Camp Alpha (BoyxBoy)

{28}

Brody looked around his room nostalgically. The bed was made, sheets that he and Nate had spent countless hours in were now pulled against the corners and tucked under neatly. The desk in the corner was completely blank, no papers or hardcopy books scattered over its surface. The black, high backed chair was pushed neatly under the desk, no remnants of the copious number of hours he had spent reading while in that chair, of the words that had sunk into his mind or the lessons that he had learnt. The drawers beside him were bare, all of his clothing now packed in piles inside the black suitcase that sat next to his feet.

The room was awfully empty. A few days ago he would have thought that this sight would be saddening, like the end of a great movie or the final leg of a road trip, like the end of something special, and yes, he knew that he was going to miss this camp. He was going to miss seeing Lucy's face every day and talking with Kayden. He was going to miss Lucas's sarcasm and Annie's sweet nature. There were a lot of things about this camp that he was going to miss, but on the final day he wasn't feeling sadness, he felt hope. He was leaving this place to start a new life, to really start living his life. This place was magical, an experience that he wouldn't go a day without remembering, but life awaited him outside of these tall fences, and he was okay with that.

Brody wrapped his fingers around the suitcase, taking one last glance at the room before he left it. He made his way into the hallway, closing the door behind him softly. There were many people in the hallway, saying their goodbyes with tearful eyes and promises of phone calls and messages. He headed towards the elevator, watching with a smile as a group of guys standing in the doorway of one of the rooms were deciding when they were going to catch up next.

He pressed the button for the lobby, waiting silently for it to arrive. When the elevator opened he stepped in, riding it down to the bottom floor. The mirrored doors opened into the lobby. The room was crowded with people leaving their bags in the small space. He looked across the large room, his eyes searching for his friends. He found them standing against one of the walls.

Kayden and Lucy were laughing about something, not noticing as Brody walked up to them. Nate, on the other hand, pushed past them the moment he saw his mate. Brody suddenly had bulky arms wrapped around him gently for a few seconds. He smiled as he leant into the hug, breathing in Nate's scent and letting its calming sensation wash over him.

They walked back over to where Lucy and Kayden were and Brody parked his suitcase next to Nate's.

'I told you they were adorable,' Lucy smiled proudly as he spoke to Kayden.

Kayden smiled, 'Yes, yes, they are adorable,' he replied to humour her, but Brody knew that he wasn't bothered by their relationship. Nate had told him the night before, Brody kind of wanted to be there too, but he knew that Nate didn't have many friends and it meant a lot to him to be able to tell him himself. He hadn't seen Kayden since he had found out, but Nate had told Brody that their friend had taken it quite well, even saying that he had been suspecting it the last few weeks.

The four of them left the lobby, walking towards the gardens.

Nate and Lucy walked ahead, chatting about something that Brody couldn't hear.

Kayden walked beside him, 'Hey,' he smiled.

Brody smiled back, 'Hey.'

'Nate told me,' Kayden said somewhat awkwardly. 'You know, about you guys.'

Brody nodded, 'Yeah he told me.'

'I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about your father,' Kayden told him in a turn of events. Brody was sure that he was going to say something about he and Nate, not about his father. 'Nate told me that he's really sick and that must be really hard on you. I'm always a phone call away if you need me. You know, my mate and I can always come out and see you guys whenever, just call and we can be there.' There was a sincerity and caring in Kayden's voice that made Brody feel yet again that he had found a real friend in Kayden.