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Chapter three
The Camping Trip
A few months later…
The breakroom was empty when I walked in to grab my lunch.
I needed the break but still had several briefs to get through before the end of the day.
I didn’t want to take work home over the weekend.
For once, I’d had enough work and was looking forward to much-earned downtime with a good book.
I planned to re-read my favorite go-to mystery and immerse myself in a different world.
I pulled my sandwich out of the fridge to take back to my office.
Turning around, I ran smack into Danny.
Literally.
“Ow. Damn. Back up, man.” I held my hand out to gently move him.
“What are you doing this weekend?” He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, excitement leaking out of him.
He grabbed my arms, pumping them and generally being typical over-the-top Danny.
“Nothing…” I held my breath, waiting for whatever wild suggestion he was coming up with.
80s Night at Afterglow?
A Little party at his place?
You never knew with Danny.
“Are you taking off next week for Pride?”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
Danny shook me again.
He was entirely too excited.
“Drew said we can have off. He’s even closing the office, man. And I need you.”
“Need me for what? Let go, dude.” Escaping the breakroom was going to be a challenge.
I loved Danny to death, but sometimes, he was too much.
I’d hoped he’d calm down after marrying Lee, but nope.
He was still hyper-excitable.
He tugged my arm.
“There’s a Pride camping trip. Drew is sponsoring it, so I know you can go. I need you to be there.”
“You don’t.” I slid past him with my sandwich, finally dislodging him from my person, but Danny grabbed me again from behind and put his face against my back.
“Please, please, please. This is going to be the best thing ever. Sky-ler…” I hated it when he begged.
“You have to.” He sounded like a three-year-old, which was par for the course with him.
“I’m not the camping type. Lee will be with you, right?” Thank all that was holy for Lee.
Danny plopped down in a chair and faceplanted into the table.
He was incredibly hard to resist.
“Yes, Lee is coming, but I need friends there too. It’ll be so much fun. And I’m responsible for organizing everything. I need your support.” He made need sound like it had four syllables.
“I don’t have any camping stuff.” Outdoors wasn’t my thing.
A comfy couch with extra cushions was.
I had a plant once.
After it died, I gave up.
And it was a cactus.
Thanks, Mom, and your don’t worry, you can’t kill this one, Sky .
“You don’t need anything. So many people are coming, someone will share with you. This is a company-sponsored trip. You have to come.” I really didn’t think Drew would fire me if I didn’t go.
And I didn’t want to go.
I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t the camping type.
“I only go outside to get to my car, Danny-boy.”
“It’s going to be fun. Seriously, I promise someone will bunk with you. We rented out every tent space and some of the RV spots in the place.”
“You helped organize this?” I had my suspicions.
Why was this so important to him?
“Yes. Duh…When Drew asked me, I couldn’t say no. Could I? No. And I need this to be a success. You know. So he’ll ask me to do more things.” Danny looked up at me with those puppy eyes that he had perfected over the years.
And he’d had a lot of practice with being a Little and all.
He knew I wouldn’t say no to that.
“Fuck. Fine. Whatever. When and where?”
“We’re meeting here. In the parking lot. We’re all loading up on two busses to drive out together.”
“What? Can’t I just meet you at the campground?”
“No. Duh. This is about community. PRIDE, Sky. We all go together.”
What had I signed up for?
And was it too late to back out?
“Whatever, fine. When?” Why the hell was I giving in to this?
“Uh… tomorrow morning. We’ll be gone for like six days. I’ll tell Drew you’re in.”
Fuck my life.