gave in and slipped his arms into the sleeves of the jacket. It hung a little loose, but the fabric was still warm from Angel’s skin.
“Pockets.” Angel shrugged.
Now that Micah was no longer cold, the walk regained its pleasant quality, improved further by the excellent view of Angel’s beautifully toned arms. They walked in contented silence for a while. Angel’s thumb traced idle lines over the sensitive skin of Micah’s wrist, which seemed to make Micah’s whole hand buzz with pleasure. Then, as they reached a park bench in a dark spot under a broken lamp, Angel pulled on Micah’s hand and sat down, then leaned back to look at the sky.
“I love stargazing,” he said. “Back in my hometown, on summer nights, I used to stay in the garden for hours, looking up at the sky and dreaming. When I was older, I would sometimes drive out into the fields and lie on the hood of my Jeep until sunrise. I could name all the constellations.” He paused and sighed. “It’s hard to see properly in the city.”
Micah sat down next to him. “I used to do that too,” he admitted.
“The Jeep in the field part?” Angel grinned.
Micah laughed. “No, staying outside stargazing. Every summer in Grand Marais, my sister and I would sneak out at night onto the open deck with our sleeping bags. Our parents found us sleeping there so many times they finally put a couple of cots there.” He smiled at the memory. “I loved it, falling asleep to the sounds of frogs and cicadas and the lapping of water, with the smell of pines and the lake, and the starry sky above us.”
“Don’t you miss it?”
“Now I do, thanks.” He pretended to frown at Angel. “I still go there sometimes, if I manage to find the time in the summer. But usually I don’t think about it, you know? Like you said, the city is not the best place to stargaze.”
“Tonight’s not bad,” Angel said, and then sat straighter and wound his arm around Micah’s shoulders. “Come here.”
Micah frowned, confused. “Where?” Angel gently tugged him closer and tapped his own thigh with his free hand. Micah’s eyes widened. “You want me to what, get in your lap? In public? I don’t think—”
Angel laughed. “No, silly. Lie down. You’ll be able to see the sky better.”
“Oh.”
Micah felt blood rush to his cheeks. He fumbled to slide down on the bench until his head was pillowed on Angel’s thigh. As soon as he was settled, Angel put his hand on Micah’s chest and let it rest there, a warm comforting weight over his heart.
The sky was breathtaking, the moon hanging white and heavy overhead, and the scattering of stars, though not as bright, looked just as mesmerizing as on those summer nights, years ago. Except Micah wasn’t alone now, lying on the deck next to sleeping Claudia, dreaming of the future when he could experience it with somebody else—with a boy, someone dear to his heart.
Now, he was here—free to be himself, out in the open, enjoying this moment with another man. And even though he wasn’t a boyfriend, and they weren’t curled up together under one blanket, whispering plans and confessions, it didn’t matter. Angel’s warmth, the subtle scent of cologne and detergent coming from his shirt and his fingers playing with Micah’s hair were enough, tonight.
The movement of Angel’s fingers was hypnotic: feather-light touches to his forehead, his cheekbones, following the outline of his lips. It was teasing and electrifying, and arousal grew like an ever-louder hum through Micah’s body until he couldn’t focus on anything else.
“Do you have any more plans?” he asked dreamily. He still had a bit of his four hours left.
“Hmmm.” Angel’s fingers didn’t stop. “We could go for a drink if you want. Or to the movies, although it may be a little late now. And there’s this place that has a late salsa night tonight.”
“No.”
“Or… we could go to your apartment.”
“If we go to my apartment, can we
“Pockets.” Angel shrugged.
Now that Micah was no longer cold, the walk regained its pleasant quality, improved further by the excellent view of Angel’s beautifully toned arms. They walked in contented silence for a while. Angel’s thumb traced idle lines over the sensitive skin of Micah’s wrist, which seemed to make Micah’s whole hand buzz with pleasure. Then, as they reached a park bench in a dark spot under a broken lamp, Angel pulled on Micah’s hand and sat down, then leaned back to look at the sky.
“I love stargazing,” he said. “Back in my hometown, on summer nights, I used to stay in the garden for hours, looking up at the sky and dreaming. When I was older, I would sometimes drive out into the fields and lie on the hood of my Jeep until sunrise. I could name all the constellations.” He paused and sighed. “It’s hard to see properly in the city.”
Micah sat down next to him. “I used to do that too,” he admitted.
“The Jeep in the field part?” Angel grinned.
Micah laughed. “No, staying outside stargazing. Every summer in Grand Marais, my sister and I would sneak out at night onto the open deck with our sleeping bags. Our parents found us sleeping there so many times they finally put a couple of cots there.” He smiled at the memory. “I loved it, falling asleep to the sounds of frogs and cicadas and the lapping of water, with the smell of pines and the lake, and the starry sky above us.”
“Don’t you miss it?”
“Now I do, thanks.” He pretended to frown at Angel. “I still go there sometimes, if I manage to find the time in the summer. But usually I don’t think about it, you know? Like you said, the city is not the best place to stargaze.”
“Tonight’s not bad,” Angel said, and then sat straighter and wound his arm around Micah’s shoulders. “Come here.”
Micah frowned, confused. “Where?” Angel gently tugged him closer and tapped his own thigh with his free hand. Micah’s eyes widened. “You want me to what, get in your lap? In public? I don’t think—”
Angel laughed. “No, silly. Lie down. You’ll be able to see the sky better.”
“Oh.”
Micah felt blood rush to his cheeks. He fumbled to slide down on the bench until his head was pillowed on Angel’s thigh. As soon as he was settled, Angel put his hand on Micah’s chest and let it rest there, a warm comforting weight over his heart.
The sky was breathtaking, the moon hanging white and heavy overhead, and the scattering of stars, though not as bright, looked just as mesmerizing as on those summer nights, years ago. Except Micah wasn’t alone now, lying on the deck next to sleeping Claudia, dreaming of the future when he could experience it with somebody else—with a boy, someone dear to his heart.
Now, he was here—free to be himself, out in the open, enjoying this moment with another man. And even though he wasn’t a boyfriend, and they weren’t curled up together under one blanket, whispering plans and confessions, it didn’t matter. Angel’s warmth, the subtle scent of cologne and detergent coming from his shirt and his fingers playing with Micah’s hair were enough, tonight.
The movement of Angel’s fingers was hypnotic: feather-light touches to his forehead, his cheekbones, following the outline of his lips. It was teasing and electrifying, and arousal grew like an ever-louder hum through Micah’s body until he couldn’t focus on anything else.
“Do you have any more plans?” he asked dreamily. He still had a bit of his four hours left.
“Hmmm.” Angel’s fingers didn’t stop. “We could go for a drink if you want. Or to the movies, although it may be a little late now. And there’s this place that has a late salsa night tonight.”
“No.”
“Or… we could go to your apartment.”
“If we go to my apartment, can we
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