#911 fix

Taylor giggled. “Well, it fits you. And congratulations on completing a third season of Serendipity.”

 “Thank you,” Buck said. So far, so good. 

 “I’m sure you know that everyone has heard what happened to you a few months ago. It must have felt like such a violation of your privacy, Buck, would you like to address it at all?” Taylor Kelly said and there was something eager about the way she was looking at him. 

 “I guess just to say that it isn’t alright. I picked this career but that doesn’t excuse invasion into the aspects of my life I didn’t want to make public. Most people are respectful of Soulmate Marks. I trusted the wrong person so that’s on me, I suppose.” Buck offered a smile and hoped that they would move on to another question. 

 “Well, it’s an awful thing to go through,” Taylor said. “And I guess this reflects the show as well. Is that intentional? I know in some cases writers take from real life and from their own actors so how much did this perhaps inspire the writers?”

 Buck had seen the parallels, but they were flimsy at best. Jasper gaining his Mark and the reveal of it was nothing like Buck’s circumstance other than how desperate Jasper had been to keep it secret. 

 “If they were inspired by anything real, it wasn’t my life. We had finished filming before all that happened,” Buck said. “And it is different, but I feel like the season was building up to that reveal from the first episode.” 

 Taylor nodded along. “I think everyone is blown away with the show. It’s just that good. And you really know nothing about next season.”

 Buck laughed. “No one has given me a script yet. So until then I’m in the dark just like everyone else. They keep things close to the chest until production starts.”

 “So the producers haven’t said anything at all to you?” 

 Buck shook his head. “No. Nothing.”

 “That’s too bad. Well, I guess we are at an end here. Serendipity’s latest season in full is available on HBO and HBO Max.”

 The interview came to an end and Buck stood up. He and Taylor shook hands and she smiled at him in that flirtatious way that girls always did. 

 “You know, if you were keeping that Mark secret because you’re not interested in your Soulmate, I’m not all that interested in that nonsense too. We could hang out sometime.” She was batting her eyes, and looking at him like he was something she’d like to eat. 

 Buck noticed that her Mark was on the inside of her wrist and that while she’d applied some make up to it, it had worn off or been rubbed off and so it was mostly visible. She seemed to follow his gaze. 

 “I usually have a big bracelet that covers it,” she said. “And I’m not kidding. I really don’t care about this. Plenty of people don’t. It’s usually why they hide it. How about it, Buck?” 

 It was tempting and yet Buck knew he couldn’t. Maybe when he was a few years younger he would have gone for it. Back then, he’d been a bit more open to one night stands and overlooking his Mark for a little fun. It wasn’t him anymore. He smiled at her and shook his head. 

 “I had to try,” Taylor said. “If you change your mind…” she trailed off and then walked away. 

 Buck watched her leave and then he shook his head. He let the production assistant remove his mic and then after talking to a few more people, signing a few things, Buck grabbed his things and he was back out in his car and on his way home. 

 -

 Season three began with a twist that Eddie hadn’t seen coming. After that reveal where Jasper explained that he didn’t have a Soulmate Mark, Eddie had assumed that that was the way they were going to form a romance between Jasper and Henry because Henry’s Soulmate had been dead for centuries and Jasper didn’t have one. Season two had supported that idea, bringing Henry and Jasper closer than ever. But suddenly, at the start of season three, in a small sequence at the top of the episode, Jasper went through the painful experience of gaining a Mark. They saw his confusion, and the way the spot on his hip went from itchy to the skin turning scaly red and then tearing apart until Jasper was screaming and writhing in a bed as the Mark formed. The camera had panned away before they could actually see the full Mark. 

 For the entire scene Jasper had been shirtless, and the way the camera had panned over him and lingered on well defined biceps and a chest that was all hard muscle had distracted him enough that it took rewatching the scene before he caught on to what was happening. 

 The day after seeing the episode, Hen had nudged him and just the look in her eyes had said everything without a word needing to be uttered. Eddie got lucky it was a busy day full of calls and that Chim was out for the day and so he didn’t have to deal with them both making eyes at him. 

 Eddie only had time for a few episodes that week, but he was savoring every moment. Henry and Jasper were dancing around the attraction they definitely had for each other, the detective work was ramping up with more interconnected mysteries that related to Henry’s past, and through it all was Jasper keeping his Soulmate Mark from Henry and the tension that that added with every single time that Henry almost saw it. 

 When Eddie looked up interviews, there weren’t many past ones related to the promotion before the season had started and then during the first couple of episodes and then nothing else. Eddie didn’t think about it, because he was far too invested in the show itself. He was so invested, that Eddie had even considered asking Hen to watch over Chris for a day so he could really dive into it. He didn’t, in the end. 

 But, Eddie did get annoyed when his mom facetimed him and interrupted the only free hour he had to himself just as he was preparing to sit down and put on Serendipity. Eddie actually hesitated before he picked up and then her face filled his phone. 

 “It’s been too long, Eddie. How are you and how’s my Christopher. We haven’t heard from you in a while.” She was smiling and looking at Eddie expectantly.

 “I’ve been busy, mom,” Eddie said. “Christopher is good. He’s at school right now.”

 “Oh. Right. I guess I’ll remember to call later next time. But tell me, anything going on with you?” 

 “Not really. Christopher keeps me on my toes and I have work.” 

 She shook her head. “Oh, Eddie, I really do wish you didn’t insist on a job that is that dangerous. Not with that woman gone now and you a single parent.” 

 Eddie sighed. “Shannon was his mom. My wife.”

 It was always the same with his mom. She either didn’t think before she spoke or was deliberate and as such painfully meanspirited. Sometimes Eddie thought that his mom had made the whole thing so much worse by not accepting his relationship with Shannon. 

 “And I still say you should have never married her. But that’s not an issue now. And I guess I’m just wondering if you’d met anyone yet? Your Soulmate maybe?” 

 “No, mom. I don’t have time to date,” Eddie said and he tried to not get mad because that would lead nowhere. He knew where his mom was coming from because she just so strongly believed in the whole Soulmate thing. 

 For his parents, meeting had been such a longshot and yet it had happened and they were extremely suited for each other and still very much in love. It was what they wanted for Eddie and his sisters. They had both been disappointed in his choices when it came to Shannon. 

 “You should make the time, Ed. Think about the person on the other side.”

 It was what she always said and Eddie just nodded along and then listened as she told him about her garden and the other things that had filled the past few days for her. Eddie managed to convince her he had chores to get back to after another fifteen minutes of conversation and hanging up felt better than anything. 

 “I have to stop picking up,” Eddie said to his empty bedroom and then he checked his phone and there was definitely not enough time for a full episode. So, he turned to YouTube and that was how Eddie came across not an interview, but a clip from TMZ.

 The headline read: Serendipity Star Evan Buckley Soulmate Mark Controversy

Eddie clicked on it. He remembered it had come up at that BBQ at Athena and Bobby’s, but Eddie hadn’t looked into it further. The video had been uploaded four months earlier.  

 The video started off with two guys standing in frame and one started talking right away. As he did it cut to pictures from Serendipity and of Buck as if to give context to anyone that might not know what they were talking about. 

 “Early this morning, pictures started making the rounds on Twitter. Posted by what looks to be a sock account, the pictures were of Buck from Serendipity on HBO with what appeared to be a Soulmate Mark. At first, fans were excited thinking that we were getting leaks from a new episode. Serendipity’s first episode featured Buck’s character Jasper getting a Mark that was not revealed to the audience, but it became fairly clear that that wasn’t the case. No one knows the origin of the photos, only that they are not doctored and that the Soulmate Mark on display is his own.” 

 That’s when the video flipped to the pictures they had mentioned. They were innocent enough. Buck was clearly sitting poolside on a wicker chair. His legs were extended out and his swimming trunks featuring penguins, of all things, were dripping water. His chest was bare, pale white skin and a dusting of hair, and then on his left side, a few inches above his hip, the Soulmate Mark. The first picture only showed half the Mark, but in the next picture featured Buck standing still by the pool, but the picture was taken from his left side. He was laughing, head thrown back. He looked happy. His full Mark was on display. 

 Eddie didn’t focus on the Soulmate Mark at first, lost in just looking at Buck, but then his eyes landed on it and he froze even as the video made a point of zooming into the image and Eddie knew it wasn’t a trick of his eyes or something like wishful thinking because he knew that Mark. He knew it so intimately that he could draw it from memory alone. 

 Soulmate Marks were unique to the two people who shared a Mark. Some Marks on some people were similar, but only two would ever match and the final test was touch. Any contact at all would do, and then you’d know that that person was your Soulmate. 

 “Are you it?” Eddie asked the screen of his laptop where the video had come to an end. 

 He’d missed whatever the TMZ guys had had to say and in the meanwhile, another video had started. A pretty red head came on, introducing Buck before the camera panned to him. He looked good, if a bit tense. Eddie paused it before the interview could really begin. Eddie had no idea what to do. 

 Eddie’s Soulmate Mark wasn’t listed in any database. Eddie had never put pictures of it up anywhere on social media. He didn’t even really know how to use most of them in the first place. Growing up, none of that had been around and while Eddie wasn’t a romantic he had just assumed that one day he would meet his Soulmate. Meanwhile, like many others he had dated and hung out with people. And then when everything happened with Shannon they both agreed that if they got married they weren’t going to look for their Soulmates actively. And if they somehow found them anyway then that would be something they dealt with then. 

 After Shannon left and then after she died, Eddie just hadn’t thought about looking for his other half because Christopher was the priority. And now, this actor that Eddie had maybe started to develop a crush for might be his Soulmate and Eddie had no idea what to do.

-

Eddie was just finishing up with drying the pot when the alarm went off. They didn’t waste a second getting down from the loft by the means of the stairs and the pole to their gear. They were on the ladder truck and out the door in minutes and arrived at the scene of a car accident. Car accidents were always hard for Eddie in a way that most other emergencies weren’t, but for Eddie that meant a short pause and clenching his fist a little on the approach. Compartmentalization was as important as anything else for a first responder. Afterwards, when the emergency was over and they had done everything they could, he could allow himself to think about his late wife. Shannon. 

 His wife had died a little over a year earlier, hit by a car during a car crash. Eddie had been there on a call, holding her hand as she faded away and left him and their son. In those moments it hadn’t mattered how broken their relationship had been. Everyone had always blamed their lack of Soulmate connection on their problems, and Eddie had always felt offended when that came up and the way it questioned how much they really had loved each other at one point. 

 “You okay, Eddie?” Hen asked when they were getting back to the station. 

 “Yeah. Yeah. I’m good.”

 Hen’s hand on his shoulder felt like all the reassurance that he would need until he could see his son. Somedays, Christopher was the only bright light in Eddie’s life, his only reason for continuing to go on. Eddie didn’t think he would ever require anything else. 

 “Hey, Eddie, we’re having a watching party at my place Sunday,” Chim said when they were getting out of the truck at the station. “You should come.” 

 “Watching party?”

 “Serendipity,” Hen said. “Season finale. Don’t tell me you haven’t been watching.” 

 “Uh. No,” Eddie said.

 “Well, you have to,” Hen said. “I will personally sit you down and make you watch.” 

 Eddie rolled his eyes. 

 “I’ll help,” Chim said. 

 “You both know I don’t have time to watch tv shows,” Eddie said. “Especially if it isn’t Chris appropriate.” 

 Hen tutted and as soon as they had taken off their turn-out gear, she walked with him up the stairs and as soon as they were sitting she shoved her phone at him, pressing play on the video she’d pulled up. 

 Eddie couldn’t deny that the trailer wasn’t intriguing. Serendipity was about the thing that so many tv-shows and movies had been portraying for just about ever. Soulmates. The twist being that the main character was an immortal being mourning a Soulmate from long ago and living his life entirely devoted to his work as a detective. 

 “I’m not saying it doesn’t look interesting. I just don’t have the time,” Eddie said.

 “It’s literally the most watched thing on tv,” Chim said. “It’s amazing you’ve avoided it this far.”

 “Not amazing when you’re a single father,” Eddie said. 

 Nevertheless, when Eddie got home that night, after checking on Christopher and getting himself some food, he settled in bed with his laptop propped on his chest and the first episode of Serendipity and he was immediately sucked in. He was captivated by the story, by the main character, Henry, who was gruff and impersonal, and even more so by the surrounding cast of characters. One in particular caught his eye, Henry’s closest friend and co-worker, Jasper. There was no telling if he was supposed to be the love interest, but there was no denying that there was chemistry there. Possibilities. 

 Eddie could see why so many people were watching and why the finale of the current season was so anticipated. The show was equal parts serious and deep but hilarious. Each character was unique and just off of the single episode, Eddie was already sure that he was going to love it. 

 He had to convince himself not to watch a second episode and actually get some sleep, but the next day, his day off, Eddie took Chris to school and then ignored every one of his chores to sit and watch just a few more episodes. He was captivated in a way that Eddie had never really been before by a tv-show. 

 Eddie: You were right. Serendipity is amazing. 

 Chim: 😂😂 

Chim: knew you had good taste

 Hen: A true masterpiece.

 Chim: how many episodes have you watched?

 Eddie: I’m on episode 4

 It was rare that Eddie ever allowed himself time to do anything that wasn’t productive. In a lot of ways, his whole adult life had always been structured in a way that meant Eddie was always ready to go. 

 It had started when Shannon told him she was pregnant and Eddie’s whole world stopped. It wasn’t supposed to happen. Back then, Eddie had always known that he and Shannon were just hold overs until they found their Soulmates, but adding a child to the mix had meant that they would always be connected and Eddie did care about Shannon. He loved her. His parents had both been very opposed to them getting married, but it had only felt right. And then, after that, Eddie had realized that as the man, he needed to step up and take care of his new wife and son. Enlisting in the Army had felt like the absolute best course. 

 Sometimes, Eddie did wonder if that had been the right choice and if things could have been different for him and Shannon if Eddie didn’t leave her on her own with Christopher for the first few years of their son’s life. Deep down, Eddie hadn’t been ready to be a parent, but pragmatically Christopher’s diagnosis had meant they needed not only good insurance but money. Maybe if their Marks had been the same it would have been different and they would have understood each other on a deeper level that made handling it all better, but Eddie would never know. 

 He did know that he had run first, and then Shannon had taken her turn later. At no point had they been on the same page and then when it finally felt like maybe they could figure it out and make it work if not with each other, then for Christopher, the universe had said “no” and taken her away.

 So for Eddie, his life revolved around his son. From being in the Army, to becoming a single parent, everything in his life he did for Chris. He would never forget how a few months after Shannon’s death his mom had made a comment about him being free to find his Soulmate, as if Eddie had any time to put any focus on something like that. The other thing Eddie had no time for was huge cultural things like HBOs most watched tv-show since Game of Thrones. 

 He watched Serendipity whenever he had the free time to do so, and it was slow going because Eddie really didn’t have much free time, but it almost felt like a treat to get to escape into that world. He hadn’t even finished the first season by the time the third’s season finale aired and all he knew about it was that it had blown everyone’s minds which only made him want to watch everything faster. 

 -

 “No spoiler talk,” Eddie said as he climbed the stairs at the fire station. 

 Hen and Chim laughed. They had been teasing him for days with threats of telling him what happened in episodes he hadn’t yet gotten to. 

 “Someone is a bit paranoid,” Hen said. 

 Eddie nudged her side as he sat down. Chim glanced back and forth from his phone and them as if he was trying to consider something. 

 “What?” Hen asked. 

 “No. Nothing. I was just telling Maddie how we’ve made Eddie into a Serendipity fanboy and how he has a crush on Jasper.”

 “I — that is not true at all,” Eddie said even though Jasper was definitely his favorite character. 

 Jasper being his favorite had everything to do with how much depth there was to him. He was his own unique person and while not a foil for Henry, the main character, he complimented him so well. It didn’t hurt that Jasper was very good looking, but Eddie did not have a crush. 

 “Everyone has a crush on Jasper,” Hen said. “Karen is obsessed with him and with Buck.”

 “It’s not a crush,” Eddie said. 

 “Maybe not yet,” Hen said. “You haven’t made it to season two yet.” 

 Eddie groaned. Talking to Hen and Chim always just made him feel like he had to take off an entire weekend just to the binge the show. 

 Over the next few weeks, Eddie made good progress on Serendipity, finishing up the first season and getting to the big reveal that Jasper not wanting to talk about Soulmate Marks — the very reason he and Henry got on to start — was that he didn’t have one at all. Never had. The emotional reveal and Henry’s surprise on top of everything else going on in the show was some of the best storytelling Eddie had ever experienced. Watching Jasper cry had almost brought Eddie to tears, it had touched something deep inside him. 

 When Hen saw him on the next shift after that, she seemed to know immediately that he’d made it to season two. 

 “How’s that crush coming along now?” 

 The thing about the second season was that Jasper and Henry were closer than ever, that the tension between them grew, and that a show that had once had one main lead was transitioning into having a second. But on top of that was that the plot was getting darker and Henry’s past was coming into focus. And Eddie had to admit that Jasper was looking even better than he had in season one. It didn’t constitute a crush. 

 “Not a crush. Buck is a good actor is all,” Eddie said. 

 “Buck is it,” Hen said with an eyebrow. 

 Eddie wouldn’t admit it to her, but he’d actually gone looking for interviews. At the start it was from the cast as a whole, but then he’d narrowed it to just Evan Buckley, who apparently went mostly by Buck. He was sticking to pre-season two interviews which didn’t give him much, but Eddie was not looking to be spoiled. And there was plenty to take from those interviews like the knowledge that Buck was the kind of guy that didn’t take himself seriously, that he seemed genuine and kind, and that he was just as attractive outside of Jasper. Maybe even more so. 

 Chris had actually seen Eddie watching interviews and been a bit curious. Interviews seemed safe enough to watch around Chris. Chris wasn’t all that interested with most of them unless something exciting was happening like the one of Evan on Ellen playing a game that wound up with his hair covered in whipped cream. Or a few where it was Evan and his cast mates competing in some way or another. Most of the time, Chris didn’t care at all. But as kids were wont to do, he kept the knowledge that Eddie was constantly watching anything he could find that featured Evan Buckley in the back of his head to bring out at the best possible moment. 

 That moment turned out to be during a BBQ at Bobby and Athena’s when Evan Buckley’s name came up mid-lunch and Chris chimed in just to say: “Dad watches him all the time.”

 “Oh, does he,” Hen said and there was a glint in her eyes that spoke of trouble to come. 

 “Yup,” Chris said and then got distracted when Denny asked him if he was done eating. 

 “I’ve watched some interviews,” Eddie told them. “Sue me.” 

 “And to think he didn’t even want to start watching Serendipity,” Hen said. 

 “I never said I didn’t want to watch it. I said I didn’t have time. And now I don’t get anything done because I’m hooked on it. The very thing I wanted to avoid.” 

 It was Karen that pat him on the shoulder. “You’ll fall into a depressive slump once you’ve caught up and there’s no more episodes.” 

 Eddie didn’t want to think about how in a few weeks he would be finishing up and then waiting with everyone else for the next season. He had no idea how the current season ended, but he did know that it was a big cliffhanger. A part of him wanted to drag it all out so that it wouldn’t be over immediately and yet he knew that if he’d been given the time, he could have sat and binged all the episodes. The only upside to finishing the season was that there would be more Evan Buckley interviews to watch afterwards. 

 “And poor thing, did you hear about what happened with his Soulmate Mark?” Karen asked.

 “Uh, no.” 

 “It got leaked. Someone posted pictures of it online,” Karen told him. “He disappeared for a while, and no one knows if maybe he found his Soulmate or not.” 

 “He hasn’t,” Chim said. 

 “How do you know?” Hen asked. 

 “Uh, that’s what Maddie said,” Chim said. “Too bad she isn’t here to explain her sources. Anyway, Athena, the potato salad is amazing.”

-

After finally figuring out what his next step was regarding the Mark and Buck, Eddie had gotten back into watching the remaining episodes. As it turned out, after the leak of Buck’s Mark, an email had been set up. Eddie could only imagine the large quantity of emails that they had received, but he sent one in anyway. His research as to how other celebrities had dealt with their Marks and Soulmates had also told him that he should try to reach out to Buck’s agent. So, Eddie had sent a letter by mail to the address provided. Having done something about it made Eddie feel a bit better.

 “But you’re forgetting what happened at the end of this episode,” Karen said. 

 Hen was nodding along as if she had heard the argument before and been convinced to agree. 

 “What?” Chim said. 

 It was Eddie that picked up on it. “Henry touched him,” he said. “The forehead kiss. Henry didn’t react when he touched him.” 

 Karen nodded quickly. “Yes. This show is too smart to ignore that. They aren’t Soulmates.” 

 Eddie didn’t know if that made their love that much greater because it wasn’t about the universe somehow making that choice for them. But Jasper had gained a Mark. And Henry had had a Soulmate. There was some commentary that was going to be made there and Eddie couldn’t wait to find out what it was. 

 The thing about Soulmates was that you grew up hearing about them and about how magical the whole thing was. Some people took it back to the myth that said everyone was born with four legs, four arms, and two heads and then some god split them in two. Finding your Soulmate was supposed to make you whole. It worked as a metaphor, but not fully in real life. Not when life came with tragedy and strife where kids died young and left their Soulmate on their own, or when two people just never found each other. Maybe Eddie had never viewed the whole thing with the hopeful outlook that others had. 

 “So your theory is we find out the Marks don’t match,” Chim said. 

 “Yes,” Karen said. “Just think about the tension that creates? This can’t be smooth sailing. That is where I land. They’re not Soulmates and we keep going on this will-they/won’t-they thing for many seasons to come. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they introduce Jasper’s Soulmate into the show. Shake it up a bit.”

 Hen winced. “Yeah, I don’t know that that would go over well with anyone.” 

 “If the story is compelling enough. If they do it right and keep the core of the relationship alive, there is no way they don’t give us something worth watching.” 

 “It’s hard watching tv with Karen,” Hen said. “She likes to dissect everything.” 

 They shared a look, one so full of love and understanding that Eddie couldn’t help but feel just a bit of longing. Before seeing Buck’s Mark, Eddie hadn’t thought much about having a romantic partner or finding his Soulmate, but things had changed. The possibility being there in front of him had made him realize that he actually did want that. 

 “Better than the way Maddie freaked out,” Chim said. “I think she’s buying into them being Soulmates.” 

 “Speaking of,” Hen said and looked at Eddie.

 Eddie hadn’t mentioned anything to Chim yet, but he could tell that Hen had spoken to Karen about it.

 “What?” Chim asked. 

 “Well, it’s possible I found my Soulmate,” Eddie said. “I mean, I saw a picture of his Mark. I don’t know for sure yet, but I did reach out. Haven’t heard back.” 

 Chimney was looking at him with a wide grin. “Wow,” he said. “I didn’t think you were looking for your Soulmate.” 

 “I wasn’t,” Eddie said. “I just happened upon the picture. I guess we’ll see if he’s it.” 

 Hen was closest to him and she pat his arm in a supportive way. Eddie considered telling them about how he thought that it was Buck, but the words didn’t want to form in his mouth. So, instead he switched the conversation back to Serendipity. 

 —

 There were a few pictures of his lunch with Josh and Parker online, mostly the ones that featured him and Josh. Some were from the restaurant, but most were of him and Josh leaving and getting back into Josh’ car. Buck didn’t really mind them, especially since they were good promo for the show, but also because it had been such a good lunch. 

 Josh was excited about Jenry and all the possibilities that opened for the characters and for the way that it would change the dynamics when it came to the more investigative side of the plot. Buck found that he was as well. He couldn’t wait to get back to work and to discover what the rest of the scripts had for them to discover. 

 “It’s amazing,” Josh had said as he drove Buck home. 

 “What is?” 

 “That this is what we’re doing on tv these days and that no one is batting an eye, they just see the love. They see the connection. Our unbelievable chemistry.” 

 Buck laughed, but he understood exactly what Josh meant because he knew that in the past having two male leads and having them fall in love instead of being just good friends, that just wasn’t the thing that happened. At least, it didn’t happen easily or as purposefully as it seemed that the writers were writing Jasper and Henry. Because that was the thing that Parker had cleared up. 

 “This has always been the plan. I don’t think anyone expected the fan response, but that central love story is and has always been what Tim and Ryan wanted to tell and we are getting to tell it. They’re very excited to get to this point.” 

 Buck had heard through the grapevine that there was a five season story arc that they wanted to tell, but that had never been fully confirmed even though Josh seemed to believe it. The rumor had been that when they sold the show to HBO they had done so because they had a five year plan. 

 “It is pretty awesome,” Buck said. “Is it weird how excited I know Maddie is going to get when she watches?” 

 “No,” Josh said. “And I do like your sister. The other night was a lot of fun.”

 “It was. Maddie means a lot to me. She’s been the only real constant in my life and having her here and watching her be so happy with Chim is absolutely everything I could want.”

 “Other than if you got that happy,” Josh said. 

 Buck always felt a little awkward talking about that particular subject with Josh even though Josh didn’t act like it bothered him at all. He often brought up the subject of Soulmates all on his own, but it made Buck feel a little weird because of course Buck still had the hope of finding that other person while Josh had experienced it and now was just living already sure that he might never experience a connection that deep ever again. 

 “I do want to meet them,” Buck said. 

 “You will. And it will be amazing,” Josh said. “And you know, what Maddie said the other night did make me think a little. Maybe it’s time I try and see what is out there. Maybe I’m not finding a perfect puzzle piece, but I’m finding one that can fill in. It can’t hurt to try.” 

 “It can’t,” Buck said. “If that’s what you want?” 

 Josh drove to Buck’s house and parked right outside. 

 “It was great what I had with my Soulmate,” Josh said. “At times it feels like a dream. I was so young, Buck, and then he was gone and I have done so much since all on my own. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been trying to respect his memory or if I’m just used to being alone, but I don’t know that I want to be alone forever.”

 Buck reached over and gave Josh’s hand a squeeze. “You’re not alone.”

 “Thanks, Buck.” 

 Buck invited him in, but Josh shrugged him off. “I will see you soon. Although, I may go on a quick trip to New York so it might not be until we’re back on set.” 

 “Alright,” Buck said. “Have fun.” 

 “Don’t I ever,” Josh said and he winked. 

 Buck laughed and waved at him before he headed inside. 

 —

 Eddie had known that it would be a longshot when he sent the email in. He had also known that Meredith Meyer probably got all kinds of things in the mail and that Eddie’s letter could be ignored for weeks after it arrived. That didn’t make him any less impatient to hear back. He just didn’t know what else to do and worse was the way that Hen and Chim looked at him when he told them he hadn’t heard back. They still didn’t know that it was Buck he was trying to hear back from and that Eddie had a bit of a longshot of getting a response.

 “So, they haven’t messaged you back?” Chim asked, frowning. 

 It was a slow day at the station. So slow that all the chores had been completed and they were all just sitting in the lounge area. Even Bobby had joined them. 

 “Who hasn’t messaged who back?” Bobby asked. 

 “My possible Soulmate,” Eddie said. “And no, he hasn’t.” 

 “For any number of reasons,” Hen said. “Maybe he’s busy, or he doesn’t use social media, or—”

 “Or he doesn’t want a Soulmate,” Eddie said. 

 He didn’t add that maybe Buck didn’t want Eddie. Not that his email had given away too much information about Eddie. Eddie hadn’t even included a full picture of himself, just of the Mark. It had felt weird to send in more than just that. But maybe for all that Buck came off as a nice guy, his reaction to his Mark being leaked wasn’t about being a romantic about it and privacy, but about not wanting to find his Soulmate at all. 

 “Eddie, there has to be a reason and it won’t be that,” Hen said firmly. 

 “Maybe you should reach out again,” Bobby said. “It can’t hurt to try.” 

 Eddie worried his lip for a moment. 

 “He’s kind of famous,” Eddie said eventually. 

 He didn’t want to mention that it was Buck, but the fact that he wasn’t trying to get the attention of a regular person might give them more context. 

 “I actually sent an email to his agent and a letter to his agent’s office,” Eddie said. “But it’s all just a longshot, isn’t it?” 

 Hen snapped her head to look at him. Chimney was gaping. Bobby seemed to be trying to hide his own surprise. A part of Eddie let himself be amused by the reactions. 

 “Famous,” Hen whispered. “How famous?” 

 Eddie shrugged. “Famous enough that you all know who he is.” 

 Hen nodded thoughtfully. Chimney was frowning a bit, but neither said anything for a moment. 

 “Who?” Chim asked. 

 “I — I rather not—”

 “That is a twist,” Bobby said. “And it does make it harder.” 

 Eddie nodded. “I researched a little. Going through the agent is the only real way with this type of thing. So I just have to hope it gets to him. I don’t think there is anything else I could do.” 

 “Have you tried Twitter or Insta?” Hen asked. 

 At the same time, Chim asked again,“who is it?” 

 Eddie shook his head. “I’m not telling. If it turns out I’m wrong I rather no one knew who I thought it could be.”

 “That sounds fair,” Bobby said.

 “Set up a google alert,” Hen said. “I don’t know what this person does, but if they have an event maybe you can show up. And DM him.”

 It was an option, although Eddie spent so much time looking him up already that he didn’t know if it would make much of a difference. And while Eddie did have an Instagram account on which he mostly had pictures of Christopher, he had never ventured into Twitter and didn’t think he wanted to. 

 “I’m going to wait a bit longer for the agent,” Eddie said. 

 “We can help,” Chim said. 

 Eddie waved him off. “I think maybe I have to do this on my own. At least, for now.” 

-

 “I mean, I can’t say I don’t want it too. Denny is amazing, you know, and it’d be nice if he had a sibling.” 

 Eddie nodded. “In the meanwhile, he and Chris can have as many playdates as you want.” 

 “Would you ever think about siblings for Chris?” Hen asked. 

 Eddie snorted. “On my own? Never. He’s a handful on his own.” 

 “I mean, if you ever found your Soulmate?” 

 Buck. His possible Soulmate was Buck. Eddie had at no point even considered that he might be able to find his Soulmate. Anything past that had never been in consideration. Knowing that he could have possibly actually found out who his Soulmate was, it didn’t make thinking about any of that stuff any easier. 

 “Oops,” Hen said. “I guess I’ve never asked if you’re even looking for them.” 

 “I wasn’t,” Eddie said. 

 “Are you now?” 

 Eddie closed the compartment he’d just finished refilling. He leaned against the truck and took a breath. He hadn’t exactly expected to talk about it. Hen might understand if he just told her he didn’t want to talk about it, but Eddie was starting to realize that he needed to. 

 “I, um, I wasn’t looking, but I think I found him,” he said and resolved in that moment that he wouldn’t tell her how or who he thought it might be.

 “Eddie, what…I — you’ve let me go on and on and meanwhile you’re sitting on having found your Soulmate. How? What happened? Have you confirmed it?” Hen was staring him down, her glasses sliding down her nose some and her mouth open from her shock. 

 “I haven’t confirmed it. I’ve never even met him,” Eddie said with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

 Hen’s eyebrow rose. “So, what is it, you saw his Instagram or something?”

 “Uh, yeah. I saw a picture and he has my Mark,” Eddie said and as he said it, he started to doubt himself. 

 How many people believed they had found their Soulmate off of a picture? How many people convinced themselves that they had found a matching Mark that way? And how often was that about actors or singers or other public figures. 

 “Have you reached out?” Hen asked. 

 “I don’t even know if I’m right,” Eddie said. “I’m probably not. I’m probably just seeing what I want to see.”

 Hen’s hand landed on his shoulder. “But what if you’re not?” 

 Eddie didn’t want to tell her who he suspected of being his Soulmate. Hen wouldn’t tease him about something serious like that, but if it turned out that he was wrong, Eddie didn’t want to deal with the repercussions of that and of the glaring crush that Eddie had on an actor. 

 “It’s up to you, but I guess it depends if meeting your Soulmate matters to you. Will it bother you if you don’t reach out and you don’t know? Or will you be okay with not knowing? Do you want to meet him now?”

 Eddie sighed. “I really just don’t even know. Not like I went looking for him.”

 “Follow your gut,” Hen said. “Can’t go wrong doing that.” 

 Eddie nodded. A call rang out and when they had made it onto the truck with all their gear in place, Eddie was glad when Hen didn’t bring it up in front of the others. Instead, she brought up her and Karen thinking about adding to the family and that prompted a discussion that took up the entire drive to the call. 

 —

 Buck read the script for the first episode of season four in one sitting. It arrived via currier mid-morning while Buck was in the middle of cooking himself breakfast. After he ate, he took his coffee mug and sat down in his most comfortable chair in the living room and just read. And once he was done, he facetimed Josh. 

 “Have you read it yet?” Buck asked. 

 Josh had sunglasses and a hat on. He was clearly outside, but he lifted the script. 

 “I’ve read about half,” Josh said. “Great stuff so far. The fans are going to love it.” 

 Buck nodded eagerly. “Maddie is going to freak. Call me back when you’re done with it.” 

 “Sure.” 

 It didn’t take more than an hour before Josh called him back. 

 “You better be stocking up on chapstick, Mr. Buckley,” Josh said. 

 Buck laughed. Josh winked at him and puckered up his lips. “Parker texted. You want to come out to lunch with us?” 

 Parker was one of the executive producers. He also directed two or three episodes per season and he was slated to direct the script they had just received. 

 “Sure he won’t mind?” Buck asked.

 “He’ll be thrilled,” Josh said. “I’ll swing by to pick you up in an hour. We can discuss everything then. I want to pick his brain about what he’s planning for some of those scenes.” 

 The pre-production aspects were already fully underway in prep for the start of filming in a few weeks. Buck was ready to get back to it. Having the first script made him even more eager. Henry and Jasper were going to have their first kiss in the first episode. It happened towards the end of the episode in a moment of heightened tension. 

 Jasper had been severely injured in the last episode of season three and his Mark had been revealed to the audience when the paramedic removed his shirt, lifting it just enough that it was fully visible and in frame. Buck remembered the very long two hours that it took the makeup artist to create Jasper’s Mark on Buck’s hip. It was a few inches below his own Mark, and in person it looked incredibly real. Filming for the two days it had taken to get all the elements of those scenes in had been the easiest for Buck since for a chunk of it he was just supposed to be passed out. 

 By the end of the episode, it was Henry’s emotional response to Jasper’s injuries that became the focus. They had filmed it again and again and Buck had had to lay there as Josh grabbed his hand and actually cried onto his chest. The big Jenry moment had been when Henry was getting ready to leave and he took a few steps away and then turned back, returning to the bed and pressing their foreheads together. 

 “This can’t happen again,” Henry had whispered and then a kiss was pressed to Jasper’s forehead before Henry stepped back and the episode ended as Jasper, unnoticed by Henry, opened his eyes. 

 He and Josh had known as soon as they read that script how the fans would take it. That response would be ten times bigger for the opening of season four. The kiss happened during an argument where Henry was asking Jasper to be more careful and Jasper asked why he even cared and then Henry just kissed Jasper before Jasper could say anything else. 

 Buck couldn’t even begin to imagine how insane the fan reaction would be, or how the show would bring in more tension and more conflict if they were just making Henry and Jasper a couple from the start of the season. He was eager for more scripts. 

 —

 Eddie didn’t do anything about Buck and the Mark. He ignored it so hard that he even stopped watching Serendipity, even though he only really had a few more episodes left to go. It was just difficult to watch Buck and not get lost in thinking about how he might be Eddie’s Soulmate. All of that did very little from thinking about it and Buck all the time. 

 On one of his days off, he wound up visiting his Abuela. One of the reasons that Eddie had felt comfortable going to LA — other than because that’s where Shannon had gone to be with her mother — was that his Abuela and Tia lived there. He had a few cousins too, but Eddie saw them only when he ran into them at Abuela or Tia’s house. They were all just too busy for getting together often, but Eddie made a point of visiting Abuela when he could with or without Christopher. 

 “Tell me, Eddito, what is going on with you? How’s that job of yours going?” 

 Eddie told her about work, about how close everyone was and how much he really enjoyed the job. 

 “And what else? What else is going on with you?” 

 There was no keeping much from his Abuela, so he told her about possibly finding his Soulmate and he saw the way that her eyes lit up. 

 “That is incredible. Tell me about them. Eddie, you really know how to bury the lead.” 

 Eddie groaned. “I don’t actually know him yet. I saw a picture of him and his Mark and I’m pretty sure that it matches mine.” 

 Older generations had different experiences with Soulmate Marks, they didn’t have the social media aspect or the databases. They met through circumstance, by shaking hands with everyone you ever met and hoping for the spark. Eddie had heard his Abuela talk about it enough times. 

 “It’s amazing what is possible these days,” Abuela said. “And so he doesn’t know.”

 “No,” Eddie said. 

 At that, Abuela swatted his shoulder with a dishtowel. “Oh, mijo, I can see it already, it is heavy the burden you have placed on yourself. Eddie, you must tell him. That poor boy, Eddie, what if he’s been waiting for you this entire time?” 

 “And what if he isn’t it?” 

 Which, as Eddie said it, he knew was the main reason he was hesitating was about the fear that he was wrong and that it was some sort of wishful thinking that had him believing Buck was his Soulmate. 

 “Let me see it, then.” 

 “See what?” 

 “The picture, Eddie. I know what your Mark looks like. I can determine for myself, my eyes aren’t that old.” 

 He still hesitated at first, but then he figured that someone needed to double check it and his Abuela was likely the only person he knew that didn’t know who Evan Buckley was, so he pulled out his phone and the saved pictures. She pursed her lips as she took them in, eyes narrowed on the screen of Eddie’s phone. 

 “Muy guapo. He looks familiar.” 

 Eddie hadn’t been sure if she would recognize Buck because other than watching the news every day, Abuela mostly stuck to Telenovelas, but Serendipity was so big that there was always a chance she would. Buck had been in other things too. Eddie had gone into his IMDB page and Buck had started out in daytime tv on a Soap. He’d had a few small roles in a few tv shows too, along with a few commercials, and since Serendipity, small cameo type things but not much else. 

 “And what do you think about his Mark?” Eddie asked. 

 Abuela made him lift up his shirt and then she looked between the Mark on Eddie’s side and the Mark on the picture of Buck for a few minutes. She tutted and nodded to herself, but didn’t say anything until she pat his hand so he could bring his shirt back down. 

 “I think you’re found him, Eddie,” Abuela said with a smile and glossy eyes. “You have to reach out and let him know. Do it soon.” 

 Which was when Eddie realized that he had no idea how he was supposed to do that. If Buck had a way to be reached through social media, there was no way that Eddie would stand out among the several messages that he received daily. How many people did Buck get claiming to be his Soulmate every day since the leak? Marks weren’t easily faked, but they were faked. Touch was the sole way to verify, and Eddie knew he had no chance of meeting Buck and testing that out. But maybe there was something set up because of the leak. Eddie needed to do some more research. Maybe look into how other celebrities had met their Soulmates. 

 He assured Abuela that he would do it multiple times before he had to leave her. 

 “You better. I’m very happy for you,” Abuela said at the door. “Es una cosa mágica. Almas gemelas. There is no greater connection than that other than our children. Your Abuelo has been gone almost ten years and there is no day I don’t miss him. Don’t waste any time, Eddie.”

 After kissing her cheek goodbye, Eddie walked to his car. His Abuela was right, he couldn’t waste time that he could have with his Soulmate. If there was anything for Eddie to learn from what happened with Shannon, it was that his choices affected more than just himself. 

-

 “I had a work dinner last night. Got home late.” 

 Buck had had dinner with his agent, Meredith, and a director for an upcoming movie that he was in consideration for. It was his schedule with Serendipity that gave the director pause and Buck and his Meredith had been trying to convince her that it wouldn’t be an issue. Buck thought that they had her on their side and that she might push for him to get the role. Of course, Buck would still need to audition, but it was amazing how much happened because of knowing the right person. It wasn’t always like that, but it didn’t hurt. 

 “Excuses. Excuses.” 

 “I’m also on vacation,” Buck said. “That involves sleeping in.” 

 Maddie laughed. “I suppose. Do you have much else going on today?”

 “Josh is coming over in a few hours,” Buck said. He paused and when Maddie said nothing added, “and yes, you’re welcome to stop by. And you can bring Chim.” 

 Josh Russo played Henry in Serendipity. He and Josh had gotten on extremely well since their screen test and Buck considered him a really good friend. Out of all his cast mates, Josh was probably the one Buck saw outside of work the most, usually at one of their houses because going out in public together always attracted more attention than either wanted. It was just that Josh was noticeable most of the time, but because they were known for being around each other on Serendipity, it was somehow easier for people to place why he and Josh looked so familiar. 

 Josh got to his house before Maddie and Chim did, throwing his arms around Buck the moment they saw each other. 

 “It’s been too long,” Josh said, leaning into Buck. 

 “A month,” Buck said, but led him into the house with an arm thrown over his shoulders. 

 “Yes, but I went to visit my parents which felt more like six months,” Josh said with a laugh. 

 “That bad?” 

 They walked out through the house to the kitchen. Josh placed himself on one of the stools at the island, leaning on his elbows.

 “Oh, yeah,” Josh said. 

 Buck poured himself and Josh a glass of wine before joining him and sitting next to him at the island. 

 “As my therapist will tell you, it all began when I met my Soulmate at the tender age of thirteen,” Josh said. 

 Buck knew his story because Josh was not shy about telling it and when Josh got cast as Henry, there was no question that his background played a part in him getting cast. It put a spotlight on Serendipity making the whole thing more intriguing, but Josh had the emotional background to really play Henry’s emotions the way they needed to and the way that another actor might not have. 

 Having been one of the lucky ones and finding his Soulmate at thirteen, Josh was also one of the unlucky ones, having lost his Soulmate at eighteen. Buck had no idea how he managed to be as full of life as he was. He suspected that Josh hid a lot of emotion away and it was also why he was such an amazing actor. 

 “They never said it,” Josh said, “but they hated that he was, well, a he.” 

 This was a part of the story that Buck had never heard. Josh often spoke freely about how it felt to meet his Soulmate young, and also what the loss had done to him for several years afterwards. He gave so much detail that it felt like it was enough when there was clearly a lot more he kept to himself. For one thing, as quick as he was to talk about having lost his Soulmate, Josh never said his name or talked about the years they did have together. 

 “They never welcomed him. They were never happy I found him. And when he was gone and I was a wreck that was more of an inconvenience.”

 Buck placed a hand on Josh’s arm. 

 “Nothing has ever been the same since. I’m this actor and I send them money all the time just to help out and because they’re my parents, but my Soulmate was a boy and I will never be the person they envisioned me to be. That’s on them. So, I visit them once a year and am very busy for all major holidays.” 

 Josh shrugged his shoulders, and then drank the whole of his glass of wine in one go. 

 “I’m sorry, Josh.”

 “If you’re really sorry, you’ll pour me another glass.” 

 Buck laughed, but he did as told. 

 “Fair warning, my sister and her Soulmate are coming over,” Buck said. “You may not want to be drunk for that.” 

 “I like your sister,” Josh said. “Does wonders for my ego.” 

 “I bet.”

 “And I won’t hurt your ego, by telling you she’s my favorite Buckley.” 

 Buck nudged him. “That is a lie, Russo, and you better take it back.” 

 When Maddie arrived, she let herself and Chimney in, appearing in the kitchen carrying a tray of cookies that she had likely baked herself just for the occasion. 

 “Oh, and she brings cookies,” Josh said. “See, Buck, this is why she’s my favorite Buckley. When have you ever baked me anything? She knows exactly what I need. It’s good to see you again, Maddie.” 

 Maddie passed the cookies to Buck and she and Josh embraced. 

 Behind them, Chim was just grinning. 

 “You may have just lost her to the charms of Josh Russo,” Buck informed him. “He’s just so dreamy, as my twitter followers keep telling me. 

 “And also very gay,” Josh said and took it upon himself to pour two wine glasses, offering them to Chim and Maddie. 

 “Josh, this is Maddie’s Soulmate, Chimney.”

 “Chimney,” Josh repeated. “That’s an interesting name.” 

 “And he won’t tell me where he got it.” 

 Chim threw an arm around Buck. “Never will.” 

 “Surely, your parents didn’t name you that,” Josh said. 

 “His name is Howard,” Maddie said. “Like my brother, he’s not fond of his name.” 

 Buck shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve leaned into what everyone started calling me. And I like it. But come on, let’s move out to the patio. It’s more comfortable. I’ll bring another bottle.” 

 Josh led Maddie out with Chim following and Buck heard Josh asking them about how they had met. His sister and Chim had been together for almost a full year and they were the perfect picture of what Soulmates were supposed to be like. It was what Buck wanted for himself even from the story of how they met. 

 Maddie had just started her job at 9-1-1 dispatch and they had gone months with that being their only contact until the day that Maddie was on the phone with a young woman that was thinking about committing suicide. Maddie had been connected directly to Chimney, as he on the scene talked her down. At the end of the work day, Maddie had gone to a bar. 

 “Somedays,” Maddie was saying to Josh, “it’s the type of job where you need to get a hard drink at the end of the night. It isn’t healthy, and I don’t do it often. I’m glad I did it that night.”

 “What happened?” Josh asked. 

 “Well, I’m stepping up to the bar ready to order when I hear a familiar voice,” Maddie said and looked to Chim. 

 Chimney nodded. “I was supposed to be meeting up with Hen, one of my coworkers, and her wife, because it was a stressful day. Not just that call, but we didn’t manage to save someone. I was actually thinking about just leaving because Hen and Karen couldn’t make it, but I figure I’d at least have a beer and then Maddie comes up to me and just says—”

 “Firefighter Han,” Maddie said. 

 “I turned and I just was blown away by how beautiful she is. She thrust her hand out towards me and the moment our hands touched we just knew.” 

 Josh let out a sigh. “That is absolutely beautiful. I love hearing the meeting stories, they’re always just so romantic. And you only ever get one.”

 Buck sat down, placing the bottle gently on the table. He really was happy for his sister and Chim. It was all that Buck had ever wanted, to have a meeting that happened like that by chance. His hopes that it would go that way dwindled some since the leak. 

 “I, um, I heard about yours, Josh. I’m so sorry,” Maddie said. 

 Josh smiled his tight but still friendly smile, the one that hid away how he really felt. “I was young and it was amazing while it lasted. Unlike Henry, I don’t think I get to have a second chance.” 

 Soulmate Marks were unique and singular. You only got one. Buck had always thought that one of Serendipity’s draws was the way that it played with that idea with Henry’s character. 

 “Don’t say that,” Maddie said. “Not everyone finds their Soulmates and there are plenty that have lost theirs too. And there are many people that are happy outside of relationships that involve matching Marks. Chim’s Captain is a perfect example.” 

 Chim nodded. “Bobby’s Soulmate and his kids all died in a fire, and I think it left him in a dark place. Understandably. But a couple of years ago he decided it was time to put himself out there and he and Athena are amazingly well suited considering they aren’t Soulmates.” 

 “Her Soulmate die too?” Josh asked.

 Maddie laughed. “No. Michael is gay. He and Athena were married, they have two kids but he’s always been gay. Doesn’t change that they’re Soulmates. It’s just platonic.”

 “Wow,” Buck said. 

 “Yeah,” Chim said. “It’s crazy, kinda, but I guess people don’t think about it but Soulmates aren’t necessarily happily ever after. It’s why people love your show so much, of course now it’s leaning into the whole Soulmate thing, right?”

 Josh wagged his finger at Chim. “I am not talking about that.”

 “Yeah, yeah,” Chim said and then looked towards Buck. “One of my co-workers started watching and he’s a big fan of yours.”

 “Isn’t everyone,” Josh said. “I should honestly feel offended how much everyone seems to love him more than me while I’m supposed to be the lead.” 

 “I think Maddie is a big enough fan for everyone else,” Buck offered with a grin and a nudge at his sister. 

 Maddie jumped into asking Josh about Serendipity, and Buck didn’t know if it was her way of making sure Buck was feeling alright, or if she had been waiting for a good moment to bring her questions up. She didn’t press for spoilers or for any information about the next season, and Buck was happy to sit back and watch a drunk Josh try to answer coherently. 

 Buck had almost forgotten how much fun it was to just hang out with people that he liked and that understood him. There weren’t many. Aside from Maddie, Buck had never really had anyone. Their parents had always been detached and then once Buck had become an actor there were few real friends to make just by the sheer nature of the industry. After the whole thing with the leak of his Mark, it had really brought that home again. He couldn’t trust most people, not without expecting them to want something from him in one way or another. 

 “How are you really doing with the whole Mark thing?” Josh asked later while they ate the pizza Buck had ended up ordering in lieu of cooking.

 “I’m not letting it bother me,” Buck said. “Not like I did at first. I’ll meet them when I meet them. I can’t keep worrying about it.” 

 “Are you really okay? We watched that Taylor Kelly interview,” Chim said. “Maddie was worried.” 

 “I’m good. A part of me hoped that the one thing that might come out is finding them, but the real deal hasn’t popped up. I’ve left it up to Meredith to sort through all the people claiming to be my Soulmate. She has a sorting system, but I don’t really bother with it.”

 Maddie gave him a comforting smile. “It’s probably better than obsessing over it.” 

 “Well, maybe like you, they haven’t gone looking. Maybe your Soulmate is someone that doesn’t do pop culture like that. That co-worker I was telling you about, he’d never watched your show before a month ago. He had no idea your Mark had been leaked until we told him. There are plenty of people like that out there.” 

 Buck nodded. Chim was right, Buck might be an actor and something of a celebrity, but there were still people out there that had no idea who he was. One of them was his Soulmate. Maybe his dream of meeting them unexpectedly could still happen. 

 “And in the meanwhile,” Josh said, “we can be alone together.” 

 Buck laughed.

-