Blue Summer
By - J.E. Bond

It had been six days since the whole incident at the beach, and Daniel was wondering ferociously if he'd made an ass of himself. Always asking himself if it was worth it to take the one chance he had? Did Zane really despise him? Even though he said that he didn't; it was all out of his hands. Everything…

Down the hallway, in the front room of Daniel's apartment, the phone rings with an annoying ringtone. His roommate picks up the line. Daniel can just barely overhear the conversation from his room. "Hello? Oooh... Yes, he's here. Just a sec... Daniel! Phone...” Daniel hops off of his bed, and trudges down the hallway. “Took you long enough. Here you go." Daniel grabs the receiver in a single motion.

"Hello? May I please ask who’s calling?”

"Can't you guess?" The voice was melodious, and pure. But Daniel was still having trouble identifying it.

"Um.... Taylor?" Groping his memory for who might call him, Daniel struggles for ideas.

Still not ringing any bells… Twisting on the spot, Daniel half screams:

"Zane!?! Is it you?" Daniels’ roommate rolls his eyes and plugs his ears. Cursing under his breath, he meanders out of the room.

"No, actually..."Those stupid, simple words that have the power to stop Daniel in his tracks, do so with wicked efficiency. The color begins to drain from his face; lowering his voice to an almost inaudible tone, Daniel mutters an apology. He was putting a lot into this. It wasn't even Zane. Over the receiver though, Daniel could hear a subdued chortling.

"Sorry, it’s me. If you didn't react so well to teasing, I wouldn't do it. You should know that."

Completely forgetting about how dejected he was just moments previous, Daniel cheerily chats away with Zane. Telling him all about how he was so worried, and how he had almost given up hope. Daniel's thoughts were everywhere, he could only think for fractions of a second and only through a miracle could he manage to speak. Daniel was just too ecstatic to think calmly or rationally.

"So then, is that how you feel?" Thoroughly amused at the reaction he can elicit from Daniel, Zane smiles to himself. "I'm sorry to have worried you… I just needed to stop and think about what had happened… Yaknow, back at the beach." Not that he didn’t need to think about it all a bit, but in all actuality it was thinking about what to say to Daniel. Not if he would actually ever speak with him again.
-After Daniel left Zane in the bathroom-

"I... Think that I need to get a hold of him… soon... We should hang out... Yeah. That'll be good." A sincere smile widens on Zane's flush face. I hope he doesn't mind if I wait awhile on the call. It should be at someplace... nice.

Eventually calming down, Daniel begins to ask some questions for himself. "So then… Why'd you decide to call…? I've been wondering." Twisting himself in knots, Daniel braces for an answer. A brief moment of awkward silence reigns over the conversation. Daniel’s stomach does flips, and makes him feel like his chest is weaving itself into a basket. "Hello? Zane?? You there...?"

"Yeah, yeah... Sorry,  just thinking… So anyways; why'd I call you? Well, I just thought that maybe you'd enjoy hanging out sometime.” Well, that’s not a lie at least. “Though I won't be in town for a week and a half. I have a business trip to go on. I'm heading to San Fran.”

"R-really? A business trip…? Where to again, I didn't quite catch that?" Daniel, melancholy from the fact that Zane wanted to hang out, but couldn't; sits himself down on the couch.

"San Francisco. It's supposed to be real killer weather, but I guess that's why they invented A/C, right?" Daniel couldn’t help but think that Zane was in a bubbly mood. It was soothing for him, he'd never heard this almost flippant side of Zane. It was like he was really opening up. Over the next hour the two of them talked about where they should go, and when they should meet. It all seemed to be done at light speed.


Ten days later, around 8 p.m., Zane showed up at Daniel's apartment dressed in a wonderfully tailored suit. "Yeah, Daniel's here. He's just getting ready." Being led into the apartment by this random person, Zane remained quiet."Oh. By the way, I'm Mark, Daniel's roommate. Pleasure to meet you.” Mark offered Zane his hand. Taking it, the two shake. “He’ll be a bit… HE’S TAKEN FOREVER AS IT IS!" Mark, obviously peeved that Daniel was taking so long, sits down unceremoniously on the couch. After a moment’s hesitation, Zane decides to stand. After another few minutes, Daniel finally comes out of his room wearing a deep navy jacket with black slacks and a pale blue undershirt. Daniel's height made Zane think that he was lanky at first, but wearing this outfit he gave the impression of being nearly ten times more well-built. Not that he was ugly in the first place, but wearing this… "Daniel, a guy named Zane's here to see you.” Flipping through the channels, Mark rolls his eyes in Daniel’s general direction. “He's dressed like he's going to a funeral… You too? What's going on?” A wicked grin split Mark’s face in two. “ You two going on a date or something? Hmm, my little fairy? How cute..." Promptly, Daniel hits him across the shoulder. Hard. "Oh! Fairy, I'm going over to Stacy's house tonight, so I won't see you until, well... I’ll see you whenever." Not really caring if he ever sees Mark again, at this moment, Daniel shrugs off the comment.

"Hey Zane! I’m soo sorry to keep you waiting. My schedule was disorganized this week. I just got home." Rubbing his shoulder as if he had no better excuse, Daniel averts his eyes. “You… uh, look nice…”

Giving Daniel his thanks, Zane returns to the former thread of conversation. "It happens to me too. I mean, ten days? Seriously." Zane smiles sincerely. Not knowing what else to say, Daniel shifts from foot to foot. Finally mustering up enough courage to say that they should probably go, Daniel leads the way. Down a flight of stairs, and out the front door, Daniel first notices Zane's beloved rich black Charger. Not that Daniel knew anything about cars, but he still really liked Zane's. "Do you like cars?"

"No, not really, but I like this one. It's frigg'in sweet." Daniel said, slightly giddy and not sure why. He was so happy he couldn't stand it. Getting in, Zane starts up the engine. Here he was, with Zane in his car, going to the Blue Moon. One of the more high end places in town, He’d only ever eaten there once. And that was for his graduation party; and he couldn’t even order all that much because of the prices.

"I hope they have good wine this time…” Zane said to fill time on the drive there. “I usually enjoy a glass with my dinner.” Daniel wasn’t a sommelier; he knew more about cars than he did about wine, which didn’t amount to much. “The last shipment wasn’t as sweet as the one before it.”  The two probably seemed an odd pair; dressed in formal wear and whatnot. Neither of the two would normally be caught in anything like this. Dress shirts, ties, slacks. Both Daniel and Zane preferred functionality over fashionablity.

"So you've been there more than once?" The thought that anyone he knew had been there more than a handful of times surprised Daniel.

"Yeah, I go every month or two, it's nice. Unfortunately, the sommelier isn’t the best they’ve had. Every now and then they get a terrible shipment of wine, so you need to be careful." Sounding playful, Zane smiles heartily. He probably doesn’t care about that, idiot.


As the two arrive, they find a suitable place to park and give the car over to the valet. After walking inside they ask the waiter for a table, and get seated immediately. Zane, being a common face here, orders his steak, side of salad with no onions or tomatoes, and a skinless baked potato with a side of Rose' 87 promptly. Daniel, being new on the scene, orders slowly and decides on roasted chicken with a baked potato on the side as well. But not being the sommelier that Zane is, he orders the same wine as his counterpart. Once through with their meal, and their slightly dry wine, the two pick up Zane's car and head back towards town. It being a 17 mile drive back to Sommerse, Daniel falls asleep on the way, making a groggy noise or grunt every now and then. Not knowing whether he should take him back to his apartment or just let him sleep, Zane decides to drive around for awhile. No clear destination in his mind.

Calmly Zane thinks on the situation to himself. I wonder if there's someplace we can go? The bar? No, he’d think that I just want to get- Stop that.  Zane looks over his shoulder at the larger man’s sleeping for; his chest rising and falling peacefully. And then Zane didn't know what to think exactly. Maybe I should take him… back to my house. It's  sucks to wake up all alone… Especially on the day after you go out somewhere. I think he'd appreciate the gesture. As Zane finishes that thought, Daniel's eyes open, he attempts to speak; but all that he can do is yawn slightly.

"Sorry-" Yawning, Daniel's eyes flutter boyishly. "I didn't mean to… fall asleep." He sounded like he'd done something wrong or pitiful. "So… where are we exactly?" Straightening his back up against the seat, the larger man stretches his arms and torso. Rolling his shoulders, Daniel yawns again.

"On the highway." Zane replied softly, trying to sound calm, though feeling nothing of the sort.

"Oh. That's nice…” Daniel’s face breaks into a sleepy grin. “Where're we going?" He didn't sound worried at all. Nothing of the sort. He was just wondering where they were headed. “Hmmm?”

"I thought back to my place. We can throw back a few or something, and then maybe figure out what to do then.” Realizing just how horrible that line of thought could go, Zane covers his tracks by further saying: “But if you want, I can take you back to your place." It was rushed, and sounded a little bitter; but Daniel must not have heard that bit.

"Oh... Well, maybe we should find a motel, cause I think we're both a little drunk. No need for you to get a DUI." Daniel’s grin faltered for a moment. He promptly hiccupped; almost as if to prove his point.

"Okay, then… I know a place, it's not far from here, and there's a minibar in every room, so why not get drunk there and stay the night?" He seemed to really enjoy the idea of going to a motel for the night. Though for the life of him, Zane couldn’t understand why his stomach was doing back flips in his gut at the thought. Well, we can always talk. And it’ll be more comfortable than in the car… Wait… what will be?

"Sounds excellent." Daniel then drifted back asleep. The only sounds Zane could hear were the car's gentle purrs, and the permeating sound of Daniel's deep breaths. Driving up an old road, in the deep fog, Zane pulls up to a local motel. With a lakeside view, and a second story, the motel just seemed too cozy to pass up.
Getting out of the car, Zane wakes Daniel up a bit. “Wake up, we’re here. Daniel?”

“Hmm? Oh… Five more minutes…”

“Okay, okay… I’ll go get us some rooms.”

“Why ‘rooms’? I only need…” Yawning once more, Daniel finishes his groggy rant.
“one bed. Just get the one room. You can have the floor.”

Dumbstruck, Zane blinks in surprise at what Daniel just told him. “Wha…?”

“Jus’ kidd’n… one rmm… though…”

Not sure what to do, Zane stands around for a second; indulging in a heated internal debate. Zane finally decides that it’s more ‘cost effective’ to get just one room. Walking upstairs, dragging Daniel; the room key firmly in hand; Zane opens the door and deposits his ‘burden’ on the bed. Great… one bed... The universe must want me on the couch tonight. Daniel, half awake, seems intent upon saying something, but is just barely kept from saying it. Zane on the other hand is trying to figure out what to say at all in an intelligible manner. After a short while, he gets up, goes over to the mini-bar and pulls out two beers then hands one to Daniel, over on the bed. Zane, feeling a little daring, plops down next to him.

"Hey, Daniel.... I was wondering... Ah, uh… Never mind. It's stupid." Blushing a light rose color, Zane drops his face to his shoes.

A little more energy in him after enjoying his nap, though still on his back; Daniel says something to the opposite effect. "No, don’t be like that. What were you going to say? Come on, just ask me." Sounding unusually awake for just having woken up, Daniel props himself up straight. Looking right into Zane's downturned face, Daniel stares intently. Almost as if trying to lift his chin up without touching him.

"Well… promise you won't laugh..."

"Why would I laugh?" Scratching the crook of his neck, Daniel queries bluntly.

"Promise..." The normally mature Zane, seems almost childish playing infantile games like ‘Don’t laugh’ and ‘Promise’.

"I promise. Now what is it?" Daniel, clasping Zane's shoulder, looks out across the room. His attention though, is fully on the man next to him.

"I was wondering... If, that is, if you meant what you said." Zane’s face goes a hot pink as he asks his question; not meaning to put so much energy into such a simple thing.

"When?” Pretending not to know, Daniel raises an eyebrow in mock confusion. “You need to be more specific."

"You know…” Zane mumbles something incoherent in Daniel’s general location.

“Just say it.”

“Back at the beach! In the bathroom!” Looking a little hot and bothered, Zane runs a hand down his face in an attempt to gather his thoughts. “I wanted to know... That is, I wanted to know… if you like me. Um, well, strictly speaking of course." Failing horribly to cover himself, Zane’s face flushes once more.

"Hmm..." Sitting up straight, Daniel finally finds the words to answer. "Well now, let’s say that, hypothetically speaking-"

"Of course." Zane pipes in; having nothing else to add.

"-That I like you. What do you think I'd like you for?" Daniel asks, twisting  his torso and rolling his shoulders; then sipping from his beer. His piercing blue eyes, boring through Zane’s mental defenses.

"Well, I-I thought maybe it was something…” At a loss for the proper word, Zane meekly says: “Physical?" Zane was guessing horribly, and he knew that Daniel knew it.

"Hmm... No, that's not right. Try again."

"I… don't know…" By this point of the conversation, Zane has now begun to slump, and wring his hands in anxiety.

"Fine then.” Showing Zane another of his award-winning smiles, Daniel gives his spiel. “I’ll tell you. It's because you... Are you. I enjoy your voice, your moods, your intelligence, your heart; and yes, your body. But most of all, just simply you." Zane sat bewildered. He hadn't expected such a well thought out answer. Especially from someone who's drunk, and getting more so as time passes.

"Oh..." Is all that Zane could manage to say in his state of shock.

"But you need to remember that's all hypothetically speaking. I may not even like you like that for all that you know."

".... Right...." That statement threw several boulder-sized pebbles into Zane’s ‘love bucket’. He was hoping to hear what Daniel really thought, sure; but then, Zane wasn't much of one for sarcasm or telling when people are saying exactly what they mean. A truly sad fact.


The night diminished, and on the two talked. With not a single word spoken about their previous conversation. Finally, around 3am, both of the men decide that sleep is in order. Because of the fact, there being only one bed, they opt to share.

“Good night, Zane…” Pulling some of the covers up over his head, Daniel shivers from the nervous energy coursing through his veins.

“Good night, Daniel.” Turning away from the other man, Zane closes his eyes.  Is he shivering…? “You cold?”

“Ah, uh… yeah… I am…” Lying through his teeth, Daniel attempts to stop his shaking. Tensing his muscles, the shaking gets worse. Not wanting to make this into a scene, Daniel forces his muscles to try the opposite. Relaxing his limbs, eases the nervous tension in his body. “But I’m warming up… Thanks for asking though.”

“Oh~~kay…” Half yawning, half speaking, Zane quickly falls asleep, thinking nothing more of the situation.

“At least one of us can get sleep…” Daniel whispers to himself meekly.