Page 97 of Just Forever

“Then let’s go home.”

RYKER

I’ve hada long day of practice and watching game tape in preparation for our upcoming game with Boston, so when I get home and am immediately greeted by the smell of tomato sauce and garlic, my mouth begins to water the moment I step inside.

I drop my duffel on the floor, toe off my boots, and follow the scent to the kitchen, where I find Lake sitting at the island with his laptop and an anatomy book thick enough to break your foot should you ever accidentally drop it on it.

Only the lights above the kitchen island are turned on. The rest of the apartment is dark, which makes Lake’s little oasis of light feel especially warm and welcoming.

For a week now I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s been a sort of unconscious anxiety that settled in my chest over the last few days. Not too loud or disruptive, but prominent enough to make its presence known in quieter moments.

But now, watching Lake, something settles inside me.

I go to him and stand behind him. He looks up, and I press a kiss to his forehead.

“Hey,” he says softly.

“Hi.”

He closes his eyes, and I crouch so I can rest my chin on his shoulder. He has so many tabs and windows open that I’m willing to bet no sane person is able to make sense of the mess.

“Dinner’s in the oven,” Lake says. “Pot roast.”

“You cooked?”

“Not even a little bit, unless you consider heating the thing cooking.”

“It smells good,” I say. Lake gets up and stretches, and I take a moment to fully enjoy the sight.

“It’s from that place down the street,” he says.

He starts to walk past me, but I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him against me. He sends me a curious smile, and I kiss him. He tastes like peanut butter and apples, and his arms circle my neck as the kiss deepens.

Our tongues tangle, both of us taking dips into the other’s mouth. I kissed him this morning, and it already feels like it’s been forever, so I take my time while Lake wraps himself around me.

The beeping of the oven timer is an unwelcome noise I’m fully determined to ignore, but Lake starts to laugh against my mouth.

“The food will burn if you keep this up.”

“I’m not that hungry anyway.”

“Yeah, well, I am,” he says with a laugh.

I tighten my grip on him, and he raises his brows at me. “Are you gonna let me turn off the oven, at least, or do we wait until we’ve burned the food? Because I’ll vote for the second option only if you promise to get the hot firemen here once the smoke detector goes off.”

I hug him for another few seconds before I let him go. He sends me an amused look and goes to turn the oven off while I open the drawer to get the plates and utensils. Five minutes later we’re sitting at the table with our food.

“How was your day?” I ask.

“Cadaver lab,” he says offhandedly, then shoves a huge forkful of food in his mouth. “Someone hadn’t eaten the whole day, so the moment they got a whiff of formaldehyde they passed out cold.”

“Or they saw the dead body.”

“There was a side profile dissection of a head,” he says. “Fascinating stuff.”

“I’m pretty sure we had a rule about dead-bodies-talk at the dinner table after that whole…” I make some kind of nonsensical gesture with my fork.

“After the fat-looks-like-wet-popcorn conversation?” Lake says innocently.

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