looked at Abel straight in the eyes, her words true and soft and slow.
“You don’t hold your cards very close, Marigold,” Abel whispered in her ear, near enough to send a shiver down her back, through her core, right up to her lips.
“I thought you didn’t play poker?”
“That was question fourteen, and I’m betting we’re going to run out of questions.”
Abel pulled her close; his lips against her salty tear-kissed skin, the droplets disappearing as he brushed his fingers against her cheeks. He kissed her mouth softly and strong and she kissed him with a longing that pressed at her chest. His hands held her face and he didn’t let go until they had shared a kiss memories are made of.
Abel
Thursday night when he came back from Marigold’s, Lacey immediately tried to talk him out of bringing her home. Abel didn’t understand why.
“She’s not Amish, Abel. How do you see this ending? You can’t be together, I mean unless one of you made a very drastic life choice.”
“On the outside we’re different, I get that, but my mom will see how wonderful she is,” Abel explained. “There’s no way they wouldn’t like her.”
“Except for the fact you’re bringing home a girl just two weeks after you left home,” Lacey pressed, sucking on a spiked lollipop.
Lacey must be pretty rich, Abel thought, not for the first time. Just like Marigold, whose father was apparently a best selling author. He ran his fingers through his hair, once again reminded that he was way out of his league. His family was well-off as far as Amish went, but the people at Jamestown were an entirely different sort of well-off .
They were rich enough to have a never-ending supply of edibles in their arsenal. Sticks from already-eaten lollipops littered the floor.
Lacey plopped back on his bed then rubbed in Abel’s insecurities. “And she’s gonna think it is serious. It’s way too soon for a move like this.”
“Maybe I am serious, and since when did you become the relationship expert?”
“Well, Jenna’s going out with me tomorrow.” Lacey leaned in for a high-five, which Abel gave shaking his head, and taking a lollipop from the bag on Lacey’s bed. “Bedsides, dude, you’re gonna piss your parents off. They let you come because they think you’re returning home to run the family farm. This is gonna mess with their heads.”
“But maybe I won’t go back home, ever. Maybe this is where I belong.”
“Do you mean that?” Lacey asked, his voice raised in surprised. “Because all that ‘baptism vow’ stuff seemed pretty hardcore when you told me about it.”
“That was what I planned before I came. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but how can I leave after the summer?”
“Your parents are expecting you to take your vows come fall. ”
“I know, but I can’t make promises I don’t know if I can keep.” The heaviness of the statement sat between the two of them. “Besides, all I’m doing is taking a friend with me while I go sheer a thousand sheep. It’s nothing more than that.”
“You’re sure?” Lacey asked, taking on a protective role Abel wasn’t used too. “Because intentions are everything.”
Abel looked at him confused, since when did the pot-head become Buddha?
“I intend to take Marigold, a friend I care about, to visit my family.”
***
Abel smiled as the taxi stopped at Marigold’s front door. The fears Lacey planted in his head dissolved as he stuck his head out the window, gulping the fresh air, as he took her in. Marigold stood on the sidewalk, her long hair blowing in the breeze, her head looking up at the clouds.
“Good afternoon, Marigold,” he said, stepping out of the car to greet her. She stood clutching a canvas bag and another sat at her feet.
“You came,” she said it like it was a relief, like she wondered if he’d really be here. He was.
“You’re all set then?” he
“You don’t hold your cards very close, Marigold,” Abel whispered in her ear, near enough to send a shiver down her back, through her core, right up to her lips.
“I thought you didn’t play poker?”
“That was question fourteen, and I’m betting we’re going to run out of questions.”
Abel pulled her close; his lips against her salty tear-kissed skin, the droplets disappearing as he brushed his fingers against her cheeks. He kissed her mouth softly and strong and she kissed him with a longing that pressed at her chest. His hands held her face and he didn’t let go until they had shared a kiss memories are made of.
Abel
Thursday night when he came back from Marigold’s, Lacey immediately tried to talk him out of bringing her home. Abel didn’t understand why.
“She’s not Amish, Abel. How do you see this ending? You can’t be together, I mean unless one of you made a very drastic life choice.”
“On the outside we’re different, I get that, but my mom will see how wonderful she is,” Abel explained. “There’s no way they wouldn’t like her.”
“Except for the fact you’re bringing home a girl just two weeks after you left home,” Lacey pressed, sucking on a spiked lollipop.
Lacey must be pretty rich, Abel thought, not for the first time. Just like Marigold, whose father was apparently a best selling author. He ran his fingers through his hair, once again reminded that he was way out of his league. His family was well-off as far as Amish went, but the people at Jamestown were an entirely different sort of well-off .
They were rich enough to have a never-ending supply of edibles in their arsenal. Sticks from already-eaten lollipops littered the floor.
Lacey plopped back on his bed then rubbed in Abel’s insecurities. “And she’s gonna think it is serious. It’s way too soon for a move like this.”
“Maybe I am serious, and since when did you become the relationship expert?”
“Well, Jenna’s going out with me tomorrow.” Lacey leaned in for a high-five, which Abel gave shaking his head, and taking a lollipop from the bag on Lacey’s bed. “Bedsides, dude, you’re gonna piss your parents off. They let you come because they think you’re returning home to run the family farm. This is gonna mess with their heads.”
“But maybe I won’t go back home, ever. Maybe this is where I belong.”
“Do you mean that?” Lacey asked, his voice raised in surprised. “Because all that ‘baptism vow’ stuff seemed pretty hardcore when you told me about it.”
“That was what I planned before I came. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but how can I leave after the summer?”
“Your parents are expecting you to take your vows come fall. ”
“I know, but I can’t make promises I don’t know if I can keep.” The heaviness of the statement sat between the two of them. “Besides, all I’m doing is taking a friend with me while I go sheer a thousand sheep. It’s nothing more than that.”
“You’re sure?” Lacey asked, taking on a protective role Abel wasn’t used too. “Because intentions are everything.”
Abel looked at him confused, since when did the pot-head become Buddha?
“I intend to take Marigold, a friend I care about, to visit my family.”
***
Abel smiled as the taxi stopped at Marigold’s front door. The fears Lacey planted in his head dissolved as he stuck his head out the window, gulping the fresh air, as he took her in. Marigold stood on the sidewalk, her long hair blowing in the breeze, her head looking up at the clouds.
“Good afternoon, Marigold,” he said, stepping out of the car to greet her. She stood clutching a canvas bag and another sat at her feet.
“You came,” she said it like it was a relief, like she wondered if he’d really be here. He was.
“You’re all set then?” he
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