on my back.
“That shark attacks are on the rise.”
He leans in close, and lightly presses his teeth on the back of my neck. Laughing, I push him away.
“Seriously, though, are you actually scared of sharks?” he asks. “I just like messing with you. You get so flustered; it’s so fun.”
I look out at the water. “It’s fine.”
“Okay, then. In that case, I dare you to go in by yourself.”
“What?”
“Come on, be brave. Go in without me. You can do it.”
I guess he has a point.
Going in alone is way scarier.
“Fine,” I say, and I trudge forward.
I want to impress him. And myself, I guess.
I go even deeper than we did last time, and start treading water. Okay, this is way freakier by myself.
“How long are you going to make me wait?” I call.
He smiles and wades in. He dives into the water and swims up to me.
He reaches me and slicks his hair back. His chest is heaving, and his mouth is hanging open. He’s breathless. I stand up.
“You’re so brave,” he says.
“It takes more than this to scare me.”
“I bet,” he says, stepping closer. “Now, dare me to do something. Anything you want, I’ll do it.”
I look into his eyes.
And I have the guts to say it.
“I want you to kiss me so much I can’t breathe anymore.”
He pulls me to him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
For the first time ever, I have two separate invites for tomorrow.
The first is from Cassidy.
She’s asked me to go to a dumpling place in the city she’s heard is amazing. After that, Jason has asked me to come and watch him play baseball. I feel so lucky. I’m not sure what I did to have my life change like this … but I’m really enjoying it.
All that stuff is happening tomorrow, though.
First, tonight, Dad is coming home.
It means today is weirdly hectic.
I’m really relieved he’s coming home. He’s still going to need a lot of rest, but his being home will make me feel less anxious. To me, it means he’s out of the woods. Luke’s gone to get him now, and they’ll be home at any minute. I thought they’d be here by the time I got back from school, but they’re still out. I hope it doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong.
Ever since I got home I’ve been cooking pasta for Dad, because it’s his favorite. There’s a bubbling pot of sauce on the stove, and the whole house smells like tomatoes and garlic. I’ve been cleaning as I go, because I know any mess will undo any goodwill I’ve built by cooking for him. I know I don’t make it as well as he or Luke do, but I thought I’d at least try. It still tastes good if you drown it in Parmesan anyway.
I stir the pot, then lean against the island and check my phone.
Cassidy’s invite was for six thirty, and Jason’s game starts at seven. Which means I don’t have time to go to both, unless I alter one of the plans slightly. That makes me kind of nervous, though. Like I’ll piss them off by asking.
It’s not a big deal to move the plans by an hour. If I keep telling myself that, hopefully I’ll start believing it.
I open up my messages to Cassidy. My hand is shaking.
Hey, I was just wondering if we could we make it five thirty? I have plans at seven.
I’m so nervous. I know I shouldn’t be stressed over something so minor, but I can’t help it.
On top of that, I’m anxious to tell her that I have plans. Because then she’s sure to ask me what those plans are, which means I’m going to have to lie to her. I can’t tell her I’m hanging out with Jason Donovan, after all.
I hate lying.
It’s messy, and I’m really not good at it. Keeping a secret by omission, like what I normally do with my sexuality, and how I feel about my family, is one thing. Actual lying is way harder. I feel like I need to create this whole elaborate story in my head about what I’m doing if she asks. I need to make sure it all fits, like it’s something I could actually be doing.
My phone buzzes.
Look at you, busy man! 5:30 actually works great for me. See you then, rock star
I find myself smiling.
I think I might be making another legit friend.
I hear a car pull into the driveway. Eddie stands up and runs over to the door. That’ll be Luke