Summer of Jonnor

Last Chance Dance

Jude was asleep but his eyes were moving under closed eyelids, deep in dreams. He and Connor were running as fast as they could, in a high mountain meadow full of grass and wildflowers. Like the day in the backyard, Connor was chasing him, and like then, Jude actually wanted to be caught. Connor tackled him softly and they tumbled into the grass, the earthy smell of it rushing into Jude's nostrils, accented with the sweet smell of the flowers. He fell into Connor's arms, and Connor was kissing him and holding his hands down onto the grass. The warm sun was bright overhead in the blue sky, a faint breeze was blowing, and Jude felt like all of his atoms were in fusion with Connor's. In science class they had learned that all the life on Earth was supernova remnant, the ashes of stars. All those atoms were now remembering where they had come from, shining and burning and bursting with light. Connor was the one person in the world who knew him better than anyone else, his best friend, his boyfriend. Whatever happened, now, tomorrow, the future, Jude knew he would carry Connor within him forever.

Blearily, he opened his eyes, to see Connor watching him. "Morning." He looked into Connor's eyes. "Were you watching me sleep?" He smiled.

"Watching you dream, and it was frickin' amazing. What were you dreaming about?"

Jude blinked, and held Connor's hand. "That you were my soulmate." Connor's eyes were enormous pools of emotion. Who was it, who called them windows to the soul?

Connor kissed his forehead, his nose, his mouth. "Am I really?"

 Jude nodded. "You were the first real friend I ever had," he said. "You believed in me when no-one else did, when no-one else cared. I'm never going to forget that."

Connor's eyes filled with tears. Jude held him, not speaking, not doing anything, and yet living with more purpose than he had ever felt in his life.

***

"Last Chance Dance tomorrow," Connor said with a sly smile. "Be my date?"

Jude grinned. "Sure. I can handle having the hottest date in school."

"Oh can you? Handle it?" Connor grabbed his butt.

"Stop it," Jude giggled.

Connor kissed his cheek. "See you after school."

***

Lena kissed Jude's forehead. "You're looking very happy these days, buddy. Things going great with Connor?"

"He asked me to the Last Chance Dance tomorrow." He sat down at the kitchen table, and she sat down next to him. "When you fell in love with Stef, was it different from falling in love with anyone else?"

She tilted her head at him. "What do you mean honey?"

He gave her a little smile. "I just don't think there's anyone who'll ever be like Connor."

She giggled. "Honey, Connor is your first love. He's always going to have a special place in your heart, even if you end up with someone else."

He thought about that. "I can't imagine someone else right now. Do you think it's true, that there is someone you're destined to be with? Like you and Stef?"

She pondered that for a long moment. "Adult love can be a bit more complicated that that, sweetie. There are a million things trying to keep Stef and I apart, and it's only by the sheer force of love that we resist all of them and stay together. You and Connor don't really have to worry about that yet."