Page 60 of No Place Like You

“Is this okay?” he says into my hair. I nod, rubbing my nose against the fabric covering his shoulder and allowing myself a deep inhale of his scent. Something in my brain chemistry alters as I consume myself in him, convincing me things are going to work out the way they’re supposed to.

When I pull away, he doesn’t let me go. I look at him, our noses playing this little teasing game of cat and mouse. I brush my lips against his, and his eyes squeeze shut. His hands grip my waist tighter, and when I bring my hand to skate along his chest, I feel his heart thrum underneath my fingertips.

“This is okay too,” I say, adding a small kiss to his lips. It’s his turn to nod. I kiss him again, and this time, he kisses me back. It’s gentle and slow, and for some reason, it feels a thousand times more intimate than our rushed kisses from before.

The second his tongue dips into my mouth, I rise to my knees and straddle his lap. Our kiss deepens, and my fingers thread through his hair, tugging at the roots. That draws a low moan from the back of his throat, and I feel his hand caress my back underneath my loose sleep shirt I haven’t changed out of yet. He trails my skin, making me shiver. His other hand cups the back of my neck, and he grips me so hard, so fiercely, I feel like melting into a puddle of sticky ooze right on his lap. His fingers rake into my hair, and the weak, hopeless moan that squeezes from my lips is outright embarrassing.

He pulls away just then and looks at me, the brown in his eyes barely visible with his black pupils filling most of the color. “I meant it when I said we should take it slow.”

“Yeah,” I whisper, pressing my forehead to his. I push my hips down into him, and he groans.

“You know,” he says, his voice strained. “Doing the responsible thing?”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, itwouldbe the responsible thing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You keep saying ‘yeah.’”

“Ye—” We both pause to chuckle. “You’re right.” I climb off him and kneel to his side, my hands twisting on my lap. “I guess things sorta got out of hand?”

“Yeah.” That makes us both laugh, this time with less tension.

I glance at the clock and turn back to face him. “I have to go downstairs to get my clothes out of the dryer. And maybe we’ll figure out what to do for dinner after?”

“I’ll go with you. To get your laundry,” he offers.

I stand first and wait for him but as he gets up, he crouches back down. “I might need a minute,” he says sheepishly.

I look at him, confused, but then he gestures a hand toward his lap, and I dissolve into a set of giggles, falling back to my knees. I cup his face with my hands and grip him, placing a small peck at the corner of his mouth. “You’re so cute.”

He groans. “That’s not helping.”

I laugh, and his head falls back onto the bed. “I’ll wait outside for you,” I say as I pull away and reluctantly stand.

28

Lucy

I spendthe rest of Sunday evening folding laundry and eating more Thai food. I thought I’d be sick of it by now but with so many menu options and Dexter’s agreement that there’s nothing better than a meal completed with mango sticky rice, I couldn’t be swayed to choose something else.

So we lounge on the couch, stuffing our faces and discussing all the times we missed each other. How I thought of him from thousands of miles away and how he found any excuse to bring me up in conversation with Nat and Hayden. Asking how I was doing, hoping he’d catch me on the phone with my sister. All those times when we could’ve just picked up the phone and called each other.

We finally book our flights to Hawaii. Dexter helps me look into shipping costs to send some of my things back home so I won’t have to take my entire suitcase I’ve been living out of with me to Hawaii. He switches on his PlayStation while I fill out forms for the renter’s insurance claim. The property manager emailed me the paperwork, finally sealing the deal to end my lease agreement. I was relieved when I got the email notification, sinceI still need the money to replace my laptop, and grateful I didn’t have to reach out with legal threats or a bad Yelp review. I just hoped whatever I get from the insurance is enough to cover a new one.

Over the chaotic yet somehow comforting clicks of his PlayStation controller and the sun slowly eclipsing behind skyscrapers, I sit by Dexter’s side and finish sending off everything to the insurance company. I online shop for a bridesmaids dress using the color swatches Nat sent me, and Dexter gives me his full attention every time I show him a new dress, following up each approving nod with comments like, “I like the straps on that one” or, “That one would look really nice on you.” We call Janet after dinner time, checking in on her while she receives yet another round of antibiotics, and she smiles at us as we squish together to fit on the narrow phone screen.

By the end of the night, when we’re both stifling yawns, we meander our way to our separate bedrooms. I don’t want to leave his side, and it seems like he doesn’t want to leave mine. He lingers at my doorway, loosely holding on to my hand and crowding me against the frame.

“So…we should do this again sometime.”

I laugh, feeling like I’m floating on a big, fluffy cloud. He tucks his hand under my chin and brings my lips to his, and we both melt into this deep, lingering kiss that makes me flash through every kiss I’ve ever had, trying to remember if I’ve ever been kissed like this.

He presses his hand against the hard surface of the doorframe next to my right ear and looks at me, his gaze flitting to my lips and back to my eyes. “I’d like to say we could sleep in the same bed and behave but?—”

“But probably not,” I finish.

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