AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bowie looked up at Artair judgmentally, almost like he was saying don’t blame me for your sugar lust, buddy!
Luca shook his head. “What I’m hearing is that we finally freed the tower of the marshmallows, and now you want to infect the place with more?”
“Oh, come on! You didn’t do that as a kid? Sliding one onto a pole and watching as it got all hot and gooey?”
“Is this a sex thing?”
“No, no. This is the other sticky white goo that’ll be dripping down your chin.”
“Hey!” barked Sandy. “Can we please end these calls before I have to hear about dude parts! Don’t make me start talking about pussy.”
“Go ahead,” said Luca with a shrug. “I’ve been asking for over a month now.”
“No! Wait!” said Artair, desperately. “I’m sorry, Dunebug!”
“Nope! Too late, bucko!” said Sandy, clearing her throat. “So, the outer labia...”
On their fourteenth day together, Luca stared into the darkness.
Around the midnight tower, the patter of rain was joined by two set of snores. One was the higher-pitched purr of Bowie, faithfully asleep at the end of the bed. The other was Artair, draped across the double mattress, his free arm forming a cave that Luca had only recently left.
That restlessness was unusual for Luca. Usually, Artair drawing him in as little spoon sent him straight to sleep—warm and wanted.
But tonight, it played on his mind.
Because tonight, for the first time, he could actually hear their snores.
Because tonight, the rain was finally letting up.
According to Sandy, the storm was due to pass tomorrow. Then, it was a month of bright skies and hotter weather.
A month of proper summer.
Luca sipped his hot chocolate, holding the warm cup to his lips. Given how cold it was right now, it was crazy to think that it was all about to change.
That it was all about to end.
The two of them hadn’t spoken about where Artair would stay when the rain stopped. It was all just obvious—little clues pieced together from a hundred smaller conversations.
Artair wasn’t going to leave the woods until summer ended—not with Luca and Bowie here—but he wasn’t going to stay in the tower either. After all, it was barely big enough for one, let alone for two and a fox.
Instead, Artair would return to his former camp, with enough supplies to actually survive this time. And Luca would stay here, doing his job. Protecting the wilds. Thinking about what he’d do when the summer was over.
As the sweet warmth coated Luca’s tongue, he convinced himself that he wasn’t bothered about their upcoming separation. After all, this whole thing with Artair was just a temporary fling. A bit of fun.
Had it all been enjoyable? Sure. Artair was fun to have around. Fun to fuck. Fun to cuddle. Fun to talk to.
But Artair was a wanderer. Someone who shifted with the breeze. Someone who was comfortable forging their own path.
Besides, Luca had his own work to do when summer ended. He’d head back to Seattle and see what contacts he could scrounge up. He’d see where his old classmates had gotten to. See if they knew of any openings. See if there were any other opportunities out there that he’d missed.
Because, ultimately, it wouldn’t be Artair leaving him. It would be both of them leaving each other.
Because Luca just couldn’t run off to whatever place Artair might want to go next. Or to the place after that. Or to the place after that.
Because he wanted a stable job at a big newspaper.
A prestigious newspaper.
