Chapter 2
Cameron
"How is it still so hot?" I whine while wiping a bead of sweat off my forehead.
"That's the southwest desert for you," Trevor says with a grin while tearing into a slice of pizza. "Best get used to it. You'll be melting during the day and freezing at night."
Armed with pizza stacked on paper plates and stainless steel tumblers filled with my favorite orange soda, Trevor and I take our dinner by the pool.
That's right. Our house has a pool. A real one.
Not one of those cheap inflatable pools, but an actual inground swimming pool. It's deep enough for cannonballs and big enough for floaties.
I have to confess, I was worried when Trevor first enlisted and I'm not a huge fan of the military…but I could get used to living like that. Though I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the sweltering temperatures.
Fuck, it's not even summer yet.
At least the house has air conditioning and there's the pool. We'll need it. Well, I'll need it. I take a peek over at Trevor. He's not sweating at all. He's dressed in jeans and all the buttons of his short-sleeved button-down are still done up.
I don't know how he can stand it. I'm in shorts with a tank top and I feel utterly cooked.
"Do you think you'll be assigned here for long?" I ask while picking the pepperoni off my slice of pizza. It's got this spicy kick to it and I'm hot enough already. I don't need to swallow anything that'll only increase my suffering.
"Two, maybe three, more years at least," Trevor answers. "Hopefully longer. Big Prick is the best base I've been stationed at."
I roll my eyes toward the sky. There's not much blue left up there. It's pink and orange and purple all over as the sun sinks behind the flat horizon. "I still can't believe that's the nickname for this place."
Trevor laughs between bites as he makes all the crusts of his pizza disappear. "I can. That's pretty tame by army standards. I find it harder to believe the official name for it is Fort Cactus. "
To be fair, there are a lot of cacti. Also huge copper-colored boulders the size of trains.
And sand. A lot of sand.
Other than that, there isn't much here. The army built a paradise out of nothing.
"You're not gonna finish your toppings?" Trevor asks with a hopeful glint as he greedily eyeballs my plate. "Or your crust?"
"All yours," I smile and let Trevor help himself to the greasy pile of sliced meat and cheese-stuffed dough. It was good pizza, but I ate my fill after two slices. I can't eat another bite.
Not when my stomach's swarming with weird butterflies.
While Trevor finishes off my leftovers, I stand from the plastic deck chair with my drink in hand and go sit down at the edge of the pool. I dip my feet in the water with a sigh. It's not exactly ice-cold, but it's cool and refreshing. I slip more of my legs into the water. Up to my knees, gently kicking my feet back and forth to make little waves ripple across the surface.
"I think you might love that pool more than me," Trevor teases.
"Only when you're at work," I say with a smile, glancing over my shoulder. It falls as I watch Trevor take off his shirt. And his jeans. He strips down to his briefs and something in my brain short circuits with all that tanned skin and flexed muscle is on full display.
Trevor struts to the edge of the pool without a care in the world.
And jumps in with a splash.
I let out a startled sound as the water hits me in the face. Though to be honest, I'm more concerned with what's happened to me below the belt. I blink away both sweat and water droplets off my face, I can't stop admiring Trevor's impressive physique as he cuts through the water, casually doing a few laps from one end to the other.
What the hell is wrong with me?
It isn't like I haven't seen Trevor naked before. We grew up right next door to each other and shared bathing time. In the summers, we used to go skinny dipping in a group. I've seen those washboard abs and his big stupid dick more times than I can count.
But for the first time, I find myself outright staring at my best friend's body.
I guess I never really paid attention before. I've always been a little jealous of Trevor's height and his ability to pack on the muscle while I struggle to gain a few extra pounds. Yet now I'm seeing his body in a new light.
He's kind of…is Trevor hot?
Without thinking about it, I slip further into the pool. It's a dumb move. I don't take off my tank top or my shorts. I just…dunk myself in. I let my head dip below the surface and stay down until I start to feel light-hearted.
"Feel better?" Trevor asks as I shake water from my ears.
"Yeah," I lie with a timid smile. As Trevor continues to talk, performing slow backstrokes, I struggle to pay attention. He tells me I need to set an alarm for my meds. Let the phone do the remembering for me.
I nod along as Trevor talks. Sure. That sounds great. And it does, it really does, but my mind is on a much more pressing issue.
Namely, the embarrassing erection I'm sporting underneath my shorts. Just let me drown already. I keep my chin dipped in the cool water.
Trevor and I float around in the pool for a few more minutes. When the last sign of the sun disappears from the sky, Trevor hoists himself out of the pool. He stands there in all his almost-naked glory, dripping onto the concrete. "You coming?" he asks.
"Uh, I'm going to stay in for a bit longer."
My dick still hasn't softened.
"Not too long," Trevor calls out as he heads inside the house. Though he pokes his head back out to leave me a clean towel. He's always nice and thoughtful like that. Always taking care of me.
I float for a few more minutes. It's only when I see the bedroom light go on that I pull myself out and dry off as much as I'm able. Once I'm inside, I strip down to my boxers in the half-bath.
By the time I make my way upstairs, the bedroom is silent. Trevor is already fast asleep. I tip-toe into the room, I'm as quiet as a mouse as I find another pair of boxers. And a T-shirt. I move slowly as I get into bed, not wanting to disturb Trevor.
Yeah, we've been sharing a bed. In the whirlwind of getting married and moving in together, it somehow slipped both our minds to buy two mattresses. Trevor insisted I take the bed, but I pleaded with him to share it with me. He's the only one of us working right now. I'm not even taking any classes yet. Trevor needs to sleep more than me.
With my dick behaving again, it doesn't feel awkward as I lay down next to him.
And if I cuddle up a little too close to my best friend during the dark of the night, well, I blame it on the chill of the desert.