enough to make me groan as our tongues danced with each other. Daniel’s touch reacted to my groan. His body pressed against mine, and heat seemed to form a bubble around our bodies.

    Daniel suddenly pulled away panting. I found myself in the same state. “Jesus, Tyler,” he breathed breathlessly. “We can not do that.”

    I bit my lip in order to bite back a smile, but I failed miserably.

    “We’ll never leave the park if you keep that up.”

    I opened my mouth to speak, but at that exact moment, blue lights danced around the trees. Daniel shot up just as two men with flashlights walked over. I felt my face drain.

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Cheesy level to the max :D muahahaha, what did you all think of this chapter? It's going to be the last update for a few days, so I hope all of you like this!

Don't forget to vote if you did like it! <3 I love all of what you have to say about it.

I'm totally in love with Daniel and Tyler. Is that weird? I mean, I created them. xD

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