“Damnit! I can’t do this!” Gareth has had it. “I’m done. This shit is fucking nuts.” His dog, Gary, jumps in the background from his shout.

Gannon rushes over with a bowl of soup. “Come on, it’s not that hard.”

“Like hell it’s not!”

“Gareth, dude,” Gannon slurps a spoonful of soup making Gareth cringe, “the Earth is made up of six regions: the inner core, outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle, lithosphere, and crust. See, it ain’t hard, it’s only Junior science shit.”

Gareth looks up at Gannon. Just looking at him you wouldn’t think “Earth nerd” but “suffer idiot.” The wispy hair doesn’t help anything or the tan. No, definitely not the tan. “No shit, you douche. That’s not what I’m having a problem with.”

Gannon laughs and continues to eat his soup. “But it’s the bases for everything.” Gannon sits and a bit of soup sloshes over staining Gannon’s papers. “Without that basic knowledge you’re fucked and not in a good way my friend.”

“I got that part.”

“Hows about this.” Gannon holds out his spoon and points it at Gareth. “For every correct answer you get a kiss.”

“From the dog?”

“From me you asshole.”

“Soooo,” Gannon stretches across the table then uses his arms as a pillow, “a strike slip fault occurs when rock units slide past one another?”

Gannon leans forward with a smile. “Very good.” Their kiss is brief but it still sends little zings of happiness threw Gareth. “Now, what’s a normal fault?”

“It happens when rocks undergo horizontal extension.”

Another kiss from Gannon has Gareth’s toes curling.

“What’s thrust faults?”

Gareth smiles as he gets up and climbs into Gannon’s lap. He kisses Gannon and begins to move. “Happens when rocks undergo horizontal shortening.”

“Honey, there’s nothing shortening around here.”

“That’s the idea.”

Gannon puts the soup aside to run his hands over Gareth. “I like your idea.”

One move from Gareth has both moaning. “I’d be concerned if it didn’t.” Gareth smiles as Gannon kisses him again.

He’s been in love with Gannon since the third grade. They started dating last year and it’s the best year he’s ever had. Gannon is fun, sweet, and reminds Gareth to loosen up and live a little.

They exchanged promise rings two months ago and it was the second best day of Gareth’s life. The first was when they started dating.

“Love you, G.”

“Gannon! You know I hate that name.”

“Where’s my love?” Gannon gives him the cute puppy dog look.

“I love you, too.”