Western Skies Ch. 04

Then the moment was gone. Luke spun around and Allie looked straight at me. She glanced up at Luke's face and then back to me, looking confused.

Heart hammering, I quickly averted my gaze. Nora's hands gently spun me around, forcing me to turn my back on the other couple. Her touch was light, but it may well have been the grasp of steel handcuffs that kept me away from Luke.

When I focused my attention back on her, I felt the cold fire in my stomach transform into a hard knot of fear. Nora was staring at my face. She looked over her shoulder at Luke then back to me, smiling. As we continued to twist and turn to the beat of the music, my panic subsided, replaced by growing suspicion.

At some point the music stopped, the DJ announcing that the was going to take a short break. Threading our way through the crowd, Nora and I joined the rest of our wayward group to crowd around the drink table. Evan was the only one missing. With a snort, I noticed him at a table in the corner of the gym, his lips firmly glued to some junior girl I vaguely recognized. Already one of the teachers chaperoning the dance had spotted them and was stalking towards their little public display with hands on her hips.

I grabbed a couple bottles of water and passed one to Nora. She accepted it gratefully and took a swig as I turned, meaning to talk to Luke. Allie had pulled him away to one of the side tables and had wrapped her arms behind him. She was giving him a soppy look, oblivious to the fact her date had gone rigid as a board. Luke shook his head slowly and started to say something to her when she stood up on her toes and planted a kiss on his lips. A ripple of anger tore through me.

I touched Nora on the shoulder. "I need to use the bathroom," I said flatly, "I'll be back in a few." My feet flew, guiding me towards the outside door at a fast walk, dodging around the dozens of milling people. A few classmates noticed me and raised hands in greeting, calling out congratulations for winning the football game. Ignoring them, my feet kept moving towards the door before my brain could catch up.

Outside, I followed the sidewalk around the outer edge of the building, wandering to where a small stone wall blocked me from going any further. A single overhead light shined down from a lamppost overhead. The gym sat atop a small hill, and before me I could see the twinkling lights of Bozeman stretching out into the shadowy outlines of the Bridger mountains to the northeast. My breath caught in the cold air; September at home in Texas was mild, but here, the temperature must've been close to freezing. Sweaty as I was, the outdoor air was a refreshing break from the sweltering dance. For a minute I stood alone, mesmerized by the sparking lights that extended out into the distance. Cold anger still clung to me, hardening my heart as I leaned forward on the low wall.

There was nobody to be mad at. Not Allie. I couldn't fault her for trying to make a move on Luke. I wasn't mad at him, either — it was obvious he was just as shocked as I was.

No, I was angry at the way things were for Luke and I. Nothing more, and nothing less. Slowly, the anger faded, seeping out of me and into the chill air. Resignation set in as my thoughts drifted, still colored by my churning emotions and attraction to Luke, but now absent the delirium induced by cold fury. Living some sort of secret life was getting to be exhausting, but it wasn't something I could give up. Exasperated, I sighed, wondering how long I could stay outside before people would start looking for me.

"Not enjoying the dance?"

I spun on the spot and froze. A feeling like ice water cascaded down my spine. Nora was walking straight towards me. Fear welled back up in my stomach, surprise putting me on guard while I tried to deduce her intentions. As my sudden rush of panic subsided into wariness, I straightened up to my full—and admittedly limited—height.

"Oh. Hey. Just needed some fresh air." It was a mindless, trite comment, but honest nonetheless.

"Uh huh," she replied, raising her eyebrows.

She was looking at me with an understanding, almost benevolent smile.

My voice was stuck in my throat, uncertain of what to say. Instead, I waited, watching. Nora stepped up next to me and rested her hands on the stone wall, staring out towards the shimmering city lights that had captivated me a minute before.

"You know, at first I was concerned. For him. That he would be throwing away whatever happiness he had, coming out for someone who didn't give a fuck about him." Nora looked at me expectantly, a glimmer of amusement appearing in her dark gray eyes. "Luke really cares about you. I've never seen him like this before."

"You...you do know," I gasped, adrenaline flooding my veins. It seemed my suspicions were well-founded.

"Of course. He's my brother. And he finally came out to me a year ago, though I kind of suspected for a while. How many popular guys his age avoid girls like he does?"

"You don't really date, either," I observed, weakly attempting to wrest control of the conversation. My mind was numb from her revelation and I felt the ground threaten to buckle underneath me.

"No, I don't, it's true. Mostly because I'm not a fan of most guys who'd want to date me. Selfish assholes." Nora walked closer, standing inches away from me. Her hands reached out to rest lightly on my waist. "I've seen enough. You look at him the same way he looks at you. You're sweet, humble..." Her voice trailed off and she glanced away. A single tear rolled down her cheek, sparkling like a diamond in the half-light. "Promise me you won't hurt him, okay?"

Emotion hung like a lump deep within my throat. Swallowing, I stammered, "I promise...I...I really care about him, too..."

Nora nodded, a quick little bob of her head. "I know." Then she tilted her chin up and kissed me softly on the lips. Stunned, I couldn't move. I was frozen — glued to the spot. Before I could process what was going on, Nora pulled back and looked me square in the eye.

"There. A kiss you didn't ask for. Just like him," she muttered, stepping away and lowering her gaze.

She flashed me another quick glance. "Yeah, I can't blame Luke at all...be good to him, Kaden." Nora turned on her heels and walked back towards the door to the gym, leaving me alone and surrounded by the cold, black night. Overhead, the lamp shined down on me, illuminating the spot where I stood as if I were an actor on stage.

Still dumbfounded, I reached up to rub my mouth. The adrenaline that had wound through my body was slowly draining away, leaving me feeling tired and tingly. Relief crept into my limbs, wrapping around me like a soothing blanket.

Smiling, I stepped out of the light and walked slowly back towards the gym.

***

Inside, the music had restarted, but I saw Luke standing alone, leaning up against the wall and surveying the room.

I sidled up next to him and mirrored his pose, rubbing my hands together to work out the cold.

"Hey," he said, quietly.

"Hey, Luke."

"Are you okay?" he inquired, looking at me bluntly. "I looked and you were gone, Nora just walked by and said you were getting some fresh air..."

"I was."

Luke shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I'm sorry about Allie...I made it clear I only wanted to be friends, but you saw how that went...damn, I hate living like this..."

"It's fine, Luke," I interrupted. He looked taken aback, so I smiled and lowered my voice. "No, really. I'm not upset. We won't always have to do it like this. One day it won't matter who knows. One day."

"One day," he repeated softly, staring at me through wide puppy-dog eyes.

I averted my sight before Luke's gaze drew me in. To me, his magnetic allure was almost strong enough that I'd kiss him then and there, consequences be damned. We had to leave before that happened.

"You want to get out of here?" I inquired. "I'm kind of over this dance.Whatever surprise you had for tonight, I think it's time."

He lit up like a firework, beaming. The rapid change in Luke's demeanor almost made me blush. I still fucking melted whenever I was around him, no matter how often we were together.

"I'm more than ready to go," he said enthusiastically. "Allie got all offended and said she was gonna go spend the rest of the dance with her friends, anyway. Let's go find Nora."

It was only about ten, but Nora didn't seem upset when we said we wanted to forego the last hour of the dance. "I want to go say goodbye to Allie, she's probably still suffering from the pain of rejection." Nora rolled her eyes. "Meet you guys out at the car."

Luke and I wove our way through the crowd, telling Danny and Logan to let the others know we were heading out. We were almost to the door when we ran into Tristan and Will, returning from the outside.

"Oh, hey guys. Where were you off to?" Luke asked.

For once, Tristan seemed to be lost for words. I looked at him quizzically, mystified. He was always teasing or joking around, but right now he looked almost nervous. My eyes moved over to Will. He was a couple inches shorter than Tristan and lean like a fox, courtesy of the miles he ran on the cross country team. In contrast to Tristan's dark brown hair and larger physique, Will almost looked angelic — his hair was like starlight, and there wasn't a shadow of a beard to be found on his graceful face.

Both of the boys were flushed. I furrowed my brow. Recent personal experience planted a small seed of suspicion inside me, where it began to nag at the back of my mind.

"We ran out to the car to drink," Will stammered.

"Yeah," quipped Tristan, visibly relaxing. "Nothing says senior year like sneaking tequila shots in the parking lot. We would've invited you but everyone was kind of scattered. Want to run back out for some?"

Luke looked dubious. "Gotcha. Nah, we're good, thanks. We're actually headed out, it's almost forty-five minutes back to the ranch so Nora and I are leaving a little early. Kaden's coming out too."

A spark danced in Tristan's eyes and the corners of his mouth tugged up in a small smile. "Have fun," he said. He paused, looking like he wanted to say something more.

"See you in the dorm tomorrow night, Tristan," Luke interjected, jumping in before Tristan had the chance to add anything else. "We'd better go."

I waited till we were walking through the deserted parking lot before speaking, curious to see if Luke shared my suspicions. "You don't think...Tristan and Will..." my voice trailed off.

"I don't know. Who cares." He shrugged, then grinned at me as we reached his pickup. "So. Almost time for the surprise."

"Is it?" I smirked, looking around to make sure we were definitely alone. Then, I pushed Luke against the side of his truck, kissing him violently to release all my pent-up tension. After several hours of waiting, the invisible barrier we'd put up between us disappeared. Luke reacted instantly, his arms drawing me closer into him while he invaded my mouth. His tongue looped spirals around mine while he hugged me tight, holding me as I wished he could've during the dance.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Luke and I separated quickly, jumping apart in surprise. To my relief it was just Nora. She grinned sheepishly and crossed her arms. I saw Luke relax and I laughed, earning myself a questioning look from him.

"By the way, no more secrets," I said sternly, looking at Luke but unable to hold back a twisted grin. I tapped him on the chest to reinforce my words when I replied, "Yeah, I know Nora knows. We talked during the dance, dumbass."

Luke's look of surprise shifted to guilt. "I'm sorry. To be fair, I didn't tell her we were together. She figured it out and asked me about you. I should've told you but was worried, after what happened with Tristan."

"If you know what to look for it's easy to see that you guys are more than friends," Nora quipped, rolling her eyes. "You told Tristan?"

"Not exactly. It's a story for another time," I said quickly, noticing Luke purse his lips and shake his head. "Let's go." With that, we loaded up and left town. Soon, we were well beyond Bozeman, heading southwest on a lonely two-lane road through the dark Montana night.

***

It was three minutes past eleven when Luke turned off the highway, heading east. A soft crunching noise rumbled up from the ground as the pickup rolled down the dirt road. In the moonlight, I could make out the dark facade of the Madison Range, the mountains looming like rugged sentinels ahead of us. After a few minutes, Luke turned again, this time passing beneath an ornate overhead sign that I couldn't read. He waited for an automatic gate to open before we journeyed onward. Eventually, Luke drove around a small hill, and the shadowy outline of a large house, barns, and several outbuildings slid into view. Yellow light from a handful of outdoor lamps cut through the gloom, seeming pathetically inadequate against the tenebrous darkness of the night. The pickup stopped in the semi-circle drive by the house. Nora wished us a good night and jumped out first, marching towards a side door.

"Hang tight, I'm just gonna grab some stuff and be right back," Luke murmured. He jumped out and followed his sister in the same door, leaving me alone in the running truck. A minute later, he was back, flinging a couple sleeping bags into the bed of the truck. He hopped back in the driver's seat and drove onward. We crossed two cattle guards and a rickety wooden bridge, winding closer and closer to the towering peaks. When I was beginning to wonder how far we were going to go, he stopped next to a stand of pine trees at the base of the foothills.

I hopped out into the cold night air, brittle fall grass crunching faintly underfoot. A rush of stimuli accosted my senses. The indistinct gurgle of running water tickled my ears, signaling the presence of a nearby stream. Breathing deeply, the scent of moist earth and pine needles filled my nostrils while my eyes focused on the murky silhouettes of the surrounding pine trees, rising like ghosts out of the colorless ground. Mostly, my skin felt the chill in the air, and goosebumps covered my skin almost instantly. "Damn, you actually like camping outside when it feels like this?" I muttered, longing for the mild, lazy fall nights back in Texas.

Luke smirked. "This is nothing, you Texans have thin skin. Wait till January. Besides, we'll keep each other warm...okay? Out here, it's just us. Hope you like camping."

Shivering, I flashed him a knowing smile before grabbing a coat from my duffle bag. I slipped it on and wandered away from the truck to relieve myself. The crescent moon had emerged from behind the clouds, but it was doing a poor job of illuminating more than the basic shapes of the trees and mountains. As I stood, struggling to unbutton my pants with my uninjured arm, it seemed eerily quiet. Besides the hushed noise from the creek, the only other sound was the faint, mournful whisper of wind twisting through the pines.

A flicker of reflected moonlight drew my attention to a spot about fifty yards away. Squinting, I peered ahead, trying by the faint moonlight to see what had caught my eye. At the edge of my vision, a large four-legged shape slunk behind a downed tree.

Yelping, I shoved my tool back into my pants and high-tailed it back to the pickup, hopping into the bed. Luke looked up, his headlamp shining on me from where he was zipping the two sleeping bags into one.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Porcupine skewer your dick or something?"

I glared at him, bemused. "I thought I saw a wolf."

"You probably did. There are wild animals in in the mountains up here, y'know," Luke said with an arrogant smirk. "Just stick close to the pickup." He slipped an arm around my waist and yanked me closer to him, whispering in a comically seductive voice, "I'll protect you."

Punching him playfully, I joked, "Please. Like I need you to protect me, it's just a shock to see. In Texas it's the armadillos that come out at night, not wolves." Still, I snuggled closer to him, tucking my head into the crook of his neck. For a minute we stayed that way — arms around each other's waists and my head against his.

"Look up," Luke whispered, turning off his headlamp and tossing it to the side.

My eyes shifted up. The clouds that had suffocated us since we left town were beginning to break apart. Innumerable stars now dotted the heavens — tiny pinpricks of light floating against an endless black void, like so many celestial candles burning across the eons. Out here, away from city lights, the sheer quantity of visible stars was nigh on incomprehensible. The disk of the Milky Way streaked across the sky in a wide arch, glowing faintly brighter than the surrounding blackness.

In that moment, it dawned on me how small I actually was. Loves, worries, and fears seemed like petty concerns: fleeting thoughts in the mind of an insignificant blip. Even the world itself was nothing more than a speck, floating inconsequentially through eternity.

The feeling of a warm palm against my thigh interrupted my rumination, a gentle reminder that there were things on this planet that mattered.

"What're you thinking about?" Luke asked, his fingers dancing lightly across my upper leg.

"Can the answer be everything and nothing, at the same time?" I replied.

Luke chuckled, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. The spot where his lips touched me smoldered, his kiss burning like a hot brand against my skin. "The more you think, the crazier the world will seem," he said. "Everything and nothing are a lot to consider. We might be here for a long time."

A smile tugged at my lips. "We have all night, don't we?" Luke's hand was dangerously close to my crotch, and his fingers rubbed softly through the fabric of my pants. He was staring at me, and even though I could only see the outline of his face, the faint glimmer of the moon was visible in the reflection of his eyes. My insides began to tingle — the heavy, hot feeling of longing rising from the depths of my being. I became painfully aware of my breathing, of how my lungs were pumping in shallow, quick bursts. Tense anticipation was welling up, coaxing me to satiate the hunger only Luke could satisfy.

My self-control evaporated and I leaned in, pressing my mouth to Luke's with a moan. His full, warm lips smiled into me, his tongue darting forward against my teeth. Liquid comfort rushed through my veins, every last worry melting away while the animal inside me roared with delight. The tips of our tongues met, gently greeting one another before embarking upon a tangled frolic across our mouths. We may not have been able to dance together at homecoming, but we were making up for it right now. My good hand reached into the crook of Luke's legs as our heads tilted left and right, seeking new angles and adventures in our lip-locked tango.

Kissing someone who electrifies every nerve in your body is almost indescribable. Sensation is unconscious, automatic...the product of billions of neurons firing in rapid succession, responding to the thousand fragments of one moment in time. Untold decades passed while Luke and I's mouths clashed in the battle of the century, neither one of us willing to back down or admit the need for rest. The world could wither and stars burn out to cold embers, for all I cared. I could stay here forever with Luke, lost in the moment.

A gust of icy wind rustled through the nearby trees before cascading over us. Goosebumps pricked up on the back of my exposed neck while an involuntary shiver ran through me. Luke broke the kiss, leaving me feeling dazed.

"Come on, into the sleeping bag, you," he commanded, quickly stripping off his clothes. I did the same, teeth chattering. Goosebumps exploded down my back the moment my bare skin was exposed to the air. With a loud huff I dropped into the now oversized sleeping bag, latching onto Luke with both arms and legs. I tucked my head around his shoulder, feeling his longer hair brush over my ear and neck. Warmth slowly spread back through my limbs as I leached off his profuse body heat.