Page 12 of Flowers To Give

“Right, so, it’s a pretty sweet deal for you,” Clark points out, “Plus production will put you up in a nice hotel, you’ll get a rental car, and there’s per diem too.”

Indeed the deal was getting much sweeter for Jeremy. He chews on the information, swallows down the rest of his whiskey, and holds up his empty glass as he says, “Cheers. To a movie in Hawaii.”

Clark laughs and clanks his glass against Jeremy’s, “Hell yeah, dude! Come on, let’s have another.”

“Thanks but I actually have to get some real food,” Jeremy says, following Clark over to the bar to set down his used glass.

“C’mon, man, just a small one! To celebrate,” Clark eggs him on, pouring another finger in the glass before Jeremy can stop him, “Then you can go back to your little ranch hand girlfriend.”

Jeremy’s throat gets tight, sipping the whiskey to keep his mouth busy. There’s no way Laurelai’s not going to tell him the full truth the next opportunity she gets. He hates to admit it, but it’s the responsible thing to get ahead of this and be upfront with Clark.

“Actually,” Jeremy sighs and steels himself before continuing, “It’s not Jackie that Laurelai caught me with.”

“Oh? I thought she said it was a ranch hand?”

“It was,” Jeremy swallows thickly.

Clark laughs, “But there’s not another girl ranch hand.”

“No, there’s not.”

Clark’s smile gets smaller as the realization washes over him. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He looks at each of Jeremy’s eyes, something computing behind his own. Jeremy raises a brow and pushes through the fear as he asks, “Does that change anything?”

“What?” Clark blinks and shakes his head, “No. Of course not.”

Jeremy nods, downs the last few drops of his whiskey and sets the glass down for the last time. He takes a step back and looks to Clark again, “Thanks for the drink. And the job.”

“Hm?” Clark’s eyes refocus to Jeremy, distracted, “Oh. Yeah. For sure.”

“Goodnight.”

Clark nods, not quite able to meet the other’s eye as he replies, “Night, Jeremy.”

Walking out, somehow Jeremy feels heavier after the cathartic experience of coming out to his old crush. Of course there’s the instinctual fear of what Clark will think, if he’ll look at Jeremy differently now. And then there’s Barry. Poor guy will have to take the brunt of the impending rumors while Jeremy flies to Hawaii. And of course that’s another beast entirely; Jeremy has absolutely no way to know what to expect as the personal horse wrangler for a movie star on a film production.

The stars spinning overhead make Jeremy dizzy with the swirling thoughts and possible scenarios. There is nothing to do now but let it all wash over him.

The moon bathes the island in a pale white glow, Jeremy gazing at the grandeur from above. His nose is all but pressed against the plane’s window as they circle toward Oahu. The mountains stand in a tall wall in the center like an articulated spine, sparkly tall resorts lighting up the congested coastline. The plane’s cabin is dimmed, the moonlight strong through the oval window.

“Enjoying the view?”

Startled, Jeremy jumps back from the window to see Clark. He raises a brow to save face, saying, “I thought you were sleeping.”

The private jet is empty except for Clark’s personal assistant, his glam stylist, and the two of them. The girls are at the front of the plane at a desk, doing work on their laptops in silence. Jeremy thought Clark was sleeping in the bedroom in the back - not having known before this flight that planes were able to hold such luxurious rooms like that inside - but now he’s sitting down next to Jeremy on the couch below the line of windows with a stemless glass of red wine.

“That’s my line,” Clark grins, glancing out the window from a distance.

The ethereal light silhouettes Clark’s sharp jawline and cheekbones, gorgeous and seductive. Jeremy clears his throat and looks away, replying simply, “I don’t think I could sleep if I tried.”

“Nervous flier?”

“I wouldn’t know. This is my first flight.”

“Get out,” Clark rests his arm on the seat between them, “Really?”

Jeremy shrugs, “Never had anywhere to go before, I guess.”

“Well? How’s the experience?”