Page 34 of Finding Jeremy
“Good, I hope that never changes.”
“Having kept the streak going this long, I think I’m good to keep rolling for another few decades.”
They crashed together in a hug, Gray’s hand resting on the back of Jeremy’s head as they stood waist-deep in the water, holding one another as they watched a bird fly low, almost skimming the surface of the water several feet away. The beauty of the place had been imprinted on Gray’s heart when he was achild, but standing there with Jeremy just added a whole other layer of emotion to it.
“I can’t wait for the stars to come out tonight,” Jeremy said. “When I was a kid, I had this book Pops found at the thrift store, with all the constellations, and we’d lay out on the grass in the backyard, and he’d help me try to find them. We never did spot them all.”
“Which ones did you miss?”
“Cassiopeia,” Jeremy replied, snuggling against him and letting out a content little sigh. “According to the book, it’s really faint, but we kept trying to see it from all the places we went camping. We never found Sagitta either. There were a couple others too, but I don’t remember their names anymore.”
“Do you still have the book?”
“Naw, it got to where we took it on so many road trips and paged through it so much that it fell apart,” Jeremy explained. “I’ve got a bunch of drawings, though, of celestial anime figures I created using the constellations as a base for how I posed them.”
“You’ll have to show me sometime.”
“You really want to see them?”
Gray squeezed him tight and kissed the top of his head. “I do.”
“Cool,” Jeremy said. “I’ll pull them out when we get home. I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately. Ever since River and I were talking about him needing some new inspiration for the polymer clay incense burners he makes for the shop.”
“He’s got a skilled hand for detail,” Gray praised. “I bet you two can create some amazing things together.”
“I hope so. I’ve watched him mold a few, and holy shit, the time and care he takes, the way he makes sure that everything is kneaded until it’s so smooth there isn’t the faintest crack anywhere. I love watching the process.”
Jeremy danced fingertips down his arm, and Gray gave the hair at the nape of his neck a little tug before massaging the muscles there as Jeremy snickered.
“What, ticklish there too?” Gray asked.
“A little,” Jeremy replied, “but that wasn’t why I was laughing.”
“Okay…”
“I just remembered something, about the stars and the book I used to have,” Jeremy explained. “I never believed Pops when he tried to explain how far away the stars were. I kept insisting that if we just went higher up into the mountains, I’d be able to touch one and bring it home with me. It’s a shock he’s not completely gray by now, just from how much I badgered him when I got fixated on something, but he was always awesome about it. Indulged me too, even when he didn’t have to. Instead of trying to convince me that I was wrong, he took me camping near Mount Whitney to show me the space between the highest peak and the sky. It was the only way I really got it, especially when the moon floated right over the peak and didn’t bump into it.”
Chuckling, Gray could just picture the two of them out there, Jeremy waiting for the collision, while Chaos swatted at the mosquitoes buzzing around his head.
“Thanks for not thinking it was stupid,” Jeremy muttered.
“Hey,” Gray growled, pulling away so he could see his face.
Jeremy’s gaze was on the water, so Gray cupped him beneath the chin and raised his head until Jeremy looked up at him.
“Only an asshole would think that way,” Gray said. “I wish I had memories like that with my old man, and I’m glad you have them with yours. This trip, all the things we’ve talked about and the plans we’ve made will make lifelong memories, those are the kinds of things I meant. It doesn’t matter if we run off and do themost outlandish thing in the world; it will never be stupid. Not if we’re having fun.”
Jeremy’s lips quirked back up into a smile again. “Outlandish, huh? Like what?”
“Hmmm,” Gray murmured. “Like driving halfway across the country, to South Dakota, to take a ride up the Enchanted Highway to see all the huge metal sculptures or all the way cross-country to Massachusetts to visit the Museum of Bad Art.”
“Wait, what?” Jeremy squeaked, eyes widening as the sun sparkled in them. “Someone actually created a museum of bad art? Like literally just horribly done artwork?”
“According to a magazine I read, they did,” Gray admitted. “I’m actually a little curious about it, to be honest.”
“Well, in that case, we have to make it one of our outlandish adventures,” Jeremy said, trying to go up on tiptoe but losing his footing and draping himself against Gray’s chest. “And anywhere else you’re curious about. I wanna see everything, even Alaska and the northern lights.”
“Then we’ll get there,” Gray promised. “Though you’ve gotta promise me one thing about Alaska.”
