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The sky was different away from the city. Instead of being surrounded by honking cars and bright buildings, the soft chirp was all that accompanied the silence. But Seb liked it that way. Chaos had never been his thing- instead nodding and smiling and going along with the status quo. It was quite a pattern living on a farm. Doing chores and following rules filled in for the real life relationships Seb lacked. But joining the theater not only gave him something to get out of cleaning the pig pen, it carried him into a new abyss. A world where he was free to be himself. A world where the shyest farm boy could be spun around the real East High gymnasium in pink heels belting out the classic lines of Sharpay Evans. He had met Kourtney who helped bring him out of his shell and into a much more confident one. And of course there was Carlos. A year ago it seemed impossible to confidently be himself and be in love at the same time. But now, it was 10 pm, a quincenero ended, and a tired boy was leaning on the fence of where the cows were being kept. Seb had to admit that actually planning the whole thing was quite the stressful predicament he got himself into, but seeing the smile on Carlos’ face was worth it. Singing “You are the Music in Me” enveloped the two in a comfort that blocked the craziness of competitive theaters. And though everyone’s clapping should’ve brought them out of their own little world, the feeling of Carlos’ head resting on Seb’s at the piano was a different feeling. A relationship had been new to both of them, and though there were pet names involved and hand holdings exchanged, they never sat down and talked. And Seb was okay with that. He had Carlos and Carlos had him, and that’s all they needed.
“Seb?” A voice called from behind Seb, and he quickly turned around, leaning his back on the fence now.
“Over here!” He waved towards the cell phone flashlight shining through the field. A few steps closer and Carlos’ face was revealed, accompanied by a small crown sat atop his head. Seb smiled at that, silently thanking Gina for the suggestion. Carlos settled his hand on the fence, bretahingout before smiling at Seb who was already staring way too much at the poor guy.
“Something on my face?” Carlos asked.
“Your smile. It’s pretty.” Seb blurted out, not having anything but the truth to say. Even though the moon’s shadow dimmed on the two, Seb could make out the crimson blush spreading on Carlos’ cheeks. They seemed to simultaneously breathe together, looking out to the empty fields before finding their way back to each other’s eyes.
“You didn’t have to do this, you know.” Carlos was the first one to speak. Seb blinked, before softly whispering,
“I wanted to.” Carlos dropped his head to the side, and Seb could make out the small dimples of his cheeks.
“What are we?” Seb broke the silence, asking the question both of them knew was long awaited. Carlos bit his lip before averting eye contact, resting both hands on the fence now. Seb followed suit, letting the quiet speak for them both. Before long, there was a small rustle of movement and Seb felt the tiniest bit of pressure on his pinkie. Looking down, a hand was capturing his and looking up, eyes were locked on his own.
“I think we both know what we are, but we’re too afraid to say it.” Carlos said. He grabbed Seb’s other hand, holding them to his chest.
“I’m scared of being hurt.” Seb sighed, finally looking at Carlos in the face. Carlos’ face filled with concern quickly assuring,
“I would never hurt you, Seb,” Seb let out a sigh.
“Not by you. By the world.” He started, “I know you would never hurt me.” Carlos froze for a moment, then used their hands to step closer to him.
“You’ve always believed in me, and I in you.” Seb added, “You changed my life, and I’m not used to change.”
“I’m not either.” Carlos agreed.
“Why don’t we try together?” Seb asked. Carlos nodded, letting out a breath of relief.
“How about we acknowledge that we found each other, instead of hiding it?” Seb looked at him in the eyes.
“No more secret hand holds, or feared interactions. We live every day for each other because we found one another.” Carlos stated. The two stood there, silently agreeing with foreheads pressed together. The fog of their breaths in the cold seemed to melt together, as they seemed to.
The funny thing about nature is that extraordinary things happen as a sign. So when the two young boys saw the light pass through the sky in the blink of an eye, it was a silent confirmation of their long overdue confession. Seb broke away from Carlos to whisper,
“Make a wish, Los.”
“Huh?” Carlos responded, looking up at the sky.
“It’s the big dipper,” Seb pointed, moving Carlos’ hands to follow his. Carlos squinted before furrowing his eyebrows.
“Sweetie, that’s an internet tower.” Seb giggled, but wouldn’t give it up.
“There’s literally red right there.” Carlos argued.
“Fine. But you still have to make a wish.”
“For what?” Carlos questioned.
“Anything. It’s your birthday isn’t it? The cake might not be here, but the stars are here forever.”
“Okay then.” Carlos squeezed his eyes shut in concentration before opening them softly. Seb leaned in, whispering,
“What did you wish for?” Carlos held his face in his hands before softly saying,
“I wish that you would kiss me.” Seb’s head spun, but he looked up on the stars.
“Well you did wish on a star,” He pointed out.
“And we wouldn’t want to make them angry now, would we?” Carlos quipped.
“No, most definitely not.”
And maybe it was the Big Dipper that was wished on, because when their lips slotted together, it felt like the stars were aligned. Seb tilted his head to smile into the kiss, letting out a breath, while Carlos’ lips moved against his own. They molded together to form a single obstacle in the moon’s covering of the ground underneath them. And when they split, the light seemed to outline the smiles. Maybe not sticking to the stuff they knew was better than blending in. Because love is a force stronger than the moon’s ability to cover the world in darkness. It brings light to the night, and a getaway from the chaos of the buzzing halls of East High.