again, this time a song that I knew well. It was the first one we had written after we started dating. Somehow, even after all the years since then, I still remembered every word.
It took a few lines before we found our rhythm, but soon our voices blended smoothly. Tyler’s voice had grown deeper over the years, and it was richer, too. Mine was as light as it had always been, but somehow sounded better now. As weird as it was to sing with him, especially a song we had written about falling in love, it also felt wonderful to sing again. I didn’t realize how much I had missed this part of my life.
T.J. clapped loudly at the end, but his nose wrinkled distastefully.
“What’s wrong?” I knew that look well- it was the same one he gave when I made him finish his broccoli.
“Nothing. You sounded good.”
“Then what’s with the sour face?”
T.J. sighed. “That was a love song.”
“So?” Tyler clearly didn’t remember what it was like to be a ten-year-old boy.
“Love is gross.” T.J. jumped to his feet. “Can we play catch again?”
Tyler laughed and handed me the guitar. “Sure. I wouldn’t want to gross you out anymore.”
The guitar was heavy in my lap. I looked at it for a long time before shifting it to a playing position. The first few chords came out rusty and hesitant. My callouses were long gone and the strings burned my fingertips, but now that I had started I couldn’t stop.
As natural as it felt to be playing again, I couldn’t remember any songs. Bits and pieces came back to me, and I strung together random parts until I exhausted them. By the time I put the guitar back in its case, my fingers felt raw.
T.J. was the one to end our outing, declaring himself starved. Tyler drove us back to his place where he insisted on cooking dinner. He gutted and cleaned the fish they had caught earlier and tossed them on the grill with some fresh vegetables from Glenn’s garden. With a full stomach and a day’s worth of fresh air, T.J. fell asleep on the old leather couch. Tyler covered him with a blanket and we took iced teas onto the new front porch.
Only the floor was finished. The railing and ceiling would come next. But we were able to sit on the new wooden stairs and sip our teas. The sun was starting a slow descent in the sky.
“Today was nice,” I said. “T.J. had a great time.”
“And you?” Tyler asked.
“I enjoyed our time together also.” I didn’t know what was causing me to be so reluctant to admit that it had been a perfect day. Maybe it was because I was afraid that saying it out loud might jinx things.
“You got some sun,” he said, running his fingertips over my pink shoulder.
His hands were cold from holding the iced tea, but that wasn’t why I shivered. He kept his hand there, brushing his fingers softly down my arm.
“Tyler…” My brain said that I should protest, that I should stop him. But my body didn’t want him to stop.
“When does T.J. leave for camp?”
“Monday morning.”
“Are you busy at the store on Monday?” Tyler’s hand was still moving, up and down.
“The store is closed on Mondays.” My voice came out breathlessly.
Tyler’s hand stopped moving and he took my hand. “Spend the day with me?”
“Doing what?”
That devilish grin returned. “Whatever you want.”
I’m not sure which of us moved first, but slowly we gravitated toward each other, closer and closer until our lips just nearly touched.
“The porch looks great!”
We both turned out heads in time to see Glenn wave while his wife, Wanda, slapped his arm. They were taking their traditional evening stroll through the neighborhood. Tyler returned Glenn’s wave.
“Thanks, Glenn.”
Glenn tried to stop for a lengthier conversation but Wanda pulled him forward. “You want me to stop by on Monday to help with the railing?”
“Thanks, but I’m going to be busy on Monday.” He squeezed my hand which he was still holding.
“Alright. You kids have a nice
It took a few lines before we found our rhythm, but soon our voices blended smoothly. Tyler’s voice had grown deeper over the years, and it was richer, too. Mine was as light as it had always been, but somehow sounded better now. As weird as it was to sing with him, especially a song we had written about falling in love, it also felt wonderful to sing again. I didn’t realize how much I had missed this part of my life.
T.J. clapped loudly at the end, but his nose wrinkled distastefully.
“What’s wrong?” I knew that look well- it was the same one he gave when I made him finish his broccoli.
“Nothing. You sounded good.”
“Then what’s with the sour face?”
T.J. sighed. “That was a love song.”
“So?” Tyler clearly didn’t remember what it was like to be a ten-year-old boy.
“Love is gross.” T.J. jumped to his feet. “Can we play catch again?”
Tyler laughed and handed me the guitar. “Sure. I wouldn’t want to gross you out anymore.”
The guitar was heavy in my lap. I looked at it for a long time before shifting it to a playing position. The first few chords came out rusty and hesitant. My callouses were long gone and the strings burned my fingertips, but now that I had started I couldn’t stop.
As natural as it felt to be playing again, I couldn’t remember any songs. Bits and pieces came back to me, and I strung together random parts until I exhausted them. By the time I put the guitar back in its case, my fingers felt raw.
T.J. was the one to end our outing, declaring himself starved. Tyler drove us back to his place where he insisted on cooking dinner. He gutted and cleaned the fish they had caught earlier and tossed them on the grill with some fresh vegetables from Glenn’s garden. With a full stomach and a day’s worth of fresh air, T.J. fell asleep on the old leather couch. Tyler covered him with a blanket and we took iced teas onto the new front porch.
Only the floor was finished. The railing and ceiling would come next. But we were able to sit on the new wooden stairs and sip our teas. The sun was starting a slow descent in the sky.
“Today was nice,” I said. “T.J. had a great time.”
“And you?” Tyler asked.
“I enjoyed our time together also.” I didn’t know what was causing me to be so reluctant to admit that it had been a perfect day. Maybe it was because I was afraid that saying it out loud might jinx things.
“You got some sun,” he said, running his fingertips over my pink shoulder.
His hands were cold from holding the iced tea, but that wasn’t why I shivered. He kept his hand there, brushing his fingers softly down my arm.
“Tyler…” My brain said that I should protest, that I should stop him. But my body didn’t want him to stop.
“When does T.J. leave for camp?”
“Monday morning.”
“Are you busy at the store on Monday?” Tyler’s hand was still moving, up and down.
“The store is closed on Mondays.” My voice came out breathlessly.
Tyler’s hand stopped moving and he took my hand. “Spend the day with me?”
“Doing what?”
That devilish grin returned. “Whatever you want.”
I’m not sure which of us moved first, but slowly we gravitated toward each other, closer and closer until our lips just nearly touched.
“The porch looks great!”
We both turned out heads in time to see Glenn wave while his wife, Wanda, slapped his arm. They were taking their traditional evening stroll through the neighborhood. Tyler returned Glenn’s wave.
“Thanks, Glenn.”
Glenn tried to stop for a lengthier conversation but Wanda pulled him forward. “You want me to stop by on Monday to help with the railing?”
“Thanks, but I’m going to be busy on Monday.” He squeezed my hand which he was still holding.
“Alright. You kids have a nice
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