that dumb.”
I looked at him, feeling naked. “You shoulda known,” I muttered. I was thinking of the way looking at Oliver had become my whole world that summer. “You shoulda known that the dogs trumped the pool.”
Oliver looked stricken and nodded, and I realized that I wasn’t being rational.
“I’m sorry. I’m . . . I’m sort of all over the place. You know, maybe I should, I don’t know, take a cab, go hide out in your bedroom, something. I’m not going to be really, you know, stellar company tonight, righ—?”
I was interrupted as the side door by us flew open, and three men, my height but broader, came barreling through.
Oliver rolled his eyes and laughed and backed up against me, mashing me against the wall. My brain shorted out, and all of my insecurities died a quick and painless death.
He felt so good. It was like that touch, the rough feel of his slender body through his clothes, leaning against me through mine, was all I needed. I wanted to shiver, collapse around him, howl, and hold him to my body. God , did I need to have him in my arms. At the moment, though, the giant men were all yelling in Spanish, and hollering at Oliver’s dad, and it didn’t seem to be the moment. I mean, I knew that, but I also knew that if I had much more time with Oliver in my arms like this, I might succeed in crawling through the back of the wall with my butt muscles alone in an effort to grab him and escape.
I gave Oliver a little shove, and suddenly he was being roughly embraced by the oldest of the men and shaken within an inch of his life.
“Hey, Ollie! You grew, at least an inch, right? Yeah, you grew—”
“It’s only been a month, Uncle Manny. Pretty sure I haven’t grown in a month.”
“Joey! Sal! Get over here! What do you think, you think Ollie’s grown?”
Oliver grimaced up at the two other young men, both of whom looked only a little older than us.
“Hey, Joey. Hey, Sal. I haven’t grown. Uncle Manny’s a little high. You gotta watch and make sure he doesn’t drink too much coffee on his way up the hill.”
“It’s only from Sacto, Oliver,” Joey said, rolling his eyes. He was the tallest of the three men and the widest, with a wide-cheekboned, handsome face and a square hairline to match his square chin.
I don’t know if Sal was younger, but he was certainly littler, and he was willing to buy into the lie. “Yeah, man, I swear it took Dad, like, sixty-four ounces of java to make it this time. He’s got to lay off the late-night chat sessions if he wants to live to be old.” Sal was shorter and skinnier, a lot like Oliver, and his narrow face was marred by acne scars, but he had the sort of smile that made you not think about that. Both boys had the big, brown eyes of Oliver’s family, with the really thick lashes. I bet they got away with murder in school.
Manny turned to his sons and rolled his eyes. “Late-night chat sessions, right? I’m doing bills to keep you two in schoolbooks for the next three years. You’d think with twins, you’d want to study the same thing and save us some money, right?”
“Twins?” I squeaked, and Joey caught sight of me and shook his head sourly.
“Yeah. God was fuckin’ laughing that day, wasn’t he?”
“Joseph!” Manny snapped, and Joey grimaced.
“Sorry, Dad!” he sang, as Manny moved to the kitchen. Then he rolled his eyes at Oliver and me and seemed to remember himself. He extended a hand. “Joey Campbell—we’re Oliver’s cousins.”
I had to come out of the corner of the room to shake his hand and then Sal’s after it. “Rusty Baker. A, er, friend of Oliver’s—”
“My boyfriend,” Oliver said smugly, and both boys widened their eyes and nodded appreciatively.
“Nice, Ollie,” Sal chirped. “You finally snagged him! That’s awesome.”
I went to back up again, and Oliver reached behind his back and grabbed my hand. “He was ready to be snagged,” Oliver conceded, “but he’s shy. No
I looked at him, feeling naked. “You shoulda known,” I muttered. I was thinking of the way looking at Oliver had become my whole world that summer. “You shoulda known that the dogs trumped the pool.”
Oliver looked stricken and nodded, and I realized that I wasn’t being rational.
“I’m sorry. I’m . . . I’m sort of all over the place. You know, maybe I should, I don’t know, take a cab, go hide out in your bedroom, something. I’m not going to be really, you know, stellar company tonight, righ—?”
I was interrupted as the side door by us flew open, and three men, my height but broader, came barreling through.
Oliver rolled his eyes and laughed and backed up against me, mashing me against the wall. My brain shorted out, and all of my insecurities died a quick and painless death.
He felt so good. It was like that touch, the rough feel of his slender body through his clothes, leaning against me through mine, was all I needed. I wanted to shiver, collapse around him, howl, and hold him to my body. God , did I need to have him in my arms. At the moment, though, the giant men were all yelling in Spanish, and hollering at Oliver’s dad, and it didn’t seem to be the moment. I mean, I knew that, but I also knew that if I had much more time with Oliver in my arms like this, I might succeed in crawling through the back of the wall with my butt muscles alone in an effort to grab him and escape.
I gave Oliver a little shove, and suddenly he was being roughly embraced by the oldest of the men and shaken within an inch of his life.
“Hey, Ollie! You grew, at least an inch, right? Yeah, you grew—”
“It’s only been a month, Uncle Manny. Pretty sure I haven’t grown in a month.”
“Joey! Sal! Get over here! What do you think, you think Ollie’s grown?”
Oliver grimaced up at the two other young men, both of whom looked only a little older than us.
“Hey, Joey. Hey, Sal. I haven’t grown. Uncle Manny’s a little high. You gotta watch and make sure he doesn’t drink too much coffee on his way up the hill.”
“It’s only from Sacto, Oliver,” Joey said, rolling his eyes. He was the tallest of the three men and the widest, with a wide-cheekboned, handsome face and a square hairline to match his square chin.
I don’t know if Sal was younger, but he was certainly littler, and he was willing to buy into the lie. “Yeah, man, I swear it took Dad, like, sixty-four ounces of java to make it this time. He’s got to lay off the late-night chat sessions if he wants to live to be old.” Sal was shorter and skinnier, a lot like Oliver, and his narrow face was marred by acne scars, but he had the sort of smile that made you not think about that. Both boys had the big, brown eyes of Oliver’s family, with the really thick lashes. I bet they got away with murder in school.
Manny turned to his sons and rolled his eyes. “Late-night chat sessions, right? I’m doing bills to keep you two in schoolbooks for the next three years. You’d think with twins, you’d want to study the same thing and save us some money, right?”
“Twins?” I squeaked, and Joey caught sight of me and shook his head sourly.
“Yeah. God was fuckin’ laughing that day, wasn’t he?”
“Joseph!” Manny snapped, and Joey grimaced.
“Sorry, Dad!” he sang, as Manny moved to the kitchen. Then he rolled his eyes at Oliver and me and seemed to remember himself. He extended a hand. “Joey Campbell—we’re Oliver’s cousins.”
I had to come out of the corner of the room to shake his hand and then Sal’s after it. “Rusty Baker. A, er, friend of Oliver’s—”
“My boyfriend,” Oliver said smugly, and both boys widened their eyes and nodded appreciatively.
“Nice, Ollie,” Sal chirped. “You finally snagged him! That’s awesome.”
I went to back up again, and Oliver reached behind his back and grabbed my hand. “He was ready to be snagged,” Oliver conceded, “but he’s shy. No
Similar Books
