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Sitting in the back of Travis Hackett’s car and watching the sky change color from blue to purple and pink came with a weird sense of serenity, Ryan thought. After the night they’d all had, the sound of tires on the road and quiet songs on the radio were the first signs of a return of normalcy.
They had done it. Silas was dead, and everyone else in turn was free.
Ryan finally felt safe enough to take in a deep breath. He wasn’t sure if his ribs were actually hurting or if it was just a lingering pain that his body remembered from a few hours before. The dried blood on his face was sticky and itchy. He would do anything for a wet towel. A shower sounded like the most perfect place on earth right now.
Neither Laura nor Travis said a word on the drive back to Hackett Lodge. And Ryan was thankful for that – his brain was whirring with thoughts and memories anyway. He didn’t need to fill it with even more.
When Travis drove down the path to the lodge, Ryan sat up and raised his head in the hopes of seeing any of the other counselors from afar. He made out a group of people, huddled together in front of the cabin lodge.
A sigh of relief. It looked like everyone made it.
The car stopped behind the open gate and Ryan got out as quickly as he could. His heart was beginning to pick up speed again as his eyes wandered over the faces of everyone. Well, almost everyone.
“Where is–” He didn’t even get to finish his question.
Kaitlyn met his eyes. “Over there,” she said and pointed at the path behind him that led to the firepit. Ryan could make out someone sitting on a fallen tree trunk. “Said he needed some alone time,” Kaitlyn added. The smile on her face was sad and warm at the same time, and Ryan felt the urge to hug her. He opted for a quick touch to the shoulder as a way of thanks before turning around and walking over to Dylan.
The gravel scrunched underneath his shoes as he walked down the path. The rising sun drenched the top of the trees in a soft light, and birds were chirping. It was a beautiful morning, no doubt about it. The calm after the storm.
Dylan wrapped his arms closer around his torso as Ryan approached. His entire demeanor contradicted the one he had shown the past two months of summer camp. Dylan had been loud and confident, at times even rambunctious. He looked so incredibly small now as though he didn’t want to take up any space in the world.
Slowing his pace, Ryan put his hand on the end of the tree trunk as if to test the waters. He tried to look at Dylan’s face, but Dylan’s eyes were glued to the spot of dirt at his feet. Ryan wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in his arms until all the tension had left his body.
A moment later he sat down next to Dylan and bumped their shoulders together. And even if the touch was as light as a feather, the physical proof of Dylan’s presence made something settle in Ryan’s chest. They were both there, they were both alive.
“Hey.” The softness in Dylan’s voice surprised Ryan and tore him out of his own thoughts. The fact that Dylan was talking at all was a relief.
“Hey,” Ryan replied and couldn’t help the smile that was forming on his lips. He nudged Dylan’s knee with his own. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
At that, Dylan raised his head and his eyes finally met Ryan’s. “Likewise,” he said, taking Ryan in from his head down his chest to his toes and back up again. Just making sure he was alive, Ryan thought. He knew what that careful look meant because he had done the same mere seconds before. “Glad you’re in one piece,” Dylan added as a final statement.
And he was right. The night could have ended in an entirely different way, with all of them very much not in one piece. Out of reflex, Ryan’s gaze fell on Dylan’s bloody wrist wrapped in already grimy bandages. “How is your hand?”
A huff of air came out of Dylan’s nose. “How should I know? It’s still up in the radio hut. Maybe it’s doing fine and has already picked up the art of broadcasting.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. That was the Dylan whose goofy announcements had woken him up for the past weeks. If he was joking at a time like this, maybe the pain wasn’t too bad. That was what he hoped, anyway. But then again, Ryan suspected that Dylan was really good at hiding what he really felt, in more ways than one. But now wasn’t the time for jokes, no matter the context. “You know what I mean. Does it hurt?”
With an unsure look on his face, Dylan wrapped his fingers around his left wrist, turning his arm back and forth as if he was just now taking in the damage. A shiver ran down his arm. “Well, uh, the adrenaline is slowly wearing off,“ he began and clenched his teeth as he lifted up the bandage a bit. “As are Kaitlyn’s pills, actually. So yeah, it’s fucking painful.”
“You’re first in line when the ambulance gets here.”
“I sure hope so.”
Ryan pressed his lips together. His hands wandered to his own chest, and he touched his ribs without even thinking about it. Dylan’s eyes instantly darted to where his hand was resting against his chest.
“Wait, are you hurt?” he asked, panic instantly rising in his voice.
“It’s, uh, it’s nothing,” Ryan quickly answered. He ran his fingers down the side of his chest and they got stuck on the hole that the knife had torn into his shirt. Almost like a miracle, that was the only trace left from the night. “I’m fine. It’s just a long story.”
Dylan raised his eyebrows. “I think we have all the time in the world now.”
“And for once I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” Ryan looked off into the distance where the sun had climbed the hill in the meantime and was now shining its warm light right on the clearing where they were sitting. “I mean, this whole werewolf thing doesn’t really change anything, but–” He shrugged. He could feel Dylan’s eyes on him. “Some things just don’t seem so bad anymore once you’ve come face to face with a werewolf.”
Next to him, Dylan began to nod. “I know what you mean.” He wiped a strand of hair out of his face and squinted at the sun. “So what are you–“
Ryan spun his head around. “Don’t ask me again what I’m gonna do once we’re out of here. I don’t know yet.”
Dylan raised his arms in defense. “Okay, okay. Touchy subject, I get it. Won’t ask again.”
Ryan sighed. Twenty-four hours ago he had hoped for a sign about what to do, had hoped that maybe Chris had some words of wisdom to offer, but oh well. A lot could change within a night. “How about you, then?” he changed the subject after a moment of silence.
“I can’t wait to see my cat again.” Dylan began to smile. The sight of it made Ryan’s heart soar, but he’d never admit that out loud. Thinking back, maybe Dylan’s crush on him really had been kind of obvious, but Ryan had to admit that Dylan was pretty cute, too.
The fact that they kissed at the campfire before everything went down was like a fever dream. Considering that it happened because of a dare and with far too many other people present, did it even count? Ryan caught himself trying to remember what Dylan’s lips on his had felt like.
But he couldn’t dwell on that memory for too long. All of a sudden, the smile had disappeared from Dylan’s face and it was as if the sun had suddenly fallen from the sky.
Dylan’s body was facing Ryan but he seemed to look right through him like he wasn’t even there. “Ryan, what–“ Dylan said, his eyes fixated on the path behind Ryan. Ryan had become far too familiar with that look of panic on Dylan’s face in the last few hours.
“What?”
“What is that?” Dylan asked with a trembling voice. A cold shiver ran down Ryan’s spine as he finally spun around, expecting the worst. “It’s running towards us!”
Ryan couldn’t see anything moving in the trees, and nobody else in front of the lodge had moved or even made a sound. It was eerily quiet, except for the rustling leaves in the wind. His eyes darted back to the treeline, frantically trying to find whatever Dylan had spotted. “Wh-where?” Ryan stuttered, not knowing whether he should stay still or get up and run for his life . . . again. How do you fight against something you couldn’t see?
“Right there!” Dylan raised his arm and pointed towards the lodge. He poked his elbow in Ryan’s side as if to spur him on. “Quick! Give me something!”
Ryan looked down at himself. No weapons. Oh fuck. “What? What should I give you?” he panicked. They were far too vulnerable on this clearing. He looked down at his feet for any big rocks he could throw. “What should I give you?” he screamed again.
“Your number.”
Ryan’s hands froze in midair. Dylan’s voice had lost all traces of panic. Instead, there was a hint of smugness in it. Ryan’s brain took in the words, but he needed a moment to process the meaning. He sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment when he realized there was no actual threat. “My what?” he asked, quietly and unbelieving.
When he turned his head away from the trees, there was a big grin plastered across Dylan’s face. “Your number,” Dylan repeated with a calm voice and then wiggled his eyebrows for good measure.
Ryan wanted to smack him. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“No, I just–“ Dylan shrugged and opened his arms. “I really want you to give me your stupid number, man.”
“And of course that is your way of asking for it.”
“Well, I’ve asked nicely before. Twice, in fact.” Dylan got his phone out of his pocket and wiggled it under Ryan’s nose. “So, please give it to me?”
A few more “Please?”s with increasing pitch later, Ryan smirked and pushed Dylan’s hand away. Dylan looked defeated for a second. “I can give you this,” Ryan finally said and looked into Dylan’s eyes. He leaned forward and placed his palm on the left side of Dylan’s face to draw him closer.
Dylan’s eyes lit up when he realized what was about to happen – now that was the cutest thing Ryan had ever seen. He licked his lips and could feel them curl into a smile as he closed the distance between them.
Kissing Dylan was different when there were no Jacobs, Emmas or Kaitlyns around to cheer them on. It was so much better, actually. A calming warmth spread through Ryan’s body, from his heart to his head and down to his toes.
“That’s. . . not what I was asking for, but I’m also not complaining.” Dylan smiled when he leaned back to rest their foreheads together. It was the same smile that he had tried to hide at the campfire after Emma’s dare. Of course Ryan had noticed it then as he noticed it now.
Ryan’s hands fell next to his legs. A thought came into his head then and he laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Dylan asked with a frown. “Don’t tell me I’m a bad kisser.”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “No, no. I just realized I kissed you for the second time while sitting on a dead tree.”
Dylan ran his hand over the bark underneath their legs and grinned. “Well, I can think of a few other places where we could kiss. The radio hut, Mr. H’s office–“
Ryan kissed him again. To shut him up? Very likely.
And even though Ryan’s heart was still beating crazily fast from Dylan’s prank (a really funny joke, Dylan!), he had to give it to him. They had been at camp for two entire months and he’d never made a move on him. He had caught Dylan staring at him out of the corner of his eyes several times, though, usually during mealtimes or counselor meetings. He had looked away immediately every time, but now the crush was clearly obvious. And also mutual, much to their delight.
That’s why Ryan felt that he no longer had a choice. He gave in.
“Give me your phone,” he mumbled, trying to sound as reluctant as possible. But when his fingers touched Dylan’s and he took a hold of his phone, he felt that electric spark that he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was thrilling.
Ryan tapped on the screen for a few seconds and then handed the phone back to Dylan with a grin. The screen showed a new number in Dylan’s contacts. Above it was the name Ryan Ryan.
Dylan laughed out loud. He clicked on the number and typed something. A few seconds later Ryan’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
“And now you have mine,” Dylan said, and Ryan swore he could see a blush crawling on Dylan’s cheeks. Cute. “So, uh, now you can–“
“Yeah, yeah. Ask you out on a date,” Ryan finished for him, remembering their earlier conversation in Chris’s office. And maybe the smile that was on Dylan’s face in that very moment was worth everything that happened in between.
“And we can stay in touch until next year.”
“If you think I’m going to set one single foot into Hackett’s Quarry again, you’re gravely mistaken,“ Ryan began, but Dylan laughed.
“Yeah, fuck this camp,” he agreed.
Then a silence fell between the two and they were both lost in their own heads for a while. When Ryan looked over at Dylan after a moment, he put his arm around him and pulled him closer, ignoring the way Dylan’s shoulder bumped into his chest. Dylan rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder as if he had done it a thousand times before, as if he belonged there.
Without thinking about it much, Ryan placed his hand on the side of Dylan’s face and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. He didn’t care how filthy it was – after all, who wouldn’t be after a night like this?
The whistling of the wind in the trees was joined by the sound of an ambulance getting closer and closer. Red and blue lights appeared in the distance, and Kaitlyn’s voice rang down from the lodge, calling both of their names. Dylan lifted his head from Ryan’s shoulder and adjusted his shirt.
“Let’s get you to the ambulance,” Ryan said, getting up from the tree trunk.
“The ambulance? Ask a guy out to dinner first, Jeez! Ambulances and hospitals should wait until after the fifth date, at least.”
“If you keep talking, I’ll tell the paramedics that you’re not only missing a hand but also your brain.”
“Wow, okay. Rude,” Dylan said, but he was smiling.
Ryan bumped their shoulders together. “Come on.” He placed his hand on Dylan’s back as if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to leave him behind. They walked down the path back to the lodge in silence where the paramedics had already started taking care of the others.
Ryan’s heart grew heavier with every step he took. Maybe this really would be the last time they all saw each other, like Kaitlyn had said. There were so many things he wanted to say, to all of the counselors, but mostly to Dylan. In his head, everything got kind of muddled and what it eventually came out as was a promise he hoped he could keep. “We’ll be fine, Dylan.”
Dylan pressed his lips together in a tight smile and turned his head to meet Ryan’s eyes. “Yeah,” he said and nodded before taking in a deep breath. “I think so, too.”