Emmett traced a finger over the road map. They were standing in a derelict rest stop. There'd been some construction in the area since the last time Emmett had been here and he needed to check their course.

"You know, we could still Map it on my phone." Tab offered. His eyes were glazing over as he tried to follow Emmett's course.

"Please. It'll probably send us in circles."

"Aren't you still too young to be so mistrustful of technology?"

"Young?" Emmett looked down at Tab, his finger still holding his place on the map. "No one has called me young in awhile."

"What? You're not even 30, right? It's definitely not old."

Emmett gave a shrug, feeling tired. "Over the hill in the modeling world."

"I heard smoking ages you."

It wasn't antagonistic, so Emmett wasn't mad.

"Listen here, brat." Emmett took Tab by the collar, forced his back up against the wall. Tab was blushing, excited by the attention. Emmett leaned in, smirking, close enough to breathe each other's air.

"A couple puffs might help you with your baby face." He slapped Tab's cheek, only hard enough to make a sound, and pushed him away again.

"Tease…" Tab complained at his shoulder as Emmett looked back at the map.

"Are you just now learning that?" He glanced back down at Tab but he was just pouting in response.

"I think I'll hit the restroom before we go."

"Be quick about it."

"As if. We haven't been in a rush the entire time." He jabbed Emmett with a finger, sticking his tongue out before turning on his heel and walking away. Like a kid having fun.

It was even warmer out here and he was in shorts now and one of those ridiculous tank shirts that cut almost completely down the side. And why did he have to tie all of his hair up in that stupid bun?

Meanwhile Emmett still couldn't bring himself to even roll up his sleeves. It was another one of Tab's picks. A button-up, of muted black and purple plaid that Tab managed to leave overlong sleeves on. It was comfortable. So were the same skinny jeans and boots he hadn't managed to change out of yet. He was sure he'd heard you didn't have to wash pants that often anyway. Probably depended on what you did in them though…

Tab wasn't back yet by the time he figured out their course so he took a seat on the cracked faux leather sofa next to a humming vending machine. There was a stack of ancient magazines on the table and on top was one with a cover that looked familiar.

He shouldn't have opened it. There was only one reason for it to be familiar. Early work. Pictures to be proud of.

It was a women's magazine. Summer issue. Bathing suit season. It was mostly girls of course. Scantily clad, hiding shivers, trying to be too sexy for their level of experience.

He flipped the page. Found a familiar stranger.

It was weird. Even at that time he'd been too thin for a proper summer shoot. They hid his bony shoulders under a crisp woven shirt hanging open. It had saved him from some sunburn too. A girl he had no memory of was hanging from his arm. She must not have made it far in the business. He made her look like an accessory in the picture.

"What do you have there?"

Emmett glanced over the magazine to see Tab, still wiping his hands dry on some paper towels.

"Come have a look."

Tab sat down next to him.

"Uncanny, isn't it?" He held the magazine open for Tab to see.

"Wait, is that you?" His eyes lit up as he looked down at the picture. He was silent a moment as he took it in before speaking. "So, is that what you look like under all of the fabric?" He asked, passing Emmett a sideways glance.

Emmett leaned over against Tab's shoulder, blowing out a heavy sigh. "Not in the least."

He flipped the page. More of the girls were featured. He flipped another page, found that strange face once more. "Oh yeah," Emmett said, feigning forgetfulness. "I met my ex then."

There they were standing next to each other, light and dark. It had been a progressive brand, demanding play with gender and orientation. Emmett hadn't had to try hard to seem interested in Edan.
                  

"The girls couldn't stop talking about how big his dick was." And then I went and got what they wanted.

"You said fiancé, right? You were going to marry him?"

Even leaning on him, Emmett had forgotten Tab's presence. "Maybe?" He handed the magazine to Tab, laid down on the couch, throwing an arm around Tab’s waist and pressing his face into his back. "Getting engaged was one of those stupid things we did while drunk… Maybe it's just cause I got worse then, but it didn't feel like we would ever actually go that far. "

He heard a rustle as Tab closed the magazine, felt his hand rest gently on his own, his fingertips tracing the knuckles and bones standing out on the back of Emmett’s hand. It made him shiver.

“Stop it, you’ll turn me on.”

Tab did and Emmett wish he hadn’t said anything.

“Did you figure out the way?”

“Yeah. I think we’ll make it in a couple more days.” It felt weird to say so, like adding a deadline to...everything. Like real life started again after this trip and everything would just have to go back to the way it had been.

“Really?” Tab said, in some sort of way. Emmett couldn’t figure out if there was any added emotion to the word. He couldn’t tell if Tab also felt the added weight. “Should we get back on the road then?”

“Why not?”

Tab stood up, the sofa making a terrible crackling sound as the dry material tried to regain its shape. Emmett pushed himself back up into a sitting position, noticed Tab had opened the magazine again to that first picture.

“You can keep it if you want. It’s so out of date, I’m sure no one will miss it.”

Tab stared at it awhile longer, long enough for Emmett to think he hadn’t heard him. “Nah, I’ve got some better pictures already.” He dropped the magazine back on the table, turned back to Emmett. “And maybe you’ll let me take some more.”

“Maybe.”

Emmett stood up slowly. Pressed his fingers to his eyes, still feeling tired. He felt Tab’s fingers brush the hand at his side but when he looked again Tab was turned away. It was easy to figure out. He held his hand out for Tab. "Go ahead you child."

Tab flushed again as he took it, looking shy but pleased. “Let’s go.”