Page 37 of Quarantine Crush
11
Knox
Emy sags down on the couch next to me, the look of frustration on her face mirroring my own. I watch as she runs her fingers through her soft locks, quickly untangling them, and I do my best to adjust the evidence of my arousal as inconspicuously as possible. When she turns back to me, the hunger I see in her expression is barely concealed. However, her phone is still vibrating with the incoming call from the dads, so whatever it was that almost happened, and whatever we’re going to do about it, will have to wait.
“Ready?” she asks.
I nod my head, and she pushes the button to accept the Skype call. Our fathers’ smiling faces pop up on the screen.
“Hey dads,” Emy says, shooting them a strained smile. “What are you two crazy kids up to?”
“I think maybe it’s us who should be asking that question,” her dad says, eyeing us suspiciously.
Damn. So much for acting natural.
“Yeah, you two look guilty,” my father agrees. “Like that time you accidentally set the Petersons’ barn on fire.”
“We do not look guilty,” Emy says in a strangled voice that definitely sounds guilty. Emy might be able to bullshit at cards, but she’s doing a terrible job of it right now.
I reach over to pat her knee, causing her to jump. She looks at me with wide eyes, and I do my best to tell her to chill with my own.
“How is everyone doing there?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“Fine. Your mom and Gram have been keeping busy cooking and baking all day long.”
“We’ll probably put on twenty pounds by the time this quarantine is over,” Emy’s dad agrees.
“They’re calling it the Coronach twenty,” my dad puts in with a snicker.
Emy’s dad pats his belly. “It will have been worth it though.”
Dad nods his agreement before continuing his updates. “Christian is enjoying the break from school. He’s been spending all his time playing video games online with his friends, but they’re talking about kids doing virtual schooling if this goes on too much longer.”
“What does that mean for Christian’s graduation?” I ask.
“Not sure yet, but there’s a possibility the ceremony will have to be canceled.” No one responds to that, and I know we’re all bummed at the idea that Christian might not walk with his class. “As for me, I gotta admit, son, I haven’t been sleeping well.”
I frown, looking over his face for any sign that I should be worried.
“Oh, no. Are you okay?” Emy asks, leaning forward in concern.
“Yeah,” he says, waving off her concern. “I’ve just been having lots of dreams about mufflers, so I keep waking up exhausted.”
Emy and I groan, our eyes shooting to each other and causing us to burst into laughter. I should have seen that one coming.
“How about you two?” Joe asks. “Are you both feeling okay? No signs of sickness?”
“We’re fine, Dad,” Emy says. “And in two weeks, when we still don’t have any signs of being sick, you can see for yourself.”
The dads exchange a look. Emy’s dad rubs the back of his neck. “We’ll see, honey. We’ll have to play it by ear to see when it’s safe for you two to join us out here.”
“Seriously?” Emy asks. “Why don’t you want us to quarantine with you guys?”
“It’s not that we don’t want you two here,” my dad assures her, but there’s a weird tone to his words. “We want to make sure it’s safe for everyone. We’ll all be together soon.”
I open my mouth to back Emy up because she’s right. They’re being suspicious as hell, but my father starts talking again.
“Oh, look! It’s your brother. Christian, come say hello to Knox and Emy.”
