22. CJ
CJ
CJ settled into the passenger seat with one leg pulled to his chest and fingers drumming an offbeat rhythm against his thigh as they rolled through the city streets to the highway.
San Diego tried to hold them for a while, snarled traffic keeping them stuck between glass towers and the shimmering harbor.
Evan drove more calmly than CJ would have, unbothered by the impatient drivers weaving in and out of the late-afternoon traffic as one of his playlists filled with easy, familiar music hummed low through the speakers.
The kind of sound that filled space without dominating it, giving them space to talk if they wanted to. Neither of them did.
They left the city in increments as the traffic eased and the road opened up.
The skyline disappeared and the suburbs gave way to the flatter heat of inland California.
They exited the interstate onto a two-lane highway.
By the time they started the winding ascent into the mountains, Evan had turned down the A/C and rolled both their windows partway down, letting the cooler mountain air circulate through the car.
CJ shifted slightly, angling himself so he could rest his head on the back of the seat.
Evan had his sunglasses pushed into his hair and his elbow propped on the door, one hand loosely holding the steering wheel, fingers tapping once in a while in time with the music.
There was an expression on his face that CJ couldn’t place.
“You okay?” CJ asked.
Evan glanced over, looking faintly surprised. “Yeah. Just thinking.”
“Dangerous hobby,” CJ said lightly.
He was joking, but there was still a small knot of concern in his chest anyway. Thinking had a way of carrying Evan into places he didn’t always come back from quickly.
Evan’s mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. “I was thinking that I haven’t been to the mountains in a long time. Not since I was a kid. I forgot air could smell this clean.”
CJ smiled and reached over to squeeze Evan’s arm for a second before returning his attention to the road ahead.
The GPS said they had about an hour before they reached Juniper Creek, and the car continued its smooth climb up the mountain.
The steady hum of the engine and the low murmur of music blended into something soft and steady, and the cool air flowing through the gap in the window lulled CJ to sleep.
It wasn’t a full sleep, more like drifting in and out just enough that he didn’t have a tight grasp on time.
Somewhere in that space between sleep and awake, he felt movement next to him, then Evan’s hand landed softly on his knee and gripped it loosely, just enough to make him feel secure.
CJ didn’t open his eyes or shift in his seat.
He just let himself enjoy the moment—Evan’s hand on his leg, half-asleep but completely aware that Evan would be there when he woke up.
It was a dangerous sort of comfort and CJ didn’t trust it. But he wanted it anyway.
He woke completely when the road curved more sharply than it had before, the shift in momentum pulling him back to reality.
CJ blinked and pushed himself until he was sitting up straight.
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and then blinked at the sight outside his window.
Tall pines stretched up on either side of the road, close enough now that they felt like walls, and sunlight streamed through the branches.
“You fall asleep?”
CJ looked at Evan, who was focused on driving, both hands on the wheel as he navigated the winding blacktop. “Power nap,” he answered, his voice rough.
“Uh-huh.” Evan glanced at him, smiling quickly before turning back to the road.
He took a curve, smooth and controlled, then another.
On either side of the road, the trees began to thin and signs of civilization appeared.
Houses and a gas station, followed by a roadside motel and a coffee shop. “We’re almost there.”
“Good,” CJ said. He shifted slightly in his seat as he looked out the window.
Evan followed the GPS directions and turned onto a narrow road that slipped quietly back into the woods.
The cabin was just far enough outside of town to be private but not so far to be completely isolated, and the closer they got, the more nervous CJ became.
When Evan turned onto the gravel drive and the house came into view, the knot in his stomach grew.
The cedar siding glowed warmly in the afternoon light, the windows reflected the trees back at themselves, and a stone chimney rose from the roof.
It looked both modern and like it had always been there.
Evan’s mouth hung open, and he brought the car to a stop and put it in Park before throwing open his door and stepping out to get a closer look. CJ followed a moment later and met Evan at the back of the car, gravel crunching underfoot. When CJ looked up, Evan was still staring at the cabin.
“You found this?” Evan asked.
CJ shifted nervously. “I mean, yeah.”
Evan turned toward him fully, something shifting in his expression. “This is incredible.”
“Wait ’til you see the hot tub.”
Evan rolled his eyes and stepped toward him.
Standing this close, CJ could clearly see the weight of the season in the dark circles under his eyes.
It was a quiet kind of exhaustion that was marked by the slight heaviness in his shoulders when he thought no one was paying attention.
The kind that didn’t get fixed with one good night’s sleep.
“You’re tired,” he said, softer now.
Evan huffed. “We just played seven straight.”
“That’s not what I meant.” CJ hesitated, but he didn’t push it. They weren’t here to fight. Instead, he lifted a hand and brushed his thumb lightly beneath Evan’s eye, just once, before cupping his face in his palm. “Let’s see if we can get you some rest this week.”
For a second. Evan just looked at him before he leaned into the touch. “Thank you.”
“Yeah,” CJ said quietly. “Of course.”
They unloaded bags together, shifting around each other in an easy, familiar rhythm.
Inside, the cabin smelled faintly of cedar, clean linens, and lemon cleaner, and sunlight pooled across the light hardwood floors.
To the left of the large open space was a living room centered around a stone fireplace with an overstuffed sectional in front of it, and just beyond that was a staircase leading to the second level.
On the right was a kitchen with all butcher-block counters and stainless-steel appliances.
Evan dropped his bag by the stairs, then stood in the middle of the room, turning in a circle to take it all in. When he looked back at CJ, his face had settled into something that looked like appreciation. “You really put a lot of thought into this,” he said.
CJ shrugged, aiming for casual and missing by a mile. “I mean…yeah. A little.”
Evan shook his head and huffed a faint, disbelieving laugh as he glanced around again. “No, not a little. This is…” He trailed off and gestured vaguely. “It’s exactly what I would’ve picked.” He paused. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” CJ’s mouth tipped up in a crooked smile. “I wanted it to be perfect.”
“It is.” Evan’s gaze came back to him, and he stepped closer. “Thank you.”
Evan reached out and brushed his fingers lightly against CJ’s wrist before sliding them up his arm to the back of his neck.
The touch was light at first, then Evan’s hand around the nape of his neck tightened slightly, and CJ allowed himself to be pulled forward.
One hand came up to rest at Evan’s waist. The kiss was slower than the ones they’d been stealing lately.
Even in the privacy of their apartments, there was always a sense of urgency, as if everything could disappear without warning.
Evan pulled back first and rested his forehead against CJ’s, both of them breathing a little unsteadily.
“This is going to be hard to leave,” he said quietly.
CJ laughed, his thumb brushing absently along Evan’s side. “We just got here.”
“I know.”
They stood there for another second, an easy silence between them, before Evan finally dropped his hand and took a step back to look around again.
“Well,” he said lightly. “Show me the bedrooms?”
CJ grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I plan to.”
After the tour, CJ waited at the bottom of the stairs with his hands shoved in his pockets. He rocked back on his heels and chewed his bottom lip. “So, there are options.”
There were two bedrooms, just as the listing had promised.
The one downstairs had a neatly made queen-size bed covered with a handmade quilt and a window facing a stand of pines.
Upstairs was the primary bedroom, tucked beneath the sloped roof with a king-size bed and soft light spilling in through wide windows that framed nothing but sky and the mountain range.
Evan stepped past him to look into the downstairs room and braced one hand against the doorframe. He took in the bed, the dresser, and the carefully folded towels that had been set out for them.
“Functional,” he said. CJ couldn’t read his tone.
“Not exactly a ringing endorsement.”
Evan smiled and moved to the bottom of the stairs to stand next to CJ. His gaze flicked toward the stairs, then back to CJ. Something that might have been hesitance flashed across his face, but it was gone before CJ could name it.
CJ leaned a shoulder against the wall, forcing himself into an easy stance. “So, I booked two bedrooms,” he said, tone deliberately casual. “Mostly for appearances, but also in case you wanted a separate space.”
“For appearances?” Evan asked slowly. CJ could see him turning that over in his mind.
Evan looked past him and up the stairs, then back to CJ. “You really thought I’d want separate rooms?” he asked quietly.
“I didn’t want to assume.” CJ shrugged. “I thought I’d give you the option.”