With winter holidays approaching, it's supposed to be a time for romance and togetherness for Colton and Ben. Except climate change has erased the chance for a white Christmas, their rent is going up, and neither of them have energy after working all day and barely getting to see each other. As their frustrations mount and finances dwindle, it almost seems more likely they'll be single for the new year rather than doing anything special for each other.<br><br>Colton isn't willing to give up without a fight, though. He might not be able to give Ben his dream of visiting the moon, but he can bring a bit of the moon to Earth. Rekindling some of his own hope and romance, he decides to put his skills as a chef to good use and go all out in preparing Ben a meal --  and a night -- not to be forgotten. The world might be a grim place, but if he shoots for the moon, maybe he can hit a bit of holiday magic.

Shooting for the Moon

But they did have overlapping time off this year. It was several weeks before the holidays, but it was so rare it kept Colton up almost until Ben’s alarm went off. It should mean something. He wanted it to mean something. He fell back asleep, woke dissatisfied, hauled himself out of bed.


They could make it mean something. Ben was right; they hadn’t celebrated Christmas or anything like it together. But this year they both had time off. Maybe they could start. Colton didn’t like the idea of a tree—the fake one Ben’s parents had always seemed strange to him, brought back memories of seeing a conifer in a museum as a boy. But then, it didn’t have to be a real Christmas, or Christmas at all.


Chapter 5