member of the Moron Club? I slid my shoes off and pushed my feet closer to the warm air coming out of the vent at the base of the dash.
It was an awkward silence as he pulled onto the freeway. I would have made small talk, but there was nothing we could talk about that was small.
I couldn’t help but sneak glances at him. He was beautiful. His hair was soaked and stuck to his neck and cheek.
Turning off the freeway, we entered West University. The streets were lined with ancient oak trees whose branches met in the middle of the street, forming a living tunnel.
We parked in front of a large house that looked like it would be more at home in New England than Texas. It was gorgeous, with large, dark green shutters framing banks of French windows. I slipped back into my cold, soggy shoes.
Water seeped through the neck of the jacket as I dashed after Alden to the front porch. I tugged the collar up, and cold raindrops slithered down my back between my shoulder blades. The small overhang forced me to stand so close that I could feel his warmth as he unlocked the door. I resisted the urge to lean into him.
We stepped inside, and I followed Alden to the kitchen, where he took my coat and hung it on a hook by the back door. We were both dripping on the hardwood floor.
“We’re a mess,” he remarked as he pitched me a kitchen towel. I rubbed it around with my foot to sop up the water that had dripped off of my jacket. A small dog with a long face and wiry hair trotted in and barked happily at him. “Hey, Spook!” He reached down and scratched her behind the ear. “Let’s get out of these wet clothes. I’m sure I’ve got something that’ll fit you, Lenzi.”
I felt too awkward to say anything, so I nodded. Full Moron Club membership with benefits. I followed him up the stairs to the first room on the right.
“Welcome to your minion’s domain,” Alden said, opening the top drawer of a tall dresser.
I peeked in from the doorway. The furniture was dark and formal. Not the room of a typical seventeen-year-old boy.
“Not my taste, necessarily,” he said as he threw some clothes on the bed. “Mom used it as a guest room while I was away at school. This is my first year back.”
I wandered over to his desk. This was more like it. Untidy stacks of papers were piled up on the edges. In the center of the desk was a stack of black files. The top one had a seal with the letters IC in gold. The bookshelves above the desk were stuffed with classical literature and books about paranormal phenomena. I picked up a small, ragged teddy bear from the bottom shelf.
“Ah, that’s Joe Bear,” Alden said. “We were inseparable through second grade. He likes milk and animal cookies.”
I smiled and put the bear back.
He passed me some dry clothes. Warm-up pants and a T-shirt. “There’s a bathroom right across the hallway. Make yourself at home.”
The little dog, Spook, growled at a door at the end of the hallway that had a bright pink letter E painted on it, then followed me into a pink and purple bathroom with princess accents. I squatted down and rubbed the dog’s neck. I’d always wanted a dog, but Mom said that it would be too much trouble. Spook tilted her head and leaned into my scratching. “Hey, there, sweetie.”
She lay down on a purple rug with pink hearts around the edge, put her head between her paws, and watched me slip into Alden’s warm, soft clothes. The warm-ups had a drawstring, so they stayed up even though they were way too long. The thick, oversized shirt smelled like Alden and was so loose that it didn’t rub against my cut. I couldn’t help but smile as I pulled the collar up to my nose and inhaled. Mmm. I closed my eyes and remembered the way he had kissed Rose—the passion I’d seen on that roof while hell raged around them.
I dropped my wet things in the sink and found a brush in the top drawer. After towel drying my hair, I stepped into the hallway barefooted.
“Alden?”
“Down
It was an awkward silence as he pulled onto the freeway. I would have made small talk, but there was nothing we could talk about that was small.
I couldn’t help but sneak glances at him. He was beautiful. His hair was soaked and stuck to his neck and cheek.
Turning off the freeway, we entered West University. The streets were lined with ancient oak trees whose branches met in the middle of the street, forming a living tunnel.
We parked in front of a large house that looked like it would be more at home in New England than Texas. It was gorgeous, with large, dark green shutters framing banks of French windows. I slipped back into my cold, soggy shoes.
Water seeped through the neck of the jacket as I dashed after Alden to the front porch. I tugged the collar up, and cold raindrops slithered down my back between my shoulder blades. The small overhang forced me to stand so close that I could feel his warmth as he unlocked the door. I resisted the urge to lean into him.
We stepped inside, and I followed Alden to the kitchen, where he took my coat and hung it on a hook by the back door. We were both dripping on the hardwood floor.
“We’re a mess,” he remarked as he pitched me a kitchen towel. I rubbed it around with my foot to sop up the water that had dripped off of my jacket. A small dog with a long face and wiry hair trotted in and barked happily at him. “Hey, Spook!” He reached down and scratched her behind the ear. “Let’s get out of these wet clothes. I’m sure I’ve got something that’ll fit you, Lenzi.”
I felt too awkward to say anything, so I nodded. Full Moron Club membership with benefits. I followed him up the stairs to the first room on the right.
“Welcome to your minion’s domain,” Alden said, opening the top drawer of a tall dresser.
I peeked in from the doorway. The furniture was dark and formal. Not the room of a typical seventeen-year-old boy.
“Not my taste, necessarily,” he said as he threw some clothes on the bed. “Mom used it as a guest room while I was away at school. This is my first year back.”
I wandered over to his desk. This was more like it. Untidy stacks of papers were piled up on the edges. In the center of the desk was a stack of black files. The top one had a seal with the letters IC in gold. The bookshelves above the desk were stuffed with classical literature and books about paranormal phenomena. I picked up a small, ragged teddy bear from the bottom shelf.
“Ah, that’s Joe Bear,” Alden said. “We were inseparable through second grade. He likes milk and animal cookies.”
I smiled and put the bear back.
He passed me some dry clothes. Warm-up pants and a T-shirt. “There’s a bathroom right across the hallway. Make yourself at home.”
The little dog, Spook, growled at a door at the end of the hallway that had a bright pink letter E painted on it, then followed me into a pink and purple bathroom with princess accents. I squatted down and rubbed the dog’s neck. I’d always wanted a dog, but Mom said that it would be too much trouble. Spook tilted her head and leaned into my scratching. “Hey, there, sweetie.”
She lay down on a purple rug with pink hearts around the edge, put her head between her paws, and watched me slip into Alden’s warm, soft clothes. The warm-ups had a drawstring, so they stayed up even though they were way too long. The thick, oversized shirt smelled like Alden and was so loose that it didn’t rub against my cut. I couldn’t help but smile as I pulled the collar up to my nose and inhaled. Mmm. I closed my eyes and remembered the way he had kissed Rose—the passion I’d seen on that roof while hell raged around them.
I dropped my wet things in the sink and found a brush in the top drawer. After towel drying my hair, I stepped into the hallway barefooted.
“Alden?”
“Down
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