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Chapter 34: Recovery

Hunter held Keanu in his arms with all the love he could muster as he told his tale of flight 8085. Keanu had wept, sobbed, and sniffled as he felt pain on revisiting the darkest moment of his life but at the same time, it was going away as with every word that he spoke the pain would cease and take another breather. Now that he was telling about his hospital sojourn, he was much more relaxed as if he came back a bit to his old self.

"I spent almost two weeks in the hospital until I could go back home. I was anxious to leave but then this aunt I don't like came, she was very selfish and inconsiderate. I don't know how Mom put up with her, but I lost all mood that day when she came over and I was bitter at her when she greeted me. And can you believe what she said about the whole ordeal?"

Hunter listened and shrugged. "I assumed she said something offensive to you?"

"Yeah, she said that this whole tragedy was the work of God and that he works in the mysterious ways or some bullshit. So, I had it and snapped at her and told her to leave."

"Don't you think you were rude?"

"You weren't there, Hunter, I don't even know why she came over since her ex-husband divorced her. Uncle Ray told me she must have followed him 'out of costume' and claimed she wanted to see her 'favorite' nephew when she was after Ray in hopes that he'll take her back."

"Well, that sucks."

Keanu sighed. "I later heard on the last day when I was leaving the hospital that the last patient had passed away, so I'm the only one left. The news mistakes us for foxes, so it kind of covered us up. Dad wanted us away from the press, but did speak with a journalist, I think."

"Was that my dad in it? I mean, have you met him?"

"I saw your father visiting the room, he had the NTSB blue jacket. I never spoke to him, though, so Dad covered for me. Aunt Sophia and Dad did everything to take care of me during my stay, even helping to clean me and... other needs that weren't easy to do.

"Then I heard that Aunt Rachel was in labor and gave birth to Jennifer. And if you remembered, I refused that they would name her Polaris for that reason. Too soon and too late to give her that name."

"Well..." Hunter said almost awkwardly. "It's not every day someone convinces them to rename their child."

"They eventually did, knowing that the plane I was on was a Polaris, they felt guilty and changed their minds. I knew it was going to be awkward if I call her name once she grows up."

"Can't blame you for how you felt." Hunter shrugged.

Keanu sighed calmly and continued, "After the hospital, the airline gave us a big compensation which was spent on the hospital bill and other essentials for my recovery treatment. I wasn't ready to go back to school like this and I wasn't exactly mentally well, I couldn't focus on my studies. So, I told Dad if I can take summer school to pass the eleventh grade and have my time off. There weren't many students that summer, so it was a breeze. I had school counseling there to help me with my trauma and finished my grade before I started my final year in high school.

"And... you can guess where the rest went, I graduated, Dad and I spent the summer moving here before I started college."

Hunter began questioning, "So, you were sitting next to Terrence's girlfriend's family."

"Yeah, I didn't expect to be tracked down by someone like him, it was scary."

"He should have done it tamer than demanding you like that."

"I think he deserves to know."

"What? After everything he had done to you?"

"He wanted closure, right? So, I'll give him what he wants."

Hunter sighed but he could not oppose his decision but saw the emerging courage that Keanu had griped on. "I supposed this is the new you."

"What do you mean?"

"I now wonder how was the old Keanu before the accident, but I guess I can roll with it. I thought you were kind of shy at first when I met you, but you easily opened up to me and others."

"...Did I really change? I don't see the difference... It's hard to tell in my perspective."

"It's okay if you don't see it, but, tell me, when did you come out of the closet?"

"Oh! I came out after a week after I left the hospital, and I decided to tell Dad about it. I guess when Jack told me about the whole 'live a little' thing, he may have meant that 'life is short,' and we must enjoy it while it lasts. I guess that subtlety went into my mind."

Hunter remembered that conversation he had with Keanu after he came out to them that Saturday get-together. It all now made sense how he felt about his orientation being the least important thing in his life. "How did your dad take it?"

"Dad still loves me, no matter what."

Hunter smiled and gave a slight squeeze with his arms of his embrace on Keanu's waist. "I'm happy for you." After a short beat, Hunter curiously asked, "So, this whole thing also explains why you didn't want to ride on extreme rides on our first date?"

"I don't wanna hear people screaming close to me, even if the sounds are of joy and thrill."

"And yet, you were courageous to go the rock-climbing wall."

"I'm not afraid of heights," he excused, "and I have been to one in summer camp before."

"And what about the Ferris Wheel? I think you handled it pretty well."

"Thanks to you, I was trying not to panic."

"You grabbed me hard on the thigh, though." He chuckled.

"It did scare me, though."

Another curious question came to leave this one out. "Hey, about your old cellphone..."

"Oh! It survived the crash, I actually dropped it by accident from the second floor of the school."

"Huh, I thought you lied to me about that one."

"Yeah, sorry about that... and... lying to you like that about falling off the stairs."

"It's okay, Keanu." Hunter gave him a kiss on his head. "I'll forgive you. Oh! I talked to Xavier about what you said to him."

"Oh, that... I..."

"It's okay, I understand, but you owe Xavier an apology."

"Why?"

"For jugging his career choice. But don't worry, Xavier owes you an apology, too, for indirectly offending you about your mom."

"He didn't know that, but he was right; car accidents are very common than plane crashes." Keanu sighed lamentedly. "I don't know why that came over me when he said he wanted to be a pilot."

"I guess anything that involves aviation upsets you."

"I don't want to be near an airplane ever again..." Keanu said insecurely. "And now, Dad wants us to pay a visit to the memorial in the park. But I'm... too afraid to go there."

"I can come with you; you must make closure you know. How about you bring some flowers?"

Keanu was quiet as he thought. "I have thought about it, you know, but..."

"I'll stay with you the whole time, okay? Just remember, it's okay to cry."

Keanu rolled onto his stomach with Hunter's, cuddling him with arms around his torso and kissing him on his cheek. "Thanks for listening..." and resting his head on his chest.

Hunter smiled and responded back the hug, rubbing his back. "I'm glad to help, love."

The door knocked and opened. Kendall leaned his head inside to check on them. "Is everything okay?"

Keanu shifted off from Hunter and sat on the bed, picking another tissue, and blowing it. "Yeah, Dad, I'm okay."

"How do you feel?"

Keanu quietly thought and softly spoke. "Like a new person..."

Kendall walked inside and sat next to his son, giving him a hug. "I'm glad to hear it."

The father and son separated their hug as Keanu spoke to his father. "How much did you hear?"

"Plenty." Kendall turned at Hunter who was moving aside on the bed to sit up. "And thank you, Hunter. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Hunter gave him a thumbs up.

"It's now lunchtime, kids, you all want some hot dogs?" Kendall offered.

Keanu and Hunter smiled with hungry faces. "Were we that long all morning?" the former wolf said.

...

Hunter was genuinely surprised how Keanu made his own hot dog. He added more toppings than the usual ketchup and mustard. He sure had a good taste for food for someone who had a small appetite. Apparently, he made the Chicago-style hot dog; chopped onions, pickles, tomatoes, some bit of mustard, and relish. Hunter just simply made the plain ketchup, mustard, and tiny fries, but still good.

"So, Hunter, where were you when it happened?" Kendall asked.

"Huh, I didn't think about that," Hunter said. "I was a senior in high school. So, on the last days of spring break, I came back home after going out with my friends. Dad wasn't home, so he called me and my mom that there had been a plane crash here in Rexville and Mom turned on the TV for the news. I... honestly didn't think much of it, you know, it was just another thing that my dad gets involved with. I knew it was a major tragedy, but we never had a connection aside from Dad being involved in the investigation. I never thought I'll meet one of the passengers until today." Hunter said as he rubbed Keanu's back comfortingly.

"What a small world we live in," said Kendall as he took a bite of his hot dog. After swallowing he asked, "So, are you two going on your date tonight?"

Hunter stopped chewing, ears standing up and eyes widening. He swallowed and spoke. "I-I really forgot!"

"Oh boy, aren't you the one who is planning the date?" Kendall said teasingly.

"You forgot the date, Hunter? I was wondering if we could postpone it," Keanu said.

"You wanted to postpone it?"

Well, it all made sense after the whole drama this weekend.

"Well, I'm feeling better now, so I'm still up for it tonight, but where it is, Hunter?"

"Ah, I'm going to take you to The Lighthouse Grill. It's a seafood restaurant. Do you like seafood?"

"Yeah, I love seafood." Keanu's tail wagged just like Hunter loved him to see. "I like salmon, trout, shrimp, tuna, and lobster."

"I taught this boy how to eat fish after taking him out for fishing," Kendall proudly said.

"I think you overcook that trout we caught."

"Oh yeah, I remembered. I was on the phone with your grandmother until I smelled smoke. I tried to fix it, but you couldn't take another bite. You thought that was how cooked fish looked like and sworn not to eat a fish again." Kendall laughed.

Keanu rolled his eyes. "Yup, I remember."

"Keanu, so how you cope with your... you know. Your health and all?" Hunter asked.

"Uh, when I started summer school, Crystal introduced me to Zorion's music to cheer me up." Keanu smiled cornily. "His songs were very inspiring, especially Leeward Against All Odds." He chuckled. "Now I have all of his albums."

Hunter chuckled along and nodded. "So, anything else?"

"Well, I like to swim in the pool. It feels nice when I'm floating on the surface."

"Nice, and you also do exercise in it?"

"Yeah, but it's not a very big pool, so I normally do like ten laps on both ends. It feels great though. Uh, does walking around the campus count?"

"Yeah, depending on where your classes are." Hunter thought of an idea. "Tell you what, if you're up for it, why not hang out with me and have some exercise to let out whatever you have in your system like punching a bag."

"I don't think that's my kind of coping mechanism, Hunter."

"Don't knock it until you try. It could be fun. Besides," he put the hotdog down on the plate to pull up the short sleeves of his shirt and flexed both of his arm muscles without shame, "I bet you want to check these assets out."

Keanu chuckled and rolled his eyes before grasping one flexing arm, squeezing it along with raspberry sounds with his tongue on each squeeze. "I bet they have silicone fillings underneath all those muscles."

Hunter lowered his arms and acted all hurt and pain. "Aw~, I'm hurt, I worked very hard, you know~."

The wolves let out a good laugh before Keanu said his final word. "But in all seriousness, I guess I should give it a try."

"That's the spirit." Hunter smiled.

...

Hunter and Keanu together had overcome their feelings and hardships. Their bond was so strong than they could have estimated. Hunter later went back to his home and talked about his situation with Keanu and how it all went well in the end. He assured them that, hopefully, Keanu could move on and live to see a new view of his life. Now that the mood was better, they could confidently go on their second date this Saturday night.

Meanwhile, at Rexville University, Sol had some ends that needed to be tightened. The weekend there was a tad quiet, but students were half-partying after finishing their busy exams last week.

In his dorm room, Sol was calling Topher on the bed, trying to get the latest status about Robin.

Topher spoke to him, "I talked with Robin about the whole blackmailing thing. Thanks to that, I could convince him to talk with you... as a kind of punishment. He is now coming over to your dorm."

"Wow, thanks..."

"Aw, don't thank me."

"That was sarcasm, Toph. But still, really? You're bringing him over?"

"Well, I could bring you over, but the way how things went and how I spoke, I..., oh wait, he has a roommate and it'll be rude to ask him to leave for a while and I don't want him to get into an argument. That guy just told me to take the whole thing elsewhere."

"Alright, alright, bring him in, I just hope he doesn't get flashbacks of my dorm because of the prank."

Topher laughed. "I don't think that's a big deal for him. I'll see you soon, Sol, and... did you just call me Toph? Are we on double nickname terms?"

"Double nickname terms?"

"You know my full name is Christopher and my short name is Topher and now you're short naming my already short name?"

"I didn't know it was Christopher..."

"The more you learn, sweetie~."

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP OR I'LL CHANGE MY MIND!" That was Robin's voice shouting.

"Are you speaker, Topher?"

"No, but he could tell how I'm talking to you."

"Whatever, I'll see you both soon." Sol hung up.

He flipped over to lie on his back on the bed. He was feeling mixed with all of this but to finally talk with Robin to have a diplomatic apology with minimal hostility was the right way to end this complicated, untouched drama. Topher did say that Robin had some very rough years in high school, so he assumed it was because he was likely bullied or discriminated against. If that were the case, then he should really apologize if that prank reminded him of his traumatic past. That should definitely be it.

Not too long, the door knocked. Sol jumped off the bed and went to the door. There, behind the door frame was a sulking Robin and a smiling Topher.

"Good evening, Sol," said Topher. "I brought a friend here who would like to speak with you."

Sol sighed out of annoyance and a hint of embarrassment and awkwardness with the raccoon's presence. "Thanks, Topher, I'll take it from here."

"My pleasure, I'll be downstairs in the common room; there's a little party going on." Topher waved and walked down the corridor to the nearest staircase. "If anything," he shouted, "call me!"

"Sure," Sol shouted back and faced his foe who was looking down at the floor and feet with arms crossed. Sol could tell he was uncomfortable. "Come on in, I... would like to properly talk to you."

He silently shrugged and walked slowly inside.

Good thing there wasn't a clock making annoying ticking sounds in the dense silence of Sol's dorm room. Robin sat on the couch, arms still crossed, and looking away from Sol at the balcony door. Sol was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, facing Robin. The tip of his long, spotted tail tapped on the floor with patience. Sol was trying to figure out how to leverage him to talk to him and open up. He was at the edge of a minefield and tried to figure out how to make the first step without bursting his rage.

But Robin let out an exasperated sigh and turned at him with a glare. "So, what do you want from me, asshole? I got chewed out from Topher for blackmailing that wannabe porn star so I can prank you back for what you did to me. Ugh, just looking at this place gives me traumatic flashbacks of Natasha attacking me."

Feisty as ever, thought Sol. However, his words were funny to hear, maybe it had to do with his acting career. A true Drama Queen.

"Why are you smirking?" he glared fiercely.

Sol snapped back; Robin saw the little grin that he accidentally emerged. "Sorry, that was honestly funny, but back to what we're here for. I want to properly apologize for what I did. You should be grateful that you have a friend who worries about you. Topher told me that your years in high school were very rough. So, if that was the case, if this whole prank I pulled off reminded you of anything like humiliation, I'm really sorry for what I did."

Robin glared at him but this time with a hint of disbelief that Topher told him a bit about him, he did tell Topher vaguely about his past and now Sol had a rough idea of where he came from.

Robin hastily stood up and said, "Apology accepted. Can I go now?"

Sol immediately sprang up to his feet to stop him from going somewhere. "Hey, are you serious? Just like that?"

"You're wasting my time, leopard, I'm not worth it!"

"Says who? The assholes who tormented your life to be like hell?"

"You don't know me!"

"That may be true, but you wanted to know me well when you first saw me in the field."

"You were awful to me!"

"I know and I'm an asshole for that and I'm giving you chance to let this thing behind us and start over."

"Well, it's too late, I lost that spark!"

"I don't mean to be boyfriends but as friends."

"I don't want to be your friend! You're the same as those monsters who made me feel like shit!"

"So, it was bullying."

"Yeah, you remind me of that homophobic leopard who used to be my friend and made my life hell. He ruined my adolescence! Thanks to you, all I can see when I look at you is that ugly smug he makes when he gets a chance to humiliate me." The raccoon's eyes were welling up. "So, fuck off, Solomon Stone! I'm leaving!"

Sol held him steady, he was stronger, so he could keep him from leaving his feelings.

"Let me go!" Robin cried, tugging off Sol's arm to free him.

"Just get yourself together, I know it hurts to talk about it, but you'll feel better afterward."

"No, you're not going to take advantage of me! I fucking hate you!"

Sol held him close, holding both shoulders firmly from leaving. "You don't hate me; you're making up excuses."

"Yeah, being bullied sure isn't a big excuse to get out of this nasty room!" Robin's tears were leaking out, but his anger dominated his mind to overshadow his dark past. "I already accepted your apology, now let me go!"

Robin kept shaking him off frantically. He wanted to get away from this figure who now reminded him of his former tormentor. He made wild noises of distress, barking, and growling.

Sol had enough and roared at him, it was so loud that it vibrated the whole room.

It was too late for what Sol did, he really screwed up. Robin stood still, paled and frightened of what he just saw as if his life flashed before him as he was about to be devoured by a predator.

Sol was catching his breath as he stared fixedly at the petrified Robin.

Sol softened his face and voice, saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Robin didn't say a word, but he seemed to be waiting to hear anything from Sol.

"Listen, I'm not that bastard who bullied you, I'm here and you're here to come clean about this stupid conflict between us that is leading us to nowhere and you're thinking that you've won, but there really are no winners. So, look at me one more time and see that I'm nothing alike to that bully who hurt you."

Robin was still shaken by the roar, but he listened and stared straight in the eyes and saw a worried but serious gaze of the leopard, he was not joking around and wanted to make up to him, it was pure genuineness coming from him, and wanted to help him ease the pain he provoked. Sol had nothing in common with that bully. He was showing sympathy and empathy.

Robin's lips moved; his voice came out low. "No... no... you're not..."

That was the first step Sol had managed to achieve, he had finally calmed him down. Maybe he was stronger than he thought.

The leopard and the raccoon faced each other with no words coming out of their lips. The air was so dense that they could hear their hearts beating.

Sol gently released his grip from his shoulders and tried to find a way to ask him to sit down on the couch but felt a pair of hands gripping his cheeks and his lips were pressed with Robin's. It took him by surprise with his yellow eyes widening to boggle and tail standing up in exclamation. Robin let go of the kiss as he huffed out of frustration.

Sol didn't blink and saw the whole thing before him. "What was that?"

"To shut you up and distract you!" Robin said.

"Distract you?" Sol knew he was lying as he placed his fists on his waist. "Then how come you're not running--"

Another kiss was planted on the leopard, this time more forward with a tongue inserted inside Sol's mouth. This time Sol held Robin to separate him from kissing him further.

"The hell is wrong with you? What the hell are you thinking?"

Robin's anger came back and said, "You know what I'm thinking? That you're the biggest asshole I've ever met! You're nothing like what people said you were in the soccer club! You're a sick-minded promiscuous slut who nearly slept with the whole campus! And-and... and..."

"Yeah, yeah, you fucking hate me, and at the same time you fucking love to hate me, am I right?"

"Yes!" Robin shouted and darted another kiss at the leopard. This time his tongue explored his mouth and his hands rubbed vigorously around Sol's back, almost scratching the fabric of the black, tight-fit, t-shirt with his nail claws.

Sol gave up whatever this conflicted, confused raccoon was thinking and let him do whatever he desired. He embraced him with his arms so Robin would not stand back this time and went all the way tonight. This was the stupidest thing they had ever done. They kept making out while standing in the middle of the room and things started to get wild.

...

The room was a mess, their clothes were scattered everywhere as if it snowed. One of the coffee table's legs broke off and laid awkwardly inclined on the floor with three legs left. The drawer and desk were knocked off multiple times and it spilled the essentials onto the floor, from school materials to books and from sundries to medals. These two rocked the dorm like a typical Hollywood action film with ridiculous semi-explicit sex scenes.

Wearing nothing on their bodies, Sol laid on the floor extremely, sexually satisfied by the afterglow he was feeling. Next to him was Robin with the same treatment. They were staring at the ceiling as they recovered their breaths.

"How are you feeling, Robin?" said Sol.

"Stupid."

"Yeah, me too."

"When you told me to look at you, I saw it right through it. You really care about others, don't you?"

"I have my fair share of folks who needed a helping hand~," Sol said and shook his fist in the air.

"Heh, what are you, the love doctor?"

"Something like that." He shrugged and placed his hands behind his head. "So, now what?"

"What?"

"What's your conclusion?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, do you still have some feelings for me?"

Robin looked at him with a doubtful frown. "I don't think we're meant to be. I think that spark was long gone after your prank."

"I see, I really blew it then."

Robin sat up with knees close to his chin. "Seems like it, I just realized that this whole thing was just copping my feelings by having sex with other people."

"Huh?" Sol half-stood up with arms propping behind him. "Who does that?"

"Me, I guess, every time I came back home after being constantly bullied, I would jerk myself off to ease the tension and stress. I lost my virginity at some point in high school, and that's where everything went to hell from there. I was stupid but I wanted more, I wanted to be with someone who would care for me and give me light to everything and leave the past behind. But all I did was screwing and hoped that they would give me a chance. I was naïve about what I was looking for. I looked at the wrong place. The sex was good, but not enough. And that's where I saw you in the field. Despite being a leopard, you were something different, you were majestic when you were running around with that confident face and smile. I said to myself, 'I want to meet this guy.' I found out quickly that you're gay, so I immediately sent you that secret admirer letter. And you can guess where it all went to."

Sol chuckled. "Yeah, you half-slept with my best friend. So, why did you do it?"

Robin frowned annoyingly but answered with a shrug, "I have no idea, but now that I know it was all a prank. I assume he was provoking me to lay a finger on him?"

"Yeah, that was the intention, but you really thought you could get away with it?"

Robin sighed. "Despite that I was into you, I guess deep down in me wanted to create a little scandal full of thrill--ugh, I don't know, it was stupid."

"We were all stupid in the end. Oh! Hey, a little birdie told me you were with someone else last week."

"Oh, so Hunter told you, huh? Uh, well, I got upset when Topher was feeling sorry for you, so I kind of dumped him as my friend with benefits and looked for someone else to cope with my bullshit. I met Shawn through the dating app, so we got what we wanted and screwed around until I also dumped him out of frustration last Monday."

"Why?"

"I was confronted by Hunter's boyfriend, Keanu, he called me out for the prank I pulled and for blackmailing Sergio."

For some reason, Sol wanted to kiss Keanu for being generous and standing up against Robin. Sol grinned guiltily. "Serves you right."

"Hmph, whatever, so I felt angry and frustrated because it reminded me of Topher's talking and called Shawn to fuck another round, but he was busy so I frustratedly dumped him too." He sighed miserably and softly spoke, "I never felt so lonely..."

"You're really damaging yourself to fill that bottomless hole? You better stop what you're doing, Robin. Having sex with other people won't solve your problems."

"Hah, guess I should start all over again next semester..." After a short silence, Robin continued, "So, tell me, do you still like me? Because after everything that happened to us, I don't think I want another chance."

Sol thought as he looked at him, Robin was a cute but mature raccoon that deserved better than this. After everything they had done to each other, they had lost sight of what they came for in the beginning. He knew the answer. "I don't think we're meant to be, even after reading your love letter, though, it did flutter my heart, but I kept it aside to do the thing I did to you. I honestly tried to give you a chance but... you duct-taped me in the end... so, no, Robin, I no longer have interest in you."

Robin sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"If you have someone else in mind, I promise I won't be jealous. You can date Topher if you want."

"Pfft, like that's gonna happen. He's simping you to death and he tried to make me jealous because he had the lead after apologizing to you first, did he?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he came to me to apologize."

"You can have him; I feel like you two have so much in common."

"I'm taking little steps, for now, I'm still young and I want to enjoy being single."

"Jeez, what year are you? Senior?"

"Third year, actually."

"He's a sophomore, you know. You have one more year left before you graduate, and it'll be too late if you don't act soon."

"Can't argue with that, but I'm still taking it slow, though, I'm not gonna jump in."

"If you say so..." Robin stood up to his feet and scavenged his clothes on the floor. "And why we didn't do it on the bed?"

Sol shrugged as he stood up. "I tried, but you seemed to enjoy wrecking my room."

"How is that my fault?"

"Well, maybe I let that slide and go all the way. I wasn't thinking straight in the end... and so neither was you."

"Point taken..." He went to the bathroom to shower. "Can I shower here?"

"Yeah, take your time." Sol searched for his underwear but found it still inside his jeans.

"And... Sol?"

"Yeah?"

"I accept your apology, and... I'm sorry for kidnapping and duct-taping you on the wall."

Sol smiled and replied, "Apology accepted."

Robin smiled genuinely for the first time at Sol before disappearing into the bathroom.

Sol picked up his cellphone on the nightstand and called Topher. "Hey, Sol." He answered.

"Mission accomplished."

"How did it go?"

"We had a weird makeup sex."

"Wh-what?"

"Yeah, it's complicated. I'll explain you later."

"Sure, and should I come over? Because I'm in the middle of playing Twister. I'm calling you in a weird position right now and everyone is laughing at me for calling on the phone."

"They're playing Twister downstairs? I guess there's no need to come over."

"Yeah, I'll see you later. I better put my right leg on the green circle."

Before Sol could have hung up, he heard laughter and cheers. He put the phone on the nightstand and sat down on the bed, rewinding the ordeal he went through tonight.

It all turned out well in the end, they could finally put it behind them. Sol slumped his back on the bed, hands behind his head, and sighed relaxingly. "I love my weird life."

...

That same evening, Keanu and Hunter went together to The Lighthouse Grill. They sat at the outdoor section where they could see the fat lighthouse on the cliffside, emitting light in circles for safe passage for the ships. It looked beautiful at night.

The waiter served the dating wolves two meals, a filet of salmon with pasta alfredo on the side for Keanu and a red snapper with mixed vegetables on the side for Hunter. It was very delicious, and it wasn't very pricey as Hunter said. The company and mood were lively as they chatted and ate together by the restaurant's boardwalk.

Then the dessert came, and they ordered a single slice of chocolate cake which both shared with two spoons. The cake texture was great and spongy, and the chocolate frosting was rich.

Looking at the cake, Keanu curiously asked, "So, what is your birthdate, Hunter?"

"March first, but, uh, I was actually born on February 29th."

"Oh no, you mean...?"

"Yeah," Hunter laughed and rubbed his nape, "I have to wait every four years to celebrate my birthday."

"That's crazy, but so that means next year you're turning... twenty? Wow, you're a little older than me. I just recently turned eighteen a few months ago."

"It's okay, it's just a number." Hunter sliced a piece of the cake with his spoon. "A small age gap won't hurt."

Keanu smiled, a little guilty, but in a good way. "I guess this means I have a thing for older big brother types."

The wolves laughed as they finished with their cake. Keanu glanced at the lighthouse. It looked magnificent up there. Hunter followed his gaze and smiled.

"You know we can go up there, right?"

"I really?" Keanu turned at Hunter. "I know it's a hot spot for tourists, but you can go to the top?"

"Yeah, but not just tourists, also joggers, hikers, and cyclists, they come and go there for physical activities. It's a challenging hill for sporty types. We can go and do it sometimes as I said earlier."

"Yeah, let's do that, I wanna see up there. We can see Catalina Island from up there, right?"

Hunter nodded. "This will be good for you, Keanu, I would like to help you to get out of your discomfort zone."

Keanu shyly smiled, and spoke softly, "Well, being here with you makes me feel better after everything. I glad to come here, Hunter."

Hunter smiled and gently reached his hand on the table, squeezing it warmly for comfort.

"Hey, do you know why the lighthouse is thicker than it should be?" Hunter started with that humorous tone.

"Thick?" Keanu looked at the white tower. "I have noticed to be wider in diameter, but I didn't think much about it, but, well, now that you mentioned it... most typical lighthouses are slimmer and tall..."

"Well, you see, someone screwed up with the construction plans and now it's twice as wide as it was originally intended to be."

"How could they have messed that up?"

"I don't know, but I think someone got fired and it's now an icon of Costa Blanca's landscape."

Keanu put his fist under his chin. "I guess mistakes can bring the best results."

Hunter laughed. "Yeah, it can... So, Keanu, when do you think you're ready to pay a visit to the memorial?"

Keanu quietly thought, looking down at the finished cake. "I... I'll let you know, okay? I'll call you when I'm ready. Maybe... tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow morning?"

"No, uh, I'll let you know, okay? I need to settle."

"Sure, I'll wait." Hunter held his warm hand again with a smile.