Page 59 of Sugar

“We’re going to be pulling into the hotel soon,” Piper said into his phone at the gas station as they were filling up. Juno had gone in to use the bathroom, and Piper called up Adam to give him their ETA. “I think we’re going to be pretty beat tonight, and it looks like clouds.”

Adam sighed. “Yeah. Not a great night for the planets, but tomorrow will be good. I’ve got Jupiter and Saturn mapped, so y’all can come here after ten, and it’ll be perfect.”

Piper had seen those two planets more times than he could count, but it felt different now. It felt like he was doing this for the first time all over again. He was smiling to himself as he put the gas pump back and screwed the lid on the tank. “And the lights?”

“Tonight might be a good night for them,” Adam said. “The type of cloud coverage we have will actually work in their favor. The patterns should be pretty cool. I’ll send you a text with some coordinates to a field I usually hang out in. No one lives out there, so it’s all dark skies.”

“You’re the best for this. Sorry I haven’t been a better friend over the years.”

Adam laughed softly. “Like I have? Phones work both ways.”

That was true, Piper supposed. It didn’t always have to be him reaching out, but he still knew he could do better. “All the same…”

“We’ll talk when you get here,” Adam interrupted. “There’s no need to beat yourself up, okay? I’m glad you called, and I’m glad I could help. See you soon.”

Piper hung up, and a second later, he saw Juno making his way over to the car.

Piper’s heart skipped in his chest. He was falling so hard.

“What are you grinning at, nerd?” Juno asked as he leaned on the open passenger door.

Piper’s smile widened, and he winked. “You.”

Juno rolled his eyes, but his cheeks flushed as he ducked his head and dropped to the seat. Piper grabbed his receipt, then got in and started the GPS to their little inn, which was only a few minutes from the gas station. It was a quaint little thing with a view of Lake Superior, which Piper knew he was going to appreciate.

He always felt more settled when he was around water. It was calming—almost healing in a way—and he desperately needed that. Things had been sheer chaos from the moment he left his former job, and he was ready for everything to slow down.

“You okay? You’re really quiet,” Juno said as Piper turned down the lane that led toward the inn.

Piper tried for a smile. “I think I’m just a little tired.”

“It’s not your heart, right?”

It was his heart, but not in the way Juno was asking. He felt tender and bruised from the last few days, and what he really needed was some time to connect with his lover. Their relationship was new, and it had been going at warp speed, then suddenly, it had crashed to a complete stop. Now they were moving again, but Piper felt like they hadn’t had time to breathe.

To just be with each other.

He wanted to learn all of Juno’s nuances—all the bits and pieces that made him the man he was. Not just his tragic past or uncertain future. He wanted to wake him up with the perfect coffee because he knew exactly how Juno took it. He wanted to know what seasonings he couldn’t live without and the ones that made him turn green. He wanted to know if he put his left shoe on first or his right one. He wanted to know what color shirt Juno was wearing in the morning without even opening up his eyes because he’d learned all his preferences and his little habits.

And he knew they had time, but it felt like so much of his life had already passed him by, and the pressing weight of middle age was starting to get to him. How much had he squandered by ignoring huge, important pieces of himself?

“Baby? You okay?”

Piper smiled in spite of himself, and he pulled into the guest parking spot before turning off the engine and twisting to face Juno. “I’m happy.”

Juno blinked. “Oh.”

“I know I seem low. I’m feeling a little off-kilter since…”

“I went and fucked this all up?” Juno offered.

Piper closed his eyes in a long, slow blink, and he reached for Juno’s hand. He pressed the man’s rough knuckles to his lips and just held him there, feeling the warmth of his skin. “You didn’t fuck this up. This has moved faster than either of us expected it to. And being hookups was never going to work. We like each other too much.”

Juno laughed softly. “Yeah. I was being kind of a jackass about that.”

Piper finally opened his eyes and met Juno’s gaze. “I also know it’s not easy for you to deal with both your sight and a sudden new thing you have with me.”

“And I know I haven’t been easy on you. The one thing I wasn’t confused about was how I felt. I was just scared that once you realized being with me was going to be hard work, you’d find a way to politely end things. And that would ruin me more than you leaving me on the side of the road.”

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