Satellite

The summer was upon Baltimore once again, which meant sweltering heat and nauseating humidity. The backyard pools, as well as the local, more public pools seemed to always be full of people; Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth were never among those crowds. The weather never seemed to stop the newly high-school graduated couple. The duo always ventured out into the fields that seemed to be perpetually vacant, and good for stargazing.

'Stargazing'; a loosely used term. Shooting stars were such an uncommon feat. All shooting stars were just tiny particles of dust that had entered our atmosphere, technically not stars at all. Because shooting stars (or dust particles, or meteors, whatever suits your fancy) were so uncommon, the pair of boys substituted. Instead of wishing on stars, they wished on the blinking lights on the bottom of airplanes, cell phone towel lights, and satellites.

Jack and Alex always went into the field just before sunset. Alex liked to watch the sun set in such a wide open, vast, expanse and Jack liked to watch Alex looking completely mesmerized. Like now; now, Alex was pressed into Jack's side, head over his heartbeat. One leg rested up and over the skunk haired boy's leg, while one of Jack's hands was rested against the small of the English boy's back. It was such a relaxed position for the two. Jack's nose pressed into Alex's hair that always seemed to smell like strawberries, "you're beautiful."

To which Alex smiled bashfully, hid his face against the fabric of Jack's grey shirt and murmured, "shh, it's starting."

And it was. The sky was starting to drown the sun in pink hues and soft oranges, successfully painting pastel clouds and sinking behind the horizon. The light was always softer at this part of the day; the sharp curve of Alex's jawline seemed softer, plush. The sunburn on the tip of Jack's nose seemed lighter, less aggressive. Alex's favorite part was when the sun was all the way down, and he colors of the sky ranged from lavender to deep purple to dark pink; Jack's favorite part was Alex. Alex, who's coffee eyes took the prize for the most beautiful thing Jack's seen all weekend. Alex, who's smile lit up when the sun sank and the moon became the dominant feature of the sky, taking over the night, and casting a pale white light, almost a veil, over everything it touched.

"There's the first one," Jack commented. Relucantly, his hand came away from its place of rest on Alex's back. His index finger pointed toward the sky, and Alex's eyes followed it. There, he saw it: the first satellite, or 'star', blinking above them. Alex's silence that ensued indicated that he was wishing, so Jack spoke up again. "Did you make a wish?"

"You," Alex stated simply, "you're my wish."

Jack had never been in love. When he met Alex, though... Alex changed everything around. Alex became Jack's sun and moon, his night and day. Alex reciprocated in full, too; Jack was every bit as vital to Alex as Alex was to Jack. There wasn't any room for questions, either - the pair were in love. Had been in love since freshman year. Though this was true, neither of them had ever said the three little words outloud; it was just a known, agreed on thing. They didn't have to say it.

There was a silent moment. In that moment, Jack was wondering if now was a good time. He was wondering if he was being too brash, too blunt. His lips felt ceaselessly dry; was it June or was it December?

"I love you," he blurted.

Alex lay there and he listened. He listened to the way the three little words with intense importance made Jack's chest vibrate. He listened to the way Jack's heartbeat had started to pound, and listened to the way that his own breathing intermingled with Jack's. Alex felt color rush to his cheeks and his hands start to swear. 'I love you' had been injected into his veins. He would not bleed blood if you were to cut him open; Alex would bleed Jack's voice. I love you, I love you, I love you.

"I know," the thinner, smaller elder had replies. Yes, Alex knew that Jack loved him. He knew that more than he knew that the noble gases did not react, and he knew that more than he knew that the sky was blue and rain was wet. "I love you, too."

There was an airplane overhead. The lights blinked red and green, and airplanes were just was good as satellies were, wishing-wise. "Did you make a wish this time?" Alex asks. Alex's voice was always velvety and quiet; it was rare when he spoke in a voice that sounded louder than a whisper. "No," Jack said, and before Alex could ask the customary 'why?', Jack cut him off, "you're all I could ever wish for."

"Really?"

"Really," the younger's voice was completely confident. Jack knew that Alex was literally all he could ever want. Even though they were only nineteen, Jack knew that he wanted to marry the English boy. He was completely and undoubtedly in love. "I love you," Jack repeated, and he already knew that Alex was going to say he loved him too, so he pressed a finger to the other's lips and spoke before he could even start, "I know. Don't ruin it."

They didn't have to say anything to be comfortable. Silence fell upon them like a fleece blanket when the air conditioning was on too high. Stolen kisses and mint tainted gusts of breath were shared in place of words. Airplanes, satellites and cell phone towers blinked above them some more, but neither of them noticed or made any wishes. Really, neither Alex nor Jack needed to make wishes anymore. All either of the boys could ever wish for was each other.

The Summer was upon Baltimore once again, which meant sweltering heat and nauseating humidity. The local pools and backyard pools were still ceaselessly full, and Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth still were never among the crowds. The duo laid on blankets in fields, 'stargazing', sharing kisses and murmuring 'I love you'. While the rest of the Summer went on without them, the two created their own solar system that only consisted of them, and they'd never have it any other way.