Lyrics by Jim Steinman - vocals by Meat Loaf

"And now our bodies are oh so close and tight

It never felt so good, it never felt so right

And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife

Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife

C'mon! Hold on tight!

C'mon! Hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night

I can see paradise by the dashboard light

Ain't no doubt about it

We were doubly blessed

'Cause we were barely seventeen

And we were barely dressed…"

The summer of '96 was a glorious one indeed, a time like no other either before or since. Long lazy days were spent in the pursuit of perfection in the makeshift wrestling ring and trampoline in the Hardy's back yard, as well as at the local gym with the boys. The tightly knit and often manic circle of friends seemed to be perpetually goofing off either at home or in town while scouting the local scene at the mall, savoring every last day of freedom before school started up once more for Shannon in the fall. The nights were long and carefree, time spent over at one another's homes watching videos, listening to music and driving their parents crazy as they enjoyed hanging out with one another. On more than one occasion they were all caught sneaking Shannon out of his house late at night to go cruising through town together in Jeff's car. Time seemed to be flying by so quickly that summer that it was impossible to grasp hold and fully savor the moment in time for what it was; that magical stepping stone between childhood and adulthood, a time that was soon to disappear and never come again during the course of their lifetime. The threesome that consisted of Matt, Jeff and Shannon all realized both collectively and individually that there would never be another time in their lives to quite equal the magic that they were a part of that summer. They tried to grasp hold of each and every moment and live it to it's fullest potential. The realization had begun to set in that time truly does have a way of slipping through one's fingers like a thief in the night; it seemed like only yesterday that Shannon and Jeff had met one another for the first time during football practice at their junior high school. Shannon and Jeff were seemingly inseparable all summer long; Matt saw them as often as possible, but being a few years older than the twosome, he was now moving on in life and trying to build a career for himself, the same dream that bonded them all together as a unit; the dream of someday becoming professional wrestlers.

How and where had the feelings begun? Before that magical night, neither of them if asked could be completely certain, or pinpoint a definite time and place where looking back stifled feelings and suppressed emotions seemed to click together in one moment of discovery that unveiled to each of them a different side of the other that they had never before realized existed, or perhaps refused to acknowledge. They had known one another since junior high school, and been close friends ever since. Both were fun and free spirits to be around, possessors of a kind of magical manic energy and aura that seemed to attract other people to them like moths to a brightly burning flame. The collective life of the party, they always managed to be on the cutting edge of the current trends in music and fashion that rippled through their school like an ever-changing ocean current.

Shannon was small for his age and somewhat self conscious about his size; long tired of being told by all that he was too small to fulfill his dreams of becoming a professional wrestler, he nevertheless persisted and stubbornly worked harder than anyone else, determined to prove all his detractors wrong and one day be able to look back with pride, knowing that he beaten the considerable odds against him. With his coquettish, pixie like face and lively bubbling spirit, he was an essential element to the chemistry in the small group of their friends; without his light their lives would have been sorely lacking indeed.

Jeff was a free spirit similar in nature to Shannon; unlike him however, he possessed a secretive side, a small part of himself that he cordoned off from the world around him. Losing his mother at a young age had impacted him greatly, causing him to mature a bit faster then the rest of his friends. An intensely quiet and reflective facet of his personality developed perhaps as a result, and he often needed time alone in which to reflect upon his thoughts, feelings, and the state of life in this world and the next in general.

One sultry summer night in August, about three weeks before the start of school, Matt, Jeff, Shannon and Matt's new friend Shane Helms all made arrangements to go out to the nearby lake together for a final weekend of partying - their last big blow out of the summer. Matt and Shane had packed the tents in Shane's car along with other various camping equipment that they would need during the weekend. Excited at the prospect of meeting some other friends of theirs the next day for a large get together, they were determined to make the most of their time and make this last party the best of the summer. Matt and Shane were to ride to the campground together and would be responsible for setting up their camp; Jeff and Shannon would follow behind in Shannon's truck after stopping off at the store to pick up any necessary provisions for the weekend. They all made arrangements to meet up later on that evening at the campground. Toting along several large coolers in the bed of his truck, Shannon and Jeff set off for the campground after they had finished their shopping excursion. Their destination being about an hour's ride out of town, they had quite a bit of traveling time before they would reach the campsite.

Half an hour out of town, Shannon's truck suddenly blew a tire on one of the small back roads that led to the campground area. Instantly regretting not having taken the main highway, Shannon pulled off to the side of the road and put his hazard lights on, hoping that someone from the sheriff's office or a state trouper would drive by and see that they were in need of assistance. Cursing himself for having removed the spare tire the month before to loan it to a friend and not having gotten it back, Shannon and Jeff resigned themselves to spending part of their evening stranded in the middle of the boonies while waiting for someone to happen along.

"Don't worry Shannon - when we don't meet up with Matt and Shane at the campground, they'll come back and look for us," Jeff assured him, settling back in the seat while trying to make himself comfortable. "Even if they check the highway first, it won't be that long before they come heading our way - we're only half an hour away from the campground after all. Let's just chill for awhile and wait it out."

Nodding his blond head silently in agreement, Shannon got out of the truck to pop the lid on one of the coolers in back. Climbing back into the cab, he handed a soda to Jeff and they both drank in silence while quenching their thirst. Taking a look around at their surroundings, their look was somewhat limited by the dusk that had settled over the early evening sky, signaling the arrival of nightfall. It would be dark within the next half-hour.

"I hope Matt and Shane get here soon," Shannon grumbled aloud as he reached across Jeff to get into the glove compartment to check and see if his flashlight was there. Giving a thankful sigh that at least they had it handy in case they needed to walk anywhere, he sat back and soon became engrossed in a conversation with Jeff about the latest wrestling show that they had seen the week before hand. He listened intently as Jeff shared tips with him about how to further elevate his body without losing form as he jumped off the ring post at his opponents, and they made plans to spend some practice time during the upcoming week training on Jeff and Matt's trampoline at home.

Settling themselves as comfortably as they could in the cab of the pickup, they soon became miserable while sitting in the hot sticky air of the night with the oppressing heat of the cab closing in on them even though both windows were rolled down. Deciding to sit in the back of the truck instead, they took a blanket out from behind the seat and placed it in the bed of the truck while scooting the coolers off to the side so that they'd have some room. Cracking open fresh sodas, they had quite a time laughing about all the events and antics of the summer - they both realized that when Shannon started back to school in a few weeks, their lazy hazy days of summer fun would be coming to a close. Not that it really mattered, as the 'gang' always seemed to meet up together on the weekends at Matt and Jeff's house, where sometimes that group would be extended to include Shane if he happened to be in town.

Glancing down at his watch after awhile, Shannon frowned as he realized that they had been waiting for well over an hour with no sign of Matt and Shane. Jumping out of the truck, needing to relieve himself, he walked over to the side of the ditch and did so while looking around to make sure that no cars were coming their way. Jeff walked to the other side of the truck to do the same, and they climbed back into the bed of the pickup after a few moments. Swearing loudly that it was much too hot to be stranded outdoors on a night like this, Jeff sat up impatiently and yanked his t-shirt over his head before rolling it up into a ball and resting it beneath him to use as a pillow as he lay back and gazed up into the clear night sky. Mimicking his actions, Shannon did the same and sighed heavily when he realized that there was no apparent relief in sight from the heavy oppressing humidity of the night air. Concentrating instead on looking for constellations in the evening sky with Jeff, their diversion soon came to an end when it looked as if there were some clouds rolling in overhead.

Closing their eyes after a short while as the heat of the night made them drowsy, they both swatted at the occasional mosquito that happened along in their direction. Before long both of them were napping, knowing that they should keep awake and alert for any sign of Matt and Shane but unable to fight the seductive pull of sleep any longer.

A sharp burst of thunder overhead awoke the twosome as the sky above began to shower intermittent droplets of water onto them. Sighing with relief at the slight drop in temperature, both friends were soon laughing and competing with one another to catch raindrops in their upraised mouths, a sure indication of their boredom indeed. It wasn't long before the night sky completely opened and a torrential downfall of warm water descended upon them, forcing them to retreat into the shelter of the truck's cab. Laughing madly at the unexpected turn of the evening's events, they tried to pass the time as best they could, constantly hopeful when lights from an oncoming car approached them, hoping that it would be Matt and Shane and always disappointed when it wasn't.

"Where the hell could they be?" Wondered Jeff aloud, sighing with frustration at the unfortunate luck of their situation. He wasn't concerned that they were permanently stranded; he knew that it was only a question of time before they were found, but couldn't help but be annoyed as he thought of at least a dozen other things that he'd rather be doing rather than be stuck out in the boonies at night.

"I have no clue man," replied Shannon, before getting out to make a run for the cooler in the back of the truck with the intent of rescuing a bag of chips and a few more sodas for them to drink. "Good thing we have the food - it could be worse you know," he said to Jeff as he got back into the truck's cab, shaking off the rain and tossing a soda in his direction before hungrily opening a bag of potato chips. "Matt and Shane have the tents and the rest of the camping equipment but no food."

Laughing back at Shannon, Jeff reached forward to turn on the ignition key so that they could listen to the radio. Unable to locate a clear signal, he was soon searching through the glove compartment box for a tape to listen to.

"Where are your tapes dude?" Jeff asked as he dug through the large pile of junk that Shannon always seemed to carry around with him.

"Don't have them - took them out the other day when I washed the truck and forgot to put them back," Shannon shrugged, popping another chip into his mouth and crunching down with noisy relish. Leaving the ignition key on so that they at least had some minimal lighting in the cab, the two friends soon devoured the bag of chips as they chattered away about various topics of choice.

"No offense man, but why do I have to be stranded with you? Why couldn't it have been with Shelly?" Shannon joked to Jeff as he ran a hand over his shoulder length blond hair, pulling out the rubber band that held his pony tail so that his hair could dry. Free at last, the damp strands of hair fell over his neck and he pushed them impatiently behind his ears to keep them out of his face.

"Sorry," Jeff laughed, wishing now that he wouldn't have left his shirt and the blanket in the back to get wet as it was getting cold. "Can't help you there."

"Well, Shelly's supposed to come out to our party tomorrow and she said that she might bring her friend Christie along," Shannon said while watching Jeff's profile, a smirk turning his pink lips upward as he saw Jeff perk up in an obviously interested fashion.

"Damn - they better be coming along soon to get us then!" Jeff growled out, leaning his head back onto the seat. "I'm gonna catch some shut eye - you stay awake and look for them okay?"

"Deal," Shannon replied, drumming his fingers lightly upon the steering wheel as he hummed a tune to himself.

The next hour dragged past with no sign of rescue in sight.

Fighting the wave of sleepiness that was gradually washing over him, Shannon tried to keep his mind going by thinking about various in ring strategies to use in his next match, and fantasizing about making it to the big leagues. His eyes closing occasionally, he'd catch his head bobbing forward onto his chest only to snap it back up before shaking it vigorously, trying to wake himself up. Looking over at Jeff, he saw that his head had fallen to the side against the passenger window. The softly glowing light of the instrument panel cast pallid shadows across the planes of his bare chest and shoulders, and he murmured softly in his sleep, apparently dreaming.

Deciding that Matt and Shane would recognize his truck without him having to stay awake to keep an eye out for them, Shannon twisted restlessly in his seat while trying to stretch his legs out comfortably, not being able to do so without hitting the gas, brake or clutch pedals. Cursing softly, he scooted his body over in the long seat to straddle the gearshift, at last being able to stretch each one of his legs out in some measure of comfort. Leaning his head back, he crossed his arms in front of him and drifted off to sleep.

The rain outside continued to fall, and after awhile the previous deluge gradually let up, a softer rainfall soon taking its place. Drumming the roof of the cab softly as it fell, fat droplets of water rolled down the windshield and windows, coming to rest momentarily on the rubber lining of the glass before descending once more. The two friends sheltered inside continued to nap, the smaller of the two blonde heads gradually leaning to the side to pillow itself against his friend's shoulder. Sighing softly, Jeff slowly drifted back up through the heavy haze of unconsciousness to flutter his eyes open gradually, wondering where he was for a moment before remembering the events of the evening. Feeling a warm body cuddled up beside him, he turned his head to the side and smiled downwards, seeing Shannon's head pillowed upon his shoulder and his small body cuddled into his side, apparently seeking warmth. Seeing his friend's body shiver slightly, he once more regretted leaving the blanket and their shirts in the back of the truck to be soaked by the rain. After a brief moment's hesitation, he lifted up his muscular arm to place it gently around Shannon's shoulders, pulling him in closer to rest his face against the side of his chest. Burrowing his head further into Jeff's warmth instinctively, Shannon emitted a soft sigh of contentment in his sleep before his breathing leveled out once more.

Shannon's eyelids flickered some time later, and he opened them to discover the side of his face resting against the supple fragrant skin of Jeff's chest. The warm strength of Jeff's arm surrounding his shoulders, Shannon yawned sleepily and lifted his head slightly to find himself looking up into Jeff's eyes that were gazing back silently at him with a veiled expression.

"Sorry - fell asleep," Shannon murmured to him, their heads now inches apart. "So you did," replied Jeff softly, reaching down to gently wipe some crumbs away from the corner of Shannon's mouth. A soft blanket of sensual feeling overtaking him as he felt Jeff's touch, Shannon instinctively pursed his lips against Jeff's forefinger before stopping suddenly and realizing what he'd done, his green eyes suddenly huge in his small face.

Where exactly does the line of tender feeling cross into sexual desire? Perhaps no one can say for certain; on that late summer night while lost somewhere on a back country road outside of Cameron, N.C., feelings that had been buried for hours, days, or perhaps even years surfaced in the blink of an eye. His heart suddenly fluttering at the angelic beauty of Shannon's face, the trembling of tender pink lips merely inches away from his, Jeff gently cupped Shannon's cheek in his warm palm before allowing his lips to slowly descend upon his, kissing him with such light and loving reverence that Shannon gasped aloud in wonderment into Jeff's mouth. Placing his other arm around Shannon's neck, Jeff pulled his smaller body closer to his, the passion and intensity of their shared kiss gradually increasing until moments later they released each other simultaneously, each gasping slightly for breath and staring at one another entreatingly, with a new found sense of wonderment.

Opening his mouth suddenly to speak, Shannon found the words on his lips halted again by the soft caress of Jeff's finger before his lips sought Shannon's once more. Suddenly finding himself seated upon Jeff's lap, unsure and uncaring of how and when he had gotten there, Shannon felt his head spinning with the heady drug like pull of passion. Oblivious to the world outside of the truck, their bodies shifted together in an impromptu dance, no words being needed to convey the instinctive choreographed placement of their bodies against one another. Glancing up through the passenger window at the stars that were once more decorating the night sky, Shannon's head lolled back as Jeff gracefully shifted his body over Shannon's, leaning forward to press lightly loving kisses against the side of Shannon's neck as Shannon lay his body down on the seat beneath him. His hands reaching up in the air to search for Jeff's elusive meandering lips that were slowly driving him mad with desire, Shannon cupped the back of Jeff's head and forced his lips back down to meet his, his mouth opening with a groan of pleasure as Jeff's tongue slipped in between his lips to explore his mouth hungrily, the heat between their bodies combusting explosively.

With an audible groan of need, Jeff's hands caressed and explored the compact wiry strength of Shannon's chest and arms, his fingers sliding down to lightly stroke his taut stomach while toying with the waistband of his baggy jeans. Feeling his body drowning quickly in a warm pool of desire, Shannon moaned aloud as he felt the outline of Jeff's wonderfully sensual mouth descending back down his neck once more, pausing at his chest to flick a pointed tongue out at Shannon's nipple. Drawing his breath in a loud hiss as he felt Jeff's mouth enclose upon his delicately pink aureole, Shannon twisted his small body upward towards Jeff's as the mouth that was beginning to torment him so delectably continued to do so, slowly sucking on his hardened nipple before biting the pink circle gently, rolling the sensitized nub between his teeth and drawing his head back gradually before releasing it once more, only to move over and torment his other nipple in the same delicious fashion.

Jeff's mouth continued to lick at Shannon's slightly salty skin with obvious relish, the point of his tongue continuing southwards, pausing at his delectable bellybutton to lap at the tender inside skin playfully, chuckling softly as Shannon's body began to squirm even more, his chest rising and falling rapidly as the level of his desire heightened. Pausing momentarily at the waistband of his pants, Jeff rested his chin on the lower part of Shannon's stomach while looking up at him silently, waiting for permission to proceed. Slowly feeling his body coming back down to earth and realizing that Jeff's movements had stilled, Shannon raised his head up to look into Jeff's twinkling eyes and smiling upturned lips.

"J-Jeff," Shannon managed to stammer out at him, raising his hand up to run the tips of his fingers through Jeff's bangs in the gentlest of caresses.

"I want you," Jeff stated simply, carefully watching Shannon's face to gauge his reaction. Laying his head back down upon the seat with a loud moan, the simply uttered phrase of desire sunk its way into Jeff's comprehension. Shannon's fingers began to fumble briefly at the button and zipper of his pants, only to have their motion halted seconds later by tender kisses from Jeff's lips. His hands falling limply to his sides, he lifted his hips upward as he felt Jeff gently pulling down his jeans.

Nirvana. That was the one word that popped into Shannon's mind the instant that his nerve endings registered Jeff's lips slowly and tenderly encasing his hard member, kissing his silken steel with loving reverence before gradually drawing the length of Shannon's cock into his warm wet mouth, his tongue instinctively caressing the length of his musky flesh. Arching his hips further upward to meet the delicious friction of Jeff's lips counteracting his every movement, an intense torrent of pleasure began to pulse through his veins, his ears ringing with the loud humming of his blood as it sang through every nerve ending in his body.

Groaning louder as Jeff's lips began to descend downwards to flicker his tongue against his scrotum while stroking his hardness with increased speed, Shannon's hips began to move uncontrollably against Jeff's mouth as his lips wrapped themselves once more around Shannon's member. His hands wrapping themselves through Jeff's hair, it wasn't much longer before he gave a final thrust against Jeff's mouth with a loud groan of completion, his body jolting slightly as he felt the sensitive head of his cock twitching between Jeff's lips as his lover drew in every last drop of his viscous essence into his mouth to swallow it greedily.

Slowly feeling his body float back down to earth, Shannon reached down to pull Jeff into the circle of his arms, longing to feel the length of his body pressed against his once more. Silence filled the truck as the sound of their shared rapid breathing gradually subsided, both of them drowsing in the warm contentment of the other's embrace. Words were not needed, and neither of them wanted to break the spell of the magical moment.

When Matt and Shane finally stumbled upon them hours later, they sat up in the truck, quickly pulling out of each other's embrace before getting out to walk over to Shane's car, shielding their eyes with their hands from the harsh glare of the headlights in front of them, still blinking somewhat sleepily.

Rescued at long last, the foursome rode back together in Shane's car to pick up a spare tire for Shannon's truck. Arriving back to change the tire, the four were soon on the road once more, heading for the campsite that Shane and Matt had set up hours before.

As they turned onto the dirt path that led to the campground, Jeff broke the silence that they had shared during their ride. Turning to Shannon, he smiled somewhat wryly at him before cracking a joke about the sad appearance of their camp that was up ahead. Before leaving the cab they both stopped for a moment to look at each other silently, a new awareness of the other apparent in every intake of breath and burgeoning flicker of emotion in the other's eyes. Their silent pact made, they soon exited the truck and let the rest of the weekend commence.

************************************************************************

"Tell me what you dream at night while you sleep…

Is it someone else's arms that hold you tight

Or darling is it me?

Tell me what you dream at night while you're sleeping…"

Nearly four years later, Shannon Moore sits alone tonight in a hotel room in some distant city; his friend Shane has gone out with some companions for the evening. Aching and feeling like he's coming down with the flu, unable to sleep since the song playing on the radio woke him up, he sits up in bed and walks slowly over to the large window on the other side of the room to stare out somewhat longingly into the stormy evening sky. Closing his eyes, he allows himself to be taken back to a precious moment in time that is locked securely away forevermore in his memory bank like the most precious of treasures. Regrets? Yes, there have been a few - but the one that's keeping him awake tonight, on this loneliest of nights, is that he's not with the one he loves. Longing to feel Jeff's arms surrounding him once more, the feelings of love and desire that have lied dormant in his soul for all the subsequent years since that magical summer night have finally surfaced unexpectedly tonight, triggered by who knows what; perhaps it’s the rain that's pattering its sad lullaby against the window, singing to him the sad song of lost love.

His head dropping down silently to his chest, his shoulders soon shake with silent sobs as he wonders where Jeff is tonight, and if he ever has the occasion to think of him late at night and remember their shared night of passion with the same sense of wistful longing that he does; the sweet unforgettable taste of which still haunts Shannon to this very day.