First Love, Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Luke could see the end. (The beginning.) Wind was picking up, was picking its way through angular shapes of steel, along girders and rivets, riding wrapped wires, dodging traffic. It carried the walkers, pushed them toward Manhattan, toward one end of the path. Invisible hands nudged. Luke felt them, felt it all: exhilaration and trepidation, expectation, promise, precaution. Anticipated next steps. Embracing both certain and uncertain. They had passed through the minefield and into an asteroid belt; careful maneuvers still required, but now dangers were less hidden, less explosive. Less potentially fatal. Mechanical bulls could be taken by mechanical horns.
“So, Reid…where in Boston do you live?”
“Near Mass General. Why?”
“Oh, nothing…I was just going to try to arrange a place to stay when we got back to the room. A hotel nearby.”
“Not necessary.”
“Reid, look, I…”
“Luke.” Reid turned to him. “Not necessary.” The walkway was ending; Luke could see pedestrians fanning out. He stopped.
“Listen, Reid, we don’t have to do this right away. It’s a big step. I don’t want to crowd you…I don’t want to have pestered you into something you’re not ready for. Seriously, it’s enough for me that you’ve agreed to move forward. I don’t need to invite myself in. Really, I’d much rather just stay at a hotel for a few days while I find a place.”
“Luke, relax. It’s not a problem. And it’s not as if we’ll be spending any nights apart.”
Stay on target…use the force, Luke…
“That may be the case (fuck yes), but we’re talking about something major. I mean, psychologically speaking, there’s a difference between spending every night together and living together.”
“Luke…psychologically speaking, you’re being an idiot. Granted, I didn’t pay the closest of attention during my psychiatric rotation, but I’m pretty sure I would have remembered the part where paying two rents while using one apartment was a recommended course of action. Unless of course there’s something you need to hide in your own closet…a life-size cardboard Spike, perhaps? Embarrassing comics collection? Oh yeah, that’s it - you got yourself a nice stash of Boys’ Love manga. Am I right?”
“Reid, this is serious. I don’t want to rush into anything.” I don’t want to spook you.
“Farm boy, I’d say it’s already too late to close that barn door.”
“See, that’s just it - we went from no contact to…well, full contact. It’s like we’ve hit fast-forward.”
“After the pausing just about killed me.”
The asteroid collision reverberated in Luke’s gut. “I just want to do things right…this time. I’ve messed up everything else.”
Throughout the exchange, they had been facing each other with hands idly moving over arms and backs. Now Reid’s hand grazed the side of Luke’s neck.
“From here it looks like you’ve been doing everything right.”
“I just want it to be perfect.”
“And it will be…once your hair products are in my bathroom, your Japanese porn is in my closet, and you are in my bed.”
“Reid…” the name was buried in a breath.
“Luke.” Both hands moved to cradle Luke’s face. “Live with me.”
Luke lifted his own hands as paired stars pulsed brightly. Hands guided faces in for a kiss. The stream of walkers flowed around them, spilling into the streets of lower Manhattan.
“Now can we go back to the hotel?”
Luke smiled through the mist. “Now we can go back.”
Nodding, Reid took Luke’s hand and began to walk the final steps of the promenade. To the right soared the classical curves and colonnades of one of the largest government buildings in the world, built to meet the needs of a newly merged city and, for almost a century, the destination for all those seeking union with others. Its tiered tower was lit in pale green and gold and topped by a gilded figure holding symbols of victory, triumph, unity.
This is real. We’re together. I’m moving to…
“I shouldn’t have left.” Reid’s words were quiet but distinct as they neared the street.
Luke’s mind was quiet but alert. Still walking, still linked by hands, he waited for Reid to continue.
“When you…when you told me about Noah. The engagement. I shouldn’t have left.” Reid’s eyes were focused on the darkened trees of City Hall Park ahead. “I should have stayed. I should have fought.” He looked at Luke. “I just wanted you to know. It wasn’t all you.”
Luke stopped again, this time to hold - an arm across Reid’s back, a hand at the back of his head. Reid’s arms around Luke’s waist, his face in Luke’s neck. A mutual gathering in.
There will be no more messing up. There will be no more leaving.
Reid’s lips touched Luke’s neck. “Let’s go back to our room.”
The words felt right now. Almost expected. Luke drew back but still touched. “It actually shouldn’t be too far away. We could easily walk.”
In answer, Reid took Luke’s hand, stretching his other into the street. He deftly maneuvered Luke into the cab that stopped in front of them, tersely giving the driver the name of the hotel. Reid then turned to Luke, who, also shifting, lifted one knee onto the seat between them. Laying his head against the backrest, he loosely circled Reid’s wrists with his fingers. As the cab began to move, Luke watched the play of streetlights across Reid’s face. He basked in the soft radiance emanating from Reid’s eyes.
“In a rush, are we?”
The radiance became less diffuse, more focused. “I’m looking forward to losing the audience.”
Luke had to shift on the seat, which further reminded him of the effect Reid had on him. How he had marked Luke. Branded him. His knee bumped Reid’s hip.
“We were alone at the Blockhouse.”
“That fort thing?”
Luke nodded, his knee pressing in.
“The trees had eyes. Furry little eyes. I saw a squirrel watching us.”
“Better than…a different rodent. Or a rape-y duck.”
“A duck wouldn’t dare. And I want complete privacy now.” Reid’s voice dropped, barely carrying over the hum of the motor. “There are thing I want to do to you that are for my eyes only.”
Luke’s entire being hummed. His insistent knee prompted Reid to mirror Luke’s posture until their two bent knees slid against each other on the seat. Neither had noticed that the cab was caught in traffic.
Luke’s smile was back to goofy. “So…Boston.”
Reid disengaged a hand, flattening it over Luke’s stomach.
“Does this mean we’ll be vacationing in Provincetown?”
“There aren’t enough sandwiches in all the world.”
“Two words: beach sex.”
The radiance pulsed but Reid’s voice remained level. “If you don’t mind picking sand out of your ass. And even less privacy - I hear hermit crabs have compound eyes.”
Luke’s knee slid over Reid’s, brushing his crotch. “I hear privacy can be overrated.”
Even in the shadows, Luke could see the light narrow further into concentrated beams. “Insatiable…kinky…how many more hidden depths do you have, Snyder?”
Luke’s bottom ground subtly into the seat. “I’m pretty sure you’ve already filled them all.”
Now Reid noticed. “Any reason we aren’t moving?”
Without removing his knee, Luke twisted to look out his window, “Looks like construction.”
“Well if this driver doesn’t find a way around it soon, you’re gonna have that particular kink satisfied.”
Luke nudged with his knee playfully.
The beams now cut like lasers. “You think I jest.”
Luke retracted his knee. The cab inched.
“So what else is there to do in Boston?”
“Besides plumbing your depths?”
Unconsciously, Luke’s knee crept back toward Reid. “I figure we’ll be leaving the apartment together at some point.” Our apartment. Together. “How about taking me to a Red Sox game?”
“It wouldn’t be fair to start you on a lifetime of delusion.”
“OK…what about showing me around Harvard Square?”
Reid’s hand lifted to play with Luke’s hair. “Yes…I suppose I should show you the good comic book stores so you can get your fix.”
“Thanks, but I was thinking more about showing me where you learned chess. C’mon…Ollie.”
“Care to try again, Mr. Snyder?”
“Well…will you at least take me on a Swan Boat? After all, I am a tourist from Podunk.”
“No, you’re not. A tourist, that is.” Fingers and eyes hypnotized.
Luke tried to let himself fall under the spell completely. He had become progressively more skilled at ignoring the murmur of too-good-to-be-true. This is how it’s supposed to be. He finally believes.
Luke almost believed. Could almost stop from asking. “Are you sure?”
He saw and felt everything about Reid freeze. His fingers, his breathing, even his eyes - in the irregular flashes filling the cab as it slowly rolled through the street, Luke thought he could see the advancement of spicules of ice forming a crystalline structure across the surface of Reid’s eyes. Luke fought through the answering chill; though he couldn’t quite identify the source of the sudden cold front, he nonetheless felt compelled to clarify.
“I mean, I do have an embarrassing array of hair products. Are you sure you have the shelf space?”
Reid’s breathing resumed. The front began to recede. “I’m sure.”
Luke’s smile strove for natural. “Yeah, my collection could probably do with some purging anyway. My comics collection, though…no Japanese comics, but I think we might need a second apartment after all just for all the Richie Riches.”
The remaining ice crystals sublimated from the sudden blast of heat, scalding Luke. The fingers tightened in his hair. “You’ll be with me. In my apartment. If we’re going to do this, be in the same city, then I’m not going to risk…I can’t risk losing…” Reid’s increasingly labored breathing seemed to keep him from continuing. Somehow, Luke was able to identify the subtext. To recognize the desperation. He grabbed the side of Reid’s face, forcing him to meet Luke’s eyes.
“Reid. I’m not going anywhere.”
Reid’s breaths slowed as he seemingly allowed Luke’s eyes to fill him with assurances. Luke was half-expecting Reid to cover for his lapse by retreating behind a quip or cavalier mask. What he didn’t expect was for Reid to cover the hand on his face with his own and strip what little mask remained. His eyes moved restlessly over Luke’s features, giving Luke a clear view straight through to the innermost courtyard of the battered fortress.
“Are you really mine?” The words were whispered, their faces now close. Reid closed his eyes before Luke could answer.
Luke pulled Reid’s face closer, cheek to cheek, mouth to ear. “I’m yours. You own me.”
Reid was pliable in Luke’s arms. His hand moved from Luke’s back into his hair. They held the closeness as time stretched like molten glass.
Finally, Reid spoke against Luke’s skin as his hand massaged Luke’s scalp. “Pack everything. All the products.”
Luke smiled as he felt Reid’s nose in his hair. “I didn’t get the chance to do my usual styling this morning…do I still smell like lemongrass?”
Reid inhaled deeply. “You smell like sex.”
Luke’s knee found Reid’s bulge. “I smell like you.”
Reid’s fingers dropped to Luke’s lower lip. “You look like sex.” Lids dropped as well as Luke’s tongue darted. “Tired?”
Luke shook his head ‘no,’ his mouth occupied with Reid’s middle finger.
“It’s been a long day.”
The finger slipped out. “I’ll sleep when I get to Boston.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Then I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
“Neither of us will be dying any time soon. And I intend to keep you pretty busy in the afterlife, too.”
Reid’s knee slid under Luke’s to reach his bottom. Luke adjusted so that he could grind against it. The pain was exquisite.
“I want you to fill me again.”
The fingers in Luke’s hair tightened once more. “We’re giving certain areas a rest tonight. Doctor’s orders.”
Luke rocked against Reid’s knee. His next words were whispered. “Not even your tongue?”
Reid’s eyes blackened to the point of absorbing all the light that was washing over his face in periodic waves. “There could be an argument made that it be considered post-traumatic care.” He leaned into Luke’s knee. Reid’s words were now whispered as well. “I can still taste you.”
Luke pressed down, stifling the flinch. “Well…you know…I haven’t tasted you yet, not really. I want you to come in my mouth. I want you to fill me up…I want to feel your warmth sliding down, coating my throat. Filling me all the way down.” The whisper almost evaporated. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Hey! Hotel.” Their private bubble was punctured by a sound like asteroid fragments striking; the driver had rapped on the clear plastic divider to get their attention. With singular focus, Reid handed a bill through the opening and herded Luke out of the cab. Taking his hand, Reid pulled Luke past the doorman and into the lobby.
“Are we ignoring them?”
Reid slowed, looking down to where Luke was tugging their hands. “What? Who?” He followed Luke's gaze to the hotel bar, where Alex was sitting on a stool next to an older man.
“Reid!” The older man waved and lifted his drink. Alex was smiling.
Reid dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Luke was suddenly acutely aware of their clasped hands. He loosened his hold.
“We’re giving them 30 seconds.” Reid turned to walk toward the men. He tightened his grip on Luke’s hand.
The older man’s smile broadened as they approached. “You live! Alex was just trying to convince me that you hadn’t checked out early. I figured there must have been an emergency for you to have missed Su-ha’s talk.” Luke could sense the man’s struggle not to stare at Luke - or their hands - too blatantly.
“Yes, Reid…you know how much she was counting on you to lend a little star power to her first big presentation. You could tell she was crushed.”
Luke was surprised to see Reid redden slightly. “I’ll be sure to apologize. It couldn’t be helped.” Luke was less surprised to see the challenging look Reid then gave Alex.
Alex smirked but only nibbled at the bait. “Yeah, well, she’ll probably understand…she has a special place in her heart for epic romance - what with all those soaps she watches.”
“As opposed to your epically classy ‘Real Housewives’ habit.”
Alex merely smiled and turned his head. “Hello, Luke. Fancy seeing you again.”
Relaxing his hand again, Luke shifted his weight away from Reid. “Hi, Alex.”
“You two get up to anything interesting while you were out?”
Luke could feel Reid winding up. Before he could throw his next words, however, the other man, who was, by now, already leaning dangerously forward on his stool, reached out his hand.
“Luke, right? Hi. So nice to meet you.”
Luke had to release Reid’s hand in order to shake the other man’s. The initial parting of fingers felt like a slow-motion caress.
“Luke Snyder, this is Santiago Keller, my department chief.”
“Why Reid, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever acknowledged that.” He gave Luke a genuine smile. “Whatever you’re doing with him, please keep it up.”
Luke ignored Alex’s deepening smirk. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Keller.”
“Oh, please, it’s Santi. So, Luke, are you from New York?”
“What? No…Illinois.”
“Ah…then you came here to meet Reid?”
“Uh, no…we, uh, kinda ran into each other.”
“Thanks to me,” said Alex. “I was but an instrument of fate.”
Santi frowned. “Oh. So…you did already know each other, though?”
Reid stepped closer to Luke, brushing arms. “Luke’s an old friend.”
“Wonderful! I’ve never met a friend of Reid’s before.”
Looking at Luke, Reid took his hand. “That’s because he’s the only one that counts.”
Santi was momentarily speechless. He soon recovered. “Yes. Well. We’re getting a table. I have to hear more about this fate business. Not to mention that I was convinced that a Reid outside of medicine was just an urban legend.”
“Sorry, boss, but the no doubt hilarious awkwardness of such a conversation will just have to wait for another time. It’s an early flight tomorrow.”
“Well, Reid, just so you know, I’ll be staying down here a while longer…so don’t worry about my interfering with your sleep,” said Alex as Reid began to lead Luke away. “Wait, hold on…so then there'll be another time? Does this mean we will be seeing you in Boston, Luke?”
Scratching the back of his downward-tilted head, Luke looked at Reid. He saw the crystalline lattice that had once again appeared in his eyes - this time not forming ice, but sapphire. Twin star sapphires reflecting radiant energy from twin stars.
Luke lifted his head. “Yes, Alex. You will.”
As he and Reid began the final steps to their room, Luke could almost hear Santi’s next words.
“Why does he look familiar?”
Luke could see the end. (The beginning.) Wind was picking up, was picking its way through angular shapes of steel, along girders and rivets, riding wrapped wires, dodging traffic. It carried the walkers, pushed them toward Manhattan, toward one end of the path. Invisible hands nudged. Luke felt them, felt it all: exhilaration and trepidation, expectation, promise, precaution. Anticipated next steps. Embracing both certain and uncertain. They had passed through the minefield and into an asteroid belt; careful maneuvers still required, but now dangers were less hidden, less explosive. Less potentially fatal. Mechanical bulls could be taken by mechanical horns.
“So, Reid…where in Boston do you live?”
“Near Mass General. Why?”
“Oh, nothing…I was just going to try to arrange a place to stay when we got back to the room. A hotel nearby.”
“Not necessary.”
“Reid, look, I…”
“Luke.” Reid turned to him. “Not necessary.” The walkway was ending; Luke could see pedestrians fanning out. He stopped.
“Listen, Reid, we don’t have to do this right away. It’s a big step. I don’t want to crowd you…I don’t want to have pestered you into something you’re not ready for. Seriously, it’s enough for me that you’ve agreed to move forward. I don’t need to invite myself in. Really, I’d much rather just stay at a hotel for a few days while I find a place.”
“Luke, relax. It’s not a problem. And it’s not as if we’ll be spending any nights apart.”
Stay on target…use the force, Luke…
“That may be the case (fuck yes), but we’re talking about something major. I mean, psychologically speaking, there’s a difference between spending every night together and living together.”
“Luke…psychologically speaking, you’re being an idiot. Granted, I didn’t pay the closest of attention during my psychiatric rotation, but I’m pretty sure I would have remembered the part where paying two rents while using one apartment was a recommended course of action. Unless of course there’s something you need to hide in your own closet…a life-size cardboard Spike, perhaps? Embarrassing comics collection? Oh yeah, that’s it - you got yourself a nice stash of Boys’ Love manga. Am I right?”
“Reid, this is serious. I don’t want to rush into anything.” I don’t want to spook you.
“Farm boy, I’d say it’s already too late to close that barn door.”
“See, that’s just it - we went from no contact to…well, full contact. It’s like we’ve hit fast-forward.”
“After the pausing just about killed me.”
The asteroid collision reverberated in Luke’s gut. “I just want to do things right…this time. I’ve messed up everything else.”
Throughout the exchange, they had been facing each other with hands idly moving over arms and backs. Now Reid’s hand grazed the side of Luke’s neck.
“From here it looks like you’ve been doing everything right.”
“I just want it to be perfect.”
“And it will be…once your hair products are in my bathroom, your Japanese porn is in my closet, and you are in my bed.”
“Reid…” the name was buried in a breath.
“Luke.” Both hands moved to cradle Luke’s face. “Live with me.”
Luke lifted his own hands as paired stars pulsed brightly. Hands guided faces in for a kiss. The stream of walkers flowed around them, spilling into the streets of lower Manhattan.
“Now can we go back to the hotel?”
Luke smiled through the mist. “Now we can go back.”
Nodding, Reid took Luke’s hand and began to walk the final steps of the promenade. To the right soared the classical curves and colonnades of one of the largest government buildings in the world, built to meet the needs of a newly merged city and, for almost a century, the destination for all those seeking union with others. Its tiered tower was lit in pale green and gold and topped by a gilded figure holding symbols of victory, triumph, unity.
This is real. We’re together. I’m moving to…
“I shouldn’t have left.” Reid’s words were quiet but distinct as they neared the street.
Luke’s mind was quiet but alert. Still walking, still linked by hands, he waited for Reid to continue.
“When you…when you told me about Noah. The engagement. I shouldn’t have left.” Reid’s eyes were focused on the darkened trees of City Hall Park ahead. “I should have stayed. I should have fought.” He looked at Luke. “I just wanted you to know. It wasn’t all you.”
Luke stopped again, this time to hold - an arm across Reid’s back, a hand at the back of his head. Reid’s arms around Luke’s waist, his face in Luke’s neck. A mutual gathering in.
There will be no more messing up. There will be no more leaving.
Reid’s lips touched Luke’s neck. “Let’s go back to our room.”
The words felt right now. Almost expected. Luke drew back but still touched. “It actually shouldn’t be too far away. We could easily walk.”
In answer, Reid took Luke’s hand, stretching his other into the street. He deftly maneuvered Luke into the cab that stopped in front of them, tersely giving the driver the name of the hotel. Reid then turned to Luke, who, also shifting, lifted one knee onto the seat between them. Laying his head against the backrest, he loosely circled Reid’s wrists with his fingers. As the cab began to move, Luke watched the play of streetlights across Reid’s face. He basked in the soft radiance emanating from Reid’s eyes.
“In a rush, are we?”
The radiance became less diffuse, more focused. “I’m looking forward to losing the audience.”
Luke had to shift on the seat, which further reminded him of the effect Reid had on him. How he had marked Luke. Branded him. His knee bumped Reid’s hip.
“We were alone at the Blockhouse.”
“That fort thing?”
Luke nodded, his knee pressing in.
“The trees had eyes. Furry little eyes. I saw a squirrel watching us.”
“Better than…a different rodent. Or a rape-y duck.”
“A duck wouldn’t dare. And I want complete privacy now.” Reid’s voice dropped, barely carrying over the hum of the motor. “There are thing I want to do to you that are for my eyes only.”
Luke’s entire being hummed. His insistent knee prompted Reid to mirror Luke’s posture until their two bent knees slid against each other on the seat. Neither had noticed that the cab was caught in traffic.
Luke’s smile was back to goofy. “So…Boston.”
Reid disengaged a hand, flattening it over Luke’s stomach.
“Does this mean we’ll be vacationing in Provincetown?”
“There aren’t enough sandwiches in all the world.”
“Two words: beach sex.”
The radiance pulsed but Reid’s voice remained level. “If you don’t mind picking sand out of your ass. And even less privacy - I hear hermit crabs have compound eyes.”
Luke’s knee slid over Reid’s, brushing his crotch. “I hear privacy can be overrated.”
Even in the shadows, Luke could see the light narrow further into concentrated beams. “Insatiable…kinky…how many more hidden depths do you have, Snyder?”
Luke’s bottom ground subtly into the seat. “I’m pretty sure you’ve already filled them all.”
Now Reid noticed. “Any reason we aren’t moving?”
Without removing his knee, Luke twisted to look out his window, “Looks like construction.”
“Well if this driver doesn’t find a way around it soon, you’re gonna have that particular kink satisfied.”
Luke nudged with his knee playfully.
The beams now cut like lasers. “You think I jest.”
Luke retracted his knee. The cab inched.
“So what else is there to do in Boston?”
“Besides plumbing your depths?”
Unconsciously, Luke’s knee crept back toward Reid. “I figure we’ll be leaving the apartment together at some point.” Our apartment. Together. “How about taking me to a Red Sox game?”
“It wouldn’t be fair to start you on a lifetime of delusion.”
“OK…what about showing me around Harvard Square?”
Reid’s hand lifted to play with Luke’s hair. “Yes…I suppose I should show you the good comic book stores so you can get your fix.”
“Thanks, but I was thinking more about showing me where you learned chess. C’mon…Ollie.”
“Care to try again, Mr. Snyder?”
“Well…will you at least take me on a Swan Boat? After all, I am a tourist from Podunk.”
“No, you’re not. A tourist, that is.” Fingers and eyes hypnotized.
Luke tried to let himself fall under the spell completely. He had become progressively more skilled at ignoring the murmur of too-good-to-be-true. This is how it’s supposed to be. He finally believes.
Luke almost believed. Could almost stop from asking. “Are you sure?”
He saw and felt everything about Reid freeze. His fingers, his breathing, even his eyes - in the irregular flashes filling the cab as it slowly rolled through the street, Luke thought he could see the advancement of spicules of ice forming a crystalline structure across the surface of Reid’s eyes. Luke fought through the answering chill; though he couldn’t quite identify the source of the sudden cold front, he nonetheless felt compelled to clarify.
“I mean, I do have an embarrassing array of hair products. Are you sure you have the shelf space?”
Reid’s breathing resumed. The front began to recede. “I’m sure.”
Luke’s smile strove for natural. “Yeah, my collection could probably do with some purging anyway. My comics collection, though…no Japanese comics, but I think we might need a second apartment after all just for all the Richie Riches.”
The remaining ice crystals sublimated from the sudden blast of heat, scalding Luke. The fingers tightened in his hair. “You’ll be with me. In my apartment. If we’re going to do this, be in the same city, then I’m not going to risk…I can’t risk losing…” Reid’s increasingly labored breathing seemed to keep him from continuing. Somehow, Luke was able to identify the subtext. To recognize the desperation. He grabbed the side of Reid’s face, forcing him to meet Luke’s eyes.
“Reid. I’m not going anywhere.”
Reid’s breaths slowed as he seemingly allowed Luke’s eyes to fill him with assurances. Luke was half-expecting Reid to cover for his lapse by retreating behind a quip or cavalier mask. What he didn’t expect was for Reid to cover the hand on his face with his own and strip what little mask remained. His eyes moved restlessly over Luke’s features, giving Luke a clear view straight through to the innermost courtyard of the battered fortress.
“Are you really mine?” The words were whispered, their faces now close. Reid closed his eyes before Luke could answer.
Luke pulled Reid’s face closer, cheek to cheek, mouth to ear. “I’m yours. You own me.”
Reid was pliable in Luke’s arms. His hand moved from Luke’s back into his hair. They held the closeness as time stretched like molten glass.
Finally, Reid spoke against Luke’s skin as his hand massaged Luke’s scalp. “Pack everything. All the products.”
Luke smiled as he felt Reid’s nose in his hair. “I didn’t get the chance to do my usual styling this morning…do I still smell like lemongrass?”
Reid inhaled deeply. “You smell like sex.”
Luke’s knee found Reid’s bulge. “I smell like you.”
Reid’s fingers dropped to Luke’s lower lip. “You look like sex.” Lids dropped as well as Luke’s tongue darted. “Tired?”
Luke shook his head ‘no,’ his mouth occupied with Reid’s middle finger.
“It’s been a long day.”
The finger slipped out. “I’ll sleep when I get to Boston.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Then I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
“Neither of us will be dying any time soon. And I intend to keep you pretty busy in the afterlife, too.”
Reid’s knee slid under Luke’s to reach his bottom. Luke adjusted so that he could grind against it. The pain was exquisite.
“I want you to fill me again.”
The fingers in Luke’s hair tightened once more. “We’re giving certain areas a rest tonight. Doctor’s orders.”
Luke rocked against Reid’s knee. His next words were whispered. “Not even your tongue?”
Reid’s eyes blackened to the point of absorbing all the light that was washing over his face in periodic waves. “There could be an argument made that it be considered post-traumatic care.” He leaned into Luke’s knee. Reid’s words were now whispered as well. “I can still taste you.”
Luke pressed down, stifling the flinch. “Well…you know…I haven’t tasted you yet, not really. I want you to come in my mouth. I want you to fill me up…I want to feel your warmth sliding down, coating my throat. Filling me all the way down.” The whisper almost evaporated. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Hey! Hotel.” Their private bubble was punctured by a sound like asteroid fragments striking; the driver had rapped on the clear plastic divider to get their attention. With singular focus, Reid handed a bill through the opening and herded Luke out of the cab. Taking his hand, Reid pulled Luke past the doorman and into the lobby.
“Are we ignoring them?”
Reid slowed, looking down to where Luke was tugging their hands. “What? Who?” He followed Luke's gaze to the hotel bar, where Alex was sitting on a stool next to an older man.
“Reid!” The older man waved and lifted his drink. Alex was smiling.
Reid dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Luke was suddenly acutely aware of their clasped hands. He loosened his hold.
“We’re giving them 30 seconds.” Reid turned to walk toward the men. He tightened his grip on Luke’s hand.
The older man’s smile broadened as they approached. “You live! Alex was just trying to convince me that you hadn’t checked out early. I figured there must have been an emergency for you to have missed Su-ha’s talk.” Luke could sense the man’s struggle not to stare at Luke - or their hands - too blatantly.
“Yes, Reid…you know how much she was counting on you to lend a little star power to her first big presentation. You could tell she was crushed.”
Luke was surprised to see Reid redden slightly. “I’ll be sure to apologize. It couldn’t be helped.” Luke was less surprised to see the challenging look Reid then gave Alex.
Alex smirked but only nibbled at the bait. “Yeah, well, she’ll probably understand…she has a special place in her heart for epic romance - what with all those soaps she watches.”
“As opposed to your epically classy ‘Real Housewives’ habit.”
Alex merely smiled and turned his head. “Hello, Luke. Fancy seeing you again.”
Relaxing his hand again, Luke shifted his weight away from Reid. “Hi, Alex.”
“You two get up to anything interesting while you were out?”
Luke could feel Reid winding up. Before he could throw his next words, however, the other man, who was, by now, already leaning dangerously forward on his stool, reached out his hand.
“Luke, right? Hi. So nice to meet you.”
Luke had to release Reid’s hand in order to shake the other man’s. The initial parting of fingers felt like a slow-motion caress.
“Luke Snyder, this is Santiago Keller, my department chief.”
“Why Reid, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever acknowledged that.” He gave Luke a genuine smile. “Whatever you’re doing with him, please keep it up.”
Luke ignored Alex’s deepening smirk. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Keller.”
“Oh, please, it’s Santi. So, Luke, are you from New York?”
“What? No…Illinois.”
“Ah…then you came here to meet Reid?”
“Uh, no…we, uh, kinda ran into each other.”
“Thanks to me,” said Alex. “I was but an instrument of fate.”
Santi frowned. “Oh. So…you did already know each other, though?”
Reid stepped closer to Luke, brushing arms. “Luke’s an old friend.”
“Wonderful! I’ve never met a friend of Reid’s before.”
Looking at Luke, Reid took his hand. “That’s because he’s the only one that counts.”
Santi was momentarily speechless. He soon recovered. “Yes. Well. We’re getting a table. I have to hear more about this fate business. Not to mention that I was convinced that a Reid outside of medicine was just an urban legend.”
“Sorry, boss, but the no doubt hilarious awkwardness of such a conversation will just have to wait for another time. It’s an early flight tomorrow.”
“Well, Reid, just so you know, I’ll be staying down here a while longer…so don’t worry about my interfering with your sleep,” said Alex as Reid began to lead Luke away. “Wait, hold on…so then there'll be another time? Does this mean we will be seeing you in Boston, Luke?”
Scratching the back of his downward-tilted head, Luke looked at Reid. He saw the crystalline lattice that had once again appeared in his eyes - this time not forming ice, but sapphire. Twin star sapphires reflecting radiant energy from twin stars.
Luke lifted his head. “Yes, Alex. You will.”
As he and Reid began the final steps to their room, Luke could almost hear Santi’s next words.
“Why does he look familiar?”