The cooling engine made ticking sounds in the quiet night.
“I have to go home. Mom’s freaking out.” Noah broke the silence that had settled as soon as they crossed the town border.
Alex nodded. “I guess I’ll see you around.” He winced at how aloof his voice sounded, but it was better than begging for reassurance.
Please tell me you won’t change your mind about me. Please find me worth the trouble.
Weak thoughts. The kind of thoughts that didn’t do anything good because as far as Alex’s experiences went, people left and no amount of begging and wishing made the reality any different.
“I’ll walk you to your door,” Noah said as he climbed out of the car.
Alex blinked in surprise, but he, too, got out. They walked to the bunkhouse’s door together. About halfway across the patch of lawn that separated the parking lot and the bunkhouse, Noah’s hand slid into Alex’s.
Alex let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.
“Not gonna change my mind,” Noah said quietly, staring right ahead, reading Alex’s thoughts perfectly.
They walked up the porch steps and stopped in front of Alex’s door.
“I had the best time today,” Alex said. The words didn’t come easily. It was hard putting himself out there. Open to being hurt. Left. Shoved aside. But Noah had done it, too, hadn’t he? Made himself vulnerable to Alex, so the least Alex could do was try. Try and be a tiny bit less apprehensive and doom and gloom about the future.
Noah took a step closer. “I’m going to kiss you good night,” he whispered, lips a hairsbreadth away from Alex’s.
“You should,” Alex replied.
“Always have to have the last word.” Noah sounded amused. And he was wrong. Alex happily let Noah have the last word as Noah’s mouth covered Alex’s in the slowest, sweetest kiss imaginable that lingered on Alex’s lips long after Noah had driven away.
9
Before Alex realized, June was over. His days were still long and hard. Carl worked him like a dog, seemingly piling new tasks on Alex whenever he saw Alex so much as breathe in his proximity.
Some of the dirtier work was gradually taken over by a couple of volunteers: two high school girls on summer break who blushed, giggled, and whispered whenever Alex passed them, and an older man who only seemed to communicate in grunts.
Alex didn’t mind. If the giggling and the grunts relieved him of cleaning the enclosures, he was happy to endure both.
According to Noah, it was their busiest time of the year, and Alex had to agree with that. It felt like the phone was constantly ringing, informing them of an animal in need of rescue. More often than not, though, they didn’t have to take them back to the center. A lot of people thought animals needed help when they actually didn’t, and from time to time, if the animal actually was in trouble, Carl, Noah, and Alex could solve the situation right then and there and didn’t have to take them in.
Well, Carl and Noah solved the problems, Alex was more like a glorified driver who had the pleasure of trying not to get scratched or bitten while holding or catching an animal. As much as he had groused about getting shots to prevent rabies, he was now grateful he’d done it.
Days were long and busy, but somehow, in the middle of it all, Alex and Noah managed to sneak moments together. A late-night stroll in the woods after work. A sandwich that Noah brought Alex in the middle of the workday. They had stolen kisses while sorting hay bales in the barn and covert glances while Carl needed both of them for one task or another. Long conversations on the phone, in the dark, after Noah had gone home and Alex lay in his bed, tired and sore after a long day of work but not enough to sacrifice that time with Noah.
With every moment Alex spent with Noah, he wanted more, but he also didn’t want to rush Noah, so Alex was letting Noah take the lead on how fast they were moving. The last thing Alex wanted was for Noah to regret whatever happened between them, and if as a result of that Alex was going to become extremely well acquainted with his right hand, so be it.
For the first time in his life, Alex was thoroughly and completely happy. It was a strange feeling. He didn’t trust people easily, but Noah broke through every barrier Alex had