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you home?”
    Zach shrugged and shook his head. “I guess if not, then I pedal.”
    “Not at this time of night. You need to get to bed. I’ll give you a ride.”
    “You have a bike?”
    “No, we’ll use the botany department’s truck. Come on. Bring the bike; it can go in the bed.”
    “Are you allowed to use the truck to give people lifts?” Zach asked as he followed Adam, wheeling the bike.
    “Not strictly speaking, no. But we’ve been working unpaid overtime. They can’t complain.” They still would, though. His professor had chewed him out before about using the truck for personal errands.
    Zach yawned hugely when they reached the truck and heaved the bike into the bed. Adam smiled at him.
    “You really need some rest.”
    “Yes, sorry.”
    “No apologies needed. Hop in.”
    It took only fifteen minutes to arrive at the A dome. Few lights showed from the apartments there or any of the houses in the town. All the sensible people were in bed. Zach had been quiet on the short trip, and Adam looked at him a couple of times to see if he’d fallen asleep. He hadn’t, though his eyes were half closed.
    “Here we are,” he said, parking the truck. Zach’s eyes opened wider, and he sat up straighter in his seat, then turned to Adam.
    “Thank you for coming to help me tonight. The food and just having you there… It helped. Though you’re a little distracting too.”
    “I live to distract you.” Adam hoped his smile would entice Zach closer, and it did. He leaned in, filling Adam’s arms, kissing him. He had coffee breath, but Adam supposed he did too. They exchanged coffee kisses, mouths open, tongues touching quite gently, both too tired for a wrestling match. Zach pulled back after a second but only far enough to speak, his lips centimeters away, breath warm, mingling with Adam’s. He was so close that when he tried to look at Adam, his eyes almost crossed.
    “I want to invite you up, but—”
    “But you’re already almost asleep. I know. Me too.”
    “I have to work in the morning.”
    “Me too.”
    “I wish—”
    “Me too .” Adam said it for the third time and smiled at himself. “Let’s just say we’re on the same page. Tomorrow. Well, tonight now. Don’t work late. Come over to my place. I’ll make dinner.”
    “Can you cook?”
    “We’ll find out. Get there for about twenty hundred, and I’ll show you a much more enjoyable way to spend an evening. Though I admit I enjoyed tonight.”
    “You slept through most of it.”
    “I enjoy sleeping. It’s my second favorite thing to do in bed.” He kissed Zach again as Zach laughed, and it was as though he could taste the laugh, taste Zach’s amusement and pleasure. He slid his hands around Zach’s waist, under his jacket, feeling the warmth of his skin through his shirt. Tomorrow it would be skin he caressed. Zach had a slender waist and hips, and Adam longed to caress them, kiss them, wrap his legs around them as Zach took him. Despite his tiredness, his cock gave a little stir of interest, and he wondered just how many hours of sleep he really needed.
    Too late. Zach broke the kiss. “I should go. It’s so late. Thank you for the ride.”
    “Anytime.” Oh yeah. Anytime.
    He helped Zach lift the bike out and wheel it over to the shelter by the door.
    “This time, remember to charge it,” Adam said.
    “I will. Good night, Adam.”
    A last kiss, long, lingering, ending only when a sheriff’s department car cruised by, its lights touching them and startling them into moving apart. It slowed for a moment, perhaps to make a note of who was lurking about beside the bike shed, then moved on slowly. Adam looked at the truck standing conspicuously beside them. He grimaced. That was sure to get back to Professor Wilson.
    “See you tomorrow,” Zach said. “Can we have lunch together? I should get out of the lab, I know. Meet you in the cafeteria.”
    “That would be nice. See you then.” He left without claiming another kiss,