It took them a while before the fish was on their jury-rigged spit and cooking over the fire. For a moment they were afraid they'd have to rub two sticks together to get the fire started until Cal remembered he had matches in his backpack.
"Last of the beer," Cal said as they waited, handing Joseph one can. He was so careful opening the other one Joseph burst out laughing, even though he was equally as cautious. "To… us?" Cal raised his beer in a toast.
Joseph smiled. "To us." He tapped his can to Cal's before taking a drink.
It was after dark by the time the fish finished cooking. Much to Joseph's surprise, Cal had a few paper plates and plastic utensils stashed in his backpack, well wrapped in a plastic bag. When he asked why, Cal said, "A carry-over from the streets. Sometimes people would give me leftovers from their lunches and it just seemed a bit more civilized to put them on a plate. So I guess I got in the habit of making sure I always had some." He shrugged in a self-deprecating way.
"Well this time it came in quite handy. I was debating whether we'd have to find some very big leaves."
"Seriously?"
Joseph grinned. "Seriously. Like in the movies where people get stranded on a desert island."
"Uh huh, sure."
While they ate, first the fish then the sandwiches Joseph had brought with him, they couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of each other. Hardly surprising, Joseph thought when he realized what he was doing. After all, how often do I eat dinner with a totally naked, very handsome man? Never as far as I can remember. He chuckled, and when Cal asked why he explained.
"Now that you mention it," Cal said as he raked his gaze over Joseph from head to foot, "I never have either—and for damned sure not in the middle of nowhere sitting on a beach, if you can call it that."
"There's water and there's land going down to the water. I think that constitutes a beach, even if there isn't any sand."
"Good on the no sand. It gets in places when you're not wearing anything I don't even want to think about." Cal covered Joseph's semi-hard cock with one large hand. "Like here and, well, I can't show you the other one because you're sitting on it."
Joseph winked. "As soon as I finish eating—"
Cal cocked an eyebrow. "So food is more important than sex?"
"I do need to fuel up for round two, young man."
"We're the same age, so don't give me that, rich boy."
Don't I wish? Joseph bit down on that thought, muttering, "Again with the 'rich boy'."
Cal tapped his fingers on Joseph's thigh. "I suppose I could come up with a new one. The problem is what?"
Seeing the wicked gleam in Cal's eyes, Joseph promptly said, "I can live with 'rich boy'."
Cal grinned. "Good, because it's my special name for you and I'd hate to change it." He cupped one hand behind Joseph's head, pulling him close enough to drop quick kisses on his mouth. Between each one he whispered, "rich boy," until Joseph ended it by taking Cal's face between his hands and kissing him thoroughly enough to make his teasing stop. Which, following the laws of nature, caused more interesting things to happen. Thus it was closing in on midnight when they finally decided they should get dressed again and head back to the city.
"We have to be at work at the crack of dawn." Cal sighed, while they made their way to where they'd left the truck, the beam of his high-powered flashlight leading the way.
"You do," Joseph told him, trying not to grin. "I just might sleep in."
"Nope. I'm the boss and if I have to be there, I'm ordering you to be there too—on time and ready to get your ass to work."
Joseph couldn't let a line like that pass. "I think the storage shed would be the best place for that, unless you want the guys watching."
"What? Oh hell!" Cal burst out laughing. "Walked into that one, didn't I?"
"Big time."
They continued bantering all the way back to the city until they pulled up in front of Joseph's house. Then they got serious when they looked at each other.
"We should probably keep this between the two of us?" Joseph asked softly.
Cal nodded. "Probably. I don't want to, but yeah, I suppose so. At least for now, people being how they are, even here."
"I agree. We don't want another 'Dan incident', so to speak."
"True, but—" Cal smiled shyly, "—I wouldn't mind a few more 'Joseph incidents'."
"I think—no I'm sure—that can be arranged."
"When and where?"
"Here and umm, tomorrow night? I suspect tonight we're going to be too beat to do anything but sleep."
Cal nodded. "I think you're right."
Joseph kissed him good-night. "I'll see you in, dear God, another four hours."
As Joseph got out of the truck, Cal grinned. "Is that my nickname? 'Dear God'?"
Joseph grinned back. "As if. Now off with you."
Cal saluted and drove away and Joseph watched until the truck's taillights disappeared from view before going inside.
Now what have I gotten myself into, as if I didn't know? I guess I'll just take it one day at a time and if, God help us both, it does turn into love. I suppose I'll deal with that when the time comes.
* * * *
For the next month Joseph and Cal spent as much time together as possible. Unfortunately it was mostly at the apartment building site. Cal wanted to get the preliminaries—meaning the clean-up—completed as quickly as possible so they could start refurbishing the building for its new tenants. Each time one of the Rebuild houses was completed to Steve's satisfaction, he would send the men to work with Cal. But still it seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time to get all the mold, mildew, and asbestos removed and the destroyed interior walls taken down.
"I swear…" Cal said late on one of the few nights when he had come home with Joseph. He sighed when he wrapped his arm around him.
"What do you swear? Don't leave me hanging here," Joseph replied.
"If I'd known what a huge job these apartments were going to be, I would have thought twice, or even three times, about starting this project."
"No, you have taken it on anyway and you know it."
"True," Cal replied sleepily. "But damn. I wish… and before you say it, I know. If wishes were horses…"
Joseph smiled when Cal's voice faded out. "We would ride. Indeed, we would," he said softly.
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