perf*ct (boy × boy) ✔

fifty-six: worlds colliding

solar clarke's pov:

Seeing the sunny smile spreading on Nathan's lips was worth all the effort to get Jacob and Lava in town. It took some serious planning, which still wasn't my strongest suit, and even more sneaking around, which wasn't really my thing either. But as I said, just to see that smile was worth it all.

While Nathan, Lava and Jacob caught up, I let mom take pictures of me. She was so proud, smiling so wide it all but split her face in half and she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. Dad was looking after grandma, who seemed to think she was here to see her son graduate instead of his grandson. She had started mixing me up with dad more often, but I was grateful for every clear moment she had.

We made Camille take a group photo of us, and for a moment an overpowering same filled my chest, when I realized it could be the last photo of us all together. Grandma's memory was fading, and sooner or later she would have to go to a nursing home. My parents were rarely anywhere at the same time and even I was leaving for university. It made me sad to think we might not get an occasion like this anytime soon.

But then I looked at the smiles on our faces in that picture and I didn't want to be sad anymore. Instead I gave my family an even bigger grin and decided to be content for having them all here with me, even for one day. 

"We made it, Sol!" Kieran patted my shoulder. When I turned to face him, he looked uncharacteristically animated. Maybe all it took to get rid of his apathy was to get the heck out of Frostford High. 

"I never thought I'd live to see this day. No offence, guys." Johnny joined us, a big grin brightening up his features. He gave me a brief half-hug, his other arm still slung around Sabine's waist. I'm not entirely sure if they were dating or not, but they had been glued together ever since Johnny asked her out.

"Let's go meet Nathan's friends." I suggested then, glancing at Jacob and Lava. When we introduced ourselves, everyone acted like they didn't know each other. The truth is that Kieran and Johnny had been helping me with the surprise all along. And, well, the ultimate truth is that basically everyone else but Nathan knew they were coming.

The first thing I noticed about the girl, Lava, was her height. She couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall, if not even that. When Jacob stood next to her, you could easily have confused her for a child. Other than their height difference, they had some things in common: they both liked games and, judging by their wide smiles, being around Nathan.

When we headed to Nathan's, I took Lava, Jacob, Nathan and Jonathan in my car, whereas my parents took grandma and Nathan's parents and Nicholas took Kieran, Johnny, Alex Crespo and the sneaker guy. 

"I can't believe we're actually going to Nathan's home." Lava wondered. She took the shotgun as she easily got motion sickness in the car in the summer. Next she launched into a story about how she started chatting with Nathan on some game site. Halfway to Nathan's she had to stop to take in a gulp of air, and after that she asked: "What's your favorite game?"

"Um, does baseball count?" I grimaced, dreading her answer. 

"Nathan never told us he's dating a jock." Lava shrugged, but then a wide grin, which exposed a smiley piercing under her upper lip, spread on her face.

"Well, it depends on how you define a jock." I shrugged, a small smile dancing on my lips. "I'm more of a literature guy to be honest."

"Oh, which books —" She was cut short by a cackle from the backseat. Jonathan was cracking up at something Jacob did with his Rubik's cube. He laughed so hard he had to clutch his stomach and curl up in his seat. Apparently it was something Jacob and Nathan had been planning on, because they changed victorious smirks.

Jonathan was still laughing when I parked the car in the driveway of the Dawson's house. He took off first and ran to the front door, to reach Jeffrey who was just about to enter the house. I smiled when Jeffrey catched him in an embrace and spinned them around a few times. I was still pondering whether or not it would be okay to kidnap Jeffrey. 

The weirdest thing of all was to see mom, dad and grandma waiting for me inside Nathan's home. It was like two worlds colliding, even though Nathan had already met them. It seemed like my parents and grandma got along with Camille. They were chatting in the kitchen like old friends, while Camille picked up glasses and bottles of soda and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Boring or not, I would have chosen BBQ with family and friends over a party full of wasted teenagers in a blink of an eye. Although, before everyone was seated in the garden in the backyard, the Dawson's house was probably more chaotic than any party full of wasted teenagers could ever have been.

As soon as the chaos was settled, my dad and Jeffrey took the charge of the grill. I guess they must have absorbed the idea of men taking charge of it and took full pride in it, while the rest of us chatted in the garden.

"That reminds me of something.." Camille held up a finger when she heard Lava and me continuing our conversation about books. She got up and disappeared into the house for a while. When she came back, she was carrying a small rectangular object wrapped in a blue gift paper. When she handed it to me, the smile on her lips held so much warmth I had to hold back tears. "Open it."

It was a book, which I knew to expect from the shape of it and the way she was reminded of the gift from Lava and my literature conversation. It wasn't just any book, but a Royal Collector's edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray. I ran my fingertips along the golden letters on the cover and the soft leather like material of the binding.

"This is for me?" I blinked. "Thank you."

"It was my favorite book when I was at your age, and I thought you should have it." Camille explained and crouched down to hug me. I could feel tears prickling into my eyes and I would probably have started full-on crying, if Nathan hadn't opened his mouth. 

"Where's my present?" While he asked that from his mom, he nudged me with his foot under the table and the corners of his mouth quirked up. 

I chuckled, feeling relieved by him knowing exactly when to come into my rescue. My emotions had been all over the place ever since I spotted mom from the audience during the graduation ceremony, and I didn't want to burst into tears in front of our friends and families. I had a feeling Nathan wasn't actually waiting for his mom to give an answer, he was just doing his best to lighten the atmosphere.

"Be patient, your present is on its way." Camille gave Nathan a mysterious grin and turned away before Nathan could make any supplemental questions. When Nathan glanced at me, I gave him a shrug: this time I had no part in whatever they were scheming.