Cowboy Summer - 12. Seven Days Straight

What do you mean it’s his birthday soon?” Caleb looked across the empty dinner table at his mother. It was hot in the middle of the afternoon, and all the guests who were still on the ranch were napping in their rooms or out on the wide porch, reading, snoozing and generally chilling in the heat. Sam was doing maintenance on a fence with his shirt off, and Caleb really wanted to leave his paperwork and go join his lover and roll around in the grass, sweaty and shirtless. But when he’d taken over the yard at Iron Hill Lake as an actual business, he’d had to learn how to do the books as well. There was no use being a great cowboy if you couldn’t keep the figures right in your own accounts.

“I was looking at his application file the other day when you boys were out at rodeo,” Moreta sorted and shuffled her computer print outs, people applying for places for next summer, guests wanting winter breaks, “And I saw his date of birth. He’ll be eighteen on Friday.”

“Today’s Tuesday ma…” Caleb counted in his head, “He’ll be eighteen the day before the County Fair. He can compete in the rodeo. He’ll be old enough!”

“By a day. Cay, sweetie, is that wise?”

“Ma, you didn’t see him,” Caleb watched the memory of Rhyder and Shura racing away from him in the ring and cutting out the cow like he’d been doing it for years, “He was great. He can hold his own in the ring with the big fella’s ma. You’ll see.”

Moreta smiled at her son. It was good to see him using his considerable skill base to teach another; and Rhydian had gone from strength to strength, coming out of his little shell, no longer shy, but more open and happier every day.

“Where is he anyway?”

Caleb grinned. He and Rhydian had spent the morning herding and sorting the goats for the new pasture in between driving lessons. The boy was getting to be a dab hand with the stick shift, and had improved well enough Caleb had been confident to let him drive the six miles on quiet back country roads and go into town.

“Ma, where do you think he is?” Caleb put his chin in his hands and stared out of the window, Sam was standing in the hot sun looking at him in a way that made his head spin. The accounts could wait, “Boy has spent the last seven straight days with his new friend.”

*

Rhydian pushed the clutch pedal all the way to the floor while pressing on the brake, and brought the truck to a stop exactly in the parking space. He yanked up the handbrake, and then moved his feet. The pick-up lurched forwards as the engine stalled. Rhydian grunted to himself, took the truck out of gear and took the key from the ignition. He looked through the windshield to see Bryce with a hand over his mouth, sniggering at him. Rhydian jumped down from the cab and slammed the door behind him.

“You think I’m funny do you?” He stuffed the keys in his jeans pocket with a little smile he couldn’t help. Bryce pushed himself off the brick wall he’d been leaning against and slipped his arms around Rhyder’s waist. Rhydian felt his heart thud in a fabulous and familiar way, and stole the briefest of kisses from the fractionally shorter boy.

“Yeah, you’re a little bit funny,” Bryce reached up and stole his hat, the same ball cap Sam had lent him, “But your parking is way better.” Bryce hugged him just a little bit harder and Rhydian found his chin on the other boy’s shoulder, “It’s nice Sam let you drive yourself over.”

“You have to drive if we’re going anywhere else though,” Rhydian shrugged, “A UK provisional license so does not cover me driving that thing on the roads.”

“It’s alright Rhyder,” Bryce had his hand now, pulling him towards town, “I won’t let the cops take you away. Let’s go get sodas. It’s hot.”

Rhydian knew he wouldn’t be able to tell Bryce ‘no’ if his life depended on it, not anymore.

The first day after the starter’s rodeo Rhydian had spent twenty minutes begging Sam to drive him into town before he’d realised the Texan was just playing with him. Sam had made him drive, even though he was nervous, and Rhydian had been deeply glad Moreta had given up asking him for his laundry and just washed his clothes for him. Bryce had been waiting behind the counter in the saddlery store, but Rhydian hadn’t had a chance to look around much, because the other boy had smiled sweetly before they’d gone for a walk.

They’d chatted about rodeo, about the horses and events, and Rhydian had found himself interested in everything Bryce had to tell him about living in Northern California. He also found himself interested in every single movement Bryce made: the curve of his lips, the shapes his hands made, the way his eyes shone when he smiled. They’d bought ice cream and sat on a bench looking out over the park. Rhydian had found Bryce’s hand next to his own, and had been surprised by the jumping of his heart. The boys had shared the softest, sweetest kiss, and Rhydian had left Bryce feeling completely high.

The following day they’d hung around the shop in the afternoon when it was quiet. Rhydian had tried on half a dozen hats and then a few shirts Bryce found in a back room. They’d kissed at every opportunity, quick and hurried; long, slow and smooth; pecks on cheeks and hot and heavily until Bryce’s older sister had arrived to relieve him off his shift. Caleb had come to pick him up to find Rhydian and Bryce locked around each other with their hands in each other’s clothes, shirt’s open at the front, both looking a little out focus. Rhydian didn’t think he’d ever gotten himself off quicker when he’d finally been alone in his room.

Seven days of seeing Bryce, of riding, rodeo lessons, hacking out, driving lessons, kissing, and making out in the park, in the truck, under the stars. Bryce had come out to Iron Hill Lake with his horse, Indi, a beautiful blue-dun creature with dark feet and head, and together they’d ridden out into the hills, raced along the paths to the lake and splashed about like children. Sometimes they just sat and talked, or lay out on the grass staring at the sky in near silence.

Rhydian found out everything there was to know about Bryce. His family lived on a property that bordered the Spanish Creek River and his mother bred quarter horses. His father owned and ran the saddlery shop. Bryce was seventeen too, but he still had another year of high school left. He was going to do something with ranch work and horses when he finished, but he wasn’t sure what. His sister Julie-Ann was twenty, and as completely uninterested in horses and rodeo as it was possible to be. Bryce liked bacon and pancakes with maple syrup, and they made plans to meet at Bee’s and have breakfast as soon as they could. The boy was happy, sweet, and only a little shy. Rhydian got the feeling the rest of the time Bryce was loud and fun and confidant. They raced each other in the sand school, and Bryce taught him how to tie up a goat like he would for a cow in calf roping. Bryce liked school, but preferred being outside, loved to read, liked music but was awful at playing guitar, hated science classes but wondered about how scientists knew the things they knew. After three days Rhydian had no idea how he had never had the other boy in his life before. He slotted into place just as easily as if there had been a five foot nine Bryce-shaped cut-out in his world.

They lay in the bluffs by the river listening to the crickets, and Rhydian told him everything. He told him about coming to the States, about his parents move, and his sister’s abandonment of him in the middle of nowhere with nothing but new cowboy boots. He told Bryce about Shura, about feeling with the horse things he’d never known. He admitted having had a massive crush on Sam, which Bryce laughed off as being inevitable. He’d said he and Jase were ‘just friends now’ and Bryce hadn’t asked any other questions, just kissed him softly as they lay in the grass and played with the texture of Rhydian’s short hair. Rhydian had been happy when the mark Jase had left on his neck faded. Rhyder admitted to having no idea what he was going to do with his life. His parents and sister had made him apply for universities, and he’d gotten into a couple of good ones. Courses in English, philosophy, politics. Nothing he actually cared about.

It occurred to Rhydian that until riding Shura had taken over his life, had hadn’t actually been outstanding at anything. He knew he was the sort of person who really didn’t need to go to university. But he was from an upper middle class family, and it was what you did. Bryce had hugged him hard and placed his head in the crook of his shoulder and told him he would find out what he was supposed to do. The boy had sounded so sure Rhydian had simply stared at the top of his head before inhaling the scent of him, all clean and fresh, yet somehow dusty and warm.

They touched constantly, talked about everything and nothing, traded jokes and bits of television and film they both liked back and forth. When they’d gone to Bee’s, Bryce had eaten off his plate, fed him with his fork, and Rhydian had loved every second of it. It was amazing how close they could get in just seven days. Neither of them had mentioned sex, at least not explicitly, but every time they kissed there was more and more heat in it. Rhydian knew they were both building up for the moment when neither of them would have any self-control left at all. The only other thing neither of them mentioned was the relationship itself. Rhydian was dying to call Bryce his boyfriend, but they both talked about the future like it was some far off concept, as though Rhydian wasn’t going to be leaving in an increasingly short number of days.

It was a blisteringly hot Tuesday in the middle of August, and the two young men walked as far as the diner before stopping to get frozen-cold bottles of soda and experience the air conditioning. They sat at a little booth and drank from the glass bottles. Rhydian drew little love hearts and horse shoes in the condensation from his bottle.

“It’s the third time I’ve seen you in this t-shirt.” Bryce smiled over the neck of his soda bottle, his lips forming a damp pink ‘o’ as he drank, “Did you not pack much?”

“I didn’t really think about it,” Rhydian picked at the hem of the blue shirt from the farrier’s, the same one he’d worn to Jase’s bonfire, “It was the only thing I had that wasn’t covered in dust and dapple grey hairs. Sorry.”

Bryce’s hand came to cover his own instantly, his smile was soft and all-forgiving.

“Don’t apologise. I’d lend you something of mine, but you’d look silly.” Bryce bit his lower lip and Rhydian wondered if he realised it drove him mad whenever he did it, “You’re shoulders are a lot broader than mine.” Bryce’s green eyes flashed hot, “It’s nice. You’re way stronger than you think you are.”

Rhydian shrugged and sipped his soda. He loved it when Bryce complimented him, but it still made him blush and get hot under the belt every time.

“I’m not really big into shopping.”

“Didn’t you say it was your birthday soon?” Bryce was looking at him over the laminate table with one raised eyebrow.

“Friday…” Rhydian was instantly suspicious, “You don’t have to buy me thin-”

Bryce stopped him with a finger against Rhydian’s lips.

“Shush. Come on, you. It’s too hot to ride. Let’s go cruise by the river. You don’t need a license to drive on dirt roads babe.”

Bryce drove them out to the creek, but he happily switched places with Rhyder as soon as they got off the roads. Switching places meant climbing over Rhydian’s lap, straddling him, and kissing him until they were both dizzy and breathless. Rhydian could see it was only a matter of time until the last distance closed between them. He delighted in running his fingers up Bryce’s ribs, loving the feel of bone and skin and developing muscle under his hands. Bryce wriggled in his lap and Rhydian had been surprised to find he wanted that too. Sex the way he’d done it with Jase had been amazing, but Rhydian was coming to the realisation he really wanted to try being in the other position too.

Rhyder drove on the dirt tracks around the fields and scrubland that bordered the creek. Sometimes they idled slowly, both singing along to songs on the radio with varying degrees of accomplishment. Sometimes Rhydian gunned the engine and he and Bryce were both hanging onto the pick-up, laughing and screaming and shouting over the noise of the engine and the wind. Bryce’s fingers wrapped around his arm hard enough to leave bruises, and Rhydian didn’t care. They ended up in the back of the pick-up, facing the creek on a quiet little bend in the middle of nowhere.

Either Sam or Caleb, or the both of them scheming together, had put a thin mattress, blankets and a cooler in the back of the pick-up. The boys lay watching the water roll lazily by and ate apples, drank soda and fed each other crisps. Rhydian spent a long time explaining that in England, chips were what came with burgers and ketchup. Bryce thought he was strange and tickled him, explaining he would “re-educate” Rhyder if he stuck around long enough.

They were silent for a bit after that. An otter floated past, tapping a shell on its soft belly with a rock to extract whatever hapless creature lived there and they both watched it until the sleek brown creature was out of sight.

“Bryce?”

“Babe?” Bryce was lying pillowed in his shoulder, his apparent favourite place, one hand drawing patterns over Rhydian’s abdomen, his shirt skewed out of the way.

“What are we doing here?”

Bryce did not answer with some banal statement about cuddling or watching the river, because he understood what the question meant. In eight days, Rhydian would be gone.

“Rhyder…” Bryce began, but Rhydian was already speaking.

“I know I’m not here for very long. And,” He gulped, resisting the urge to burst into tears, “I don’t wanna go back. I like you. I don’t want this to be something we both just forget about.”

Bryce sat up, and swung his leg so he was straddling Rhydian hips again. He placed one hand over the other boy’s chest.

“Rhyder,” He said seriously, “I could never ‘just forget’ about you. I don’t think anyone knows me as well as you do.”

“Really?” Rhydian held the hand on his chest.

“Yeah,” Bryce bent low, and spoke between kisses, “I like you too.” Another really long kiss, “I don’t know what we’re going to do when you have to go back either.” The next kiss made Rhydian’s head go fuzzy and his crotch hard. Bryce wriggled in his lap, just a little bit, “But for now, I’m gonna call you my boyfriend, if you’re alright with it.”

Rhydian answered Bryce by rolling the boy over in the flat bed of the truck and kissing him from lips to neck to navel and back again.

“I like that.”

“Oh goody.”

So for the rest of the afternoon, they made out in the back of the pick-up, and didn’t think about the future.