Page 138 of Should the Sky Fall

“Do you?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while.” He taps his fingers on the tabletop. “Do you want to come?”

“Is he inviting us both?” That doesn’t sound like Kieran. Cal doesn’t think Kieran likes him.

Dawson fidgets. “Not explicitly…”

“Dawson,” Cal says with fondness. He gets what Dawson’s trying to do. “You can do things without me, you know that, right? In fact, you should. You’ve been stuck with me this whole time.”

“I haven’t been stuck,” Dawson argues. “I like spending time with you.”

Cal stretches out his hand for Dawson to take, smiling when he does. “And I with you. But you’re allowed to go see a movie with your best friend. Okay?”

“Okay.”

He squeezes Dawson’s fingers before releasing them. “What are you going to see?”

“The newGuardians of the Galaxy.” A hint of excitement fills his voice. When Cal gives him a curious look, he explains, “It’s part of theMarvelUniverse. We’ll need to start you on that.”

“Sounds good. You want to start now?”

“Now?”

Cal shrugs. “We were about to watch a movie anyway, no?”

“I mean, yeah… But be warned, you’re about to go down a very deep rabbit hole. There’s no turning back.”

“I’m fine with that.”

They sit next to each other on the sofa with Donut between them, as usual. Itisunusual when Donut props his head on Cal’s thigh.

Dawson gives Cal a wide grin. “See? I told you he’d warm up to you.”

Cal makes a non-committal noise, pretending he has no idea how this happened.

Dawson says the first movie in the Universe isIron Man. Cal likes it. It will never cease to amaze him how some people’s minds are so creative that they give rise to whole universes, completely from scratch.

“I’ve been thinking,” Cal murmurs, purposefully picking a scene with no talking. “Maybe I could write a story.”

“Like a book?” Dawson gapes at him. “You’re serious?”

Cal instantly deflates. He knew it was silly. But all the book-reading and movie-watching he’s done in the past two months kind of…woke up his creative streak, and he started wondering what it would be like to create something of his own. Write his own story.

“It was just an idea.”

“I love it,” Dawson says quickly. “You should give it a go.”

Cal chances a look at him, finding nothing but honesty and affection on Dawson’s face.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He reaches for Cal’s hand and interlaces their fingers, careful not to disturb Donut. “What would you write? Fantasy? Action?” He lets his voice grow husky. “Erotica?”

Cal smiles, then admits, “Romance. Fantasy romance, maybe?”

Surprise lights Dawson’s eyes. “LikeTwilight?”

“Something like that.” He hasn’t thought it through that much yet.