Chapter Text
The El Paso sun was relentless, baking the pavement until the air shimmered with heat. Eighteen year old Eddie Diaz leaned against his beat up truck, squinting against the glare. Beside him, Shannon was fanning herself with a local flyer, her dark hair pulled back to escape the humidity. They had been best friends since they were kids.
"I’m bored, Eddie," Shannon sighed, tossing the flyer into the truck bed. "I need a distraction."
Eddie let out a short, dry laugh. "Everything is a distraction to you. What do you have in mind? My parents are already on my case about being home in time for dinner."
Shannon’s eyes lit up with a glint that usually meant trouble. "I heard there’s a new guy working at The Dusty Bean. Sarah told me he’s not even from Texas. Some runaway from the East Coast or something. We should stop by, be nosy."
Eddie rolled his eyes, but a small, traitorous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You just want to see if the rumours are true. You and your drama, Shannon. You’re obsessed."
"Oh, please," she retorted, nudging his shoulder with her own. "Like you aren't? I saw you leaning in during the last episode of Pasión de Gavilanes. You love a good plot twist as much as I do."
"I pretend for Abuela’s sake," Eddie lied, reaching for his keys. "Let's go see this mysterious out of towner. But if he’s just some old man, I’m leaving you there."
The cafe was a small, dimly lit relief from the Texas heat. The bell above the door chimed as they stepped inside, the smell of roasted beans and cinnamon hitting them instantly. Eddie scanned the room.
Behind the counter was a guy who looked like he didn't belong in the south at all. He was tall, broader than Eddie, with a mess of blonde curls and a birthmark over his eye that looked like a thumbprint. He was currently struggling with the milk steamer, a look of intense concentration on his face that made him look younger than he probably was.
"That's him," Shannon whispered, a bit too loudly.
Eddie didn't answer. He couldn't. There was something about the way the guy moved, clumsy but earnest, that made Eddie’s chest feel strangely tight.
The guy wiped his hands on his apron and stepped forward. "Hey! Uh, sorry about the noise. I’m still figuring out the machine. I’m Evan. What can I get for you guys?"
Eddie opened his mouth, but he couldn't find words.
Shannon didn’t miss a beat. She leaned her elbows on the counter, her curiosity radiating off her in waves. "Evan, huh? That’s a nice name. I’m Shannon, and this is Eddie. He’s usually much better at speaking, but I think the heat finally melted his brain."
She shot Eddie a pointed look, her eyebrows arched in a silent 'Help me out here' expression.
Eddie cleared his throat, forcing his gaze away from the birthmark over the newcomer's eye. "Yeah. Hi. Just... two iced coffees. It’s too hot for anything else."
"You’re telling me," Evan laughed, and the sound was bright, contrasting with the low hum of the air conditioner. He turned back to the counter, his movements still a little frantic as he grabbed two plastic cups. "I moved here two weeks ago from Pennsylvania, and I'm pretty sure I’ve been a constant puddle since I crossed the state line. Does it ever get cool here, or is this just a permanent trial by fire?"
"Trial by fire," Eddie said, finding his voice. He liked the way the name Evan felt in his mind. Solid and soft all at once. "You get used to it. Or you just stop complaining because your mouth gets too dry."
Evan grinned over his shoulder while he poured the coffee. "Noted. Drink plenty of water or die. El Paso charm, right?"
"Exactly," Shannon chimed in, leaning closer. "So, Pennsylvania? That’s a long way to come just to work at a cafe in the middle of the desert. What brings a guy like you to our neck of the woods? Escaping a dark past?”
Eddie nudged her with his elbow. "Shannon, let the guy breathe."
"It's fine!" Evan insisted, though he looked a little flustered as he handed the drinks over. His fingers brushed Eddie’s as the exchange happened, a brief, accidental spark of contact that made Eddie’s heart skip a rhythmic beat. "No dark past. Just...needed a change of scenery. My sister and I, we just wanted to see what else was out there. She’s the one with the plan. I’m the one with the muscle.”
He flexed a bicep jokingly, but the movement only served to highlight how well built he actually was. Eddie felt a sudden, sharp heat in his cheeks that had nothing to do with the sun.
"Your sister’s here too?" Shannon asked, her eyes darting between Evan and Eddie. Eddie could tell she was already cataloging the way he was standing. Stiffer than usual, his knuckles white around his coffee cup.
"Yeah, Maddie. She’s a nurse. She got a job at the hospital nearby," Evan explained. He leaned against the back counter, looking relieved to have someone to talk to. "We don't really know anyone yet. It’s been a lot of unpacking and trying not to get lost."
Shannon glanced at Eddie, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, Eddie and I have lived here our whole lives. If you and Maddie ever need a guide, you should let us know."
Eddie stared at his coffee, his pulse thrumming in his ears.
Evan’s face lit up, a genuine, hopeful expression that made him look younger than nineteen. "Really? That would be...yeah. That would be awesome. I’m off at six."
"Six it is," Shannon declared, grabbing her drink. "See you then, Evan."
As they walked back out into the blistering heat, the silence between them was heavy. Eddie waited until they were safely inside the cab of the truck before he spoke.
"A guide, Shannon? Really?"
Shannon took a long sip of her coffee, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Oh, shut up. You weren't even blinking. Besides," she added, her voice softening as she looked at him, "he seems nice. And you could use a new friend."
Eddie started the engine, the vibration of the truck grounding him. He looked back at the cafe window, catching a glimpse of a blond head moving behind the glass.
"He's just a guy," Eddie muttered, though even he didn't believe it.
"Sure," Shannon said, a small, knowing smile on her face. "And Pasión de Gavilanes is just a show."
Eddie huffed a breath, leaning his head back against the headrest as he shifted the truck into gear. "I honestly don't know why I hang out with you."
Shannon hummed contentedly, swirling the ice in her cup. "Maybe it’s because I’m the only person in this town who doesn't treat you like a prized stallion your parents are trying to sell at auction. Also, I have excellent taste in people. You saw those curls. You can’t tell me that wasn't worth the five-minute interrogation."
"The curls are fine," Eddie muttered, his grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot. "He’s just...he’s very loud. My parents would have a heart attack if I brought someone like that around."
"Good thing we're just going to show him where to get tacos, then," Shannon said, her tone light but her eyes sharp. She knew exactly which buttons she was pushing. "Besides, your parents aren't here."
Eddie didn't respond, focusing a little too intently on the road ahead. The image of Evan flashing that nervous, hopeful smile kept looping in his brain. There had been a frantic energy about the guy, a restlessness that Eddie recognised in his own bones but never dared to act on.
"Six o'clock," Eddie said, more to himself than to her. "We have to be back before eight, or my mom starts calling around like there’s been a kidnapping."
"We’ll be quick," Shannon promised, though they both knew 'quick' wasn't really in their vocabulary when there was gossip to be mined. She reached over and turned up the radio, a pop song filling the cab and drowning out the sound of Eddie’s internal panic.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur of chores and clock-watching. Eddie found himself checking his watch every twenty minutes, a knot of anticipation tightening in his stomach. By the time he pulled back up to the cafe at five-fifty, he’d changed his shirt and tried to style his hair into something resembling order, only to mess it up again when he realised he was trying too hard.
A moment later, Evan stepped out. He’d shed the apron, wearing a simple, slightly too big t-shirt and jeans. He looked younger without the counter between them, more vulnerable.
As Evan walked toward the truck, Eddie felt a strange, terrifying shift. He’d lived in El Paso his entire life, walked these same streets, breathed this same dry air. But as Evan leaned down to look through the open window, his eyes bright with excitement, the city suddenly felt like a place Eddie was seeing for the very first time.
"Hey!" Evan chirped, his voice bouncing off the metal of the truck. "You guys actually came back. I half expected Shannon to be joking."
"I never joke about food," Shannon said. "Hop in. We’re taking you to the only place in town that understands the magic of a tortilla."
Eddie’s heart hammered against his ribs as Evan climbed into the back seat. The cab felt much smaller than it had ten minutes ago.
"Thanks for doing this," Evan said. Eddie could see the sun was setting through the rear view mirror, casting a golden, honey coloured light across Evan’s face, making that birthmark stand out. "Seriously. It’s been a weird few weeks."
Eddie cleared his throat, his hands steady on the wheel even if his head was spinning. "Don't mention it. Welcome to El Paso, Evan."
The weeks that followed were a blur of dry heat and stolen hours. In a town where everyone knew the Diaz name, Eddie’s life had always felt like a script he was forced to read. But with Evan, the script was gone.
By the third week, the guided tours had evolved into something else. Shannon would often conveniently have plans with Maddie, leaving Eddie and Evan to their own devices.
It was a Tuesday night, the kind of evening where the air finally cooled down enough to breathe. They were sitting in the bed of Eddie’s truck, parked at a lookout point that faced the sprawling lights of the border. A bag of half-eaten burgers sat between them, the grease soaking through the brown paper.
"You need to stop thinking so much," Evan said, nudging Eddie’s boot with his own.
Eddie blinked, tearing his eyes away from the horizon. "What?"
"It’s a sunset, Eddie. You’re allowed to just look at it. Admire its beauty.”
Eddie let out a quiet huff, leaning back on his elbows. "It’s just... quiet. My house is never quiet. My sisters are screaming, my parents are talking about my future like I'm not in the room. Being out here is different."
Evan turned on his side, propping his head up on his hand. In the fading light, the blue of his eyes looked deeper, almost dark. "I get it. Back in Pennsylvania, every time I breathed, my parents had something to say. Coming here with Maddie...it was the first time I felt like I could just be Evan. No expectations. No 'why can't you be more like the neighbours' kid'."
Eddie noticed the way Evan’s curls reacted to the wind, and the way he talked with his hands even when he was lying down. "Why El Paso, though? You could have gone anywhere. California. New York."
Evan shrugged, a small, shy smile playing on his lips. "I don't know. We just drove. We were planning on only staying for a week or so, but then I met a guy who looked like he needed a friend as much as I did."
The air between them suddenly felt charged, thicker than the humidity. Eddie didn't pull his foot away from where it was pressed against Evan’s.
"I didn't think I did," Eddie admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "Need another friend, I mean. I thought I had everything figured out."
"And now?"
Eddie looked down at his hands, then back at Evan. The honesty in Evan’s expression was terrifying because it invited Eddie to be honest, too. For eighteen years, Eddie had built walls around his heart. But Evan was like desert wind that just drifted through the cracks.
"Now I think I was just bored," Eddie said, though 'bored' was a pale, weak word for the hunger he was starting to feel.
Evan reached out, his thumb catching a stray crumb on the corner of Eddie’s jaw. It was a lingering touch, unnecessary and deliberate. His skin was warm, and where he touched, Eddie felt a jolt that traveled straight to his spine.
"I'm glad I stayed," Evan murmured.
Eddie didn't look away. He couldn't. "Me too."
They stayed like that for a long time, two teenage boys in the back of a truck, suspended between the lives they were born into and the ones they were beginning to desire.