Page 31 of The Way Home
Friend. Not boyfriend. Not lover.Notbrother. That was the biggest distinction for me. Friend I could handle. Maybe not being remembered wasn’t such a bad thing, not if Jeremy got to introduce me like this. I happily shook the hand she offered.
“Well… friend, Riley. It’s nice to meet you. Anything you need, all you gotta do is ask, all right?”
“Thank you very much.”
Once Doris left us at our table, Jeremy reached across and grabbed my hand. “Hey, I’m sorry she didn’t remember you. I’msure she would if she thinks about it for a minute. I was just in a lot with the team. We had all of our banquets here.”
I offered him a genuine smile and turned my hand over to squeeze his. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. Actually, it’s kind of a relief.”
Jeremy tilted his head. “How so?”
“Well… it means… I could beanyone.” The idea was freeing. I’d been a little anxious about coming into town with Jeremy and having people recognize us as family and having to act in a way that fit their understanding. Now… I didn’t.
Jeremy leaned in, still holding my hand, and asked, “Who would you be if you could be anyone?”
I stared into those rich brown eyes of his and let myself imagine just for a moment what it might be like if this was an actual date. I would hold his undivided attention as I did now. Jeremy would find interest in anything I said, as he always had. We could go home together and fall into each other’s arms. Itcouldbe a date. He said as much. What if I let this be real?What ifwas the start of any scientific discovery. All it took was someone askingifsomething was possible and then testing to prove whether they were right. “Your friend, for starters.”
Jeremy grinned wide and sat back in his seat. “I’ll take it.”
Jeremy
Aperfect day.
I started to wonder if they still existed or if they went the way of childhood wonders, swallowed up by the demands of adulthood. I’d had a lot of nice days, great even, but nothing that made me feel as if everything in the world aligned exactly right to bring about a perfect day. Until today.
Seeing Riley light up at the science museum would have been enough. We could have stopped right there, and I would have praised whatever deities who allowed me to witness such a moment. Having him kiss me,himinitiate it, yeah, that definitely topped it. And dinner? Damn, I just couldn’t stop seeing the way he looked at me or feeling his hand resting in mine, even as we ate.
Riley’s hand was still in mine, resting in my lap as I drove us home. Despite the growing rain, and a clack of distant thunder, I wore a near-constant smile, feeling higher than I’d ever felt. I didn’t really know where this was heading, or what might happen, but I didn’t care. Not after having a perfect day. A day I would remember forever.
Once we were home, we lingered on the porch for a moment, as if entering the house would signify the end of this day. Riley stared down at me, making heat form low in my belly. As much as I was dying to kiss him again, I needed something else even more. I stepped in closer and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in tight. Riley’s arms folded over my shoulders and he held me. My head nestled into the crook of his neck, and his cheek rested on mine. I breathed him in as we embraced.
We hugged each other tight, holding on as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. I hadn’t, not like this, and I wanted to hold onto this, onto him, for as long as I could. After a long moment, I whispered, “Thank you.”
Riley released a light sigh and squeezed me tight. “Thank you, Jem.”
The dark night sky flashed, and I flinched in his arms when the thunder clapped. Riley leaned back enough to meet my gaze, and he lifted a hand to brush my cheek. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss in the same spot. “If it gets bad, come to my room. I can’t spend another night in the twin bed.”
I nodded with a soft smile. “Okay.”
We broke apart, at last, though I could have been content to stay with him there on the porch all night, thunderstorm and all.
We went our separate ways, two doors and a hallway separating us. I stripped my shirt off and peeled out of my skinny jeans. As I lay in my bed, the smile returned. My heart felt wonderfully full. Sure, I was still horny after spending time with him and thinking of the hungry way he kissed me underthe black light, but more than that I was just so damn happy. So happy that the next thunder strike didn’t even faze me. It happened, I felt it, but not in the way that made me lose my breath.
Still… the invitation had been given. I wasn’t in the same condition I’d been in the other day when my stress made it hard for me to defend myself against the storm. I was feeling light and floaty, but I got up anyway. Not bothering to put anything on over my neon green briefs, I crept across the hall. I’d been letting myself in a lot lately, mostly just to get some sort of reaction from him, but tonight was different. I knocked lightly on his door and waited outside.
“You can come in,” Riley called out.
Slowly, I opened the door to find Riley sitting up all the way to one side of the bed and shirtless. He’d known there was a possibility I might come and he didn’t put a shirt on. Did it mean anything? I didn’t know, but it made my heart race all the same. “I know you said…”
Before I could even finish, Riley flipped the cover back on one side and patted the bed. I grinned and walked in, taking the spot he’d left for me. Had he been waiting for me? His eyes did a quick roam over my body, taking in my nearly-naked form. I hated sleeping in clothes and avoided it when I could help it, but I also longed to feel his skin against mine, more than I wanted a cheeseburger pizza.
I scooted down until my head was on the pillow and turned on my side to face him. Riley put his book on his lap. With his hand freed, he found mine and pulled it closer to his chest, twining our fingers together. “Are you okay?”
I squeezed his hand and smiled. “I am now, darling.”
Riley closed his eyes and let out a soft hum. He went to put his book on the bedside table, but I stopped him. “Wait. Would you mind reading to me?”
“Read to you? What? This? I didn’t think you were big on fantasy.”
