Page 52 of Home Between Homes

“...and you wanted to spend some time making out before we go to this mysterioussomewhere?”

“I just want to sneak a few kisses. I swear.”

“Just a few?” I asked, acting indignant.

“Okay, you got me. A lot.” He leaned over the center console and stole the first of what I hoped would be many. Our lips met for only three seconds at first, but when he tried to pull away, he shook his head and leaned in for another, this time accompanied by his hand caressing my cheek. Our tongues met for a minute before he eased out of the embrace. “I hope this has satisfied your appetite for a few minutes. Because I want to stuff your mouth with some food so we’re not late for the movies in half an hour.”

My eyes went wide. There was only one place he could have meant. “Does that mean I get to meet your friends? Um, Jason and...?”

“Nick. Yes. But only briefly. They were kind enough to let us use their home theater.”

Jack had talked about them from time to time, but whenever I suggested we could meet with them, he said he wanted to keep me to himself a little longer. They owned the gas station, and the word around town was that they had a bit of a spooky vibe about them, but Jack assured me they were good people. Besides, they were gay and apparently three times more into horror movies than I was, so it only made sense to befriend them.

“I’m looking forward to meeting them,” I said, finally slipping out of my jacket.

Jack put some cream cheese on a cracker and held it out to me. I threw my jacket on the backseat and opened my mouth. He shoved it in so far that it was too much for my mouth. WhenI closed it, I bit off half of the cracker and barely caught the half that fell out.

I had to laugh hard, but with my mouth so full, I had to choke down the laughter so the garlicky taste wouldn’t go down the wrong pipe.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Jack said, holding his hands toward me as if he were preparing to do the Heimlich maneuver.

After some chewing, I swallowed and could finally let out my laugh. “No worries. I know you like to stuff things deep into my mouth.”

Jack’s ears turned red as he joined in my laughter. “Did you at least like the cheese?”

“It’s one of the best I ever had. I love garlic.”

“Me too. I got it in a little delicatessen store near Ashbourne. They had ten brands! I didn’t know which one to choose, but the saleswoman said this was her favorite. Imported from Italy, apparently.”

“Imported? You don’t have to spend your money on fancy things for me.”

“It’s our first date. We’re not even going to a restaurant, and the movies are free. I definitely didn’t overspend.”

“Sorry. I’m just used to not having any money, and it’s going to be a while before I get my first paycheck.”

We continued to feed each other, and fifteen minutes later, the charcuterie board was almost empty, and we were stuffed.

“I lovethis,” I said, pointing toward the valley. “The view, the food,…” I turned to him and took a deep breath to find the courage to say what was on my mind. But when he smiled at me, I knew I could go on. “And I loveyou.”

His smile turned into a grin that was so wide that his head tilted back as if his teeth were too heavy for him to hold his head up any longer. “Did you say what I heard, or is my mind playing tricks on me?” He raised his head again and beamed at me.

"What did you hear?" I asked, feigning innocence.

“The L-word.”

“Lasagna?”

“No, the other one.”

“Oh, yeah. Then I guess you heard it right.”

His cheeks reddened as his dimples rose higher than I’d ever seen them. “I love you, too, Noah.”

Since I had said it first, I thought I’d be calm and collected when he said it back, but hearing those words sent a flutter through my chest and heat into my cheeks.Jack Norlander loved me.“How about we honor the name of this place then and spend our last ten minutes here wisely?”

Jack nodded and leaned in closer. We didn’t have long before we had to pack up and leave, but we were going to make every second count.

When Jack drovepast the gas station, down a road with a big dead-end sign next to it, I thought nothing of it at first. But the deeper we got into the woods, the more the trees grew over the road and the weirder my stomach felt.Who on earth in their thirties lives so far away from the action?When we finally reached what I could only assume was Jason and Nick’s house, my forehead hurt from all the frowning. The road ended in a cul-de-sac that had a roof over it leading up to the building.Was this for real?It didn’t look like a house, more like an abandoned hotel. A floodlight came on automatically as Jack drove under the roof, shining down on a white Honda and a gray minivan parked there. The light cast long shadows across the path that led to the double glass front doors.

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