Catch a Glimmer of Your Star

Catch the North Star

A series of amusing scenarios popped up into Sunny's head as he imagined all the fun ways he was going to sneak in a kiss.

"If you're tired, don't be afraid to tell me that you want to sleep," Sunny said. "Your health is more important than making it back to the airport in time."

"I slept enough last night," Basil replied cheerfully. "I'm not going to need sleep for the next sixteen hours, so don't worry!"

Four and a half hours was enough for you...?

Sunny made a mental note to himself that if Basil started snoozing at the wheel again, he'd have to react vigilantly.

The blue of the river caught Sunny's eye as it snaked away from the highway. He watched the glimmer of the afternoon sunlight dance upon the surface of the water. It felt a bit like saying farewell.

Over the past week, he'd learned a lot about rivers, and grew to become fond of them. Rivers were crucial to maintaining ecological balance. They were very important to the economy. People lived and died by rivers; civilizations began in river valleys. The unending stream of flowing water in a river felt like constant, active progress. Or, perhaps not progress, but change. Change that could upend lives at a moment, or help two boys with a simple project.

"When we get back, once everything calms down, what do you think you'd want to do?" Sunny asked.

Basil smiled with that beautiful color in his eyes. "I just want to be with you."

Sunny wanted to just throw his arms around Basil and give him the tightest hug ever. Alas, having to drive a car kept getting in their way.

"You're cheesy," Sunny replied in a flirting tone. "Any fun stuff you'd like to do together? We can explore the city again. We can go visit all those restaurants. We could buy new books from the bookstore, read at the library, go gardening again without worrying about all this stuff..."

"As long as it's with you, I'll be happy," Basil said.

Sunny sensed a blush on his cheeks. "I'm...I'm glad. To hear you say that. To be honest, you can ignore all my suggestions. I feel happy just being by your side, too."

Basil giggled. "I'm sure we'll do lots of fun things together."

Sunny felt a really light sensation in his chest. It sprang from deep inside his heart.

He couldn't put into words why just being near Basil made him feel this way. It was such a strange, soothing feeling. He felt glad to admit that if there was just one feeling to make life worth living for, it would be this one.

No one but Basil had ever made him feel so happy to just, well, be. Not Aubrey. Not his family. Not even his sister. Only Basil.

It's the only feeling that can lift me out of my guilt and loneliness.

Whenever he was alone, Sunny always grew a little scared. He'd wonder if anyone would ever come back to his side. The more his mind raced in search of another person, in search of a hand to hold his when he reached out, the more he'd sink back into that pit of despair he had found himself in for four years. Just thinking about it could make him regress.

He always saw a shadow of doubt looming over his head. An eye peering at him. A reminder that what he did that day stained his hands with blood for the rest of his life, burdening him with a recurring guilt that he would not ever be able to forget.

But then, there was this feeling. It poured softly into the labyrinth of his mind, like gentle morning sunlight shining the path that would take him back outside.