I wake up first the next morning. I'm groggy and ready to hate the world. Desmond had lost nearly all of his blankets in his sleep and his muscled body was shifting in the cold of a winter's morning. I check the clock. 7:54. My alarm will go off in six minutes so I decide to get up and begin getting dressed.

I'm changed by the time Desmond groans and swats at my phone.

"Jesus Christ it's too early!" He mumbles as he finally reaches my phone. "Oh my god."

"It's eight in the morning, Desmond." I say a bit shocked. "Get up. We don't have much farther to go." Desmond rolls over in the bed and mumbles into his pillow. "Can't hear you, love." I say packing my things.

He sits up and stares at me through bleary eyes, "How're you already dressed?" He mumbles as he throws his legs over the side of his bed.

I walk to the sink area to brush my teeth, "Magic." Desmond laughs.

I drove us away from the motel and we stop at a little cafe for breakfast before head out at around nine in the morning. Desmond didn't bring up any of the sap that slipped out when he thought I was sleeping from the night before and I'm kind of relieved. Our relationship is fueled by mutual distaste and bitterness with just enough of I'll-deal-with-your-shit to keep us as friends.

Today's drive is the worst of the trip. Washington and Oregon and even a little bit of Northern California is quite beautiful. Tall trees, fog, even rain. It's nice and picturesque. But Southern California is a different story. Even in winter, it barely rains. There're vineyards and cow pastures the entire drive from Sacramento to Los Angeles with a few interruptions of cities.

On the upside, the sunsets are quite lovely. We were driving through the Grapevine when the sun was setting. The traffic was horrific, but at least it was pretty.

We end up switching drivers at a rest stop before entering LA. Desmond's more familiar with this place than I could ever be, so he decides to take the wheel.

"Do you ever wonder what Lucy is doing?" Desmond asks quite randomly as we finally reach the Los Angeles city limits. Navigating in the heavy traffic of December 23rd in the city was anything but fun, but Desmond was doing an alright job. Honestly, I'm surprised at the lack of back seat driving from either party on this trip.

I peer over my glasses at him, "Lucy? What's brought her up?" I ask.

"Dunno. Just wondering." He says.

"Desmond."

"What?"

"You're not going to ask her out again are you?"

Desmond bursts out laughing," Oh God no! Oh man. No. Just. No. I'm moving on from her, that's why. I'm just so…. I'm way beyond her."

I'm not convinced, "Well… I guess its good you're moving on, then." I say skeptically. Lucy was a sweet girl at first, but she got to be a real hardass. Kind of an evil witch in my opinion. I was quite relieved when Desmond broke up with her; it broke her heart, though. But, honestly, I didn't care a bit.

"Yeah. Think I'm going to ask someone else out, actually." He drops that all cool and nonchalant. I nearly choke. I steal a look at him and he's got a wide grin on his face.

"And who might that be?" I try not to sound too curious. I feel a tug at my delicate feelings and tell them to shove off until I'm alone in a hotel room.

Desmond just smiles, "The problem is… I don't know if they're into me."

I roll my eyes. "Desmond, you know that I am the absolute last person to talk relationships with you? For fuck's sake I'm-" I stop myself. I almost let my annoyance get the better of me. Oh god. He's going to notice and he's going to bring it up. This is bad. This is really, really bad.

"You're what?"

I knew it. I fucking new it. My face is burning and I'm trying to hide my eyes. "I-I'm inexperienced is all." I manage to squeak out.

"Inexperienced." He repeats as he pulls into the Mariott parking lot. "Anyway, I need some advice." He reaches in the back of the car and grabs the paper bag from the gas station and shoves it in his pocket.

I unbuckle and climb out of the car, "Advice? For the love of god Desmond—"

"How do you ask out another guy without it being weird?"

Then there's silence. He's watching me from across the car and he doesn't appear angry, disgusted, confused. He looks like he's honestly waiting for an honest answer. I'm flabbergasted and I'm fairly certain that my jaw is going to be sore from hanging open like this.

Were those strange homoerotic episodes he dropped on me indication that he knows that I'm gay? Was he coming on to me and I just pushed away the thought? That aside, he sure as hell knows now and there's really no use denying it.

"Uh, well, first you should know for sure if the other man is, uh, gay." I say as calmly as possible, I open the back seat and pull out one of my bags. I hear Desmond walk over to my side of the car.

"Alright. And once I find out?" He's quite near me and I feel heat rising up my neck and prickling my face.

I rise with my second bag and there're only a few short inches of space between our bodies and my blush shamelessly tells what I'm thinking, "Then you just ask him out like you would a woman." I state as plainly as I can.

Desmond smiles and blinks slowly, "Okay. Thanks." He leans in next to my ear and whispers, "Shaun Hastings, would you consider being my boyfriend?"

That's when I realize that my attraction was far stronger than I ever wanted to realize. I grab Desmond's face and bring it to mine and as sappy as it sounds, we fit together nicely. And also, fuck nice, chaste first kisses. We're greedy and desperate. I haven't been laid in months and Desmond probably hasn't since Lucy. I want him. I want him. And he wants me right back. I could taste it on his skin, in his kiss.

"Stay with me tonight?" I ask breathless when we break apart. Desmond just smiles and locks his door.