Alex drove them out of Santa Cruz and up into the surrounding mountains. The Subaru climbed a winding road between swaths of forest, and they soon arrived in the shaded parking lot of a state park, already half full of cars. Damian climbed out, stretched, and shivered in the chilly air. Though the sky was clear aside from some shreds of morning fog, the sun hadn’t yet penetrated the tall redwoods. The air felt as cool, and smelled as fresh, as the creeks running down the hills to the sea.
Damian zipped up his fleece and opened the back door of the Subaru to grab his backpack. Carrying their lunch and supplies was the least he could do, he thought—plus he didn’t yet want Alex to know that in addition to snacks and water, the pack contained that amazing lube from the previous night. Damian
