Pride of the Veld

late afternoon sun heat the skin of his back through his shirt, just watching the two men. Andrea was almost as pretty as Geo. He had a similar slender build, a head of messy brown hair, and olive skin; as a pair they would be quite stunning. The Italian had a few inches and a handful of years on Geo. He had an established career that took him all over the world. He certainly sounded like he was a better fit, at least on paper.
    Danie didn’t have much to offer Geo except for his companionship and protection in the bush for a few months each year. But at the end of the day, he was just an employee.
    Danie picked up the satellite phone and called Geo, watching him break away from the other man― does he look guilty ?
    “Geo, can you spot me?” Danie was all business again, shoving away his impending heartbreak for another time.
    “Where are you?” He watched as Geo spun in a tight circle, before moving out to get a clear view of the surrounding area. He quickly fixed on the rise, peering at his location under a hand, shielding his eyes from the glare.
    “Can you see me yet?” Danie moved on his belly a little closer to the edge.
    “You’re up on that ridge, yeah?” Geo asked.
    “Can you see me?”
    “No. That’s not good is it?” As Danie watched Geo, he imagined that he could see Geo worry his bottom lip, like he always did when he sorted out a problem.
    “Not if you’re the one looking, Geo.” He disconnected the call and stood, waving and waiting for Geo to wave back before scrambling back down to ground level.
    His walk back to camp was a thoughtful one.
    ****
    They ate beans from cans set into the coals to heat. The labels curled from the fire and blacked with soot, the metal almost too hot to touch. Geo kept up a patter that masked the silence from the rest of them. Andrea kept sending glances over the fire at both of them, which was confusing.
    Earlier, when he’d returned with the water, Danie had found the pair huddled together over the man’s viewfinder, Geo marveling over photographs from wherever. They didn’t even have the decency to pull apart when he entered the camp. Instead, Geo just waved him over, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to have the Italian draped all over him. Maybe it was.
    The photographs were spectacular― even in a three-inch format. Danie hated them.
    Andrea pulled the camera back for a moment, searching through shots for a moment, and then, crossing the camp, slid next to him. Danie felt the warmth and the spicy scent coming from the man.
    After so many days in the bush without more than cursory bathing, Danie had become used to the musky, pungent smells he shared with Geo. But this man, this man with olive skin and lashes longer than any he’d ever seen on a man before, smelled like sunshine and bergamot.
    He shivered and willed himself not to respond further. He could feel Geo’s eyes on them as he watched Andrea scroll through the shots for him.
    He settled on a series of shots of Geo, following him as he moved through the camp settling them in for a long wait. The photographs elevated the mundane activities to art. The sunlight setting Geo’s hair into a blazing halo of gold, making his eyes shine with ethereal light― a fallen angel amid kindling as he knelt before the stone circle, building their fire. There were more. Close-ups of Geo, his shy smile, his raucous laughter, his worry reflected as he pulled on his lower lip with his teeth.
    “This, this is the one.” Andrea pointed to the next shot. Geo was standing, arms at ease across his chest, and there was such a look of love and peace on his face, that Danie had to look twice. He looked up at Andrea, confused.
    “He was looking at you. You were busy across the way, and he just stopped to watch you.” He scrolled through several more shots of Geo with a dreamy look on his face.
    “You are a couple, yes?” Andrea persisted, his hazel eyes shining in the twilight.
    “Mmm…” Danie wouldn’t commit to anything that would ruin Geo’s chance of happiness if he really wanted the Italian.
    “I think maybe that’s a yes. I asked this to Geo, and he made the same noise. It must be a special Afrikaner slang that means ‘I’m in love with my partner’?” The Italian laughed at Danie’s expression.
    “He made that same face, too! You both are so…? Cute? No… I think the word is… Yes! Stupid. If I was in either of your shoes, I wouldn’t let some stranger come this close