ACID RAIN // DNF AU

Chapter Seven (George)

The dusky twilight sky was beginning to yield to the stars, the specks of light fading in above them. He had no idea how they had been able to spend so much time together without growing bored, but they had been all over the place. They'd been on a few rides, done both carnival and arcade games, driven along the sandy beach, which he didn't know they were allowed to do, and gone to a cozy restaurant for dinner. He didn't know how Clay had found so much to do, but the past hours had been amazing.

Clay was chewing on saltwater taffy from a giant bag he'd bought at a stand as they strolled down the wide wooden pier. Even though he had said he'd make George go on a scary ride, he didn't end up mentioning it again. Instead, they'd won a stuffed animal for a ridiculous amount of money and promptly found an arcade, spending a couple of hours playing games there.

"This was actually epic," he said passionately. "Thanks for taking me here, seriously." That was such an understatement—Clay had made the day heaven, one of the best memories he'd ever had. For a couple of hours, the tension between them had been erased, and he'd forgotten all about the limits of their friendship.

"You say that like we're going home. There's still one more thing we have to do." He gave George a half-grin, and his stomach erupted with butterflies that he tried to kill.

"What is it?" He knew the question was in vain before Clay even answered.

"A surprise," he returned without hesitation.

"But it's already nighttime. What's the surprise, getting mugged?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Hopefully not." He smiled down at George. "I'll just have to protect us from the robbers."

He scoffed. "You'd run away and leave me to die."

"If I started running, why wouldn't you just, like, follow me?" Clay wheezed. "Never mind. I remember when we had to run in sixth grade. You would collapse within the first minute of sprinting."

"Shut up," he ordered without much heat. He had always gotten winded so quickly in that stupid class. They stopped walking, having reached the end of the pier. "What are we doing here?"

"Just be patient, George. Patience is a virtue," he emphasized.

"I don't know what that means," he responded, turning to meet Clay's gaze. His eyes roamed over the rest of his face, stunning in the gleaming moonlight. Patience wouldn't help him with his pining for Clay. It wouldn't cure his heartache.

A sudden crackling startled him. "What's that?"

"Look up," Clay instructed, tilting his chin to the sky with two fingers. His heart skipped a couple of beats.

Above them, sparkling against the dim, darkening sky, was the corpse of a firework, dissolving into smoke and embers that fell back down to earth. Another rocket shot into the sky, a bright explosion that glittered against the emptiness. The next one was white, and it drowned out the light of the stars.

Clay's hand skimmed across his jaw before leaving his face. His chest seemed to tighten and constrict, and he bit down on his tongue hard, drawing blood.

George swayed in the cold breeze, shivering. He wanted to lean against Clay, but he couldn't take their casual touches anymore.

"I'll take you back to the hotel now," Clay said softly, pivoting to go back down the pier.

When the fireworks died out, their hazy ghosts remained, floating in the air.