-Devin-

As amazing as the weekend had been, he could sense that Avery still didn't completely trust him. Avery trusted him plenty in bed at this point, but he wanted more. He wanted Avery to feel like they were friends. He knew a big part of that lack of trust was because he hadn't shared much about himself or his life with Avery. They weren't going to get any closer if he didn't let Avery in and at least show him that there was more to him than sex.

During the long drive to their site for the day, he decided to change that and start opening up. He turned slightly in his seat to face Avery. 

"You told me on the night of my birthday that you had an engineering degree, but I didn't tell you what I do. I haven't been very open with you so far."

Avery glanced over at him, his brows slightly pulled together.

"I actually have an engineering degree too," he continued. "From the University of Washington. A Bachelor's. I didn't want to talk about work because I felt bad after hearing that you could only afford to get your Associate's so far. It made me feel like an asshole, because my dad could send me to a good college and pay the tuition for me, and that kind of stuff makes it easy to get a job."

He wasn't ready yet to tell Avery that his dad owned an engineering firm and had given him a job. He'd work up to it eventually, but figured he could start small first.

"You shouldn't feel like an asshole because you got a good education," Avery replied. "There's nothing wrong with that."

He cleared his throat. "Well, you know how my cousin Carter is ridiculously wealthy? My dad and I aren't that level of wealthy, but we're still wealthy. I grew up in a big waterfront house on Mercer Island, and I own a luxury condo in Bellevue. Within reason, my dad gave me everything I wanted. I haven't had to struggle or anything," he confessed.

"Being wealthy doesn't make you an asshole either," Avery said. "It's not wrong to have money. It's what you do with it that matters. What charitable causes you support and how you help others or make some kind of a difference in the world."

Devin stayed quiet. He hadn't ever bothered to donate money, and he certainly didn't do anything to make the world a better place or help anyone else out. He felt ashamed, especially knowing that Avery would have gone out of his way to help others if he'd had the money or opportunity.

"That's a good point," he finally said.

"I'm glad you shared that about yourself," Avery replied, smiling at him. "All that I've wanted, and all everyone else here has wanted, is to get to know you."

"There's not a lot to know," he said, shrugging. "I'm a spoiled rich guy who spends most of my time in clubs or going on vacation with friends. Or working out. I don't have hobbies or a sense of purpose like you. I don't really do much or have anything going for me."

Avery's smile faded a little, his lips quirking in disapproval. "Don't say that. You're attractive, healthy, have a dad that loves you, a great education, and you don't have to worry about money. You could say that working out and traveling are your hobbies, and if you keep hiking, you can add that to the list. You're smart and confident and I have no doubt you can do whatever you want."

"Smart might be going a bit far," he scoffed.

"You are smart! Maybe most of what you say is mean spirited, but you're witty. And Devin, I can tell you're not an idiot. I've worked with a lot of people, some who need more help than others, and I know you'd pick up things easily if you'd make an effort. You're sharp, but lazy."

He settled back in his seat. He didn't understand why Avery thought highly of him at all. Or wasted any time believing that he could be better than he was. He'd never thought about things this way or cared before and had been content to live his life doing whatever he wanted. But seeing how Avery was with others made him examine his choices and his own life. He didn't like what he saw. He just didn't have the first idea how to fix it.

-

A few days later, he was still thinking about Avery's words regarding helping others. He wanted to prove to Avery that he could be nice and think about someone other than himself, but there wasn't much of a chance to do that here beyond doing his job well and offering to help out in the kitchen. It wasn't until they were eating dinner that it came to him - Avery's favorite ice cream.

He remembered how Sam had picked some up for Avery, and how excited Avery had been about it. He wanted to see that same excitement on Avery's face, and he wanted to be the reason for it.

Fortunately, even though he was cut off from his dad's money, Carter had left him some cash the weekend he'd visited. All that was left was for him to figure out how to get to the ice cream shop, which was two hours from the camp. The only way he'd be able to get there was in one of the work trucks. He knew they wouldn't let him take a truck on his own, but he decided to do it and ask for forgiveness later. He was always getting in trouble anyway, so why not make it count?

He and Avery were working at a site less than a mile from the camp, so he didn't feel too bad about Avery having to walk back from there. Avery had a habit of leaving the keys in the truck as long as it was within view, so when Avery was busy with a task, he got in the driver's seat and started up the truck.

Avery looked up, and Devin called out, "I'll be back later!"

As he turned and started to drive off in the opposite direction of the camp, he saw Avery running after him, yelling something. Avery would probably be mad, but he'd get over it.

-Avery-

He watched as Devin drove off, and then he began to panic. Devin wasn't allowed to drive any of the trucks except for short distances on the property if given permission. Since he wasn't a regular employee, he wasn't insured on any of them. This was a huge problem, especially since it seemed like he was headed in the direction of the highway.

He pulled his phone out and called Devin, willing him to pick up, but Devin was obviously ignoring his call. If he actually took the truck off the property, they were both going to be in so much trouble. Not knowing what else to do, he started running back towards the camp.

Peter and Mitch were out front when he showed up, and they both stopped what they were doing and headed towards him.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked sharply.

"Devin," he gasped, trying to catch his breath. "He took the truck and I think he's heading off the property." His heart was racing, and he could barely look Mitch in the eye as he came to stand beside Peter. "I'm so sorry," he said frantically. "It's all my fault. I kept the keys in the truck and I know I shouldn't have done that."

Mitch shook his head. "That wasn't the smartest decision, but I can't say it's ever been a concern before. We've never had a volunteer who would steal a truck. Do you have any idea where he's headed?"

"No. I ran after him and tried to call him, but he wouldn't pick up. All he said when he drove off is that he'd be back later."

"What does later mean?" Mitch asked. "Later today? Tomorrow? If he gets into an accident, we're going to have a huge problem on our hands. I can't believe this." He turned and walked off, heading straight for the main building.

Avery stared at the ground. He felt terrible for letting Mitch down and contributing to a problem that Mitch now had to deal with.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Peter said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Mitch isn't mad at you. It's not your fault Devin causes trouble every time we turn around."

"But it never would have happened if I hadn't left the keys in the truck."

"It also never would have happened if Devin was a decent person who followed the rules. Like Mitch said, leaving the keys in the truck hasn't been a concern before." He squeezed Avery's shoulder. "Go take a shower and rest until dinner. Try not to worry about Devin. All you can do is text him and ask him to come back."

"Okay," he said, knowing that he was going to worry every second Devin was gone.

-Devin-

He was halfway to the ice cream shop when he got a text from Avery. 

Where are you?? Mitch is freaking out. Please come back. :(

He tossed his phone on the passenger seat. He felt bad ignoring Avery, but he'd deal with the consequences when he got back to camp. Right now, he was enjoying his time being away from the camp and having a break from working all day. It had been a nice drive and he had to admit that he was starting to enjoy all of the scenery.

When he pulled into the parking lot for the ice cream shop, the sun was beating down and the air was filled with the salty scent of the ocean. The little town was along the coast and he could see the blue expanse of water stretching out into the distance. He got a waffle cone filled with a mix of coffee and Oreo ice cream and sat on the small patio outside the shop. It was nice to sit in the sun and just relax.

Eventually, he found his thoughts drifting to Avery, and he wished he could have convinced Avery to come with him. He wondered what it'd be like to hang out with him outside of the camp. He was starting to feel attached to Avery and consider him a true friend, and he hoped that they could hang out after he was done with camp. 

He tossed the idea around of continuing what he and Avery had. Maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world to keep sleeping with the same guy, especially since the sex with Avery was amazing. He didn't know if that was because Avery had learned his body and what he liked, or because he was doing something different with Avery that he hadn't done with any other guy. Or maybe it was because he actually liked Avery. It was weird to admit, but it was true. He liked being around Avery and he wanted to make him happy and hear him laugh. 

He imagined taking Avery on a trip to a seaside town like this one - splashing in the ocean and chasing each other up and down the beach, eating ice cream on a patio, going to dinner together and then falling into bed at the end of the night. It scared him a little. He'd never had the desire to do something romantic with anyone.

He went back into the shop and bought several pints of Avery's favorite flavor. Then, he stopped at a gas station to fill up the truck and buy a block of ice to put in the cooler with the ice cream. As much as he wanted to stay for a while and forget about everything else, he knew he should get back by dinnertime so that no one would panic.