Chapter 8

Reality was taking slightly longer.

Todd let go of Nick and stepped away, holding up one finger as he crossed to the table with the small music player on it. He shuffled through the available scrolls for a minute before he replaced the current scroll with a different one. He gave the power crank another few turns. It was connected to the solar panels on top of the upper deck but needed some extra power to play for any length of time.

“Let’s try other music.” This tune wasn’t quite as slow and had a more pronounced beat. Positioning Nick’s hands, then his own, Todd leaned forward far enough to brush a light kiss over Nick’s cheek. He whispered into Nick’s ear, “Listen to the music and try to follow it…and me…and relax…and—”

“Have fun, damn it!” Nick grinned, pressed his head close to Todd’s, and used his tongue to swipe a wet path over Todd’s ear.

“Damn straight!”