After that night, Evan and I started hanging out—concerts, games, you name it. Turns out, we shared a ton of passions, like we were cut from the same cloth. At first, I saw him as a big brother, nothing more. But the more time we spent together, the more he stirred something in me. Every little detail I overlooked, he noticed. The ceremonies and gestures I'd been denied? He made sure I had them.
If Derek was a reckless gust, Evan was a warm spring sun. Realizing I might be falling for him freaked me out. I bolted, cutting off contact, grabbing a random plane ticket, and hitting the road. I wandered deserts, marveling at sunsets over endless sands; climbed the world's highest peaks, gazing at twinkling cities below; even worked as a war zone photographer, capturing raw wolf suffering.
Thr
