#quietrook

Ronan stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes. Adam laughed and intentionally bumped into Ronan in retaliation. Fortunately the hallway was quite crowded, otherwise they would have continue to shove at each other.

Adam consulted his piece of paper and stopped in front of a room. “Ah, I’m here.”

“At least you got single.” Ronan said as he followed Adam inside.

“Yeah, I asked for one when I filled in the questionnaire.” Adam put down the bag he was carrying and looked around. The room was small but already furnished.

Between the two of them, they moved in all of Adam’s meager belongings in short time. They were in the middle of unpacking the books when someone rapped on the door they left open.

“Hi! I’m Lucas from across the hall. I think we’re in the same entryway.” A boy with an impressive afro waved at them.

Adam stood and waved back. “Hi, I’m Adam.” He gestured to Ronan. “This is my boyfriend, Ronan.”

Ronan grunted and gave Lucas a nod.

“Well, nice to meet you.” Lucas smiled. “Catch you later.” He said before bounding off to the next room.

“Later.” Adam called back after him. When he turned, Ronan was sporting a smug look.

“What’s the look for?” Adam asked, though he had an idea why.

“What look?” Ronan feigned confusion.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Fuck off Parrish.” Ronan said without any real heat.

“I should call you my boyfriend more often.” Adam teased.

“Fuck off Parrish.” Ronan said again, this time with feeling, though his pinking ears betrayed him.

Adam laughed and bumped Ronan with bis shoulder.

“Hey boyfriend.” He crooned into Ronan’s ear.

Ronan stopped his task of arranging Adam’s books to steal a kiss.

“Hey yourself. Now shut up and finish this so we can go eat. I’m starving.”

***

After lunch, Ronan walked Adam back to his dorm room. As soon as they were inside, he crowded Adam against the door and kissed the living daylight out of him.

“You’re gonna be fucking amazing, Parrish.” He whispered against Adam’s lips.

“And you’re gonna pick up the god damn phone when I call you Lynch.” Adam growled.

“You’ll have lots of funs studying all kind of shit.”

“You’re gonna send me pics. And we’re gonna Skype.”

“You’ll graduate on top of your class, again.”

“We’re gonna be fine.”

They stared at each other deeply, and they saw their future in each other’s eyes.

“I can help with the business plans and the licenses. But how are you going to separate the farm with this?” Declan made a motion to indicate the Barns and it’s many dream secrets.

Ronan brought out the schematic farm plan he had made with Adam’s help and spread it on the kitchen table. The Lynches property was vast and it gave plenty of space between the Barns and the proposed farm. Ronan and Adam had planned it so the farm would have its own access road, water source and electric line. The farm could operate independently without anyone coming close to the Barns. Declan gave him another smile and approving look.

“So you’ve been thinking about this seriously.” He remarked as he poured over the paper.

“Yeah, otherwise I wouldn’t bring it to you.” Ronan said with only half his usual barb.

Declan only hummed in response. Then he pulled out his phone and scroll through his contacts.

“I’ll start calling people on Monday. In the meantime, you need to set up a bank accounts and get in touch with an accountant.” Declan tapped some more. “There. I’ve sent you the numbers for the local bank and an accountant firm.”

“Okay.” Ronan grunted. His relationship with Declan was better, but it hadn’t reached a point where he can say ‘thank you’ without wanting to wash his mouth afterward.

When it was time to leave, Declan gripped both of Ronan’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you.” Then he kissed Ronan’s cheek and climb into his Volvo.

Ronan made a show of wiping his cheek, but once the car was out of sight, he gave in to the urge to grin. He used to think of his future in a somewhat abstract way, re-build Cabeswater, raise Opal, marry Adam. But now, he had a more concrete way of building up his future, shaping it into one he wanted and could have. It felt big, it felt significant, and he was ready for it.

Three months later, Ronan Niall Lynch was the proud owner of Lynch Farm. Declan must have pulled some strings to get all the licenses and permits issued so quickly. Ronan sent Adam a pic of Opal holding up the legal papers.

‘We might just survive if this brat can keep herself from eating the important looking papers.’

Adam’s reply was a pic of himself surrounded by piles of books.

‘I might just survive if these books can keep from eating me.’

Feeling mischievous, Ronan sent another pic of himself sticking his tongue out obscenely.

‘The question is, can you survive me eating you out?’

To which Adam sent a selfie of himself glaring at the camera, cheeks flushed, middle finger raised.

‘Fuck you Lynch. I’m blocking your number until I’m done with my tests.’

Two minutes later another text from Adam arrived.

‘And I would totally survived it. The question is, can you survive me swallowing you whole?’

Ronan had to groan and locked himself in the bathroom after that.

***

It took another month for Ronan to find a contractor to begin the construction of the farm. For the long term, Ronan had planned for several barns, hothouses and cabins. The cabins would eventually housed the workers, with one intended to be the office, although it would have a bedroom and a small kitchenette tucked in the back for his personal use.

For the first stage, Ronan had the contractor built the road and put up all the fences, but only built one barn, one hothouse and a cabin for himself. He would build the rest once he was more familiar with running a farm.

When everything was ready, Ronan went to buy the rest of what he needed to truly become a farmer. He bought packets of seeds, natural pesticides and fertilizers and the farm machines. He had his sight on a BCS two wheel tractor and it’s various implements. Once it arrived, Ronan took a picture of it and sent it to Adam.

‘My new Italian ride.’

‘What happened to the German one?’

‘I can’t fucking use her to till my farm Parrish.’

‘Is it a Lambo or a Porsche?’

‘It’s BCS you fucker.’

‘Huh. Bought it, or?’

‘Stole it from my fucking neighbor.’

‘Don’t turn me into your accomplice you asshole!’

‘Too late for that Parrish. They’ll know to pick you up if I get caught.’

‘Not if I turn you in first.’

‘Fucking traitor.’

‘Did you mean fucking tractor?’

Ronan laughed and sent Adam a pic of him shirtless, pushing the BCS.

‘I hope that’s not how you plan on doing your farming.’

‘Why not? Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my tractor?’

‘I’d like to see your Irish pale ass skin handle the sun Lynch.’

‘You like my Irish pale ass.’

Adam’s reply was a pic he took in front of the bathroom mirror. Adam was clearly just stepped out of the shower. His tan skin was gleaming with water and his towel was wrapped so low around his hips.

‘How do you like this?’

Ronan had to curse and scrambled back to his room for some privacy. He needed to appreciate the perfection that was Adam’s Parrish body, and he’d rather do it alone and behind locked door.

***

Three months later, Ronan overnighted a box full of his first harvests to Adam. He sent several heads of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. Two days later, he received a pic of Adam and his entryway buddies sitting around the common room. Each was holding a bowl of salad and a thumbs up.

‘Thx for the veggies. Do you think you can send us pumpkins and strawberries next?’

Ronan’s reply was a pic of him and Opal standing in front of a farmer market stall. There was a sign reading ‘Lynch Farm’ and several neat rows of vegetables off to the side.

‘We’ll see.’

***

For Adam and Ronan, there was one good thing about being in a long distance relationship. Though the separation was hard, it inadvertently cut their fighting time by a lot. Between Adam’s studies and jobs and Ronan’s farm, they didn’t really have much spare time, so whenever their free time aligned, Adam and Ronan spent it being as sappy as they could get away with, which was a lot. (Still, both vehemently denied of being a sap.)

They still bicker with each other, mostly through texts, but somehow it always ended up in shirtless pics being sent back and forth. Which led to sexting. Which led to either boy locking themselves in their room to relieve the tension.

Whenever they talk on the phone, it was always about hundreds other mundane things. They would talk about Opal or about the latest pic the Gansey trio sent them. They would gossip about Adam’s classmates and Ronan’s farmer market friends. They would commiserate over essays and the sudden shortage of manure in Henrietta. They would complain about nice customers and rude costumers. They would trade videos of their daily life. Adam waiting in line to get food at Annenberg Hall, sunrise as seen from the Barn’s rooftop, Adam doing a handstand, Ronan and Opal doing a handstand.

Some nights, they would Skype but have no conversation. Adam would study and got lost in his books, while Ronan finished his modules or re-reading his notes at the other end. They were too busy to talk, but it was nice to look up once in a while and saw your boyfriend’s face not one feet away though physically they were hundreds of miles away. It made the distance bearable.

There were days when one of them were too tired or too busy to even send a text, and that happened more often than both liked. Ronan hated those days. Those were the days where his doubts crept in and the ‘what ifs’ returned with vengeance. On those days, Ronan would take the BMW out and raced her on the backwater roads of Virginia. The older Aglionby boys knew better than to go against the charcoal gray car, and the newer ones who never even heard of Ronan Lynch’s name learned their lessons soon enough.

It was a good way of taking his mind off things. The adrenaline rush was enough to ease the restless energy thrumming under his skin and come morning light, all his doubts would seem silly. Especially when his phone had one message from Adam waiting to be opened. It was a pic of Adam in bed, wearing Ronan’s shirt, all sleepy eyed and mussed hair.

‘Thinking of you.’

Ronan saved the pic and started his day with a smile.

For Adam, days where he didn’t get in touch with Ronan in one way or another left him feeling guilty. It felt like he was forgetting Ronan or something. He knew it was irrational to feel that way, especially because they were two grown ups who built their relationship based on trust and mutual understanding.

The nights were the worst because that was when the dreams assaulted him. He often dreamed that wretched day where his hands wrapped around Ronan’s neck, robbing him of air, leaving bruises in their wake. He would wake up gasping, hands grasping the sheet so tight he almost ripped it.

Nights like those he was tempted to call Ronan even if it was three in the fucking morning. Most of the times, his finger was one tap away from making the call, but he always pushed down the urge. Ronan slept little enough as it was, Adam didn’t want to deprive him any further.

Instead, Adam would take off his clothes and wear one of Ronan’s shirt. He would take out the toy car and spin the wheels, letting the music filled his silent room. He would take out the photo album and looked at the smiling faces of his family. He would take out his phone and browse through the many pics Ronan sent him. It calmed him enough that he could finally drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, he felt half better already. Then his phone pinged, signaling an incoming message. It was a selfie of Ronan and Opal. Opal was holding up a box of strawberries and they both were smiling ear to ear.

‘You fuckers are gonna love my strawberries.’

Adam laughed and forwarded only the pic to his group chat.

‘Strawberries are on their way.’

The first acceptance letter that came was from Princeton. The next were Brown. Dartmouth and Cornell both waitlisted him. Yale and Columbia accepted. University of Pennsylvania waitlisted him too. Duke’s acceptance came with a full ride scholarship and Adam felt like he was on top of the world. He couldn’t stop grinning and Ronan couldn’t stop kissing him.

“I’m so fucking proud of you man.” He murmured against Adam’s lips.

Then on a Friday, the letter from Harvard came.

Adam’s hands were trembling as he opened it. He read the first paragraph.

‘Dear Mr. Parrish.

I am delighted to inform you….’

He got in. He was accepted to Harvard. And in that moment, Adam Parrish the student was on the verge of another dream come true. He was so overwhelmed he actually had to wipe a stray tear from his cheek. He couldn’t bring himself to read the rest of the letter.

Upon seeing Adam’s tear, Ronan had assumed the worst. He cursed and snatched the letter from Adam’s hand, intent of ripping it to shred after he read why the assholes at Harvard rejected Adam. But then his eyes widen and he whooped in joy.

“You got in! You fucking got in!” He laughed and peppered Adam’s face with kisses.

Adam could only nod and broke out in laughter as Ronan pulled him into an impromptu dance around the living room.

All in all, six of the nine universities he applied to had accepted him while the other three put him on the waitlist. It was pretty damn impressive for a poor boy who grew up in a trailer park in rural Virginia. His efforts had finally paid of. All the nights he went to sleep hungry and tired from working shift after shift, all the hours he put into studying, studying and more studying. All of that had culminated into this. Despite all the odds stacked against him, Adam Parrish came out the victor. And what a sweet victory it was.

***

Near the end of August, Ronan helped Adam load his stuff into the BMW’s trunk. After dropping Opal at 300 Fox Way, Ronan and Adam began their 11 hours journey to Massachusetts. Adam had downloaded the map onto his new phone, the cheapest one he could find. He also made note of rest stops along the way and reserved a room at a small bed and breakfast several miles from campus.

Ronan drove the first leg of the journey, his terrible music blaring out of the speaker. Adam put up with it for an hour before the pounding bass gave him a headache. He jabbed at the button and sighed in relief as the blessed silence fell over the cabin.

“What the fuck Parrish?”

“Your music is giving me a headache.”

“How do you expect me to drive then? You know I can’t fucking drive without my music.”

“With your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and feet on the pedals?” Adam shrugged.

Ronan threw him a dirty glare and reached to turn the music back on. Adam caught his hand before he succeeded and brought it to his lips.

“Play something else.” He kissed Ronan knuckles and let go.

Ronan had to take a moment to compose himself. It was ridiculous how a simple touch from Adam always made him weak in the knees. Even before getting together, they touched a lot. There were elbows jabbing, knees knocking and shoulders bumping.

After their first kiss, those remained, but there were also the soft touches. Fingers running through hair, a caress on the cheek, lingering touch that trailed down naked ribs, and a firm but gentle grip around the waist. Even so, on the cherished occasions where they make out, Adam seldom kissed Ronan’s hand. Hands were Ronan thing. He could spend hours just worshipping Adam’s hands. So Adam kissing Ronan’s knuckles was a rare and wondrous thing. It filled Ronan’s chest with warmth and want.

“Fine. You pick the music. But none of those pop shit!” Ronan said after clearing his throat.

Adam had driven Ronan’s BMW often enough, he had his own mix CDs inside the glove box. He took the CD case out and flipped through the sleeves. He chose one and played it. A soothing new age music came on.

“Fuck Parrish! Are you trying to put me to sleep?” Ronan snapped.

Adam rolled his eyes but swapped it with another one. Ronan muttered a string of curses as the Irish jigs filled the cabin.

“I swear Parrish if you don’t change that fucking CD….”

Adam laughed and swapped it with yet another one. A lively folk song came on and Adam waited for Ronan’s protest, but the other boy stayed silent. Adam smiled and relaxed back to his seat. He turned to face Ronan and a sudden surge of fondness swept through him.

He raised his hand and ran his fingertips over Ronan’s jaw. Ronan leaned a bit into his hand but said nothing. Adam let his hand trailed along the side of Ronan’s neck, along his shoulder, the length of his arm. Ronan turned his palm and Adam slotted their fingers together. Adam hummed along to the music and a small smile graced the corners of Ronan’s lips.

***

They stopped halfway at a small rest area. There was a small burger joint with picnic tables scattered around it. Adam bought lunch while Ronan filled the tank. They sat side by side, thighs pressed together. Their shoulders kept brushing against each other, although they managed to keep their elbows to themselves.

Adam drove the last leg well within speed limit, much to Ronan’s frustration, but Ronan’s earlier speed had shaved 2 hours from the supposed 11 hours journey. They checked in at the b&b around afternoon then took turns in the shower, washing off the travel sweat.

“Do you wanna go out for dinner or just order something in?” Adam asked.

“Let’s go out and see the town,” Ronan answered.

“Okay. But let’s rest for a bit. I need to stretch out.” Adam fell back on the queen-sized bed and groaned in satisfaction as his back hit the soft mattress.

Ronan climbed in beside him.

“I can’t believe I’m here,” Adam whispered out of the blue.

Ronan knocked their elbows together. “Dreams do come true. I should know.” He had a smirk firmly etched on his handsome face.

Adam faced him and smiled. “Yeah. They really do.”

Something in his eyes made Ronan understand that Adam didn’t just mean Harvard. Then Adam’s expression suddenly shuttered and he turned to face the ceiling.

“What’s wrong?” Ronan asked, concerned.

Adam sighed but didn’t reply. He took Ronan’s hand in his and squeezed it tightly.

“Hey, come on now Parrish. Tell me.” Ronan insisted.

Adam stayed silent for a few minutes and Ronan was weighing whether he should push or just wait Adam out.

“I’m scared.” Adam finally answered.

Ronan scooted closer.

“The last few months have been great. We saved Gansey, graduated, I moved in with you and now I’m at Harvard.” Adam paused to gather his thoughts.

“Seems like everything is going well for me, and in my experience, good things don’t last long. I know I should just be content, that I should be happy, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Adam took a deep breath.

“I feel like I’m being ungrateful or something. It’s awful because I feel like there’s an expiration date to this.” He made a gesture that encompassed everything.

Ronan kissed his shoulder. “You’re not the only one who’s scared.”

Adam made to turn but Ronan pressed his face into Adam’s shoulder. It’s easier to talk about his feeling if he didn’t see Adam’s face. That way he could pretend he was talking to himself.

“Back in Henrietta, I could convince myself that I’m good for you, that I’m enough for you. But now you’re in fucking Harvard and you’ll meet lots of smart people. And I keep thinking, ‘what if he meets someone’s better?’ ‘What if he realizes he can do so much better than a high school drop out with attitude problems and a whole lot of baggage?’ ‘What if?’” Ronan shuddered and Adam felt something caught in the back of his throat.

“Ronan, no!” Adam choked out.

He rolled over so he could grasp Ronan’s face and leaned forward until their foreheads touched.

“Don’t you get it? There’s no one better for me other than you.” And even as he said it, Adam knew it to be the absolute truth. “We’ve been through a lot together. And there are parts of me I can’t share with other people. It’s not like I can say ‘yeah, I can do magic, and I got it because I sacrificed my hand and eye to a sentient forest, which my boyfriend dreamt up, have I mentioned that he could also pull things out from his dreams? And oh, I was possessed by a demon once. Also my best friend was dead, twice, but we resurrected him and now he’s traipsing all over the world with his girlfriend. And Henry’.” Adam added lamely.

It elicited an amused and pleased grin from Ronan.

“I don’t care if I’ll meet more people. I don’t care about them. And I don’t want anyone else, Lynch. I just want you.” Adam whispered fervently.

“Ditto Parrish.” Ronan said before he surged forward and took Adam’s lips between his.

It started hard and rough, both needed to convey all the desperation building up inside at the thought of leaving and being left behind. Then Ronan caressed Adam’s jaw and Adam gripped Ronan’s shoulder and just like that their kiss turned softer.

‘I’ll come back.’ Adam’s kiss said.

‘I’ll wait.’ Ronan’s replied.

Then Adam’s stomach let out a big rumble and they broke apart laughing. Ronan pecked Adam’s lips one more time before standing up and offered his hands to Adam.

“Come on Parrish. Let’s get some food into you.”

Adam took Ronan’s hand and they left their room still holding hands.

Later that night, Adam trailed kisses down Ronan’s back, leaving blooming red marks over his tattoo.

Adam lifted the lid and laughed. Inside, were Ronan’s sleep shirts. He took one out and brought it to his face. It smelled like Ronan and Adam had to fight back the tears prickling at his eyes. He shrugged out of his shirt and put on one of Ronan’s instead. He grabbed the photo album and started to look through them.

The first page only had a picture of a forest. It took Adam a while to recognize it as the forest surrounding The Barns. It was a reminiscence of Cabeswater and it gave Adam a twinge of loss. The next page had a group pic of the five of them. Adam couldn’t remember when the pic was taken, but in there Gansey had one arm slung around Blue’s shoulder while Henry clung to the other. The three of them were sporting cheerful smile and facing the camera. Ronan were standing next to Blue with his arms crossed over his chest. He was scowling at something off camera. And next to Ronan was Adam.

Oh.

Adam had to take a deep breath as he saw himself. He was looking at Ronan with an expression he didn’t think he could make. He had a soft smile on his face and there was no mistaking the adoration in his eyes. Adam looked at Ronan as if he hung the moon. Honestly, it was embarrassing to look at, but Ronan looked at him the exact same way, so Adam guessed they were even.

The next page finally made Adam shed a tear. It was an old and faded picture of Noah, taken when he was still alive and vibrant and more. Noah was wearing his Aglionby uniform and for once it was unwrinkled. There was no smudge on his face. His eyes still held youthful innocence and his smile was a happy one. This was Noah before.

Adam ran his fingertips across Noah’s face. ‘Remembered’ he thought hard, hoping it would somehow reach Noah.

The following pages were full of faces Adam held dear. Opal, Ronan and Chainsaw in front of the Barns. Blue with her hair clips and colorful skirt. Gansey reading a book. Henry wearing a Madonna shirt. More pictures of Opal and Chainsaw, more pictures of Ronan, there was even one where he was sleeping, his mouth slightly open, face relaxed. More pictures of the gang doing various things with various expressions. A laughing Blue, a scowling Gansey, a pensive Henry, a pouting Opal, a flying Chainsaw and a smiling Ronan. Pictures of the Fox Way ladies, of Matthew grinning while holding a sign ‘You’re the best Adam!!’ with Declan in the background talking on the phone.

There were pictures of Nino’s, Boyd’s, Aglionby Academy, 300 Fox Way, Monmouth and St. Agnes. Pictures of the abandoned parking lot where Ronan and Adam pulled their reckless stunts, the Dollar City where they did their groceries, the gas station, the stretch of dirt road where Ronan taught Adam how to drive stick. There was a picture of the Hondayota parked between the Pig and the BMW. A picture of a moving dolly and a shopping cart. And on the last page was the picture of Henrietta’s welcome sign side by side with a picture of Widener Library. Underneath both, Ronan had written; ‘What matters isn’t where you’re from. It’s where you’re going.’

Adam closed the album and held it close to his heart. Inside this album were Adam’s home and family. Inside this album were all of the good memories he had of Henrietta. Above all that, it was something Ronan did for him. He imagined Ronan running around Henrietta, collecting pictures and taking some of his own. He might have even dreamt up some of them. In that moment, Adam Parrish realized that the one standing at the centre stage of Ronan’s attention was himself. This was what it felt like to be the object of Ronan’s affection. Such gentle devotion and selfless loyalty.

Adam picked up his phone and send a single text to Ronan.

‘Thx for the box. Loved it.’

Adam didn’t wait for a reply. He put away everything that was inside the box then went to sleep surrounded by Ronan’s smell and happy memories. When he woke up in the morning, there was a text waiting for him. He opened it and smiled. It was a selfie of Ronan in bed, wearing Adam’s shirt. His visible hand had the middle finger raised.

‘Whatever Parrish.’

As it turned out, apart from the photo album, everything else were dream things. The pencil never ran out of lead, the pens and highlighters never ran out of ink. The notebooks and writing pads were stain resistant, Adam once spilled coffee over his notes and had three seconds of panic before realizing that they were as pristine as before. The messenger bag never got full no matter how many books Adam shoved inside, but it still got heavy so Adam tried no to carry too many. The mug kept whatever liquid inside warm throughout the day, which was very convenient during the cold days. The hoodie kept him warm even in the middle of winter, same with the quilt. And the shirts never lost their Ronan’s smell.

It might not look like much, but Ronan’s dream things made Adam’s college life so much easier.

***

The first month after Adam left for college, Ronan spent most of his time dreaming up new Cabeswater. It was still a seedling, not big enough to really be anything. Ronan refrained from pulling it out of his dreams. He didn’t want to rush either, he wanted it to be better and safer than the previous one.

But he couldn’t spend all his time dreaming and since he was already living in a farm, he decided to look into the farming business. In some ways, it was easy enough. He had the land and the funds. In other ways, it was complicated. He had no real knowledge of how to properly run a farm.

So between late night Skype calls with Adam, dreaming a new Cabeswater and teaching Opal the English language, Ronan signed up for an online Farmer’s Academy. He did well enough, since he could learn at his own leisure. There wasn’t any boring classroom where he had to sit and listen to the teacher drone on and on about topics that didn’t interest him. It was another plus that he could do it while lounging shirtless on his comfy couch with a bottle of cold beer within reach.

He had a plan to start a farm and Adam was enthusiastically supportive. Ronan knew that Adam was honestly excited for him, because few days after he brought it up, his boyfriend sent him a reading list suggestion and links to some online resources.

‘Nerd.’ He texted.

‘Farmer boy.’ Adam replied.

***

Adam was qualified for the need based financial aid that Harvard offered and it reduced his tuition greatly. He didn’t have to pick up three jobs just to get by. He still needed income though, so he picked up a part time job at the library and another at a small café not far from campus. Once or twice, he helped his entryway buddies who had car trouble. Words got around and Adam found himself to be the go to guy whenever a car emergency cropped up on campus. He declined monetary payment, but happy to accept book store coupons or box of pizza. One of the student he helped hooked him up with her uncle who owned an auto shop where Adam was able to pick up some shifts on the weekend.

His jobs took most of his free time, but he still had some left for social life. Sometimes he hung around the common room with his dorm mates or played frisbee on the quad. Sometimes he went out to watch movies with his new friends. Mostly, he stayed in his room to Skype with Ronan and Opal.

On one outing with his friends, they went to a hole in the wall burger joint. It was situated between a video game store and a tiny shop that sold candles and incenses. Adam felt a gentle tug in his belly when he passed the candle shop. Out of curiosity, Adam followed it all the way to the back of the shop. He ended up in front of a shelf full of small jars, delicate glass bottles and other trinkets.

On the middle row, was a deck of Tarot cards. A rising tide of nostalgia washed over Adam. Memories of Persephone’s wild hair and soft voice filled his mind. With trembling fingers, Adam touched the deck.

There was a spark.

Without hesitation, Adam picked up the deck and brought it up front to pay. The man behind the register was slightly older than Adam. His whiskey brown eyes widened slightly as he took in Adam.

“You have the spark.” He smiled knowingly as he rang up Adam’s purchase.

Something in the man’s demeanor told Adam that this man familiar with magic.

“Uh, yeah.” Adam replied as he paid, not entirely comfortable with the admission.

The man took out a black velvet pouch from a drawer and gently slide Adam’s deck inside. He put the velvet pouch, a small candle and a business card inside a paper bag.

“The candle’s on the house. It’s great for calm and concentration.” He nodded sagely to Adam.

“Thanks.” Adam took the bag and his change.

“Thanks for your patronage.” The man grinned.

“Anytime.” Adam half smiled and exited the shop.

When he got back to his room, he took out the velvet pouch and just held it in his palm. He had returned Persephone’s deck to Maura and Calla, thinking that it was of no use to him anymore. But this deck. It had felt right in his hands. Like it was meant to be handled by his bony fingers.

Adam took the deck out and went through the cards carefully. The back of the card was a deep emerald green. The illustrations weren’t elaborate, only minimal drawings, clean lines and neat fonts. There weren’t many colors either, only varying shades of green and brown.

This deck was simple, Adam could get on board with that. He concentrated for a moment, focusing on a question, then he shuffled the card and fanned them out. He let his right hand hovered the spread and deftly pulled out three cards that felt right.

He turned them, one by one. The Fool, The Magician and The Lovers.

Ronan tried to act nonchalant as Adam read the short list, but he couldn’t quite mask his anxiousness. Adam re-read the list again and had to bite his lips to stop the grin threatening to take over his face.

“Are you sure there’s no con to this?” He asked.

Ronan scoffed. “It’s a fucking perfect plan Parrish.”

“I don’t know. You might snore.”

Ronan gave him a peculiar stare. “You know I don’t sleep much.”

Adam had to backtrack on that one. That way lied terrible memories he rather not discuss just yet, so he just shrugged. The offer bruised his pride a bit, but Adam had learned to bend. He was smart enough to realize that compromise was the key when dealing with Ronan.

In few short months he would be leaving for college, that meant leaving Ronan. He could finally admit to himself that he wanted Ronan, and it was obvious Ronan wanted him back. So he let himself be selfish and took whatever Ronan offered him. Adam needed to hoard the memories, the feels, and the taste of Ronan for those days they would spend apart.

“I don’t know, I might need a bit more convincing.” He finally said while rubbing his chin in mock seriousness.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Especially the parts about the mattress and the making out part.” Adam’s eyes glinted mischievously.

The tip of Ronan’s ear pinked nicely, but he didn’t hesitate to grab Adam’s hand.

“If you’ll follow me. I can be persuaded to convince you.”

Later, when they were curled up shirtless on Ronan’s bed, Adam nuzzled at Ronan’s neck.

“Okay, I’ll move in.” He whispered.

Ronan kissed the top of Adam’s head. “Fucking perfect.”

***

Adam Parrish’s summer days used to be something like this.

Woke up early for work. Worked until lunch break. Ate half a sandwich for lunch. Worked until afternoon. Took a one hour break to rest his weary bones before going back to work. Came home late at night to do his summer reading while eating the last half of the sandwich. A quick shower and then sleep. Repeat.

But since he moved in with Ronan, his schedule changed quite a bit. It went more like this.

Woke up early for work. Ronan was already downstair with two stack of pancakes and two glasses of orange juice. A thermos of coffee, ready to go, was inconspicuously left on the counter. 7 minutes of breakfast and a short kiss later, he went out the door.

Adam worked until lunch break. When he walked out of his workplace, Ronan and Opal would be waiting outside with a bag of takeout food, usually burger, fries and milkshake. They would sit at the curb, with Opal in the middle, munching on the burger wrappers and the milkshake lids. Sometimes Chainsaw would flew in and joined them. Ronan would feed him his fries and they would get looks from passerby. Adam knew they made quite the spectacle, and for once he didn’t care.

After lunch, Adam worked until afternoon. Ronan and Opal would be off to do some mischiefs but they would return just in time to pick Adam up for his one hour break. Though it stretched to two hours now and used for grocery runs, or a short library visit, or a quick peruse at the local music store or a drive around Henrietta, where Adam would take a nap in the passenger seat while Opal pointed at various things outside the windows, saying “Kerah! What is that?”.

When the two hours were up, Ronan would drop Adam at his next workplace. After another short kiss, Adam would exit the BMW and returned to work. He came home just in time for dinner. After dinner was bonding time with Opal over TV, with Ronan keeping a running commentary in the background. Then it was bedtime, which meant making sure Opal brushed her teeth before tucking her in.

A quick shower later, Adam was ready for bed. Ronan would be waiting in bed for him, all soft smile and warm eyes. A few minutes of just kissing and touching, before Adam sighed and burrowed into Ronan’s embrace.

“Good night.”

A kiss on top of Adam’s head.

“Good night.”

Lights out.

Repeat.

Oh, except on Sunday.

On Sunday, Ronan woke up early for church. Adam had taken the day off and he would be downstair waiting with bacon and eggs and coffee. Ronan would leave after they exchanged a kiss. Then it was laundry time. Opal would ran circles around Adam while he hung the clothes.

When it was done, he and Opal would go on a small adventure; traipsing in the woods surrounding the Barns, digging around in the fields, or petting baby mice in the barns. Sometimes they would collect pebbles or pick up wild flowers to bring home. The pebbles went to an empty fishbowl sitting at the kitchen’s window sill. The flowers would go in a green vase to be put on Ronan’s bedside table. Then Adam would cook something up for lunch while Opal cleaned herself up.

Around mid-morning, the Lynch brothers would arrived. Declan would shake Adam’s hand and Matthew would twirl Opal around. Then the brothers would have some bonding time which included lots of swearing (Declan and Ronan), protesting (Ronan and Matthew), and laughing (all three) while Opal helped Adam prepared lunch. After, they all sat down for lunch and catch up on each other lives. It was nice, it was homey. Once lunch was finished, Declan would help Ronan with the dishes while Matthew read a storybook for Opal. Declan and Matthew stayed until afternoon, before they drove back to D.C.

Then it was Ronan helping Adam fold the laundry while Opal played with the crayons; Declan bought her a coloring book and Adam had showed her how to color, but she mostly ended up nibbling the crayons instead. It was a relaxing time for Adam. He and Ronan would talk about nothing and everything, trading bad jokes and funny stories.

They would have a bit of time before dinner. Adam usually used it to research college stuff or just lounging on the couch, reading. Ronan spent it watching shows about cars, with his head lying on Adam’s lap. This was Adam’s favorite time. Where everything was quiet and warm and right. Sometimes Opal would worm her way between Adam and Ronan. Ronan would curse because her hooves kicked him in the shins, or Adam would yelped because her elbows dug painfully into his side. In the end all three would end up snickering in a tangle of limbs on the too small couch while Chainsaw observed from her perch on the back of the couch.