Michigan
The thud as the wheels hit the tarmac nudged Justin out of his light doze. He blinked a few times, yawning and stretching and reaching down for his bottle of water. He took a deep swallow, hating how dry his mouth always was after a flight. He glanced out the small window, seeing only smears from the rain pouring down. He sighed, fidgeting as he waited impatiently for them to come to a stop so that he could finally, finally get off the damn plane.
"Will you stop fidgeting already, Christ, you're shaking the whole plane," Chris's voice was muffled as he bent down, jamming the last of his stuff into his bag.
"Shut up. It's not that bad." Justin forced himself to sit still, however. It had been a very long day and the last thing he wanted was to get into a fight now. They were barely speaking to one another as it was, not after they had gotten into what would have been a screaming match if they weren't trying to avoid any attention when they had been delayed for the third time. And that was after they had already been rebooked from a direct flight to one with two different layovers. Justin glanced at his watch and sighed. 10:15. They were supposed to have landed at 11:00 that morning. He still didn't understand why Chris was so adamant that they fly out that day. He would have been more than willing to wait. But Chris was insistent and that was that.
"Damn, I can't wait to get off this plane." Chris muttered, standing and stretching and bouncing slightly on his toes. The crack of his spine resounded in the cabin and he grinned apologetically at the glares from their fellow passengers. Chris stepped aside slightly and Justin slid out, nearly falling as the blood rushed back to his legs. He should never have asked for the window seat, at least on the aisle he could have stretched his legs. He grabbed his bags from the overhead and then joined Chris in tapping his foot impatiently. He was starting to really hate looking at the cabin of this plane. Somehow their three-hour flight had turned into an all day ordeal. And by the looks on the faces of his fellow passengers he was fairly certain he wasn't alone in his desire to get the hell out.
"Once again we apologize for the inconvenience and hope that the rest of your week goes better. Thank you for flying with us and we look forward to seeing you again soon." A small cheer went up as the door finally opened and the flight attendant gave a weary wave. Justin heard Chris softly mutter "Hey, thanks for putting up with us, you should get a medal. I would have bashed me in the head a long time ago" as he paused for a moment in the door. The woman smiled genuinely back. "You weren't that bad. Honestly. And thanks for the note. My daughter is going to think I'm the greatest mother ever." Justin ducked his head, trying hard to hang onto his anger. It was difficult to do when faced with evidence of Chris's inherent kindness.
They trudged wearily up the ramp, Justin shortening his steps so they were walking in stride. "Is someone meeting us or are we picking up a car?" He still had no idea where they were ultimately headed. All he knew was that Chicago was a jumping off point.
"We're being met and picking up a car," Chris replied, looking around. He let out a loud snort and Justin turned to find out what was so funny.
A tall woman was leaning against the wall, a pair of glasses resting on her head and one foot propped up behind her. She was holding a small sign which read "B. Munch". Justin followed Chris as he jogged over, still confused.
"B. Munch? C'mon, Traxler, you can do better than that." Chris leaned up and smacked her loudly on the cheek.
"Well, I figured F. Head didn't have that dash of subtlety I was going for, Kirkpatrick." She pushed off the wall and slung an arm over Chris's shoulder. "So, I guess when you said 11:00 a.m. what you meant was 10:30 p.m. Of course, I mean that's obvious."
"Right. Because it's my fault that there are storms all over the country. I don't control the weather you know." Chris poked her in the side as they headed down the hallway. Justin trailed behind, feeling more than a little left out.
"Wait, wait, I have to mark this down." She came to a halt and stuck a hand in her pocket, pulling out a Palm. "Ok, on June 13, 2002, Chris Kirkpatrick admitted that he is not in control of something. Hell beginning to freeze as we speak."
"You are such a funny girl," Chris glanced around. "Hey, where's your better half?"
"Libby's meeting is at 8 tomorrow morning and you know how lagged she gets so I sent her out on the afternoon flight. I'm now catching the red eye thanks to you." She punched Chris in the shoulder and then looked pointedly behind him. "Speaking of,"
"What?" Chris turned around then slapped his forehead, "Right, right, sorry, sorry, Denny, this Justin, Justin, the illustrious Denny Traxler."
"Pleasure to meet you," Justin said, holding out his hand.
"Likewise," she shook his hand firmly, shooting a glance over at Chris. "Lucky man."
"Don't I know it." Chris glanced around and Justin joined him. It had been a very long time since they traveled without security and he was glad to see that Chris was at least somewhat concerned about it.
"Did you two check anything through or are you all set to go, because, well, I've got to get to my own gate in a few." She glanced down at her watch and then frowned.
"Nope. I don't trust the bastards not to lose everything on purpose. We're all set." Chris held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Give it up, Traxler."
She dropped two sets of keys onto his palm and then held up a finger. "Jeep's on parking level A14. It's navy blue, Michigan plate LIBBYS1. If there is so much as a bug on the windshield when you bring it back I'll kick your ass. And you will return it with a full tank of gas, Kirkpatrick. Don't think that you won't. The other set is the house keys. Here's directions and the alarm code," she handed over a small slip of paper, "and I told Grandpa DeFields that some friends were using the house for a few weeks so you won't have to worry about anyone calling the police to see who's there. The boat keys are hanging on a hook by the kitchen door. Again, you will leave us a full tank of gas. There's food in the fridge and I had Amy pick up some beer. Anything else, you know the number. Be careful on the way, it's supposed to pour all night. Have a great time, guys." She kissed Chris on the cheek and then held a hand out to Justin. "Justin, I'm sure you'll try to make sure he doesn't burn the place to the ground. Try not to, that's all I ask. I've really got to go."
"Thanks, Denny. I do appreciate it." Chris smacked her on the ass when she turned around. "Now get out of here." She held up a hand, flipping him off without a pause as she strode away.
"Right, well, let's get going, we still have a ways to drive, and, I don't know about you, but I'm beat." Chris set off once again and Justin trailed behind, more confused than ever.
"Chris, where are we going?" He knew he was whining but he didn't care. He was tired and hungry and wanted to curl up and sleep. He hated being petulant but his patience was coming to an end.
"If I told you I would have to kill you," Chris replied distractedly as he spun in a circle. "Ah ha, there be the way to the garage." He set off quickly and Justin dashed to keep up.
"Fine. Be that way. Can we at least grab something to eat, I'm starved, man." Justin ducked his head as the got on the elevator, thankful that at this time of night the terminal was filled primarily with business travelers who were tired and focused on reaching their destination. He knew he couldn't handle a screaming crowd at this point. They both fell silent as they boarded the elevator, staring straight ahead until it finally halted on their level. Justin followed Chris, looking around for the promised Jeep. They wandered a bit, the orange glare from the lights making Justin's eyes burn.
"Fuck this," Chris muttered, then held up his hand, tripping the alarm. Their heads turned when they saw the flashing headlights a row over and Chris gave Justin a weak grin. "See, never remembering where I park at the mall did teach me a few things."
Justin couldn't help but smile back for a second, only to have the smile turn into an enormous yawn. He was just so damn tired. He staggered through over to the Jeep and leaned heavily on the door, waiting for Chris. He yawned again, not even bothering to try to stop. So damn tired.
"Ok, in the car now." Justin nodded and then wearily pulled open his door, tossing his bags in the back and nearly hitting Chris in the head as he leaned over to do the same thing. Chris fiddled with his seat for a moment, then started the Jeep. Justin tilted his head back, glad to finally be starting what he hoped would be the last leg to wherever it was that Chris was taking him.
Things were silent again as Chris made his way out of the parking garage and onto the highway. Justin didn't want to interrupt Chris's concentration. Getting lost now would be the icing on the cake. Finally Justin heard Chris sigh and he could see some of the tension leak out as Chris relaxed his grip on the wheel. "Hey, Chris, um, who was that back there, at the airport," Justin asked, turning slightly so he could watch Chris's profile in the flickering lights from passing cars.
"Denise Traxler, you know, my friend Denny from Chicago. Are you still hungry because there's a McDonald's a few exits up," Chris answered, his fingers idly tapping out a random pattern.
"Nah, I'm good now," Justin paused wracking his brain and trying to remember just who Denny from Chicago was. "Your friend Denny the stockbroker?" That sounded right.
"Commodities trader actually, remember that thing last year, about the wheat futures, the one that we made a killing on, well that was her. I'm sorry that we missed her too, that was why I was such an ass about flying out today, I wanted you to meet her and Libby. You'd like them a lot. Libby's a lawyer, some kind of international patent law and they're going to be in LA for the next three weeks. So it was either meet them at the airport today or not until the next time we're in Chicago. They've been together since, well, pretty much ever, they just celebrated their ten year anniversary last week."
Justin turned to face Chris fully at that, but Chris was busy trying to change lanes and didn't turn to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry we didn't get to meet them then." Chris nodded slightly and Justin settled back into his seat, yawning again. The steady patter of rain on the roof of the Jeep combined with the thrum of the tires was knocking him right out. He blinked rapidly, not wanting Chris to have to drive while he was sleeping.
"We've got another two hours or so to go," Chris said quietly, reaching over and squeezing Justin's forearm lightly. "Go ahead and sleep."
"I don't want you to have to," a huge yawn interrupted and Justin grinned sheepishly when Chris started to laugh.
"Dude. You're going to sleep no matter what, so give up and don't bother feeling guilty about it. I'm perfectly fine to drive, I had a nice nap on the plane." Chris squeezed his arm again and Justin felt his eyes drift shut. "I'll wake you when we get there." He nodded once and then tilted his head, resting against the window. The last thing he heard was Chris quietly singing along to the radio.
"Justin, c'mon, wake up, I'm not dragging your heavy ass, so wake up." Justin woke with a start, jerking away from Chris's hands on his shoulders.
"What, where," he blinked rapidly, totally disoriented.
"We're here, I've got your bags, but I can't carry them and you so get off your ass and into the house and then into a nice warm, dry bed, I promise," Chris tugged at his arms and Justin followed, barely able to keep his eyes open. He staggered up the sidewalk, flinching when Chris flicked on a light. He continued down the hall, eyes barely open, focused only on not falling. He blinked a few times when they came to a sudden stop and realized that he was standing at the foot of a large bed.
"Here we go, beddy bye time," Chris's voice sing songed in his ear and Justin batted at him feebly. He toed off his sneakers and then tugged down his jeans, pulling off his t-shirt as he fell onto the bed. He burrowed under the covers and felt the thud as Chris landed next to him.
"Chris," he sighed out and snuggled next to the warm body, tucking his head into the crook of Chris's neck. He heard a faint "night, Justin" as he immediately fell back to sleep.
Justin blinked, sitting up and looking around, trying to remember where he was. Some room, not a hotel room, he thought, looking around. No, it was too lived in and personal for that. There were photographs on the wall and the furniture, though nice, was old and well worn. He was, he was, he had no idea where he was. He lay back down, turning on his side and propping his head on one hand. Chris was sound asleep next to him, lying on his back with one arm crooked over his head and the other draped across his stomach. The pale sunlight filtering in through the window cast dark red highlights in his hair. Justin let his eyes wander over Chris's face, a little amazed that he was lying there in bed with Chris. It was still strange, good, but strange nonetheless to go to sleep and wake up lying next to or tangled together with Chris. He knew that soon it would seem commonplace, but now, now his breath still caught in his throat. He started to reach out and then let his hand drop. Chris must be exhausted from driving after their trip. It would be mean to wake him now.
Justin slid out of bed and padded across the room, suppressing a yelp when he stumbled across Chris's backpack. He located his bag lying next to the door and he unzipped it, rummaging around until he found his shaving kit, a fresh pair of boxers and a pair of jeans. He looked around and noted a door next to the bed. He pulled it open and, sure enough, there was the bathroom. He carefully pulled the door shut before flicking on the light. He kicked off his boxers and adjusted the water, then stepped into the shower. He still wasn't quite sure where he was, but he did faintly remember Chris mentioning a house. He showered quickly, feeling more and more awake by the moment. He didn't know how long he had slept, but he felt refreshed and relaxed. He stood under the water for a moment, just letting the stream wash off the last remnants of sleep. He hummed a little as he turned off the water, stepping out and toweling off quickly. He glanced in the mirror and decided there was no need to shave. He was on vacation after all. He brushed his teeth and then dressed, feeling fully awake and human for the first time in days. He slid back into the bedroom and sat on the foot of the bed.
"Chris," he called softly, "Hey, man, wake up." The only response was a deep sigh and some gentle stirring. He smiled and stood, bending down to kiss Chris's forehead. "You sleep then," he whispered as he leaned back. He slid out the bedroom door then looked up and down the hallway. With a shrug he headed left. The house was quiet and he was fairly certain they were the only ones there. The short hallway led to a large kitchen, open and airy with sliding glass doors leading to a small patio. Justin pulled open the refrigerator door, surprised to find it fairly full. He pulled out the carton of orange juice, then rummaged through the cabinets until he found some glasses. He poured a glass and drank it slowly while he scrounged some more. He found the coffee and he started a pot, inhaling the rich scent deeply. Coffee mugs were already lined up in a row on the counter and he grabbed one the second the coffee was done brewing. He blew gently on his mug as he stepped out onto the patio, looking around avidly.
The house was overlooking a lake, the water glistening dark blue in the morning light. He could faintly hear some motors in the distance and there were a few sails on the other side of the water. Houses lined the banks, nearly all set back a bit from the beach. There were trees everywhere, limbs tossing in the breeze. Their house appeared to be at the top of a small hill. Justin saw a flight of stairs leading down to a small strip of beach. A short dock jutted out and a speedboat was tied about halfway down its length. It was calm and fairly quiet. Justin breathed in, taking in the fresh scent. He still wasn't sure where he was, but he liked it.
"Morning," Chris muttered right in his ear. Justin jumped, startled. Chris laughed as Justin glared at him.
"I thought you were asleep," Justin tried to sound angry but his grin ruined the effect.
"You know me and my Pavlovian response to the scent of coffee. Gimme, gimme," Chris stretched out his hand and Justin handed over his mug. "Ahhhhhh," Chris sighed out, eyes closed as he drank. "Good stuff." He handed the mug back and Justin raised it to his own mouth.
"Damn it, Chris," Justin shook his head, "No, you know, it's too nice of a day to fight with you over drinking all my coffee." He leaned against the patio railing, watching Chris as Chris took in the view.
"God, it's pretty here," Chris murmured and Justin nodded his agreement.
"Yes, it is. Um, Chris, do you mind telling me where here is, exactly?" Justin made his way back into the kitchen, pouring himself more coffee and getting Chris his own mug, knowing full well that Chris would continue to drink his if not given a mug of his own. Justin slid back through the doors and resumed his place leaning against the railing.
"Thanks," Chris took another sip of coffee and then grinned. "We're in beautiful Coloma, Michigan. Population approximately 2,000 including the cats and dogs. Not known for anything really. More specifically we're staying at Denny's house. I figured with the amount of commissions I've paid her over the last few years the least I should get is free run of her place."
"Michigan?" Justin stared at Chris, "Why are we in Michigan?"
Chris shrugged. "You said you wanted to get away, I believe what you said exactly was 'I want to get the hell out of here before I throttle someone'. So here we are."
"But," Justin stopped. There was no point in asking for any further explanation. Chris had decided for whatever Chris-type reasons that they were going to spend their vacation in small town Michigan. And it certainly seemed nice enough. And they had a house to themselves. And apparently a boat. He shrugged. "Well, it is pretty if nothing else."
"Yup. And before you start whining we're only about two hours from Chicago so if you absolutely have to go shopping or have weird gourmet food or something we can always drive over. Besides," Chris grinned, "If I know my Denny, and I do, this place is wired to get every possible channel. Plus when I was here last summer they had like 2,000 dvds downstairs. Then there's always that boat down there." Chris turned and arched an eyebrow at Justin. "You up for some waterskiing?"
"Hell, yeah," Justin downed the rest of his coffee as he pulled Chris back into the house. "Hurry up and get dressed, and I'll show you how it's done." Chris just smirked at him.
"Holy shit!" Justin didn't mean to yell quite that loudly, but he couldn't help it. "The water's freezing!" He hauled himself back onto the pier, kicking at Chris who was rolling on the dock, laughing. "Warn a guy before he jumps in next time, will you?" Justin shivered, rubbing his arms.
"What do you expect, it's lake water, not ocean water, you moron. I mean, sure it's southern Michigan, but it's still Michigan. I mean, hell, it's only mid-June. The lake was probably frozen until a few weeks ago." Chris sat up, still chuckling. "And jumping in is the best way to get it over with. After the initial shock it's quite refreshing. I've been told."
"Really," Justin eyed Chris. "I don't see you diving in."
"That's because I have more common sense than some people I, don't you even think it, Justin, so help me," Chris ducked, trying not to fall backwards off the dock as Justin lunged at him. "So help me, child, if you even think about throwing me in," he danced away as Justin made another grab at him. They were both laughing, dancing back and forth across the few feet of woods.
"You're going in one way or other, Kirkpatrick," Justin licked his lips, trying to anticipate which way Chris would dart next.
"That's what you think, I am too quick and wily for the likes of you," Chris feinted left and then darted to the right as Justin made another swipe for him. "Ha ha, foiled again, your evil schemes are no match for my cunning and, oh fuck," Chris waved his arms and then fell back with a huge splash.
Justin was doubled over laughing as Chris came sputtering back to the surface.
"Shut up." Chris growled as Justin started to laugh harder.
"That was really graceful," Justin sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him, "I particularly liked that way you waved your arms, maybe we should work that into one of the dances. We could call it 'The Dork'."
"I repeat, shut up," Chris hauled himself out of the water and stood over Justin, shaking his head directly over Justin's chest. He grinned as Justin squirmed away. "You ready to ski now?"
"Yeah," Justin nodded, smiling widely as Chris stared down at him. He reached out and ran a thumb along Chris's ankle. Chris smiled slowly and Justin smiled back.
"Chris?" Justin whispered, "Chris? Are you awake?" There was no response and Justin cautiously turned on the battered couch, careful not to jostle Chris too much. "Chris," he called again softly, running a hand up Chris's arm. Justin leaned back, watching Chris as he slept. Chris's nose was slightly burnt and he smelled like the lake, a green smell, Justin thought, idly wondering how it was that a smell could have a color. But this did. It wasn't like the ocean, that was a sharp, almost bitter scent, probably from the salt. This was fresher, it smelled almost like grass. Green, Justin thought again. A green smell. Chris sniffed and then shifted, nestling into the couch. Justin reached out and found the remote, slowly turning the volume down. It had been a good day, a very good day. And they hadn't really done anything. Skied some and Justin had been pleased to find out that the muscle memory was still there. He didn't get to waterski nearly as often as he liked. And then a bike ride, on actual bikes, no less. That was nice too. It wasn't perfectly flat, but the hills weren't that large, just enough variety to be fun. It was nice to ride somewhere, to put his muscles to work for pleasure for once. Dinner had been great, fresh corn that Chris picked up at a stand and fish from the store down the street. And no one had recognized them. Or, Justin thought, if they had they hadn't said anything. That was nice too. His ears still ached sometimes from all the screams.
Now here they were curled up on a battered couch in the basement, watching bad horror movies on the huge television. Justin wasn't surprised that Chris was asleep, he was feeling quite relaxed himself. Justin slowly linked his fingers together with Chris's, content with the simple touch for the moment. It was odd how natural and unnatural it was all at the same time. How it seemed that everything and nothing had changed. Surreal, he supposed, turning the word over in his mind as his thumb traced a circle on the back of Chris's hand. Like that painting by Picasso of the nude women with elongated faces. His world was nearly the same as before, but not quite. It was one step off, one step away from how it had been before. And it was good. His fingers tightened around Chris's. It was so good. To finally be able to sit here on a couch and hold Chris's hand, to be sitting with his best friend who was now his lover. His lover. That impossible step he never ever allowed himself to believe would be true. But it was.
Justin scooted a bit closer, turning so that his head rested on Chris's chest, his ear over Chris's heart. The steady thump, thump, thump soothed him, calmed him. He was being melodramatic again. Of course he was. Justin smiled slightly to himself. How many times and by how many people had he been called a drama queen. But it was so huge, this thing inside him. So huge and so much that he didn't know what to do. Nothing had really prepared him for the position he found himself in now. And he didn't like that. He didn't like not knowing how to act or what to say, he didn't like having no guidelines for letting Chris know just how much he meant, how the sound of his voice made everything better. Justin sighed, leaning back and putting his head on Chris's shoulder. He didn't like being so happy and so scared all at once. But he liked this. He liked that he could hold Chris's hand and tilt his head on Chris's shoulder and feel that nothing could ever be better. Justin nuzzled at Chris's neck, memorizing the smell of the lake on Chris's skin.
"Wanna go to bed?" Chris stirred, turning and dropping a kiss on the crown of Justin's head.
"Thought you were asleep," Justin quietly replied, lips brushing Chris's neck as he spoke.
"Pretty much still am," Chris chuckled and Justin grinned. "But I would rather not wake up with a kink in my back from being jammed against the arm of this couch because some heavy lug passed out on top of me."
"Hey," Justin protested as he clambered to his feet, tugging Chris up with him, "I'm not heavy."
"Sure you're not," Chris patted Justin's head as they made their way up the stairs. "You go right on thinking that."
They stumbled down the hall, Chris bumping into the wall a few times and Justin tripping over his own feet. They fell onto the bed, twisting around until they settled together, Justin spooned around Chris, their hands clasped together.
"Night, Chris," Justin breathed into Chris's ear. Chris just squeezed Justin's hand in response.
"Justin," Chris flicked the back of Justin's neck and Justin scowled, trying to twist around to smack Chris. "Justin, get up. We're going out."
"Where the hell are we going," Justin refused to look up, instead keeping his head resolutely down, clutching his book a little tighter. "Chris, there's no point in going out, look," he waved his hand towards the window, "It's going to pour. And I'm comfortable." He was too, he was nice and comfortable where he was curled up in the large chair in the living room, the lamp casting a warm glow around him. He had a book and some lemonade and he felt a bit like a cat stretched out in a beam of sunlight, all lazy and content. It was gray and gloomy outside and the forecast was calling for storms. He really didn't want to move.
"Timberlake. Get off your lazy ass and come with me. Trust me, it'll be fun." Chris grabbed his book away and Justin glowered at him. "Don't even bother whining. You're coming with me. Now get up." Chris tugged at his arm and Justin sighed, knowing there really was no point in protesting. Chris was determined that they were going somewhere and so somewhere they would go. That didn't mean he had to make it easy for Chris.
"Chris," he whined as he was led to the Jeep. "I was comfortable. And dry. And I was reading that book." Chris simply ignored him and Justin got into the Jeep, still pouting.
"You can pout all you want, but you'll like this, I promise." Chris whistled happily as he pulled out of the driveway. Justin contemplated whining some more, than gave it up as useless. Besides, it took too much energy to get aggravated and he was still feeling lazy and content.
They made their way towards the road that Justin recognized as leading to the state park and he glanced over curiously. "Chris, won't the beaches be closed? The storms are supposed to be pretty bad." Justin ducked his head a bit and looked out the side window. He could see the line of black rolling in from the direction of the lake.
"We're not going swimming," was the only response and Justin simply shrugged. Chris would let him know what was going on in his own due time. They pulled into the almost completely empty parking lot and Justin saw the large "Beaches Closed" sign. Chris parked and then hopped out and Justin slowly followed behind him. The first sprinkles of rain were starting and Justin rubbed at his face as the wind kicked sand into his eyes.
"We're going to get soaked," he yelled over as Chris bounced onto the beach, spinning in circles and looking around.
"Yeah, isn't it great?" Chris hollered back then pointed to a large dune. "Up there, come on." Chris bounded up the dune, sand cascading down behind him and Justin scrambled to catch up. The rain was coming down harder now and the sky was dark. Justin jumped as the first flash of lightening crackled across the sky.
"Jesus, Chris, this might not be the safest thing ever," he fell onto the sand next to Chris.
Chris wrinkled his nose and looked around. Nah, we're ok. We're away from the trees and there's no tornado warnings. Now, shut up and watch."
The rain started in earnest then and Justin squirmed a bit, trying to get comfortable. The rain was warm and actually felt nice as it rolled down his neck. He yanked off his shirt, spreading it out and then sitting on it. Chris did the same next to him and he jerked as another flash of lightening rent the sky.
"Whoa," he breathed out, the crack of thunder booming several seconds later.
"Look at the waves," Chris pointed and Justin could see the wind whipping them to a white capped frenzy. The surf was running high and Justin could make out a few seagulls riding out the storm. Lightening flashed again, this time far out over the lake. Then another flash, then another, the thunder rolling over them in between. It was a little frightening and a lot more thrilling to be sitting outside watching the sky blaze and fury, the rain drenching them. Justin moved so that they were sitting shoulder to shoulder and he tilted his head back, letting the water pour down his face. He could hear Chris breathing beside him and could feel the burn over where they touched. The hair on his arms and legs stood on end as the electricity from the storm charged the air. The wind whirled the sand around them and the rain pounded on his skin. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so alive.
"Hey there you are, I've been looking for you." Chris nudged Justin with his toe and Justin raised his head a bit to look Chris. "What are you doing down here?"
Justin shrugged and settled back down. "Looking at the stars, thinking, not a lot really. It's a nice night."
Chris sat on the dock next to him and tilted his head back. "The stars are really clear here, it must be the lack of pollution." Justin hummed in response and they sat there quietly for several minutes. The moon was full and Justin was struck by how bright it was. He could easily make out Chris's face in the glowing silver light.
"What are you thinking about," Chris finally asked, leaning back on his hands. "You've been quiet all night."
"Dairy Queen, actually," Justin responded, turning on his side and propping his head on his hand.
"Dairy Queen? I don't think it's open at this time of night. And I'm pretty sure there's some ice cream in the freezer." Chris dropped a hand into the water, flicking his fingers back and forth.
"Not like that," Justin sighed and then pushed himself the rest of the way up, turning to face Chris. "Ok, this is going to sound stupid so just hear me out, okay?" He waited until Chris nodded slightly. "This afternoon when we rode over and you were eating that Buster bar or whatever and you had chocolate smeared all over your face and that little girl was crying because she dropped her cone and her father went to get her a new one and then that Little League team came up and the kids were so excited, that's when I got it. I finally got why you brought me to Michigan of all places for vacation. I know everyone thinks that I don't remember what it's like to have a normal life, but I remember that, I remember being in Little League and I remember when the most important thing in life wasn't whether or not you won but where you were going for ice cream after the game. I do. I remember that. And it hit me, right then and there, why we we're here. Because this is what's important," Justin waved a hand around, trying to encompass the lake and the sky and the them all in one gesture. "This is what's important. That I'm here and you're here and we're here and everything else is just noise. It's all just noise that's going on around us and it doesn't really mean anything. What's important isn't whether you win but what you do after the game. What's important is that I can look up and see the stars and that I can look over and see you." Justin looked over and met Chris's gaze. "Thank you. Thank you for this, for reminding me. It means," he swallowed, not wanting Chris to see how much it meant, "It means a lot."
"Justin," Chris shook his head, "you don't have to thank me. I know," Chris paused and Justin could almost hear him picking through the words. "I know the last year has been hard on you, with the whole solo thing and the Britney thing and, well, now the us thing." He smiled at Justin at that and Justin smiled back. "I know it's been hard on you. And for you to say that you needed to get away, well, I knew that meant you needed quiet." Chris turned and stared across the water and Justin could see the way he was chewing at his lower lip. "You know how bad I was after Dani, well, Libby called me up one day last spring and told me to get my ass on a plane and meet them in Chicago. I tried to get out of it, but the two of them wouldn't let me. They basically kidnapped me and brought me here. They wouldn't tell me why, but after a few days, they didn't have to. I got it. There's something about this place that reminds you of what's actually important." Chris shrugged. "I wanted you to feel that too. I'm glad you do."
Justin nodded then reached out and brushed his fingers against Chris's leg. "I do. And you're right, things have been so nuts, I feel like my head's still spinning most of the time. Like, I mean, I don't, I'm so happy we're together now, Chris, I can't, I don't know how to begin to tell you how happy, but at the same time, I don't, I don't know how to act, you know?" Justin could feel the blush creep up his neck, but he kept going, heartened by the way Chris brought his hand down to cover his fingers and hold them against his leg. "I don't know what to do and you're the one I would usually go to for advice but I don't feel like I can because, hello, I'm asking you for advice on how to date you and that's a bit weird, you know?" Chris laughed out loud at that and Justin chuckled weakly as well. "Seriously, man, you're still my best friend and who the hell else am I going to ask? Joey? JC? Lance? Do you really want me taking dating advice from Lance?"
Chris laughed harder at that and Justin laughed along with him. "Please, please, for my sake, do not ask any of them for dating advice. Really, that's a terrifying concept." Chris chuckled a few more times, then squeezed Justin's hand before letting go. "Justin, here's the thing. I know you. I know you very very well. I'm fully aware that, underneath that very thin veneer of toughness that frankly isn't fooling anyone, you are a huge romantic sap. Like, Vermont maple syrup sappy. It's who you are. And I don't want you to think that just because I'm a guy doesn't mean that you have to suddenly stop being romantic. For example," Chris reached out and gently ran a thumb down Justin's cheek, "I know that you want to make a big deal out of the fact that tomorrow is our one month anniversary but you've been too afraid to say anything about it. It's a big deal to you. That makes it a big deal to me. Sure, I don't want you treating me like a girl, but I also don't want you to stop being you. In case you haven't noticed, I happen to like you the way you are, huge sappy romanticness included. I knew exactly what I was getting into here, Justin. So knock yourself out. For the record I prefer tulips to roses and consider expensive chocolates a waste of money that could have been spent on buying huge quantities of Snickers. I hate cards but love clothes. Go to town, baby."
"Really?" Justin tried not to let his voice shake, but it did despite his best attempts. "So, um, you would maybe want to go to this great restaurant in St. Joseph that this lady at the bait shop told me about tomorrow night for dinner?"
"Sure," Chris shrugged, "though I'm a little leery of recommendations coming from someone who sells mealworms for a living."
"Jackass," Justin shook his head. "You really won't mind if I do stupid, sappy things?"
"Nope." Chris pushed his way up and held out a hand, tugging Justin to his feet. "I can stand to be spoiled."
Justin narrowed his eyes. "You're going to mock me ruthlessly though, aren't you?" He knew there had to be a catch in there somewhere.
"Of course," Chris nodded solemnly. "That's who I am after all."
The splash echoed across the lake as Justin shoved Chris off the side of the dock.
"God, that was great," Chris groaned as he pushed back from the table. Justin swiped his mouth with a napkin, nodding his agreement "I'm going to have to remember to get all my restaurant recommendations from people in bait shops."
"It was great," Justin turned his head, taking in the view of Lake Michigan. It was almost picture postcard perfect, the water sparkling in the early evening light and sailboats sprinkled across the surface. The food had been marvelous, the wine equally fine and the service impeccable. Chris had been on his best behavior and Justin was nearly afraid to look at him, sure that if he did everyone could see exactly how he felt. "Thank you for letting me do this." He swiped the bill from under Chris's hand and pulled out his card, unable to keep from grinning a bit. He wondered what Chris would say if he knew that he would be keeping the receipt. His smile widened at the thought.
"Justin," Chris kicked him under the table and Justin looked up, startled. "Hey, there's no need to thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you. This was great. Seriously. Thanks. I'm having a wonderful time."
Justin ducked his head, biting back the words he wanted to say. Later, later he would whisper them in Chris's ear, tangled and curled together. But now was neither the time nor the place. The waiter came by for the check and Justin watched Chris stare out the window.
"Do you want to go back to the house or do you want to do something else? I didn't really have anything else planned, I thought maybe you would want to go see a movie or something." Justin twisted his napkin, wanting so much to reach out and take Chris's hand. He was finding that to be the hardest thing to get used to, that he couldn't reach over and touch Chris exactly how he wanted. He closed his eyes for a moment and counted backwards from ten, remembering all the old lessons in keeping calm no matter the situation.
"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk on the pier," Chris pointed at the long pier with the lighthouse at the end. "It's not that crowded, it should be okay."
"That sounds great," Justin pushed back from the table, carefully tucking his card and the receipt into his wallet. He flushed when he heard Chris's quiet snort. "Shut up."
"Not saying a word," Chris held his hands up. "Really, I'll let this one slide, seeing as how it's a special occasion and all."
"You're just waiting to hold it against me later," Justin winced when he realized what he said. "Please, Chris, don't say it whatever it is."
"No, that one's too easy. C'mon, let us go stroll down on the pier and bask in the glory of this romantic sunset." Chris gestured expansively as they left the restaurant. "I think that sidewalk will take us down there."
"I think you're right, wanna drop your jacket in the car?" Chris nodded and Justin opened the door, shucking his jacket as well. He pulled his tie off and held out his hand for Chris's, tossing them both in the back seat. There were a pair of baseball caps already on the floor on the passenger's side and he handed Chris his Tarheels hat, tugging the brim of Chris's new Michigan hat low over his forehead.
They set off down the sidewalk, walking side by side. The sun was just starting to set as they started down the pier and it wasn't that crowded. Justin was thankful for that. They only had another two days of vacation left and for the most part they had been left in peace. A sudden thought struck him and he turned to Chris.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, how the hell did you convince Johnny to let us go away without bodyguards? Not that I'm not grateful, man, I am, but seriously, how did you do it?" Justin was genuinely curious. It was great being able to actually, completely alone. But he couldn't figure out how Chris managed to get Johnny to agree.
"Well," Chris smirked, "I may have lied a bit. Johnny may be under the impression that we are somewhere else. Though I prefer not to think of it as lying and more as allowing someone to form their own impressions. What I told him was that you and I wouldn't need anyone because I was taking you to stay at a private home where security would not be an issue. After all, who the hell is expecting us to be in a town in Michigan that almost no one other than the people who live there have ever heard of? Plus," Chris scratched at the back of his neck and paused for a minute, "well,"
"Christopher," Justin sighed out, recognizing the tell tale signs of Chris attempting to get out of a situation. "Whatever else you did, just tell me."
"Ok, well, see, Denny maybe made me promise to tell the local cops we were coming here. So, you know, um," Chris scratched at his nose while Justin crossed his arms and stared him down. "I made sure to have my phone with me all the time, in case something happened so I could have called and I might possibly have been checking in and letting them know where we were going to be on a daily basis and um," Chris looked up and tried to look innocent. "The police may possibly have been doing extra patrols around the house. Don't be mad."
"Why would I be mad, other than that you didn't mention this?" Justin rolled his eyes. "What you're saying is that you took actual reasonable steps to ensure that we were safe. And I would be upset about this why?"
"You aren't upset?" Chris took a step forward and Justin shook his head.
"No. But you should have told me." He turned and started walking again, not waiting to see if Chris was following. He knew he would be.
"I should have told you," Chris fell into step next to Justin again and Justin nodded. They reached the end of the pier as the sun began to sink below the horizon, joining the small group of people watching the sunset. Justin felt the heat from Chris's body as he moved to stand pressed against Justin's side, the back of their hands brushing. Justin felt his eyes fill as the sky grew red, the water looking like it was on fire. It looked like he felt inside, bright, burning and blazing nearly out of control. He felt Chris tug his fingers and he leaned down, eyes still fixed on the scene before him.
"Happy Anniversary, Justin," Chris breathed into his ear.
"Happy Anniversary, Chris," Justin whispered back, squeezing Chris's hand before letting it fall. They stood there until the sun was fully set, leaning together and breathing as one.