Prelude — Part 1
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The characters and events portrayed in this novel are all works of fiction as is the entirety of the book. Any similarity to any real persons be they living or deceased is purely coincidental and unintentional. This work is the original concept and idea of the author and based on the prequel, We Are NOT Alone ©2022-23.
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Prelude —Part 1
It was around two o’clock in the afternoon when Josh arrived at Peter’s house to pick him up and then travel to a mystery destination. Since, Peter still lacked his own transportation, despite his family’s considerable wealth, Josh had grown accustomed to this arrangement.
They both liked to surprise each other.
It was one of their ‘things’.
On this particular Sunday afternoon the weekend before the weekend of their Junior Prom, Josh was in extra great spirits. He had already given Peter a very perfect promposal and received a very perfect ‘yes’ in agreement for them to go together. Therefore, his curiosity about this surprise adventure was elevated more than usual.
He pulled up to the gate of Peter’s home and waited for it to open upon registering his license plate via the built-in scanner. As the huge iron gate floated to an open state, he drove in slowly onto the interior ground stone driveway. His dilapidated van looked positively out of place as he approached the house which one might have expected to look more European given the Palisade’s family history, yet this home was decidedly Malibu Beach.
Before he barely had a chance to slow all of the way down let alone come to a complete stop, Peter ripped open the door and hopped into Josh’s van startling him.
“Peter! I’ve asked you before to wait. You know, for your own safety!” Josh reprimanded him.
“Ha, this coming from you? The kid who constantly flirts with risk and danger?” Peter chided back. Josh did not bother to retort, he simply took Peter’s hand into his and clasped it strongly and a bit sensually. “It’s been a while since we held hands,” Peter noted.
“Thursday, lunch to be exact.”
“That long?”
“I am afraid so.”
“What’s going on with us?”
“Either we are getting too comfortable and don’t feel the need to reassure each other all the time that we are, you know, attached, or you think my hands recently are too sweaty?” Josh inquired.
“Actually, I like it when your hands are a little nervous sweaty.”
“Really? Yuck,” Josh pulled his hand back.
“Are you sure about that? Yuck? Versus other stuff, you know, we do?” Peter teased him.
“I’m kidding. You can like my sweaty hand if you want to,” Josh said giving his hand back while grinning and giggling as usual.
“Governor, haven’t you figured it out? I like all of you, anytime, in any form! Including sweaty!”
“Is this sweaty thing some sort of fetish?”Josh wondered aloud. “You’re really focused on it.”
“Coming from the guy who is admittedly in love with my toes?” Peter replied with an almost smug smile.
“Not just your toes, your whole feet!”
“Now that’s yuck!” Peter laughed and Josh giggled again.
“Sorry, you know that’s my thing. And now I know you also have an equally gross or weird fetish — me sweaty.”
“At least I don’t like other sweaty guys!”
“Are you sure? Did you try it?”
“Um…!”
“Peter, please do not answer that.”
“Actually, kind of.”
“What? Now the cookie is out of the jar, so spill the rest! ”Josh demanded details.
“I’m not proud of this, but I did accidentally sit on Dylan Kyle’s sweaty t-shirt after PE class last week.”
“Yuck, and…,” Josh looked horrified.
“And, nothing. I didn’t really notice anything about it. It was fine.”
“What? Who sits on a gross, disgusting, sweaty, wet t-shirt, and just sort of doesn’t notice?”
“I guess, I do.” Peter smirked realizing this was really getting under Josh’s skin.
“I see. Well, note to self. No need to save for xmas gift, just put a sweaty, wet t-shirt in a resealable bag, and wrap up for Peter.”
“Sure, love it, put that in my stocking though, it’s not that big of a gift.”
They both started laughing uproariously. Peter super squeezed Josh’s hand.
Josh realized he did not know where they were going, though he had deduced previously it would be near the pier.
“I’m thinking the 101 to the 1? Does that work for your plan?”Josh said having calculated there were barely a few minutes before answering this one question would literally change everything about where they could go without a massive amount of backtracking and a massive number of u-turns.
“Governor, you read my mind.”
“When did you start calling me, Governor? It’s kind of weird.”
“Oh, good question. I was on the phone last night with one of my best friends from camp. He was from upstate New York, and he calls everyone ‘Governor’. Sorry, Mintaka.”
“You can call me, Governor, if you want. I sort of picture you running for that office more than I picture myself .”
“Thanks! So noted, and I’ll probably have it out of my system after one or two more times.” Peter said. “So, do you know where we are going?”
“I’m guessing Santa Monica Pier?”
“What?”Peter was positively perplexed. “How did you figure that out?”
“Sorry, Governor, I can read you like a book by now,” Josh giggled again and again.
“Seriously?”
“Let’s revisit the facts, Dr. Watson.” Josh turned him a glance of pearly white teeth and that drop-dead gorgeous smirk. “Text message question was ‘what to wear’ and answer was ‘board shorts’.”
“Thousands of beaches and piers in California, though, and you almost never wear anything but board shorts. We’ll probably be married wearing board shorts, in fact. ” Peter replied.
“Wait, did you just say we’re getting married? Please, we haven’t even been to prom yet. It’s ok, I’m all for it, but not just in board shorts but all barefoot!”
“Agreed,” Peter conceded. “So, you deduced the exact pier from that?”
“Text message question was ‘what to bring to eat’ and answer was ‘not to worry, we can grab and share a shake — they are the biggest ones in the world’.”
“Many shake shops!”
“Shhh, I am not finished. Quick search online yields ten places all claiming to have the biggest shakes in the world, but only one is at a beach in California and it just so happens to be located on Santa Monday Pier,” Josh finished explained his deductions.
“Wow, Governor Sherlock, I need to be more careful in revealing even small details to you when I’m trying to surprise you.”
“Yes. Yes, you do, Mr. Watson. Nothing gets past these steely blue-grey eyes.”
“Well, at least you don’t know why we’re going there,” Peter posited.
“Pick out my prom tux?”Josh guessed. Peter froze in silence.“What? Was I right?”
“Yes, but there is no way you could know that,” Peter said. “I am sure I gave no details.”
“No, you didn’t that truly was a guess, but the time to for me to pick mine is running out. Prom is on the horizon, so, it was kind of a natural guess.”
“So, you didn’t check and see that Pablo’s Professional Promwear shop has a location on the Pier?” Peter asked.
“That sounds like a tongue-twister, and no, I would never have even guessed that.”
“Cool, so there are still some surprises left.”
The guys remained relatively quiet, listening to tunes and singing along with some until they arrived at the parking lot at Santa Monica Pier. Peter loved that they did not need to talk all the time just to fill air.
“Should we wear shoes?” Josh asked as he started to get out of the car.
“Of course not,” Peter said. “I know You. You will never wear shoes unless required by law.”
“True, but I am following your way this time,” Josh conceded as he followed Peter who led them directly to the milkshake shop.
Mini-Episode 2 “Posh Prom”
from the We Are NOT Alone fanverse
first published on Instagram on 28 July 2023
Location: Santa Monica Pier circa the time when Peter and Josh were in 11th grade
Peter and Josh appear outside the milkshake shop on Santa Monica Pier.
Josh is wearing a plain white muscle t-shirt and his customary red board shorts making him look exactly like a life guard.
Peter is donning a fashionable, blue-toned and tinted muscle t-shirt with blue and dark blue checkered board shorts Josh hadn’t seen before.
Peter is holding, indeed, one of the biggest milkshakes Josh has ever seen. It is bigger than Peter’s considerably huge head. The whipped cream cone on top is larger than most full-sized shakes. The straw must be nearly two feet long.
“Peter, my gosh! When you said this place had the biggest shakes in the world, and we could share one, I really didn’t believe you!”
“Yep! You should always trust me, Mintaka. I never, ever, ever in a million years exaggerate when it comes to shakes or how amazing you are!”
“Aw…! ❤️”
“Come on, we can share it on the way. I want to show you something.” Peter said
“Ok, sounds cool!” Josh exclaimed in response.
“What are you waiting for?”
“🥰 Kiss first?”
“😂 How about later!”
Peter and Josh next appear down the pier. The sun is setting into the ocean.
“Beautiful,” Josh declares.
“Thanks!”Peter responds.
“You are, but I meant the sunset!”
“Really?”
“No!”
“🙈”
Peter and Josh now appear down on the beach next to a message carved into the sand.
“What exactly am I looking at?” Josh asks.
“Well, before the tide came in and washed half of it away, it said, ‘Josh, will you go to prom with me?’”
“Peter, I already asked you first, and you said ‘yes’.” Josh replies.
“I know, but, I’m brave enough to ask YOU now.” Peter responds.
“If there’s a kiss, then?”Josh whips up his response.
“😘”
Prom Day
split screen Josh and Peter’s respective home bathrooms as each is getting out of the shower
Off-screen Josh’s mom: “Joshua!”
Off-screen Peter’s mom: “Peter!”
“Mom, I’m just getting out of the shower!Don’t worry!” Josh, with messy wet hair, wrapped in a soft blue towel and wearing rad board shorts, responds to the calls from his mom.
“I’m just getting out of the shower, Mom! Please don’t rush me,” Peter, with very cool slicked back we hair and wearing the same blue checkerboard shorts from the night before, shouts back.
split screen Josh and Peter’s respective home bedrooms
Off-screen Peter’s mom: “Peter, your father wants to talk to you!”
Off-screen Josh’s mom: “Josh, time to get ready.”
“Mom! Not in the mood for another battle about me going to prom with my boyfriend.” Peter yells back.
“Mom! Just texting, Riki! I’m trying to get some clues about Peter’s tux. They designed it to match me, but I’m not sure we will match.”Josh hollers back.
Off-screen Josh’s mom: “Pretty sure white goes with anything, sweetheart.”
split screen Josh and Peter’s respective homes
Josh’s foyer and Peter’s sun deck
Peter is dressed in a very chic glittered purple fabric short sleeved dinner jacket with black trim and a black bowtie with white dress shirt underneath. This has been paired with purple satin pants that shimmer in the light and a sequined purple belt. His outfit is definitely the more daring of the two.
Josh is wearing a positively conservative, in comparison, dashing white tuxedo with black and then white double lapels, a black bow tie, and a white dress shirt with black buttons. This tuxedo jacket shirt combination is paired with silky white slacks. The material is very unusual giving the appearance of a very satiny cashmere but light weight and breathable.
Off-screen Josh’s mom; “You two look like angels fell from the sky and then in love!”
Off-screen Peter’s mom: “You two look like best friends off to pick up some gorgeous girls from prom!”
“Aw, Mom!” Josh swoons.
“Mom, Stop it!” Peter’s look could kill. His animosity and boredom with his parents is obvious. Josh just ignores their negativity.
LATER
At the prom, Josh and Peter pose for many candids such as in front of a balloon arch and in the grand ballroom.
AFTER PROM
at a milkshake shop
A wait person delivers a tray of milk shakes to them.
“Here you are gentlemen. Peanut butter milkshakes made just for you!”
Josh comforts Peter who is clearly unhappy.
“Sorry, Peter, that your parents are so uncool about us!”
“It’s not as bad as it seems!” Peter replies.
LATER
outside the shop in front of the beautiful black town car limousine Peter supplied to the event
“Really? How so?” Josh asks genuinely curious.
“You didn’t recognize the limo driver?”
“No? Should I?”
“That was my father!”
“Wait! What? That’s so cool! ❤️” Josh replies.
“I think he gets it.”Peter responds.
