As he leads me to the trailhead, we pass a few people who take note of Logan Lewis walking hand in hand with another guy, and I wince slightly, fighting the urge to hide.
“I haven’t done much sightseeing while I’ve lived here, to be honest.”
He smiles at me, unbothered by all the attention. “Oh, well, then I’ll have to show you all my favorite spots.”
I nod my acceptance as I watch him. The sun is starting to go down and the soft light shines through his curly hair, making him look almost ethereal.
“See something you like?” he asks slyly, and I let out another small laugh.
“Yeah. I do.”
He stumbles a little and my lips tilt up even more.
“Stop teasing.”
I tighten my hand in his and he squeezes it back.
“I have water,” he says as we make our way up the steep incline, and for the first time, I notice the bulge in his sweatshirt pocket. “Let me know if you need any.”
I nod and we continue our trek up the hill. Words don’t need to be spoken in this moment. Instead, I just feel him next to me, listening to his steady breathing as we crest the hill fifteen minutes later.
At the top, a few people are taking turns sitting on a wooden swing overlooking the valley below. The setting sun casts an orange and yellow hue around us, and the sky is turning a light pink.
It’s absolutely beautiful up here, and momentarily, all thoughts of my dad are forgotten.
“Want a turn on it?” Logan asks, his voice low in my ear.
“Okay,” I say, eyeing the swing in the distance.
As we approach a group of people our age, still holding hands, I squirm but don’t let go. I know people are going to recognize him, it’s going to happen whether I like it or not.
“Hey, man!” A tall guy with a shaved head is grinning and moving toward us.
I expect Logan to pull away from me, but I only feel his hand grip tighter. He throws his arm around the guy and then nods toward me.
“Hey, Xander, what’s up?” Logan asks.
“Not much. Just brought Chloe up here to see the view. You?” he asks, eyeing our interlocked hands for a second.
“Ah, yeah, us too. This is Theo,” Logan says. “We came up to take a turn on the swing.”
Xander bobs his head and nods at me. “Cool, nice to meet you, man.”
I swallow, feeling the urge to disappear, but Logan won’t let me go, and I have the feeling he’d wrench my hood off if I tried to pull it over my head.
“Hi.”
It’s all I can manage. I’m feeling much too fragile for anything more.
“We met the other day. You were at a game of ours, right?” Xander asks, his head tilted in contemplation.
“Yeah. He’s the one tutoring me in chem,” Logan offers up.
“Ah, that’s right. Cool, man, cool. Well, better get in line for the swing. It’s going to rain soon, and you don’t want to get caught in that.”
“Rain doesn’t bother me,” Logan replies.
“Right, yeah. You’re a motherfucking shark,” Xander jokes and then gives us the peace sign before jogging back toward the girl waiting for him.