Smiling and Dying ~ Kam

Chapter Four

Keefe jolted awake to find himself lying on a rock in the middle of a park. He realized that Tam's arm was draped loosely around him, and he glanced over at the sleeping boy.

Keefe's breath caught in his throat.

Tam looked beautiful.

His hair was splayed across the rock around him, and his pale pink lips were parted slightly in his sleep.

"Goddammit," Keefe muttered. Then, louder: "Tam, wake up."

Tam mumbled something and blearily opened his eyes. He bolted upright immediately and looked around.

"Shit," he cursed. "What time is it?"

Keefe picked up Tam's phone and glanced at the time. After seeing it was two in the morning, he also saw the one hundred twenty eight messages from Linh.

Where are you??? said the top one. We left the park hours ago!!! If you aren't back by three, I'm going to call the cops to help us find you!!!

"Well, fuck," Keefe said. "Linh is... worried."

"Shit," Tam repeated. He snatched his phone from Keefe.

"Sorry, we fell asleep at the park," Tam muttered as he typed. "Leaving now, will be back by two thirty."

Tam stood up quickly and grabbed Keefe's hand, pulling him along.

Keefe stood with him - otherwise, he would get his arm pulled off - and started walking.

As they walked, Keefe realized that Tam was holding his hand.

Tam!

Holding his hand!

Keefe kept himself from grinning. He might have his bad days, but when he had good days, they were good.

When they reached Tam's car - silver, of course - Keefe didn't want to release Tam's hand, afraid Tam would disappear.

Then, when Tam asked why, Keefe said as much.

"How about once we get into the car, you can hold on to my arm?" Tam suggested. "I'll put my hand on the steering wheel, then you can hold my forearm."

Keefe nodded, reveling in the fact that he was the only one Tam would compromise things like that for.

They got into the car, Tam in the driver's seat and Keefe in the passenger. Keefe closed his left hand around Tam's right forearm. It didn't seem to affect Tam's steering, so Keefe didn't have anything to feel guilty about.

Keefe almost fell asleep in the forty-five minute drive back.

He was just drifting off when Tam honked the horn at someone, shouting curses.

Keefe pulled both of his hands up to cover his ears. He squeezed his eyes closed.

The noise stopped all at once, and Keefe felt a gentle hand on his left wrist. The hand lifted Keefe's own hand and draped it back over Tam's forearm.

"I'm sorry," Tam murmured, reaching over to brush Keefe's hair out of his face, then running his fingers gently down Keefe's jawbone. "I forgot that you don't like loud noises."

"It's f-fine," Keefe mumbled back, dropping the hand not on Tam's arm slowly from his ear. "You didn't mean it.

Tam placed his hand back on the wheel, leaving only a ghost of his touch on Keefe's cheek.

But to Keefe, it felt like an extremely solid ghost.