Stanley felt tired, but he couldn't sleep. Something was preventing him from floating off into dreamland, and he wasn't quite certain what.
Oh yeah. Could it be because he was lying in bed next to his secret crush, who happened to be his best friend, and also was sound asleep at this very moment?
Yeah. Maybe.
Gazing at the sleeping boy, Stanley remembered the day he first met Zero. New at Camp Greenlake, he saw very few friendly faces. But when Mr. Pendanski had pointed out Hector saying "And this is Zero. Wanna know why we call him Zero? 'Cause there's Nothin' in his head.", he felt strangely drawn to the boy. It was as if they were kindred spirits. Like they were friends centuries before they were even born. He had wanted to make Mr. Pendanski eat his words. And, thinking about it now, he guessed he did.
Unconsciously, he moved closer to Zero. He remembered when Zero had first talked to him. Those words: "Did they have red xs on them?" It was like everything around them disappeared. He stared into those dark brown eyes, simply basking in both the beauty of the boy and the melody of his voice. All other sounds in that room had not reached his ears. He had barely been able to choke out his reply.
Zero rolled a bit to the side, close enough for Stanley to feel his body heat. This was torture. Beautiful, painful, excruciating torture. The boy was close enough to touch. And Stanley wanted to touch everywhere.
That one day at Camp Greenlake, when Zero had requested Stanley's help in learning how to read, he couldn't refuse. At the time, he wasn't sure why. Now he was.
His fingers ached to touch the boy. It was amazing how much he wanted to. He didn't think he could want anything so badly.
When Zero had run away from the camp, Stanley's heart had broken. He felt like he couldn't go on. Not without the boy he had come to see as his only true friend in that place. He had felt like he would die if he didn't find him. That's why he had tried to steal that truck. That's why he had wandered through that desert. Because he was crazy about that boy. He loved Hector Zeroni so much it hurt. It killed him not being able to tell him.
Zero moaned in his sleep. Was he having a nightmare? Concern for the boy immediately came forth. Zero moaned again, and twisted around in the sheets. Feeling a little guilty, Stanley realized just how much this was turning him on and blushed. Hector gasped and moved a bit nearer to Stanley. Stanley blushed redder.
He remembered the day he knew he was in love. Up on God's thumb, when Zero was just waking up. He remembered thinking about how strong that boy was. How brave and determined he must have been. And as he sang that little song his grandfather had once taught him, he felt this strange feeling. Like he could do anything. But that didn't matter. Thinking about the boy, Hector Zeroni (had he heard that last name somewhere before?), he realized just how strong he was. And just how strong he made him feel.
Then, Zero had opened his eyes, and it dawned on him. Looking into those dark eyes, he knew:
He was completely, utterly, undeniably falling for this boy. And there was no getting around it.
Zero rolled over a bit more, and his hand touched Stanley's. His eyes snapped open at once. Looking at Stanley, he looked a little nervous for some reason.
"Uh, Stanley, why are you staring at me?"
He didn't know why he answered the way he did. Maybe he was too sleepy to make up a lie. Or maybe it was because the way those eyes snapped open reminded him of that day on God's Thumb. He didn't know which.
"I was just thinking," Stanley began "about the day you woke up on God's Thumb, remember? I was thinking about how you just looked so-"
"Boys? Are you asleep yet?" The door opened, and in stepped Zero's mom. Both boys immediately turned their attention to her.
"Uh, yeah mom. We were just talking about something, trying to get some sleep." Zero said, innocently.
"Okay. Just thought I'd check on you. Sweet Dreams." The door shut behind her, leaving them alone once more.
"So, what were you saying?" Zero asked. Only then did he realize that Stanley was finally asleep. Good. Now he could cuddle as much as he wanted with out faking sleep. He'd just say he moved in his sleep the next morning.
