Brighter than Sunshine

Chris threw his pen across the room, nearly knocking over in the process the lamp providing the only light in the room. Jonny snapped his head up from the book he was reading.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Chris just sighed, grabbed the piece of paper in front of him, and tore it with so much anger that Jonny backed away a little.

"I can't fucking write anything!" Chris threw his arms down on the table, and buried his head between them. His back heaved violently with the frustrated breaths he took.

"It's OK, Chris, you don't have to write a song every single day." Jonny moved his chair a bit closer to Chris. Chris turned his head so he faced Jonny, but he was still resting on the table. "You're allowed to take a break every now and then."

"But I feel like... there's something in me, you know, and it needs to come out. I need to write something, but I just... I just can't." Chris stared for a few moments at the book in Jonny's hand. "What are you reading?"

Jonny looked at the book quickly, though he already knew what it was, and nervously responded, "Uh... On- On the Road."

"Is it any good?"

"It's great, actually. It's about this guy who meets another guy, and they go on a lot of adventures through America." Jonny laughed, "That's a bad summary, but... it-it's good. I like it."

Chris picked his head up and laid his hands in his lap. "Will you read some to me?"

"Um... sure, I guess." Jonny opened up to a random page and cleared his throat. Chris's eyes were gazing at him, and he started to feel very anxious. "Great Chicago glowed red before our eyes. We were suddenly on Madison Street among hordes of hobos, some of them sprawled out on the street with their feet on the curb, hundreds of others milling in the doorways of saloons and alleys. "Wup! wup! look sharp for old Dean Moriarty there, he may be in Chicago by accident this year." We let out the hobos on this street and proceeded to downtown Chicago. Screeching trolleys, newsboys, gals cutting by, the smell of fried food and beer in the air, neons winking--"We're in the big town, Sal! Whooee!" First thing to do was park the Cadillac in a good dark spot and wash up and dress for the night..."

Chris blinked his tired eyes at Jonny. "Why did you stop?" Jonny sighed and put the book down.

"I don't know."

"You're not gonna read anymore?" Jonny shrugged. "Oh."

"Did you want me to?" Jonny reluctantly asked.

"You don't have to. I just like hearing you read," Chris smiled. "And you were really cute when you did the 'Wup! wup!' thing."

Jonny slid his green eyes over to Chris's blue ones. "What?"

"I... I, uh..." Chris stammered, flustering like crazy, "I mean, you know.. that 'Wup! wup!' thing, it was... Ugh, there's no way out of this, is there?"

"That depends, what isn't there a way out of?" Chris unblinkingly stared at Jonny for as long as he could. Jonny stared back, and they both felt something growing between them.

"I never understood before," Chris muttered. "I never knew what love was for. My heart was broke, my head was sore..." Chris broke his gaze with Jonny. "What a feeling."

Jonny dumbly said, "Wish you hadn't thrown the pen now?" Chris, still looking away, shook his head. Jonny was very confused by this point, and still rather nervous, so he too looked away for a bit. But eventually their eyes met once more.

"Love will remain a mystery, but give me your hand and you will see." Chris grabbed Jonny's hand, wrapping Jonny's fingers around his wrist. "Your heart is keeping time with me."

Jonny wasn't sure that he could actually feel Chris's pulse, or if he was just imagining things, but it freaked him out a little. "OK, that's kinda weird." Chris took Jonny's words the wrong way, and frantically tried to pull his hand back. But Jonny wouldn't let go.

"What a feeling in my soul, love burns brighter than sunshine... It's brighter than sunshine. Let the rain fall, I don't care. I'm..." Chris stopped, quite suddenly, and just blinked.

"Writer's block again?" Chris shook his head, more fervently than last time.

"I'm yours." Chris took his free hand and placed it over Jonny's. "And suddenly your mine." He let his hand stay for a moment, then drew a sharp breath and pulled back. "Bad idea."

"Chris," Jonny mumbled. Chris looked up at him, afraid of what would come next. "Would you like me to read to you?"

"I thought you didn't want to read anymore."

"You like hearing me read, don't you?" Chris nodded. "And I like having you watch me... with those... big, blue, beautiful eyes."

"On second thought," Chris said, his tone suddenly absent of any sort of nervousness or hesitance, "You won't be able to read."

"How so?"

Chris moved his chair over as close to Jonny's as he could get. When he couldn't move the chair any closer, he moved his body closer. Soon their legs were touching, and Chris reached his hand over to the back of Jonny's neck. He briefly caught Jonny's lips with his own, like testing the waters. Jonny didn't fight, so Chris dove in. Pretty soon, he found himself in desperate need of oxygen.

"That wasn't my song, you know," Chris panted as he pulled away.

"It wasn't?"

"No," Chris replied. "Aqualung. But every time I hear it, I think of you."

"Really?" Jonny asked. "Because I always think of you when I hear Dancing Queen."

"Jonny, I'm trying to be serious!" Chris snapped, but he was failing at holding back his laughter.

"I am being serious. Chris, with a bit of rock music, everything is fine. You're in the mood for dance. And when you get the chance, you are-" Chris kissed Jonny again to shut him up. Jonny didn't mind so much.

"I should write a song about you, Jonny. I think that's what's been stuck in me."

"Didn't you already do that?" Chris laughed.

"Ah, more times than you'll ever know." Chris brought his hand up and tapped Jonny's nose. "But this time, it'll be really, really obvious that it's about you. And not just Yes and Green Eyes obvious. I'm gonna call it..."

While Chris was off in his thoughts, Jonny asked, "You wrote Yes for me??"

Then, Chris jumped back to life and spread his arms out in front of him. "I'm gonna call it Jonny. Original, yeah?" he laughed.

"You're always original, Chris," Jonny replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"It will be a hit. And I don't care if people don't like it, because to me it will be the greatest song ever. Because, Jonny," Chris smiled as widely as he could, "I love you."