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“ would you like to come over tonight? We’re camping in the backyard.”
Saph’s laugh was slightly incredulous. “You’re camping in the backyard? Why?”
“Kass has been depressed since his injury so we’re trying to cheer him up. Open fire, marshmallows, ghost stories, sleeping under the stars… does any of that sound appealing?” Tera’s tone was amused.
“Well, it’s not exactly a conventional date but…” Time with Tera was time with Tera, and given that Tera was so busy with work, it was rare. “I’ll be over in an hour. Do I need to bring anything?”
“No, we have everything. Kass will be pleased to see you.”
Saph got off the phone and quickly packed an overnight bag. After brief consideration, he decided to wear jeans and a sweater. When they went out to dinner, Saph usually dressed more formally, but this would be a very rare night in for them.
Saph had been camping but he’d never camped in anyone’s backyard before. This would be interesting.
The drive to Tera’s house took twenty minutes. It was owned by Tera’s father, who was rarely home. Saph had only ever met Magnus Albion once, while he’d met Tera’s three younger half-brothers several times. Kass, the youngest, was in high school, while Lucian, the oldest, had finished high school last year. Tera and Saph were both in their twenties; there was a four-year gap between Tera and his half-brothers, meaning that Tera often acted as babysitter.
When Saph knocked on the door, his overnight bag over his shoulder, Lucian answered the door.
“Sapphire. Thank you for coming.” Lucian smiled politely at him.
Lucian, like Saph, was dressed casually, though he wore a jacket instead of a sweater. The evening was cooler out here than Saph had thought it would be. Never mind. Tera would loan him a jacket or blanket if he needed something warmer than his sweater.
Plus, there would be a fire, which was sure to warm Saph up.
“I hope an extra person won’t be a problem,” Saph said as Lucian directed him inside.
“Of course not. Everyone is out the back. I’m just getting some food.”
“I’ll help.”
Lucian tried to hurry Saph along to the backyard, but Saph refused. It turned out that Lucian had cooked dinner earlier, as well as prepared some snacks, so Saph helped him carry the dishes out to the backyard, where the other brothers sat around a fire in camping chairs. Two tents were set up nearby.
Tera rose to take some dishes from Saph’s stack when he saw them. His smile when he greeted Saph was warm and sincere.
“Put your bag in that tent over there, or leave it on the porch, if you like,” Tera said. “Do you mind sharing a tent?”
“That’s fine.” Since they’d spent nights together in the same bed or curled up together on the sofa, Saph was comfortable being in close quarters with Tera.
“Lucian, Rowan and Kass will share the larger tent,” Tera explained as Saph dropped into the spare camping chair next to Tera’s.
“Hello, Rowan. How are you feeling, Kassidy? How’s the hand?”
Kass, who was sitting across from them, nursing a soft drink, lifted his right hand with a scowl to show Saph the thick bandages wrapped around it. “I can’t paint,” Kass complained.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Saph caught the soft drink can that Rowan had tossed at him from the esky next to his chair.
From Tera, Saph had learned that Kass had burned his hand severely while cooking. Unfortunately, it was his dominant hand, which made doing practically everything difficult. Tera had taken some time off work to stay home with Kass while Kass got used to not being able to use his hand.
“We’re starting on the ghost stories,” Kassidy informed Saph. “Do you want to go first?”
“I’m not good at telling stories,” Saph admitted shyly. “I’d prefer to just listen.”
“All right. I’ll go first,” Lucian said.
Saph settled in to listen to Lucian’s story. It was the generic isolated camping spot, serial killer sort of story, but Lucian was a talented singer, and that talent proved useful for telling stories. When Saph turned an uneasy stare to the dark beyond the high fence of the yard, he caught Tera’s eye. Tera gave him a mildly amused and knowing smile. Saph edged his chair closer to Tera’s. At the sound of his chair moving, Kass, who was thoroughly immersed in the story, jumped, drawing a laugh from Rowan.
Lucian, who had briefly paused at Rowan’s laugh, continued on to the climax of the story, where, presumably the campers were killed by the serial killer. Lucian deliberately left everyone hanging, leading to a complaint from Kassidy.
Saph gripped Tera’s hand. Tera squeezed his back as a yawning Kass asked, “Who’s next? Tera?”
Tera shook his head. “Why don’t you tell us a story, Kass?”
Kass blushed, but agreed.
Once the ghost stories were done, Lucian passed around the food, and then they toasted marshmallows in the fire.
Kass was nodding off in his chair when Tera finally sent everyone off to bed. Saph helped him put out the fire before Tera headed off to make sure that the house was in order.
After cleaning up, Saph and Tera made themselves comfortable in their own tent. They’d be sharing a sleeping bag, and Saph was glad for the warmth Tera’s body would provide.
“So, you don’t have any ghost stories to tell?” Tera inquired once they’d settled in the sleeping bag. He was spooning Saph, his arm draped over Saph.
“No. I’m half-convinced that both Lucian and Rowan’s stories are true,” Saph replied. “I’m glad Lucian went first. I’ll never be able to drive down remote roads at night without checking my rear view mirror constantly. And I definitely won’t be stopping at any service stations.”
Tera laughed. “I can’t offer you any reassurance there. I have no idea if they made those stories up or not. You could google them later, but I don’t think you’ll want to go down that rabbit hole.”
“I don’t,” Saph agreed. He closed his eyes and relaxed. The sounds of the night were unfamiliar and a little unsettling, but with Tera near, Saph would be able to sleep despite the scary ghost stories.