9. Lochlan
CHAPTER 9
Lochlan
“I know these aren’t proper redwoods like up north,” Dario is saying as we walk along the forest path. “But holy fucking shit.”
I drop my head back and laugh. “I know, right? I grew up here and it still gets me. Like…some of these bad boys are a couple hundred feet tall.”
It’s true that actual coastal redwoods aren’t native to SoCal. The air is too dry for them. But back in the seventies or something there was this tourist and environmental campaign where they just went nuts and decided they were going to try planting them anyway. Apparently, they use some kinda drip watering system to make sure the trees get the moisture they need.
The town popped up not long after that. I think those guys were so proud of what they’d done, they just needed somewhere to name after the forest to prove what they’d done. Not to mention somewhere for folks to stay if they were going to make it into any kind of sightseeing spot. And that’s how Redwood Bay came to be. It’s pretty cool, really. I love having this on our doorstep.
“It’s kind of humbling. Or I feel so, anyway,” Dario adds, shaking his head.
I nod. “No, I get it. Sometimes I get so up in my own feelings or whatever. Then you come here and realize how small your problems are most of the time and you should probably just chill.”
We continue down the track between the enormous trees with our dogs, enjoying the peace and quiet. I love that we’re texting each other most days to see if we can coordinate walks together. This is the first time I’ve thought to bring Dario up to this particular route, though. Queenie and Rocky love the beach and the park so much, we’ve spent a lot of time there. But from the way their tails are wagging furiously as they sniff every inch we walk past, the woods are just as exciting to explore, maybe more so.
It strikes me that maybe I was nervous to come here because it feels like it’s just us alone in the world right now. I’m sure there are plenty of other folks around, but unlike at the beach or park, we can’t see them. I didn’t want Dario to feel…I dunno. Pressured maybe? I’ve barreled my way into his business over and over again, I didn’t want to be all ‘Come up to the forest in the middle of nowhere with me!’ you know?
But then he asked about different places we could try and when I suggested up here, he didn’t seem bothered at all. Now, he keeps looking around at the towering giants surrounding us in awe, smiling and stopping every once in a while to take deep breaths. He’s gone over and touched the bark a couple of times as well, like he’s really connecting with nature.
It makes me feel calm and settled just watching him. I’m so happy he feels okay being ‘alone’ with me. I never want to make him uncomfortable or anything like that.
Yet again I think about Phoenix and whatever the hell could have gone on there to make him so skittish. Nothing good, I’m sure.
I try my best not to dwell on it, though. If he wants to tell me, he will. “Did you know that the redwood bark is like a foot thick, so it makes them pretty damn fireproof?” I ask. He’s always sharing cool facts with me, so it’s nice to have something to offer him back for a change.
“That’s good,” he says, nodding. “They must be so old. It would be really sad to see them taken out by a wildfire.”
“Some of them are over a thousand years old,” I say excitably. “Can you believe that?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not even thirty yet and some days I feel so old,” he says with a laugh. It’s funny that he’s younger than me when he’s so smart and stuff. He’s so worldly, and I know he likes to read up on random things just for fun.
“Naw, you’re not old,” I say. “Just wise. Like an owl.”
He laughs and looks up at the canopy. “Which tree should I live in if I’m an owl?” he asks. “I’ll need a good one.”
“A sturdy one,” I agree. “Hey—did you know we have a walkway experience thing here? It’s in a different part of the woods, but there are these rope bridges like a hundred feet off the ground.” I bump shoulders with him. “I like to pretend I’m on Endor with the Ewoks.”
He grins that amazing sparkly way he does whenever I make a sci-fi reference. Honestly, I swear seeing his spare bedroom was the best thing ever. I’ve got buddies who like watching those kinds of things, but they’d never, I dunno, collect sonic screwdrivers or memorize the blueprints for the Enterprise or whatever. It’s like Dario and I have our own special language. I don’t have to explain that Ewoks are from Star Wars. He just knows.
“I’ll take you there,” I say, aware I’m stomping into his life and making plans for us again. But the way he’s grinning tells me he doesn’t hate the idea. “We can bring our lightsabers and pretend we’re fending off the empire.”
He looks at me all warm and glowy and it makes my stomach feel all light and bubbly. Damn, I know I need to be careful I’m not overwhelming him, but it’s so easy to make plans together. We could see each other every day, and I bet I wouldn’t get bored. It’s funny that in all this time, I’ve had so many different kinds of friends, but never one like Dario.
“I’m not sure how good I’d be with the heights,” he says with a chuckle. “But, yeah. I’d love to go there. Um…” He takes a deep breath and frowns, like he’s building up to something. “Actually, speaking of making plans, I’ve got a silly thing to ask you. You’re going to laugh.”
“Oh?” I say, immediately interested. But he seems nervous, so I do my best to reassure him that it’s a good kind of interested. “You can ask me anything. I bet it’s not silly.”
“It is,” he says quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, um, thank you. Anyway, it’s just that my mom and I were talking about Thanksgiving, and she wanted me to invite you. To our Thanksgiving at her house, I mean. In case you were at a loose end. I told her that was ridiculous, and you have your own family, and you might be working or whatever. But she made me promise that I’d mention it. I think she’s happy I made a friend here in town.”
He’s still looking awkward as all hell, so he’s probably completely unaware that I’ve puffed up like a damn bullfrog with pride. “Your mom wants to invite me to your Thanksgiving?” I repeat, feeling like I’ve won the lottery or something. I don’t know why, but the fact that his mom knows who I am tickles me pink.
“I told you it’s silly,” he says, peeking over at me. “You have plans, right?”
“Uh, I guess,” I say, struggling to remember what they are in that moment. Oh, that’s right. “I was supposed to be going to see my folks, and my sister and her family are coming over, but we do that every year. Besides, I can see them on the Friday if I want. So I’d be honored if your mom really means it.”
Slowly, Dario stops walking and blinks at me. “Lochlan, no. I’d never pull you away from your family.”
I blow a raspberry. “I see them all the time, they’d be fine with it. If your mom insisted on including me, then I’m super touched.”
He’s waving his hands, and I’m a bit confused. He wouldn’t have mentioned it if he didn’t want me to come, would he?
“I think she might think that, um, we’re dating or something,” Dario says, looking mortified. “Or thinking about dating. She got a bit overexcited. She’s just hopeful that…” He shakes his head and laughs nervously. “Nothing. She just wants me to be happy.”
“Of course,” I say, still not quite following. “And seeing you bring a date home for the holiday would make her think you’re happy?”
He blinks at me. “You’re straight, right?”
“Uh-huh,” I say. “But I’ve got loads of buddies who are LGBTQRS…you know, the whole alphabet.” I make him laugh again, not as nervous as before, and I’m glad. I’m not sure why he’s so tense. “Are your family nagging you to settle down?”
“No, nothing like that,” he says quickly, then nibbles on his lip. It’s so cute, but I’m worried he’s worried, and I want to fix that. “They just…” he continues, seeming unsure. “I wasn’t very happy in Phoenix. They want what’s best for me, and I think seeing me in a relationship would make them fret less. That’s why my mom pushed me to ask you, in case I was hiding a secret boyfriend or something.” He rolls his eyes, but his expression is fond. “Plus, she really does care that no one’s left alone when she and my tias will be cooking enough to feed a thousand. But you have plans with your own family, so?—”
“No, hold up,” I say, wagging my finger as my brain whirs. The dogs are still sniffing around us, so I can give myself a second to sort out what I’m thinking. “Do you want them to worry less about you?”
He studies me for a second before shrugging. “I mean, yeah, for sure. I don’t want them to love me any less!” he clarifies quickly. “It’s just…I want to show them—and myself—that I’m okay. To me, that’s proving my independence. But to them, I think they want to try and convince me that I’m a catch and deserve to have a nice boyfriend.”
Yet again, I’m not sure what happened in Phoenix that’s got his whole family so concerned, but that’s not really the issue right now. I can’t do anything about what happened before, but I can see a really obvious way to help in the present.
“So, like, what if you did rock up with a hot boyfriend that thought you were totally awesome?” I ask him.
He scoffs and rolls his eyes, like that’s a crazy idea. It makes me bristle because he’s my new amazing friend and I wish he could see himself like that. But I keep my mouth shut, wanting to hear his answer.
“I’m pretty sure they’d have a holiday on top of the holiday we were already celebrating.”
“Perfect!” I cry, jerking my thumbs toward my chest. “Then that’s me! I’m the hot boyfriend who thinks you’re awesome!”
Dario splutters and looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “W-what?”
“Think about it,” I continue excitedly. “We just bend the truth a little bit and say we met in class, which is true. Then we hung out loads, also true. But then we say we started dating, so it’s all new. I can go, tell your folks how cool and cute I think you are, and they’ll stop all that fretting and give you a bit of breathing room. Sound good?”
Now, I’m not the IT guy here. However, he’s looking at me in a way that makes me want to turn him off and on again. “But…you’re straight?” he says eventually.
“Pft,” I tell him with a grin. “I’d make a damn fine bisexual for a day, I’m sure.” He’s still looking shocked and maybe kind of anxious, though, so I quit playing around. “Hey, it’s just an idea. If it’s going to make you even more stressed, though, then just?—”
“No!” he cries, rubbing his hands against his hips and glancing away before meeting my eyes again. “I’m not stressed, I promise. Just a little taken aback. But also…really touched you’d even think about doing something so crazy.”
Relief floods through me. “Naw, I run into burning buildings for a living. That’s crazy. Pretending to be your honey for a hot minute’ll just be fun. Besides, how much pretending will we really need to do if we say we’ve only just started dating? Maybe hold hands? I’m cool with that if you are.”
Dario shakes his head. Even though he’s still smiling faintly, my heart drops a bit. But then he speaks. “I don’t deserve a friend like you, Lochlan, I swear.”
“Of course you do,” I say hotly. “It’s me who can’t believe someone as smart and cool as you likes hanging with a dipshit like me.”
He takes a deep breath and narrows his eyes at me. “How about from now on…neither of us are allowed to put ourselves down, and we both have to accept the other really enjoys being their friend.”
I bark out a laugh and raise my hand. “High five to that, my dude!” He lifts his arm kinda shyly, but I crack our palms together so loudly the dogs both come running and yapping.
When everyone calms down, Dario takes another big breath, looking like he’s considering everything we’ve said. “This might not actually be an insane idea,” he says, glancing at me as if he’s checking I’m going to tell him he’s wrong.
But he’s so right. “You bet your ass!” I cry. “You’ll make your family happy which will make them chill, so you get to chill, plus we get to spend the day together and I get to eat a shit ton of tasty food. It’s win-win-win!”
He looks like he’s got about one percent resistance left in him, but then he shakes his head and beams at me. “It’s only a little, tiny white lie, right? And a road trip sounds fun, even if it’s only a hour away.”
“I’ve driven farther for good steak,” I assure him. “Now! Let’s practice.”
He swallows. “Practice?” he repeats weakly.
I nod and stick my hand out, wiggling my fingers. “Come on, boyfriend. Let’s walk some more.”
For a moment, he looks at my hand as if he’s deciding whether or not it’s a bomb. But then, carefully, he slides his palm against mine.
A shiver runs up my spine. I guess it’s been a long time since I held anyone’s hand. It doesn’t matter that it’s a guy. It’s nice! I swing our arms between us.
“Easy-peasy,” I declare. “I’m a natural bisexual!”
He bites his lip and shakes his head, like I’m as much of a naughty puppy as Rocky. I’m okay with that, though.
“You certainly are something,” he murmurs, catching my eye as we carry on down the trail. I feel like I’m a hot air balloon, ready to lift off with all the excitement brewing in me.
This is going to be fun!