by L. A. Witt
“I won’t get bored. I just like being here.” I touched his face. “With you.”
Connor held my gaze. “Me too.”
I started to pull him closer, but he resisted. Didn’t pull away completely, just didn’t let himself be drawn all the way in.
“What’s wrong?”
He swallowed. “This is… You’re okay with this?” He swept his tongue across his lips. “In public?”
“Yes.” I ran my thumb along his cheekbone. “I don’t care who knows.”
Connor relaxed as he said, “Neither do I.”
I wrapped my arms around him and didn’t care if anyone saw us. His kiss was so gentle and perfect I didn’t care about anything except tasting it. Tasting him. So what if I got a hard-on? I was lucky I didn’t get one just being next to him, so there was no point in denying myself a long, amazing kiss.
He pulled back enough to meet my eyes but then glanced to the side and did a double take. “Wow.”
“Hmm?” I followed his gaze, and…yeah. Wow.
The sun was inching into the water, and the sky had turned red, orange and purple. From up here, the view was incredible, just like it had been at Cape Hedo. We watched in silence, still holding on to each other.
When the sun had set, I met his eyes again. The warm wind had ruffled his hair a little, and I brushed a few stray strands out of his face. “Guess we should get back to the cars while we still have enough light.”
“Yeah. Except I don’t really want to leave.”
“Neither do I, but…” I released him. “We’ll just have to come back up. Isn’t like it’s going anywhere.”
Connor slipped his hand into mine. “Let’s go.”
We exchanged smiles, and then, hand in hand, we slowly made our way back toward the parking lot in the fading daylight. As the cars came into view, Connor looked at his watch and sighed. “By the time we get back, I’ll have to head home, or my dad will ask questions. Which means we can’t…”
“Connor.” I skimmed his jaw with the backs of my fingers. “If I was worried about that, we’d have left a long time ago.”
He searched my eyes for a moment but then relaxed. “We should do this again soon.”
“Absolutely. The sooner the better.”
We continued toward our cars. In the back of my mind, I was disappointed that we were going our separate ways instead of finding a flat surface and some condoms, but I could be patient. Of course I wanted him, and there was no way I’d get any sleep until I’d jerked off at least once, but I couldn’t even bring myself to feel too badly about the fact that I wouldn’t have him tonight. Because I’d see him tomorrow. And the next day. And if we both played our cards right, maybe the day after that.
I barely knew him, but he did something to me that no other man had. I couldn’t even put my finger on what that was. All I knew was my world had been off its axis since the moment I’d laid eyes on him at Hiji Falls.
And I didn’t want it back on that axis any time soon.
Chapter Twelve
Connor
I dropped Aiden off at his car, and after a long, long kiss—one that almost convinced me to say the hell with it, let’s go back to your apartment—headed home.
I was… I didn’t even know how I felt. Turned on? Giddy? Frustrated that we were going our separate ways for the night? Stupidly excited that I was going to see him tomorrow? Fuck. I was all over the place. And I could barely remember a thing about Nakijin. From this trip, anyway. I’d been up there a few times on my own, so I had a solid mental picture of everything, but tonight all I could remember was Aiden.
This was crazy. We’d been dating, what, three weeks now? And even after that shit with my father, he kept coming back for more. And I wanted more. How much more? Hell if I knew. I just knew I didn’t want this to stop.
~*~
We kept seeing each other, which meant coming up with creative excuses for being out of the house. Fortunately, I was rarely home anyway, so even though my dad still gave me The Look sometimes when I left, he and my stepmother didn’t seem to suspect a thing.
A week or so after we visited Nakijin, Aiden met me at the library after work.
“I haven’t eaten all day,” he said. “Do you mind if we stop for something to eat?”
“Not at all. I’m pretty hungry myself.” I did a quick rundown of the places I knew in this area. “You like curry?”
“Like Indian food?”
“Well, kind of. But this is Japanese curry.”
He glanced at me. “What’s the difference?”
My jaw dropped. “You’ve never had Japanese curry? Seriously?”
“It’s not all that common in Nevada or Maryland, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“But you’ve been on the island for a few weeks.”
I sighed dramatically. “I know. I’ve failed at being an American on Okinawa.”
“You totally have.” He pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a fast-food joint, though most of the signage was in Japanese. I didn’t even know what most of it said—I could speak a little Japanese, but hell if I could read more than five or six Kanji characters. All I knew was this place had awesome food.
On the way in, Aiden said, “So this is Japanese curry? How is it different from Indian curry?”
“The spice is a bit milder,” I said. “And the flavor’s stronger. I like it better, personally. Indian food’s okay, but this stuff is amazing.” I took in a deep breath as we stepped through the front door. “It even smells amazing.”
Aiden sniffed the air. “You’re right, it does. Hell yeah, I’ll try it.”
A waitress seated us and took our drink orders.
The menus were pretty straightforward. Most of the curry dishes had some sort of meat or vegetable over rice with curry on top.
Aiden looked at me over his menu. “So what do you recommend for the heat level?”
“I’d order a two or a three tops.”
“Two or three?” He snorted. “I can handle more—”
“Trust me.”
He arched his recently healed eyebrow but then shrugged. When the waitress returned, he ordered first.
“I’ll take the chicken curry.” He gestured at the menu.
“And the spice?” she asked.
Aiden glanced at me, then looked up at her again. “Two.”
“Two.” She looked at me. “And you?”
“Same thing,” I said. “But make the spice a one.”
She nodded, then read off the order, making sure everything was correct before she headed back to the kitchen.
“Only one?” Aiden grinned as the waitress walked away. “And you’re telling me I should rein it back to two or three?”
I shrugged. “I can handle more. I just like to taste my food.”
“Fair enough. I like it hot, but I do like to taste it too.”
“So you’re not one of those guys who tries to show off by eating hot stuff?”
Aiden laughed. “No, not me. I got that out of my system at the Academy. When you start drinking Tabasco and Sriracha sauces just to prove you’ve got the balls to do it…” He wrinkled his nose and shook his head.
My mouth fell open. “You drank that stuff?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What is it with Navy guys and hot shit?”
“Hey!” He glared at me but couldn’t hide a smirk. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means every time I hear about stupid people and hot food, there’s some Navy guy involved.”
Aiden snorted. “For some reason, that really doesn’t surprise me. Us or the Marines, anyway.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, well, one time the rear admiral was here, and someone had told him the curry was awesome. So my dad and some of the other guys brought him here.” I laughed and shook my head. “Fucker thought he could handle a ten.”
“I’m guessing that didn’t work out so well?”
“Oh my God, no.” I couldn’t help s
nickering at the memory of my dad telling this story. “They won’t let you order above a five until you’ve proven you can handle a five, but someone ordered a ten for him.”
Aiden’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“According to my dad? The guy finished it, but he was sniffling like a baby the entire time.”
“But he finished it anyway?”
“Of course he did.” I rolled my eyes. “You don’t just puss out in front of your underlings.”
Aiden laughed. “Wow, I would have paid to see that.”
“Me too. My dad told me about it, but I wasn’t there.”
“Too funny,” he said.
Our food showed up a moment later—this place was lightning fast—and we in silence for a couple of minutes. As he turned his head to glance at something, the scar on his eyebrow caught my eye. The stitches had come out a while ago, and now there was just a jagged pink line cutting through his eyebrow. It wasn’t super obvious, but it was definitely visible.
Picking at my curry, I said, “I’m curious about something. And you, uh, you don’t have to answer.”
Aiden arched his unscarred eyebrow. “Go ahead.”
“I was on your Facebook profile last night, and I noticed you had pictures of…” I gestured at my own eyebrow.
Immediately, his face colored, and he broke eye contact. “Right.”
“You said that happened up at Hiji Falls.” I hesitated, not wanting to pry. “But you had stitches when I met you, and that was the first time you’d been up there.”
Aiden swallowed. “It’s, uh, it’s kind of a long story.” He met my eyes, and I swore his begged me not to press the issue, no matter how insanely curious I was.
So I just shrugged. “Okay. I was just wondering.”
He smiled, and his whole body seemed more relaxed now, like he really thought I’d push for an answer. Then he cleared his throat. “So, uh, I know I just completely evaded your question, but I’m curious about something too.”
Well, at least it was a subject change. “Shoot.”
“Why haven’t you dated anyone before?”
So much for the topic being less awkward than the cut over his eyebrow. I lowered my gaze, wishing I could blame the warmth in my face on the heat of the day. “I…”
“You don’t have to answer.” He reached across the table and touched my arm. “I didn’t answer your question. You sure don’t have to answer mine.”
I met his eyes. “Honestly? It’s really hard to find a guy when you’re the general’s kid.”
Aiden grimaced. “Oh. Yeah. I can imagine.”
“Even when I was in high school, guys were weird about it. They always say the senior officers’ kids are untouchable if you know what’s good for you.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s tough, you know? Everyone knows who my dad is. That’s why I wasn’t exactly forthcoming about him when I met you.”
“I never even thought about that.”
I dragged a forkful of rice through the curry sauce, saturating it as much as I could. “I’ve never been able to get away from it. I was in DOD schools my entire life from middle school on. And here, I’m pretty isolated.”
Aiden whistled. “Wow, yeah. I guess that would make it difficult.” He paused. “I’m surprised you don’t hang out with the locals.”
“My Japanese isn’t that good.” I laughed. “If I’d known I was staying here past high school, I’d have learned a bit more.”
“So you’re stuck here. With your dad.”
“Yep. I was seriously looking forward to getting out on my own after graduation, but…” I shook my head. “Just wasn’t in the cards. Not until I finish my degree.”
“That’s gotta be rough.” Aiden watched me for a moment. “Out of curiosity, how does your dad feel? About you being gay. Not being with me.”
I took a bite of curry-covered rice and washed it down with my soda. “Dad’s been great about it. He just doesn’t like me dating military guys. And, well, there aren’t a lot of Americans on this island anyway, let alone civilians. I don’t speak enough Japanese to connect very well with one of the local nationals.” I shook my head. “So, the pickings have been a little slim, you know?”
“Believe me, I get it.” He rested his arm on the edge of the table. “Your dad’s cool with it, though? He’s not homophobic?”
“Not at all. You should’ve heard him when people were fighting to keep DADT in place. I think he almost punched out an admiral over it.”
Aiden laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Well, that’s good. Your parents are supportive, so—”
“My dad is supportive,” I said. “Not my parents.”
“Oh really?”
I nodded. “I came out when I was in junior high. While I was still living with my mom in San Diego.”
“And that…didn’t go well?”
“No. She lost her fucking mind. I was scared to death about what my dad would do, but I guess I thought my mom would be okay with it. I mean, I waited until she was sober to tell her. She’s usually sane before she hits the bottle.”
“But she wasn’t that time?”
I whistled. “No. Not at all. Flipped out completely.” My mind went back to that day, and I couldn’t help shuddering. “You would’ve thought I’d just told her I had bodies hidden in my closet, not that I was coming out of it, you know? And then when she tried to put me into straight camp, I—”
“Straight camp?” Aiden almost choked. “Sorry, sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but…straight camp? Seriously?”
I nodded. “And it was one of the ones that got shut down a couple of years ago for beating kids too.” I shuddered again, this time at the memory of how close I’d come to setting foot in that awful place.
Aiden stared at me. “My God. Did you go?”
“No. I got in touch with my dad and told him everything. He told me go to my grandma’s house, and three days later, he was there to get me.”
“Wow. Did your mom fight him?”
“She tried, but Dad threatened to have her hemmed up for child abuse and let her commanding officer know she’d started drinking again.”
Aiden blinked. “Holy shit.”
“Needless to say, she let it go. She still tries to persuade me to come home and live with her, but…” I shook my head.
“Good call,” he said quietly.
“So anyway, I’ve been here since then, and once I got out of high school, all that was left were guys stationed here.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Just try finding one who’ll admit he’s gay.”
Aiden grimaced. “I can relate, believe me.”
“And even if he does, the second he finds out who my dad is…”
A little bit of color bloomed in Aiden’s cheeks. “I know that feeling.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you were worth it.” He winked, which did all kinds of crazy shit to my heart rate.
I cleared my throat. “So what about you? Being gay in the military and all?”
“Not as bad as it used to be since DADT was lifted, but it’s still a political issue. I haven’t been out in the Fleet long enough to really have a feel for that, but at the Academy, it was tricky to figure out who was gay and would keep his mouth shut. At least I could leave the base and hook up with civilians, though.”
“Must be nice,” I muttered. “Damn, I guess I should’ve unloaded my virginity while I was in high school.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because fumbling through it with some other teenager beats the hell out of being twenty and still a virgin on an island where I can’t sleep with anyone my age who speaks my language.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
Which part? Because you speak my language…
I gulped, wondering when they’d turned off the AC in this place. “Yeah?”
“Yep. Listen, you’re obviously in a tough s
pot. I think you can be forgiven for being cautious about things and not hooking up with anyone till now.” Aiden smiled. “And if it means you never have to fumble through it with some other teenager…” He let his grimace finish the thought. “Just call it a bonus. Trust me.”
“Speaking from experience?”
Aiden nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“Maybe I did dodge a bullet, then.”
“You have no idea.”
“I guess not.” I chased a grain of rice through the curry still on my plate. “So what about your family? Do they know you’re gay?”
Aiden nodded. “They figured it out before I did, actually.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. And they were fine with it, except my dad was absolutely scared shitless I was going to get beaten up at school.” Aiden sipped his soda. “So he enrolled me in every martial arts and self-defense course he could find. Which turned out to be a good thing, I guess.”
I sat up straighter. “Ooh, you’re into martial arts?”
“Yep. It came in handy when some guys tried to jerk me around, and I enjoyed it a lot.” Something in his expression faltered a little, his gaze dropping. “I’m a bit out of practice. I’ve got two black belts and won a whole bunch of shit when I was in high school, but…” He shook his head. “It kind of fell by the wayside while I was at the Academy. I’m hoping to pick it up again, though.” With a forced smile, he added, “You never know when something like that might come in handy.”
An awkward silence set in, so I said, “Well, there are places on base and out in town. This is Okinawa, after all.”
“Might have to check it out. You ever thought about doing it?”
“I have, but…” I shrugged. “Never quite got around to it.”
“You should try it.” He smiled a bit more genuinely. “It’s fun.”
“Well, if you like getting thrown around by other men, right?”
“Yeah.” He winked. “And who doesn’t like that?”
I just shivered.
“So.” He pushed his plate away and took a drink. “We’ve got all evening. Where to?”
“Well…” I checked my watch. We still had tons of daylight left. “We could go check out the lighthouse at Cape Zanpa. It’s not far from here, and it’s as good a place as any to walk off all this food.”