The Quarry 2.0

Part 6. at the scrap yard

Ryan looked down as a wave of realization hit his face. This crane was built for one person, and there was only one spot for him to sit.

"Uhm, hey Dylan?" Ryan said nervously.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"I hope this isn't too weird, but... there really isn't a lot of room in here. You're kind of taking up all the space."

Dylan looked around a little confused, "I haven't really gotten my shrink ray down yet, so I don't know what you want from me." He responded, cracking a joke out of nervousness.

"I just mean that I might have to sit... on the seat with you." Ryan said quietly, pointing down.

Dylans face flushed red, realizing what Ryan was saying, but tried to play it off so as to not make this situation any more awkward than it had to be.

"Right, yeah, that makes sense, uh, just let me make room, one sec," he said, shuffling around to try and make room for Ryan. Dylan was skinny, but he was also broad in the shoulder area and very tall. The only possible option Dylan could think of for Ryan to fit without making him sit directly on his lap, was for him to scootch as far left as possible, so Ryan could sit sideways and lean his back against the side wall of the crane, with his legs hanging over Dylans.

"Here. I'll just scoot this way, and you can sit." He explained.

"Right." Ryan responded. They sat in silence for a little while. The tension was almost too much for either boy to handle, both feeling extremely embarrassed. Ryan noticed the taller boy had his hand raised in the air so as not to touch Ryan.

"You can set your hand down, man." He commented.

Dylan looked at him and nodded, "Ah, okay, sorry," he responded and gently laid his hand on the other boys' knees, which were bent slightly over his own lap. Ryan noticed Dylans hand was shakey and extremely warm, so warm he could feel it through his jeans.

"Are you okay, man?" Ryan asked, sounding concerned. Suddenly, Dylan started welling up, like he'd been trying to hold it back for a while. Soon enough, he was legitimately sobbing, shocking Ryan.

Ryan lifted his back off the side wall and hunched forward, "Oh my god, shit, sorry I didn't mean... to do this?" Ryan said frantically, not totally understanding where to go from there.

Dylan, still looking down, tried slowing down so he could actually talk.

"W- were gonna die aren't we," he heaved out before continuing to sob, "were gonna fucking die tonight."

"What? No, no, we aren't." Ryan put his hand on Dylans arm and looked around as if there'd be someone else there to help him, but of course, there wasn't.

"Hey, please stop crying, Dylan. Look, we're in the safest spot we could be in, okay? You won't die. I won't let you." He said, more sternly this time.

Dylan slowed his breathing, took a few deep breaths, and calmed down enough to speak normally, but tears still fell from his eyes every few minutes.

"This won't be our last day. I promise." Ryan said, looking deep into the others' eyes. Dylan couldn't bear to break the eye contact, like he was addicted to it. Ryan's eyes looked like voids in the darkness, safe for the full moons light hitting them in the corner, leaving a speckle of beaming grayish blue. Still keeping eye contact, Dylan could feel a hand slither to the side of his neck, which sent a shiver up his spine. He was sure his face was beet red, given the heat he could feel in his cheeks, but knew there was no way he could pass it off as anything, not in this situation.

Ryan smiled softly, moving his right leg over both of dylans and turning to face him directly. Dylan blushed even harder, unsure what to do with himself but stare in awe, and occasionally sniffle.

"Dylan..." Ryan whispered, still holding eye contact.

"Uh huh..." Dylan managed to force out, almost too quiet and mumbled to understand, if it weren't for their close vicinity.

"Please stop crying." Ryan asked straight faced. He placed his other hand on the other side of the curve of Dylans neck, slowly, waiting for the other boys response.

Dylan wasn't sure if he could even talk. He felt like he was going to explode, throw up, or even pass out, but somehow managed to answer, quieter than a mouse.

"Okay..."

"Good," Ryan whispered, gently lifting one of his hands to wipe a tear off Dylans face. Dylan looked down at his hand. Shakely he eased it out of the air, where it had been suspended for a while, and set it on Ryan's side as lightly as he possibly could, quickly shifting his eyes back up to the boys face to assess his reaction.

Ryan blushed lightly. It was hard to see the color difference in the dark of the night, unlike dylans pale face that almost reflected light. He slowly inched his face closer to the other boy, able to feel the heat radiating off his face without any contact, and soon closed the gap between each other's lips. The kiss didn't last long. It was simple and quick, but that was okay. It still meant a lot.

"I said to stop crying, Dylan." Ryan said, frowning a little and growing hot from embarrassment. Was he doing something wrong? Did Dylan not like it? Had he been reading him wrong this whole time? Ryan's head spun with worry.

Dylan blinked rapidly, still looking up at the boy on top of him. Then, as if he rebooted, he finally moved, gliding his hand up behind his neck and scratched the back of his head.

"When this is all over, can I take you on a date?" He chuckled nervously, looking to the side.

Ryan sighed a breath of relief, slumped his head downwards, and laughed softly as he shook back and forth by the shoulders.

"Yeah, of course." He smiled.