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It was 9:45pm on a Wednesday when Eddie collapsed onto his couch. Seconds later, a beer bottle cap skidded across the coffee table and landed on the rug as Eddie took a deep swig from the bottle.
The stillness of the house was a warm relief, enveloping him. Christopher was spending the night with a friend. Eddie was free to flip through the television channels to his heart’s content. He began to doze when a buzz in his pocket startled him awake.
He fumbled with his phone, nearly tipping the beer he’d propped between the couch cushions and his thigh.
[BUCK] Hey, you up?
[EDDIE] barely.
[BUCK] I’m outside.
As the notification came, Eddie heard the hiss squeal of brakes and the purr of a large engine going idle outside. Red and white emergency lights washed across the living room. Eddie began to type:
“Please tell me you didn’t bring... ” when his dropdown notification alerted.
[BUCK] come out .
Eddie pulled himself off the couch, slipped his phone back into his pocket, and peeked out the curtain. He took one last pull from his beer before putting the bottle in the sink. He wiggled into his shoes and reluctantly pulled the door open.
Illuminated by the cabin lights, Buck’s head ducked into view to pop open the passenger door, a shit eating grin plastered across his face. Eddie crossed his arms, stopping just short of a curb.
“What the hell? I thought only discontinued models of Buck stole fire trucks?”
“I didn’t steal it. Get in.”
“Fine, you borrowed it. Again.”
Eddie glanced down the street where a few of his neighbors had peeked out their doors.
Buck reached out his hand. “Do you trust me?” He was wearing his turnout pants and an LAFD t-shirt that highlighted the contours of muscles that Eddie always insisted he didn’t notice.
“Spare me the Disney prince routine.” Eddie waved at his neighbors awkwardly before looking back at Buck. “ Oh, what the hell, I’m in.” Eddie grasped Buck’s hand, and Buck helped pull him in.
“Bobby’s gonna kill you.” Eddie fastened his seat belt. Buck pulled away from the curb with surprising gentleness.
“I already disabled the GPS.” A lopsided grin made Eddie’s stomach do complicated things. “Temporary maintenance mode.” His hands were steady on the wheel as he navigated the empty streets.
Buck took a turn that Eddie recognized was heading them towards the hills. The engine vibrated through the floor into Eddie’s feet and into his chest. The radio cackled with dispatcher chatter from nearby stations.
“You going to tell me where we’re headed?” Eddie asked.
Buck shook his head. “I heard you talking to Hen today.” His eyes were fixed on the road ahead. “About how you only ever see LA on calls. You just go between home and work and Christopher’s school.”
Eddie sank deeper into the passenger seat. It had been a throwaway comment during a lunch break. Buck wasn’t supposed to hear that.
“You still don’t know what makes the city special.” Buck took another turn, and the road climbed steadily upward. It twisted like a snake around the hillside, each bend revealing glimpses of the city spreading out below them.
The road narrowed as they climbed higher. The streetlights lessened and then slipped away. They were left in near darkness, interrupted only by their headlights cutting through the night. Eddie leaned forward in the seat, peering into the darkness beyond the windshield. Curiosity was slowly replacing his reluctance.
“Almost there.” Buck’s voice carried a hint of excitement that reminded Eddie of Christopher on Christmas morning.
They rounded one last bend, and suddenly the world opened up before them.
Buck pulled them into a secluded overlook, one that should have been closed after sunset. Yet, the gates had been mysteriously left open.
The city was a glittering carpet of light stretching to the ocean.
“How did you even find this place?” Eddie asked.
“I have my ways.” Buck grabbed a backpack from beside the seat before hopping out. “Come on, the view is better from up top.”
Eddie followed him to the back of the truck as Buck started climbing the ladder. Eddie hesitated at the bottom, and Buck paused halfway up. Buck reached out his hand again.
Eddie stared at the outstretched hand. He remembered all the times Buck had been there for him and Christopher. The tsunami, the well collapse, and countless moments when Buck’s presence felt like the only thing that made sense in the world.
He took Buck’s hand, their fingers interlaced, as he helped Eddie join him on top of the truck.
Buck balanced the pack between his thighs, pulling out a blanket, a thermos, and a box. A small battery-operated lamp clicked on. It cast a soft glow that made the top of the rig feel intimate and secluded from the world below.
Buck looked out at the sea of twinkling lights. “You can see why people fall in love with this place,” he gestured at the panoramic view before them. And as his eyes scanned the subtle slope of the hills, he could.
Their shoulders pressed together, neither moving to create distance. The night had taken on a dreamlike quality, as if they crossed some invisible boundary into a world where normal rules didn’t apply. From this vantage point, the city transformed into something magical, a grid of streets and highways, a tapestry of light.
The city below mirrored the stars above like a pool, collecting the reflection of the cosmos. It created the illusion that they were floating in space, suspended between two disparate galaxies.
“It is beautiful,” Eddie admitted, accepting a cup that Buck offered him. It was hot chocolate, prepared with cinnamon and a hint of chili. Their fingers brushed during the exchange, and both of them lingered.
“I know it’s not exactly conventional.” Buck laughed, free and uninhibited. The sound seemed to dance in the space between them, “but I figured we’d never really done things by the book.”
The warmth of the cup seeped into Eddie’s hands. But it was nothing compared to the heat spreading through his chest as he watched Buck in the dim light.
“This is,” Eddie searched for the words, settling on “thank you for dragging me out here.”
Buck rested his head against Eddie’s shoulder, giving it a playful bump with his cheek. The gesture was casual and familiar.
“That’s what friends are for,” Buck said, his breath warm against Eddie’s neck.
The word ‘friend’ resonated in Eddie’s ear like the hollow echo of a bell. A breeze ruffled Eddie’s hair, stirring the scent of Buck’s cologne, mingling it with spiced chocolate. It made Eddie’s head spin. He looked down at the liquid in his hands. When did Buck’s presence become so intoxicating?
Buck opened the pastry box, revealing Eddie’s favorite conchas from the bakery near the station.
“Look there,” Buck said, pointing towards downtown. A skyscraper’s lights were changing colors in a rhythmic pattern. “And over there,” he directed Eddie’s gaze to where a helicopter searchlight swept across the Hollywood Hills, revealing hidden contours of the valley. Eddie found himself seeing his adopted city with new eyes as the lights twinkled beneath him. It felt like a breathing entity with secrets and wonders that he had been too busy to discover.
“If you never slow down long enough to look around, you’ll miss everything.” Buck took a bite of his pastry before glancing over at Eddie. Their eyes locked. The moment stretched between them.
Eddie’s thoughts had grown hazy.
He set his cup down.
There was a softness in Buck’s eyes.
Eddie shook his head, trying to clear it.
“You know what’s crazy?” He said, barely a whisper. “I almost didn’t leave the house.”
Buck’s laugh is warm and rich in the cool night air. “Some rules are worth breaking, huh?” His eyes drop momentarily to Eddie’s lips.
A silent question passed between them.
In the distance, fireworks bloomed over the coastline, beautiful bursts of colorful serendipity. The display seemed timed, as if the universe itself was orchestrating a perfect moment. Eddie watched Buck’s reaction, childlike wonder softening his features.
The wind blew a harder gust, and Buck shifted closer to Eddie. His hand found Eddie’s on the blanket as if it belonged there. Eddie looked down and then up to Buck.
Their faces were inches from each other.
The moonlight danced across Buck’s face. The silver glow washed across his cheekbones, and the shadows accentuated the curve of his jaw. His eyes twinkled brighter than the stars. He appeared otherworldly, almost ethereal, and Eddie couldn’t look away.
They didn’t have to speak.
They existed in this bubble floating above the city.
Buck’s hand remained on Eddie’s, his thumb tracing a small circle. An airplane flew overhead and crossed the sky above them. Buck’s eyes followed the plane’s path and then returned to Eddie’s face. There was something new and vulnerable in his expression. Eddie leaned closer, and Buck’s eyes dropped again to Eddie’s mouth.
Their lips pressed together.
The kiss was a culmination of countless moments that spread out behind them. Moments that lead to this place where the world narrowed to only them. The warmth of Buck’s mouth, the grip of his hands. Their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, clicking into place as they leaned back on the blanket. Eddie’s hand moved from Buck’s shoulder to cup his neck, and Buck pulled their bodies closer.
It all made sense now.
Eddie finally understood what had been building between them for so long.
When they pulled back, Eddie whispered, “Oh.” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. The city continued its flickering pulse below, but the world had shifted. All that mattered was that they had found their view, one that had been waiting for them for so long, and each other.
“Yeah,” Buck rested his forehead against Eddie’s. “Oh.”