"When I was little, I used to lay outside and reach my hands up to the sky above, convinced I could touch the great moving clouds if I extended my arms a little farther." Greg and I had been best friends for years, and he'd never told me that before.

We lay there on that ratty old blanket in the bed of his rusty pickup truck staring at the sky. The clouds in question radiated with pinks and oranges and reds from the setting sun. The cicadas roared around us.

It was a simple evening, void of our usual distresses. There were just the clouds, the earth, and us. It was all we needed in that moment.

Greg turned his head to look at me. 'It's stupid, I know." He blushed.

I held his gaze for a moment, and smiled. "I think it would be amazing to touch these clouds right now." I stretched my own hands up to the sky, the setting sun warming them gently. A soft breeze wafted through my fingers. Greg grinned at me then, and oh, what a grin it was. The butterflies in my stomach danced.

He reached out and pulled my hand down, entwining his fingers in mine. My breath caught in my throat. "Is this okay?" He whispered.

"I...I... " I had forgotten how to speak. So I just nodded.

"I've never done this before," he murmured, squeezing my hand. Suddenly, he seemed very close.

I had only ever held his hand in my dreams. The fact that his calloused palm pressed into mine nearly killed me. I thought I might hurl. My heart pounded in my throat. Could this be happening?

Greg’s thumb brushed over the back of my hand absently. "I've thought about this for months now."

"Can I kiss you?" I blurted hoarsely before I could control myself.

Greg chuckled for a long, painful moment. Then his eyes found mine,and he leaned in. He paused mere centimeters from my lips. I could feel his breath, light and warm. And then there he was, lips softly grazing mine.

In that moment I lost myself. I let go of his hand and gripped his flannel shirt, hanging on for dear life. This was better than any dream, any fantasy that I could imagine.

He lingered with me there, then pulled back just enough to smile. "Breathe, Kyle. Just breathe." I sucked in air, not realizing I had been holding my breath, suffocating. He pressed his forehead to mine.

And we just sat there for who knew how long. We were the only ones in the world.

"Now I don't have to." He chuckled after a while.

"Have to what?” I croaked out, still trying to find my voice.

"Touch the clouds." Greg waited for me to look him. "Because I have you."

Gravity let me go, then. I clutched my fingers harder into his shirt, lest I float away. I kissed him again, as hard as I could, melting into all that he was. Nothing had ever felt so right, and in that moment, I was lighter than the clouds.