JC adjusted on the bed, transitioning from his stomach to his back. He was trying to be as gentle as possible, so as to not wake Nicole. Once on his back, he turned his head, expecting to see her sleeping form, but she wasn't there. He stretched his arms up over his head, pushing his palms against the headboard. After a deep breath, he swung his arms forward, gathering momentum, and raised his upper body up. He turned and sat at the edge of the bed, toes touching the floor. He remained as quiet as possible, listening for a hint as to where Nicole was or what she might be doing. He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was just after seven, she couldn't have been up for very long, but the room remained silent. 

"Nicole!" he called out. No response. 

He decided to get the day started and lifted himself off of the bed. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to adjust his sight in the low light of the room. He walked a few paces, found his jeans on the floor, and slipped them on. A few steps more, and he found his white V-neck shirt. He pulled that on as well. Assuming Nicole was in the kitchen, he moved for the door. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirrored armoire. His hair was sticking out wildly in different directions. Attempting to tame the wild strands, he ran his fingers through it multiple times. Not quite satisfied with the result, he knew it would have to do. He opened the door and took a few steps toward the kitchen. 

"Nicole!" He called out again. 

"She's out back," an unfamiliar woman's voice answered him.  

Startled, JC stepped back into the room quickly and shut the door. Who was that? He wondered. He walked across their room and pulled back the curtains of a window. There was Nicole, out back, just like the voice told him she would be. She was leaning against a green picnic table, smoking a cigarette, and chatting to a man in gray sweatpants and a navy hoodie. JC grew unexpectedly territorial. It was a ridiculous feeling, he knew that, but the probability of her slipping away, like everyone else, suddenly seemed very real and utterly terrifying; he couldn't quite help himself. He slid his feet into a pair of sneakers, placed his glasses on, and opened the outside door.

JC approached the talking pair conspicuously. Nicole caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and, mid-sentence, took a final drag from her cigarette and tamped it out on the floor with her foot. 

"Good morning, sunshine!" she called out to him with a smile. 

Unable to ignore the soft pang of jealousy vibrating in his chest, JC walked up and assertively stood between her and the stranger. "Hey." He responded more tersely than he had intended. 

"This is Chad. He and his wife Viv are our housemates," She introduced, taking a sip from a large paper coffee cup. 

"JC," he introduced himself.

"Morning," Chad answered, extending his hand. 

JC shook his hand quickly and looked back at Nicole.     

"The three of us walked to the coffee place around the corner. Here," she explained handing him a large paper cup, "It's a cappuccino!" She giggled softly, pushing the cup into his hand. He finally cracked a smile. She then extended her arm out, inviting him to step into her embrace. She circled his waist with her arm, and, his jealousy finally subsiding, he wrapped his own arm around her shoulders. She tilted her head up, blinking at him, and puckered her lips. He obliged and pressed his lips to hers quickly before taking a sip of coffee.  

"My wife and I are from New Mexico, on our way to San Diego, so we were sharing travelers' tips." Chad explained. "Oh, speak of the devil," Chad turned at the sound of a screen door slamming, and a tall black-haired woman in matching sweats came striding toward them. "This is my wife, Viv. Honey, meet JC." 

JC extended his hand to her as she joined their small circle by the picnic table. She reached out and shook his hand firmly, a large smile slowly forming on her face. Her eyes widened in recognition, and she looked at JC, then to Nicole, and finally back to JC. 

"JC!" She smiled awkwardly. "N-nice, to meet you."

"I was telling Nicole that they just missed the Hatch Chili Festival, but that most places will still have hatch chili everything, and if they find a place with hatch chili mac ‘n' cheese it is a must!" Chad was filling in his wife on their conversation. 

"Yeah," Viv affirmed absently, unable to tear her eyes away from JC. 

"And I was trying to talk them out of White Sands, but Nicole is committed, sorry JC." Chad continued. 

"Nicole is running this show, I'm just glad she's letting me tag along," JC laughed.

"We should probably pack and load up," Nicole explained. "Thanks for the tips. I hope you two have a nice time in San Diego. The beaches are nice, but California water is cold, so you've been warned." She smiled. 

"I'm sorry," Viv spoke up, staring unabashedly at JC. "You are JC, Like JC Chasez? Like the best singer from NSYNC, JC Chasez?" She tried her best to contain her excitement. 

JC nodded, shyly. "I'm not sure about best," He mumbled

"I loved you guys! Chad, my sister is not going to believe this." She laughed excitedly. "Do you think... um..."

"He'll totally take a picture with you." Nicole said, stepping away from him so that Viv could take her place. "Do you have your phone?" 

JC gave Nicole an exasperated look but put on a sweet smile anyway. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times and turned toward Viv. She handed Nicole her phone and stood next to JC. He circled his arm around her shoulders, tilted his head closer to hers, and smiled widely. Nicole counted down from three and snapped a few pictures. She handed the phone back to Viv. 

"I can't believe this. My sister and I were huge fans. We went to like eight of your concerts! Oh my God, you had such a beautiful voice!" She turned to Nicole, receiving her phone, "Didn't he have such a beautiful voice?" 

Nicole smiled and noticed a slight blush form on JC's cheeks as he shifted his weight uncomfortably back and forth on his feet. "Yeah, he does," Nicole confirmed. 

"Thank you," JC said softly, hugging Viv lightly before stepping away. "That means a lot. You're being too kind." It was clear the compliment made him feel awkward.

"Well, JC," Nicole smiled conspiratorially, "we really should probably start packing the car and heading out," she explained, saving him from the continued discomfort of the situation. "Nice meeting you two," she waved at Chad and Viv, and turned for the door to their room. 

JC waved and followed behind Nicole. Once inside, he sat down on the bed. He watched as Nicole gathered the clothes on the floor from the previous night's escapades and placed them neatly into her travel bag. She sat cross-legged on the floor, zipping and unzipping various compartments in her bag, when she noticed JC looking at her. She smiled up at him, but he didn't return the smile. 

"What's wrong?" She asked him. He shrugged in response. "Are you weirded out because you got recognized?" she asked him on the verge of laughter, rolling her eyes. 

He shrugged, then added, "No, not really. Occupational hazard. It's just... I don't know..." 

She stood in front of him as he sat on the edge of bed. She reached down, picked his hands up and placed them on her waist. She rested her arms on his shoulders and looked down at him. "You gotta relax. People are just excited. You're associated with so many happy memories. It's not like people recognize you because you killed someone's dog." 

He looked up at her and laughed a little. "I know. But that's it. Memories. It's all in the past. ‘I was a fan.' ‘You had such a nice voice.' I'm still doing my thing, you know. I'm not washed up yet, they just, you know, only know the old stuff." He pulled her closer to him and wiggled her hips back and forth in his hands. 

"Well, it's not like you're singing and dancing and putting yourself out there like you once were." She ran her hands through his hair a few times. Sliding her hands from his scalp to the ends of his hair and twirling the curls with her fingers. He tilted his head back, closing his eyes in pleasure. On her last pass through, she gripped his hair lightly in her fists, shook his head a bit, bent down towards him and added, "Maybe you should give the people what they want." She punctuated her statement by pressing her lips to his.

"Not you too!" her whined, mouth still pressed against hers. 

"Hey," she pulled her face away from him slightly.  "Are you happy?" 

He ran his hand around the back of her and squeezed her back side, "Right now? At this moment? Yes, incredibly happy." Then he puckered his lips for another kiss. 

She complied, but only gave him a peck. "I mean, like, in life?"

He looked at her and remained very quiet. "Is anyone really?" He asked her seriously. When she didn't answer, he added. "Are you?" 

She released her hands from him, and moved a few steps back, breaking away from his embrace. "Well, that's enough of an existential crisis for one day." She forced a laugh, turned away from him completely, knelt down, and continued to occupy herself with packing. "We really need to get going. Jose Luis messaged me, and we have to get to Biosphere 2 before 10 if we want Mike to show us around," she informed him, matter-of-factly, without looking up. 

JC stood from the bed quietly, walked to the bathroom, and closed the door. 

****

Mike led Nicole and JC down a wooden planked walkway that hovered just above the dry, dusty earth. The air was arid and warm, and they were surrounded by various forms of cacti, Joshua Trees, and succulents. If not for the crisscrossing white metal triangles framing the glass of the biosphere dome, they would never have known they were not outside in the actual desert. Mike ran down a list of various flora located in the desert biome, but quickly ushered them to a metal door, and as they crossed the threshold, the noticeable change in moisture and heat was almost breathtaking. He led them a few steps into the next room, and suddenly they were surrounded by large Amazonian rubber and banana trees that shot up to the domed roof. Various fern looking shrubs gathered around the base of the trees. They followed Mike through the man-made rainforest into the bamboo belt. The distinct sound of water trickled nearby and became visible as they entered the rainforest flood plain. Completely in awe of her surroundings, unable to comprehend how all of this could be man-made, Nicole rattled off question after question, and Mike seemed to be able to answer each one with ease. 

"So, I've shown you the marine biome-" Mike started but was interrupted. 

"I still can't believe there is a 700,000-gallon ocean in this building, complete with a coral reef," Nicole announced, exasperated by the thought. 

"Too bad you guys didn't bring bathing suits, we could have gone snorkeling," Mike laughed. "Anyway, you saw the marine biome, the desert biome, and the savannah. Before I take you underground to see the lungs, I want to show you my favorite biome: the mangrove forest!"

"Mangroves! Of course." Nicole announced and followed as Mike led the way. 

"Why, ‘of course' mangroves?" JC asked with air quotes, trying to keep up with them. 

"Mangrove forests are very dynamic biomes, and they do so much good. Besides filtering carbon dioxide from our air supply, obviously, they also immobilize metals and thus remove tons of pollutants from the soil. Also, they create an intercostal habitat with small intertidal flora and fauna, which are crucial in preventing soil erosion during weather events. I mean imagine Florida without mangroves! That whole peninsula would have been washed away with Hurricane Michael last year." 

JC smiled and nodded politely. "You really are into mangroves, man," he added, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Be careful. They'll get stuck up there," Nicole whispered sarcastically at him. 

"My last four years of college have been dedicated to studying the impacts of water on soil erosion, so yeah, mangroves are my thing." Mike laughed. "It's ridiculous, but it is what it is," he added and then continued to lead the trek to the mangrove forest. 

Nicole slid her arm around JC's waist. "You're bored, huh?" She asked him. "I'm sorry. I just have always wanted to come here." 

He smiled down at her as they walked behind Mike. "Oh honey, I'm not bored at all. I mean, this place is pretty amazing. No clue what the heck you and Mike are talking about, but it's kinda hot watching you geek out." He winked at her, then pulled her arm from around him and slid her hand in his. 

JC and Nicole walked hand in hand through the mangrove biome, just a few steps behind Mike, as he rattled off detail after detail about the various flora associated with mangroves and their accompanying marshland. Eventually the path became quite narrow, and JC allowed Nicole to walk ahead, balancing on the narrow wooden planks. Soon the three were joined by a fourth person. A woman in a University of Arizona polo, jean shorts, and knee-high galoshes came sloshing through the marsh area. She was dragging a net with her, cleaning or filtering something from the water. 

"Michael! Hi," she called out. "Who do you got with you today?" She asked, looking up at the three of them as they stood just above her on the walkway. 

"Hi Dr. Reynolds. This is Jose Luis' teacher from high school and her husband," He explained. 

Nicole's stomach dropped. "Friend!" She corrected quickly. Her breathing shallowed, and her skin grew hot with embarrassment "This is my friend," she repeated in a tone of fake calm.

JC laughed a deep laugh, almost losing his balance on the small walkway. 

"Sorry," Mike offered. "I- I just assumed."

"It's ‘cause we're old, Nicole," JC explained between laughs. "You're too old to be called a girl, so you can't be my girlfriend, you must be my wife." His eyes almost disappeared as he laughed again.

Nicole forced herself to smile and laugh along. But she really was unable to process any more words after girlfriend and wife. The king of mixed signals had once again arrived. And the spiral of thoughts descended. How was it possible for those words to pass so freely from his lips? Does he want more? Is this serious? Is he ready for something official? Was she ready for something official? How would she explain this to Matt and Joel, when she had been fighting it for so long? Now she can stop fighting it, right? But does she really want it? Is she ready? It's been seven years of putting her life on hold; yeah, she was ready! Stop! Stop! She kept telling herself. I'm spinning out of control. Quit reading into this, she scolded herself. He wasn't calling her anything. He wasn't asking for anything. He wasn't labeling anything. Mike was. After a moment she reined herself back in and focused her attention, again, on the woman standing in the marsh.

"I'm Nicole," she introduced herself. "Mike is a friend of one of my former students, so he is doing him a favor by showing us around," she explained, then waved her hand toward JC, "and this is--"

"I know who you are!" the woman said, failing to hide her excitement. "JC Chasez! Wow! I'm a big fan. Huge!" she announced, sloshing her way closer to the wooden walkway. With a bit of effort, she was able to raise up a muddy boot, and stepped up to join them on the narrow walkway, advancing on JC, holding out her hand. "I'm Doctor Amanda Reynolds!"   

Startled by her enthusiasm, he smiled awkwardly and shook her hand. "It's um, nice to meet you, hon- Doctor."

Mike turned to Nicole, confused. 

"He used to sing, in a group," she explained. 

Mike turned back to JC, looking at him again as if for the first time. JC was wearing black jeans and black t-shirt with a motorcycle logo on the back. His hair was long and looked unrushed. He seems so average, it was hard to believe he could possibly be a celebrity. 

"You know, you should really sing again!" Doctor Reynolds announced, stepping closer, advancing on him again. "You were so good. I mean, it's a shame we never got to hear your second album," she continued. 

JC's eyes grew large. It was clear he was uncomfortable, every time she took a step towards him, he took a step back. "Yeah, thanks. I'm working on the back end now."

"You should not hide your voice from the world! Could you," she blushed bashfully before continuing, "do you think you could sing something right now?" Doctor Reynolds grew more and more excited with each word she spoke. 

JC looked past the woman, silently pleading for rescue. "Oh, I couldn't, you know, I gotta warm up the pipes first," he explained absently, touching his throat lightly for emphasis. 

"And you're still so handsome! I was so in love with you when I was younger." She suddenly turned her attention to Mike. "My walls were covered with posters of this guy! And Lance." She turned her attention back to JC and walked a few steps closer.  "I loved Lance, but you were definitely my favorite.  I mean, I'd leave my husband for you right this second, if there's a chance." She smiled with a wink. 

"Well," JC began, looking past her again, eyes the size of saucers, "I think Nicole might take issue with that, as well as your husband." 

Nicole tried to stifle her grin and shrugged her shoulders at him. 

"Well, Doctor Reynolds," Mike finally interjected uncomfortably. "They are heading out, so I was going to take them downstairs really quick before they leave, we should get going." He walked past Doctor Reynolds and escorted JC down the walkway, Nicole in tow. 

"It was nice meeting you!" she called out, waving. 

"You, too, honey," JC replied without looking back. "That woman is a doctor?" JC asked Mike as they charged toward an exit. 

"Yeah. And my boss."

****

After climbing through a series of long metal tube-like tunnels that ran under the entire length of the biosphere facility and watching the giant compression chamber lungs regulate the air pressure of the entire building, Nicole and JC were headed back to the car. She opened the tailgate on the back of her jeep and sat, feet dangling below the back bumper. She proceeded to change from her hiking boots to a pair of sandals. JC stood silently watching her. 

"Are you okay?" She asked him. 

He nodded in the affirmative. 

"Did you have fun? That place is pretty cool." 

He nodded again. 

She wiggled her toes, satisfied with her change in shoes, she secured the items in the back of the car, closed the tailgate, and turned back toward JC. "I feel like there's something wrong."

"You want me to drive?" He asked her, changing the subject. 

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked, tossing him her keys. 

He caught them, turned quickly, and took his place behind the wheel in the driver's seat. She quickly occupied the passenger seat. JC adjusted the mirrors and pulled the car from the parking lot. He eased the car onto the highway, and they drove in silence, apart from the dull hum of music on the radio. Nicole watched him as he drove. His jaw was set, eyes fixed on the road, and she could see the tension on his face.

"We don't have to talk about it, but you're not okay. And I'm putting two and two together," she continued when he refused to respond. "So, twice today some chicks got really excited to meet you, and both times you got weird. I feel like you should be flattered, but clearly you aren't so, what gives?"

JC maintained his eyes on the road ahead, but she could see the muscles in his jaw twitch slightly. 

"If I can do something, to help, let me know." She explained, but still no response from him. She cracked a small smirk, "How about a little road head?" she asked, reaching over, and sliding the palm of her hand over his thigh and towards his crotch. 

He flinched slightly, and turned to give a disapproving look, allowing himself to smirk ever so slightly. He pulled one hand from the steering wheel to stop her hand from advancing on his lap. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand. "I'm fine." Then after a long pause, he added, "I don't like when that happens. Sometimes. When I'm just being, you know, me."

"But that's part of you."

"No, I know. I don't mind it as a general rule. I just like to be prepared, and..." he finished his thought early.

"And?" Nicole pressed him. 

"And it comes with a lot of questions, and expectations, you know," he turned his head, eyeing her. When she nodded that she understood, he continued, "I'm not the same. None of us are. Are you the same person you were fifteen/twenty years ago?"

"No," she answered softly, shaking her head. 

"So, they don't recognize me. They recognize who I used to be. They want something that I can't give them, and, well, I hate letting people down... But today," he squeezed her hand again gently and continued, "...and with you, I just want to be me. One of my favorite things about you, being with you, is how easy it is to be just Josh." He exhaled softly, like releasing a weight.

Nicole warmed at his confession. The butterflies returned to her stomach, and again she was floored by the effect he seemed to have on her. She smiled at him, though he wasn't watching, then squeezed his hand back, bringing their clasped fingers toward her, she kissed his knuckles. Then after a brief moment said, "I want to ask you something, but I'm a little afraid."

JC's shifted uncomfortably. A wave of nerves rushed through him. What was she going to ask him? He swallowed hard. "You can ask me anything." He said, eyes again fixed on the road. 

"Why do you--I mean, if you're just Josh, why do you introduce yourself as JC?" She asked. Then promptly added, "I'm not questioning you or anything; just curious."

"Because I'm a confusing son of bitch," he laughed, relieved. 

***

The distance to their New Mexico camp site in the Gila National Forest was not far in miles, but the winding roads up mountain sides and through dense forests made for an extremely long drive, timewise. They arrived just before 5pm. They parked on the asphalt slab next to a lush green space that sank back into an area of thick trees. The pair quickly exited the car, ready to stretch their legs. Nicole inspected the campsite. She walked back a few feet into the tree covered area, and then met JC at the small ring of rocks that served as a fire pit in the grassy clearing near the car. 

"Keys?" She asked, extending her hand. "We need to set up this camp site, and head over to the observation deck before it gets dark. 

JC handed over the keys, and Nicole made quick work of opening the cargo container on the roof of the vehicle. She pulled one item at a time down from the container, handing each to JC as he made a neat pile on the side of the vehicle. 

She jumped down from the door jamb on the side of the car and clasped her hands together in excitement. "Okay! You wanna do the tent or firewood?" she asked him.

"Um," JC looked at the items on the ground and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I've never done either, so..."

"Okay, fancy pants!" she quipped. "I guess now's as good a time as any to learn. Grab that tarp," she ordered as she dragged the bag containing the tent over to the clearing. 

Together they spread out the tarp. She explained how once the tarp is down, you lay the base of the tent over the tarp, then laughed as JC struggled to determine which end of the tent was the base. He figured it out eventually. She took one set of tent poles and showed him how they interlocked with each other, then slid her poles through one set of loops, extending diagonally across the length of the tent. She looked on as JC clumsily worked to do the same. The tent was pitched rather quickly nonetheless, but they had some difficulty pushing the stakes into the hard earth. Nicole laughed as JC kicked and jumped up and down repeatedly on one stake. She disappeared into the trees and came back with a large rock, which she hammered onto the stake and drove it into the ground with ease. 

"I got it started for you!" He whined. 

"Yeah, you did." she stroked his ego. "Now let's attach the rain fly." 

"Is it going to rain?" He asked nervously.

"No, but it will help with warmth and if there's any moisture in the air." 

"You don't need that. I'm hot! I'll keep you warm," he winked at her with a large, goofy grin.

"I'm counting on you keeping me warm, but we'll put the rain fly up just in case," she laughed.

Nicole tossed the waterproof material over their tent and explained to him how to attach it to the grommets with carabiners. They stood back admiring their handy work. Let's get the sleeping bags and mats in there. She walked back toward the car and picked up a roll of what looked like hexagonal shaped plastic. She unfurled it to reveal two different sleeping mats. She handed one to JC, showed him the air valve and told him to blow up the mat to his desired thickness. 

"Well, you've done this before." He laughed between breaths. 

Nicole crawled into the tent, and he handed her the mats, followed by a pair of sleeping bags, the lantern, and his floppy pillow. 

"What do you say we look for some firewood, make a sandwich, layer up, and find a spot for stargazing?" He asked her, egging on her enthusiasm. 

Nicole locked the car, and the two ventured off into the forested area behind their tent. JC listened intently, as she explained what constituted kindling, tinder, and fuel, and would smile and pump his arm when she approved of his haul. Nicole arranged the sticks and pieces of branches into a pyramid shape in the fire pit and joined JC at the back of the Jeep. He was putting the finishing touches on two salami sandwiches. He wrapped one in a napkin and handed it to Nicole. 

They sat in the back of the jeep, side by side, legs hanging down past the bumper. Between bites, JC turned suddenly towards her and asked, "What happens when we have to use the restroom?" 

"Walk at least 50 feet back that way," she tilted her head back behind the tent, "and mark your territory behind a tree." She explained while chewing. 

JC nodded, then asked, "What if it's number two?" 

"Same, but dig a hole with a rock. I got toilet paper and hand sanitizer in that bag in the tent. Oh, and bury the TP." 

"Do you really just shit in the woods?" He asked her with a wide grin.  

"What's good for bears is good for me?" She laughed and shrugged. 

"There's bears?" He stood suddenly, looking around as if a bear were going to pounce at any moment. 

"I'm sure there are. But if it were a concern, then there would be bear boxes. We will keep all the food in this ice chest and in the car anyway. No snacks in the tent," she explained calmly.

"Bear boxes?" JC's eyes grew wide.

"Some campsites have metal containers where you can keep your food and ice chests and stuff. None here, so there's probably not a bear issue here."

"What have you gotten me into? Bears, shitting in the woods. I'm not sure if I thought this trip through. I can't believe you were going to do this by yourself!"

"If you need to poop, and you don't want to shit in the woods, you can walk to the gate we drove in through. There are outhouses there.  But otherwise, yeah, you gotta shit in the woods. As for bears? Well, if you die by bear, at least that's an interesting story." 

Nicole popped the rest of the sandwich into her mouth and stood. She wiped the crumbs from her lap and reached into the back of her Jeep. She pulled out her boots, a pair of flannel pants, and her puffer jacket. "As soon as the sun sets it will get cold, and I want to watch Saturn rise, so we will be on the observation deck for a while. Meteor showers this week too, so we might see some after ten. She pulled the pants over her leggings, changed her shoes, and tossed her sandals into the back of the jeep. She walked round to the side of the car, stepped up, and pulled the telescope bag, a wool blanket, and a large flashlight from the cargo container before closing and locking it. He watched as she placed a red filter over the flashlight and tested it a few times. 

JC finally rose up from his spot at the back of the Jeep. He found his own jacket, pulled a gray beanie from his duffle bag, placed it on his head and pulled it down over his ears. He walked around to the front driver's door, reached in, and retrieved his plastic water bottle and Nicole's hydro flask, then met her at the back of the car. Nicole ensured everything was secure in the car, closed it, locked it, and led JC down the gravel walkway. The gravel trail led them up a hill and onto a clearing, with a sign posted that read, "Gila Dark Sky Park Observation Deck." 

There were only four other people, comprising two groups of two, setting up in the observation area. Nicole stopped at a spot on the far edge of the clearing. She spread out the wool blanket. JC sat at the center of it and watched as Nicole went to work setting up the telescope. She was thankful for the light of dusk, as she needed to read the directions booklet to ensure her set up was correct. Satisfied that the telescope was operational and would remain upright, Nicole took a seat next to JC on the blanket. 

"Now what?" He asked her, leaning in, and bumping her shoulder with his. 

"We wait. The sun should set in about 20 minutes. Saturn will start to rise, just over there in about an hour." She pointed off into the horizon.

"How do you know this stuff?" He asked. 

"Google." she smiled. 

JC laughed. "But how did you even get into this. Stars and planets and what not?" 

"You don't like stars? Or space? I thought everyone loved space stuff."

"Yeah." JC grinned suddenly. "Once, I wrote a song about. Like to hear it? Here it goes..." He looked at her eyebrows raised waiting for her to laugh, but when she didn't, he just laughed to himself. "Never mind," he shook his head. "So, yeah, I like space, but not enough to actively seek out a dark sky park. I mean, we have already established you are into some nerdy shit, but how did you get into this specific piece of nerdy shit?"

She sat silent for a moment, and then sighed nostalgically. "Well, I guess it was kinda by accident. Maybe six years ago," she counted on her fingers. "I was in Chile. I know, random. But I was in a town called Vicuña. I met this guy in my hostel. German guy, from Freiberg. Anyway, he had a car, and one day during breakfast we were talking. He told me that he was going to drive out to this observatory in the mountains. Apparently, it's a pretty famous one: Mamalluca Observatory. Anyway, we went, and we listened to this guy give a talk, all in Spanish so that was interesting, and he showed us all these things through a telescope, and it was unbelievable. Jupiter, the Orion Nebula, the Southern Cross. We stayed up there most of the night. I had never seen so many stars in my life. I didn't know that many stars in the night sky was even possible! You could see it all, everything. Our galaxy! The Milky Way! It was just there, spread out across the sky. And we were so high up, it was like we could touch it.  It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Until two weeks later, we were south. Patagonia," She pointed to the logo on JC's jacket. "In Torres del Paine, and I thought we had seen stars in Vicuña! Down there, Wow! We saw more stars than you could ever imagine! Imagine a shit ton of stars, and multiply that by like a million!" She looked at him, smiling. "I've been chasing the dragon ever since," she added with a wry smirk and a shrug of her shoulders.

"Huh." JC responded, shaking his head slightly. 

"What?" She asked.

"I was expecting, you know, a childhood field trip to the Griffith Observatory, or star stickers on your ceiling. But no, you came in hot! World-famous South American observatory in the Andes Mountains with a German guy. My goodness, your willingness to get involved with strangers is astounding." JC shook his head, feigning seriousness. "Reckless!" 

"I guess you're right." She said seriously, looking down.

He eyed her questioningly.

"Once," She took a breath and lowered her chin, raising only her eyes to look at him. She exhaled softly, "Once, I was out, and there was this guy. And, well, he put something in my drink, and I was so out of it." She started to smile, "And this, like, real kind guy, sorta helped me out, but, like, now, I can't shake him. He's like, just always around." She raised her chin up to face him. "A real stage five clinger."

"Oh, Oh! I'm a stage five clinger, huh?" he asked sarcastically, pointing to himself.

"Yeah," Nicole answered with a nod and a smile, "you are."

"Oh, well... I mean, I guess... you're right... because..." He laughed and adjusted himself on the blanket. He shifted so that her back was to him. He extended his legs out on either side of her, then wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arm to the sides of her body, and pulling her in close to him. "... I'm totally hooked. And now that I have you, it's highly unlikely that I'm going to let you go." He placed a sloppy trail of kisses from her ear down the side of her face. She wiggled to escape him, but he held on tighter. "I'll show you a stage five clinger!" He laughed and kissed her cheek again. She turned her head, attempting to face him, and he pressed his lips to hers.  She kissed him back deeply. After a moment, he released his grip on her but kept his arms in place around her. He kissed her cheek again, then her jaw, and finally her neck, as she rested back against him in his arms.