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They sat together on the edge of the ramp, passing the joint to one another in silence, content with one another's presence. Cal was the first to break the silence, blowing smoke towards Nick as he turned.
“What’s your favorite memory?”
Nick turned towards him, his eyebrows raised. Cal’s face was dead serious, and so he took a deep drag, flopping back and staring at the stars for a long moment, pondering the question.
His voice came out gravelly as he responded, the words filled with some kind of resentment and regret.
“Prolly’ when Glenn took me to a concert when I was like, I dunno, seven. It was some shitty punk cover band he loved, and honestly he probably only took me because there wasn’t a babysitter, but I was so stoked to hang out with him back then that I didn’t give a shit.” he paused, closing his eyes and exhaling, trying to transport himself back to when he was happier, if naive.
“I remember he carried me on his shoulders and we got soft-serve ice cream afterward, and I don’t think he drank, because I remember him looking at me like I was all he cared about because I was his son .”
There is silence, and Nick slowly opens his eyes, propping himself up to look at Cal. The boy was nodding, his eyes lost in some fog that didn’t come from the smoke. Nick allowed himself a moment to drink it in, the freckles, the sloppily done eyeliner, and even his chapped lips, finally forcing himself to lay back down and take another drag before asking the implied question.
“You?”
Cal now lay down, and Nick turned to face him before realizing what a spectacularly bad idea that was. Cal was staring intently at him, his eyes scanning Nick’s face, seeming to search for something, to weigh his options, before smirking lightly.
“Honestly? When we sat in that shitty fucking car of yours in that sketchy 7/11 after my dad kicked me out, and we ate those god-awful chips.”
Nick laughed, his shoulders shaking as he shook his head in disbelief, “Seriously? Why?”
He turned back to Cal, who was looking at Nick with some mix of amusement and something that, if he didn’t know better, Nick would call love. The boy seemed to lean closer to Nick, so close that he could feel his breath.
“Because it was the first time I really saw you smile - when you dared me to eat those grease-soaked chips and laughed when I nearly choked - you smiled, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen.”
Nick’s grin faded, and he stared at Cal, searching for an inkling of humor, some sign he was joking, finding only truth and hope. He stuttered, searching for words as his heart beat ever-faster, finally saying; “Are you for real?”
Cal nodded mutely and then they were kissing, and Nick had a new favorite memory.