meme continuation. @samsreckoning

 

     A pillow pushed between the headrest and the window made perfect place to lay his head as he listened to the twang of a guitar playing softly from the speakers on the dash.  For close to an hour, Blaine watched the desert scenery blow past the car.  Endless miles of empty landscapes marked up with dustbowl thriving cactuses and tumbleweeds from bushes that hadn’t seen water in months and didn’t seem to mind one bit.  He wasn’t sure what state they were in anymore.  Texas?  No.  They were past the state that stretched out forever.  Weren’t they?

     

The view outside the window only seemed to change by the occasional oil drill, rusted out town, or little burough in the middle of nowhere that must’ve been made into an actual place to stop by people who got stuck there somehow.  Or the sun falling and darkness so deep that it looked like the stars touched the ground if you squint hard enough to see.  But it was the perfect place to be because the world they were in with nothing but the road, a dotted yellow line and miles of nothing between them, nothing short of another planet couldn’t look anymore different from Ohio than the desert outside Bloomfield, New Mexico did as Blaine pulled the blanket that’d been pooled in his lap up over his chest and drifted off.

         He came to when the last sad guitar riffs played out with Garth’s voice singing words that dug so deep into him he couldn’t help whispering soft against the glass ghosting it in a puff of gray with the heat of his breath.  “Do you love me?”  Of course, Sam was right there.  Answering without Blaine having to repeat himself.  How many times could someone need to hear it back?  Need to hear that things were okay?  Better than okay?  They were together.  Alone.  Miles of asphalt and stars above stretching out to infinity and beyond and he still needed to hear it one more time.  Please tell me when it gets annoying.  Though Sam wouldn’t ever get annoyed by it.  Because that’s the kind of person he was.  The kind of person Blaine should have..

       

‘You know I do.’

       

They should’ve had this kind of beginning a long time ago.

        “Me neither.  Ever.”   Pinkies linked, the promise was made and sealed.  Blaine’s weight shifted towards the light tug and when their gazes connected, he nodded his thanks for the reassurance.  Sam had this strange ability to know precisely what he needed.  What tone to use, what words to say, when to touch him.  All of how he needed to be brought back to Earth came as easy as breathing to the blond.  It was a tough job to take on.  Blaine knew the initial reason why Sam slept only when he did and barely that for the first couple weeks they were gone.  Why he hid the sharp things unless they were using them to cook and why there was only pepto, dramamine and tylenol in the glovebox.  

       

He owed Sam not just his mental state but maybe he owed him for still being here to see miles of dark so thick that it looked like the stars were falling to the ground on the horizon.  Who knew if he would have done what Sam was the most terrified of?  But Blaine was beyond grateful for at least being around for the chance to wonder about it.  About life.  About stupid things like the orange glow of streetlights they were driving towards which meant the restaurant had to be within a close enough distance that it wouldn’t hurt to keep their hands laced together even though he settled back into his seat from their shoulders lightly knocking together.  

       

Out of nowhere, Blaine laughed.  It was quiet and mostly shook his shoulders and made his face light up but it was a laugh regardless. “Definitely a no bueno type situation.  I don’t think that cows are going to exist in space.  Space cows might.  What if they worship them, though?  Then no space cow hamburgers for sure.  What if it tastes weird, too?  Like chicken or fish or..who knows?  Aliens probably eat some fish flakes, like you said.  Or fruits that don’t make sense. What if they don’t eat at all?  Then what are we gonna do?”  He blinked enjoying the mindless chatter full of imagination and fantasy.  It was what got them on the silly notion to start driving West in the first place.   His mother wasn’t too thrilled with the idea but she let him.  They’d deal with the schematics later.

       

“Yeah.  Let’s stop.  We’ll get some milkshakes for dessert and coffee for the road.  I’ll drive for a while.  Let you get some sleep.  Fair enough?”  Sam wasn’t Superman.  Close but not quite past the need for sleep yet.  “While we eat we can check out the map.  See if there are any sights we need to check out in the morning between here and Nevada.  I heard there was some sort of Biggest Ball of Yarn or something like that close by.  Can’t beat Henry’s Rabbit Ranch though.  Totem Pole Park tried and failed.”  The tip of his thumb swiped back and forth over the side of Sam’s hand.  Anywhere they went was okay with him.  As long as they kept on going.