16
EZRA
I didn't complain about the cold because Sam would just make fun of me, but holy fuck it was a relief to step into that tent.
It was a square about fifteen feet to a side, and it radiated warmth like someone had copied-and-pasted a block of the Florida wetlands inside. Crates of equipment were stacked around the exterior with half a dozen laptops open and resting on top, and a folding table full of schematics occupied the middle of the room.
"About time!" The man, Sam's boss, had a head that looked like someone had scribbled sharpie around the sides of a hen's egg, but only the sides. His body was just as round, and his bushy eyebrows rose sharply above rectangular glasses when he saw me. "Umm, Sam..."
"Thomas, meet Ezra. She's an intern up from Boulder to work on the contract." I shook his hand.
Thomas frowned and said, "I don't recall being notified of any interns, at least not until the JPL contract in--"
"Ezra, this is the man I was telling you about," Sam cut in, giving me a conspiratorial wink.
"Ohh!" I said. "You're Thomas Parker! You're a legend down at... the college."
Thomas's surprise quickly changed to pleased smugness. "Ahh, well, I get that a lot. I'm just happy to have left a legacy down there. Tell me, is Professor Jameson still kicking around?"
"Umm," I said. "Yes! Professor Jameson, with the... sweater vests? He's still there alright."
It must have been the right thing to say, because Thomas nodded to himself. "Old fart will never leave academia. You know, the last time I was there..."
Sam cleared his throat. "Sorry again for being late, but we had some trouble with my flight. We brought up a load of the equipment you requested, and the rest is in the van down by the road."
"Splendid." He pushed his glasses farther up on his nose. "We can retrieve them in the morning."
"How'd you get all this up here by yourself?" I blurted, looking around.
They both turned toward me.
"The setup crew assisted in unloading my van," he said. "But they're merely grunts. Not qualified technicians like us." He paused to look me up and down, and I could see him doing the mental math. Wondering if I was up to snuff.
"Thomas," Sam cut in, "I'm surprised you got one of the arrays up already."
He gave a start. "What do you mean?"
"Uhh. The array." Sam pointed at one corner of the tent. "It looks fully functional."
"That's because it was fully functional," Thomas snapped. "This contract is an expansion of the dish already here. Didn't you read the paper I sent, or did you spend your entire vacation basking in the sun?"
Damn, dude. I decided I could never work with someone who was such a dick to the people under him, but Sam handled it smoothly.
"It was a long day of flights. I'm just happy to be here to help." He slapped Thomas on the arm.
"Yes. Well. You two can pitch your tents and we'll get a fresh start in the morning. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ezra."
He handed us each a duffel bag.
It took all of my willpower to return to the frigid cold of the mountain, and instantly I felt the ice seeping back into my bones. I followed Sam around the corner, on the opposite side of the tent from Thomas's.
"Should be less wind on this side," he said, dropping his duffel bag and pulling out a canvas cylinder. "I'll help you get your tent set up first."
Your tent. I'd be sleeping alone. I didn't like this plan already. But Sam's gaze lingered on me extra long, adding emphasis to his words, so I didn't say anything.
The tent was up in less than five minutes: the canvas base laid flat, then the poles extended and bent into the holes of the base to form the frame. Sam hammered stakes into the ground to keep it in place, then pulled the base up to connect to the frame. A final, thicker layer went over the outside to shield from the wind.
"There's a heater in your duffel bag," Sam explained over the sound of the wind. "But when you set it up, make sure it doesn't touch the wall of the tent or it'll melt the plastic. Learned that the hard way."
He grinned, but I didn't smile with him.
Getting out of the wind was half the battle; once I'd crawled into my tent and zipped the door back up I felt marginally better. The heater was the size of a small purse, and I looked around for a place to plug the cord when the zipper opened.
"You'll need this," Sam said, tossing in the end of an extension cord.
"There's only one outlet," I observed. "Where will I plug in my curling iron?"
The most beautiful smile split Sam's face, cheeks brightening behind his mask. He looked both ways like he was going to tell an offensive joke, leaned in for a quick kiss, and then said, "Goodnight, Ezra."
And then he was gone.
The heater made no noise; I plugged it in and looked for a power button or a knob to control the heat, but it possessed neither. But then I saw the orange glow of filaments inside, just like a toaster, and the heat radiated off of it like pure heaven itself.
Or pure hell. Honestly, hell sounded awfully appealing.
The sleeping bag was a puffy cocoon of plastic, and once inside I stared up at the roof of my tent in thought. The wind howling and pummeling my tent emphasized where we were: at the top of a mountain, with the world spread out below us. I could imagine the views on either side of my tent: dangerous slopes falling away into open air, a vacuum that would suck me over the edge if I weren't careful. It was like the opposite of claustrophobia, which I knew had a name but I couldn't remember. I felt uncomfortable up here, alone.
I made it about five minutes before leaving.
Sam flinched when I unzipped the flap to his tent and crawled inside. He waited until I'd closed it behind me before hissing, "What are you doing?"
"What's it look like, Einstein? It is way too cold for me to sleep alone."
Sam cocked his ear, listening to the wind. "If Thomas thinks I'm fucking an intern..."
"Technically you are fucking an intern," I grinned.
"Except technically, you're not an intern," he countered. "And anything that might tip off my boss to that fact should be avoided."
The fabric of our pants swished together as I crawled into his sleeping bag and snuggled against his body. "If you're not careful I'm gunna go find another bird boy to fuck."
Whether it was the joke, or the subtle reminder of the weird secret we shared, Sam finally sighed. "Sorry, but I think I'm the only available gryphon boyfriend." He poked me in the ribs. "And right now I don't think my junk could handle doing it a fourth time today."
"Oh?" I rubbed my leg up against his crotch, which was warm and inviting. But then I stopped and said, "I've never really had a boyfriend before."
I felt Sam blink. "Really?"
It was the truth: I'd never had a boyfriend before. At least not a serious one. I'd dated men, attaching myself to drug dealers and auto chop-shoppers for as long as I needed to, but it was never more than a convenience. Some physical gratification while I used them for whatever I needed.
Sam was... different.
"Never a serious one," I said automatically.
"You think this is serious?"
My eyes shot wide open and I stared at the wall of the tent. I'd just called him my boyfriend, and a serious one at that. This dude I'd known for less than a day. My mind raced. Goddamnit, Ezra. I've learned not to allow myself to be this vulnerable. Too many times I've seen what happens when I get close to people, when I show them too much of myself and give them a chance to disappoint--
But Sam chuckled, which made our mutual bodies shake. "I thought it was just me."
"Yeah?"
"It's like I've known you forever, Ezra. Being around you is easy."
"Easy?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean. It's like we fit together--no, not like that. Our personalities. Kindred souls, I think the term is." He shook his head. "You probably think I'm stupid."
I considered making another joke, but he seemed too vulnerable then. Like he'd revealed some of himself to me. "Not at all," I said softly. Then, after a pause, I said, "I feel the same way."
The totem in my pocket pulsed happily as we snuggled together at the top of the world.