“Grab the duffle. I’ll get the sleeping bags and camping supplies.”
They carried everything inside.
Luca stopped just past the threshold.
“What’s wrong?” Nox put down the stuff he carried.
Luca smiled and shook his head.
“What?”
“It’s dark, and I don’t want to trip over anything.”
And unlike Nox, Luca couldn’t see without light. “Hang on, I’ve got a lantern.” He turned it on.
The glow cast the room in a shade of pale green. Luca took the lantern. “Thanks.”
Except for dust, the inside of the cabin was clean. Luca walked into the small bathroom in the back and jiggled the handle on the toilet. “No water.”
“Turn the spigot underneath, in the back.”
Luca did. The hollow trickle of water hissed into the reservoir.
“Where do you think the valve is for the shower?” Luca held up the lantern. The pale-colored tiles reflected commas of light.
“Probably under the floor.” There was a metal box hanging in the small kitchen area.
Luca came out of the bathroom. “What’s that?”
“Breaker box.” Nox opened it. All the breakers were turned on except the main. He flipped it, and the hum of electricity joined the vibrations of nature.
“Not sure what good that’s going to do.” Luca pointed to the ceiling. Two empty light sockets jutted from the fixture in the middle. “No bulbs.”
“Less worried about lights and more worried about hot water.”
“Are you suggesting I’ll need another shower?”
The rest area they’d stopped at didn’t have showers set separated from the main building where people went in and out for snacks, drinks, and use of the facilities.
There’d only been one stall at the end of the line of bathroom stalls. Nox had to wait outside to keep himself from climbing in with Luca and fucking him against the wall.
Nox cleared his throat. “I’ll check after you get settled.” He rolled out one sleeping bag and unzipped the other to use as a top cover. “Here, get some rest.”
Luca set the lantern down by the sleeping bag and stepped in front of Nox, raising a hand, only to hesitate before laying it against Nox’s chest.
The heat radiating from Luca’s skin pulled at Nox, and he shivered.
“Will you….” Luca swallowed several times. “Will you stay with me?” Luca’s touch ghosted Nox’s chest, and even through his shirt, his flesh burned where ever Luca made contact.
“I know you can stay awake for days and don’t have to sleep, and that’s okay. I—”
“I can stay awake, but I don’t always want to.”
Luca brought his gaze up. “I don’t want to sleep either.” While watching Nox, he pulled off his shirt.
Luca undid the tie of his sweatpants.
Saliva filled Nox’s mouth, and his teeth sharpened.