Page 24 of Can't Stop Now

“God, it feels so good to be on theground!” Jacob said, laughing.

Will smiled back at him. “It does, doesn’t it?”

They ventured east, passing under the lofty buildings as they walked. It was a beautiful afternoon, slightly breezy, with none of the intense windiness that Chicago is known for.

After a few blocks, Will noticed a young couple walking by with theperfectlooking hot dogs. He asked them where they were from, and they pointed to a shop just a block down.

Will and Jacob headed there and ordered their Chicago dogs, with all the fixings. They were absolutely delicious. They ate on the street corner, as the light breeze blew through Will’s hair. They couldn’t even talk as they ate – they just kept taking bites and nodding at one another in a silent agreement:Yes, this is the good stuff.

After they finished, Jacob held up his finger to Will.

“I just have to do one thing,” he said. Will looked at him quizzically. Jacob went back into the hot dog shop and came back out a minute later with one more in his hand, taking a bite.

Will laughed. “Of course. I should have known,” he said, shaking his head and resigning himself to how adorable Jacob was.

After eating, they wandered east a little more until they hit a huge park, full of lush green grass and trees. They walked down the pathways in the park, people watching, taking in the scenery. Will really did feel peaceful, almost complete. He didn’t need anything else in the world at that moment, and wished he could just stay there forever. He wasn’t worried about jobs, responsibilities, his future… he was just enjoying a sunny afternoon with Jacob.

As they walked, they came upon a pavilion where people were sitting on a hill. There were hundreds of people, and it looked like they were waiting to watch a concert or something on the stage in front of them.

“I think I know what this is,” Will said, remembering what he had seen online when looking up things to do in Chicago. “They do free movies in the park some nights in the summer.”

He looked at Jacob, his eyes raised and arms shrugged in the air.

“Wanna?” he asked.

“Sure, sounds good! We got all the time in the world.” Jacob responded.

They climbed through the grass, passing by families and couples. They found a spot in the back and sat down in the grass.

“Chicago is beautiful, I had no idea,” Will said, looking around him and breathing deep.

“It is nice, isn’t it? I feel like I could stay here forever,” Jacob said.

About ten minutes later, the movie started. It was a cheesy 80s movie, the perfect type for a lazy summer evening. As they watched, the sun began to set, and the lampposts in the park slowly began to turn on, filling the park with a warm glow. Someone came by selling lemonade, and Jacob bought one for them to share.

Will was hyper aware of Jacob’s body next to his, as always. It took everything in him to resist resting his head on Jacob’s shoulder, leaning against him, or wrapping his hands around his upper arm. He felt downrightromantic, here in the park with this gorgeous man, watching a movie at night. For about half the movie, Will’s thoughts were purely on Jacob.

But the movie finished without fanfare, and Will was able to keep his hands off Jacob. They got up after the end credits and stretched out as the crowd dispersed throughout the park.

“So, what now? It’s still not really that late,” Jacob asked.

“Hmmm… I think just a little bit that way is the lake, wanna go check it out? Probably looks pretty cool at night,” Will said, pointing towards the east.

“Awesome. Let’s go,” Jacob said, and they set off.

The park was stunning at night, the lights shining through the trees, guiding the way toward the lake. There were still plenty of people there, but the crowds had lessened from earlier in the afternoon.

“There it is!” Will said, pointing.

They walked to the edge of the land and stopped to look out at the lake. There were small boats floating on the water in front of them. Will spotted an empty bench right on the edge of the water and strolled over to claim it. Jacob followed, sitting next to Will, both of them looking out over the quiet lake and boats.

“I had a really good day today, Will,” Jacob said, his voice appreciative.

“I did too, Chicago is awesome. I’m surprised you don’t wanna kill me for making you go to the top of that tower,” Will said with a small laugh, shaking his head.

“Naw, that’s the last thing I wanna do,” Jacob said, looking over at Will and then back out to the water. He paused. “This whole trip has been good. I kinda thought my world was gonna fall apart, after college ended, but so far it actually seems better.”

“Hmm? What do you mean, you thought it would fall apart?” Will asked.