SIONN AND DARE had spent dinner laughing and joking about some of the people who’d come into Sionn’s studio earlier in the day. Particularly a harried-looking lady with her three kids, whom she’d wanted posed with stuffed reindeer for her Christmas cards. According to Sionn, the eldest boy kept pulling the bows from his sister’s hair, while the youngest kept biting the eldest for trying to hold him in place. The woman had lost her temper and yelled at the kids, who had started crying and pitching fits, quickly eating up all her scheduled time. When Sionn had politely pointed out that he had people waiting for their appointments, she’d gotten upset and told him she’d never come back there for pictures again.
“And a Merry Christmas ta me is what I was saying as she headed out the door, the screaming trio in tow.”
Dare laughed. “Oh man, I do not envy you. I think taking pictures would be awesome, but not of people. If I was a photographer, I think I’d have to take pictures of graffiti, or some of the really awesome buildings downtown, and street musicians, and festivals and stuff. Just not people coming in to pose.”
“Some o’ that I wouldn’t mind doing myself. Maybe we should go together. I can teach you ta work the DSLR and the software that goes with it, see what we come up with.”
Dare’s face lit up. “I’d love that.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll head out Sunday mornin’ and see what we find.”
“Awesome. I can’t wait.”
Sionn chuckled, enjoying their first official date. The cheesecake was amazing, better than he’d remembered, but what really blew Sionn away was when Dare took off his scarf and blindfolded him. It was a little disconcerting, walking down city streets without being able to see, but Dare made sure he didn’t run into anything, and in next to no time, Sionn felt a change in the air and knew Dare had guided him into someplace warm. Dare’s hand was steady on his back as he steered Sionn into an elevator, and soon they came to a stop.
“We’re here,” Dare announced, but he was holding both of Sionn’s hands, so Sionn couldn’t reach for the scarf to pull it away.
“Well then, are you gonna let me see where here is?”
Sionn was startled for a second when he felt something soft brush across his lips, until he realized it was Dare, kissing him lightly before taking the scarf away. Sionn’s eyes widened when he saw where they were. The big domed roof, the telescopes, the star maps and detailed charts, graphs, and images—it was almost too much for Sionn to take in at once.
“Dare, I wouldn’t have guessed you’d remember.”
“Of course I remember. I used to love listening to you talk about how the constellations got their names.”
“You always did love my stories.”
“I still do. And I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our first date than staring at the stars with you.”
Sionn was so moved by that simple admission that he pulled Dare close and held him tight, momentarily furious with himself for the way he’d treated Dare for so long. The fury was fleeting, however, chased away by the joy of the moment and the knowledge that he now had a chance to make it right. The two gazed at the stars, arm in arm, basking in each other’s company.
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