Chapter 21 #3
“I think I was grieving,” Jesse said after a while. “For the boy I never got to be.”
He pulled in a deep breath, preparing to continue, but his heart leapt into his throat instead.
He looked down between them and found their hands joined together, Cal’s long fingers between his own, palms flush.
Jesse turned his face toward the water, biting his lip against the smile that burst from his very core.
Cal gave a small squeeze and Jesse returned it as soon as he regained some control of his body.
It took a while longer before he was ready to speak again, but when he did, it was with as much honesty as he could manage without bringing fresh tears to his eyes—if for no other reason than to keep Cal’s hand holding his own rather than reaching for a handkerchief.
“The boarding house my parents sent me to was supposed to be one of the better ones at the time, specifically for kids like me. I was a hard worker and didn’t make any trouble, which was fine for the landlady, but the three other boys I shared a room with didn’t like me much.
I was younger than the rest of them by several years, and smaller too.
Of course, we all lied about our ages to find work.
But I learned real quick that I was better off being out delivering packages than being in their way. ”
“Did they…” Cal’s question trailed off.
“Nothing like that,” Jesse reassured him.
“I just think they knew my parents would’ve kept me if they could, y’know?
I received letters from home whenever they could afford the stamp.
One night, I found all of them ripped up into tiny pieces and left in a pile on my mattress.
As far as I could tell, none of them had families to speak of. ”
“How long did you live there?” Cal asked. His tone was uneasy at best, but Jesse took great pleasure in the way Cal’s thumb rubbed against his in a gentle show of comfort.
“A few years. I eventually made enough money that I could live someplace where I had my own room. I moved around a lot after that because rent kept going up, but I always had a place to sleep.”
Jesse paused and crouched to pick up what looked like a white rock at first, only to turn it over and discover it was something much prettier.
He marveled at the smooth underside, and then at the fine ridges along the top.
He used a wave to wash away the sand and inspected it closer for a moment before he set it back down where he’d found it.
After wiping his fingers dry on his cutoffs, he stood and continued their easy stroll.
“And now, I’ve even got my own bathroom,” he added cheerfully. “No more two-minute lukewarm showers with someone else pounding on the door shouting at me to hurry up.”
“A luxury, no doubt,” Cal agreed.
They walked the beach this way, hand-in-hand, taking turns sharing and listening until the sun slipped below the horizon completely.
With the last remaining light, they found the trail again and put their shoes back on. Jesse felt as though he’d flayed himself open, telling Cal things he’d never told anyone else before. But instead of feeling ashamed, he felt anchored. Safe.
As they crested the hill, the two-tone Cadillac came into view, as did the two figures in the front seat.
A breathy moan stopped Cal and Jesse in their tracks.
Their eyes met, an unspoken understanding already forming between them.
Jesse’s brows shot up at the unmistakable sound of kissing.
Cal reached for Jesse’s hand again, both of them ready to retreat undetected, when an explosion overhead startled them all apart at once.
“What the devil!” Monty shouted.
Their faces turned skyward as another boom happened, followed by shooting red streaks that disappeared in unison.
Hilliard laughed and pulled Monty close for another smack of a kiss. “Fireworks!”
“Looks like we got back just in time for the show,” Cal said, finally announcing their presence. He got the last word out just before another crack lit up the sky.
“Join us, if you’d like,” Monty said, clearly catching Cal’s double meaning. “We can make room for two more.”
Cal opened the door, pushing the empty basket over on the long back seat before letting Jesse in.
There was room enough for them to sit apart even with the basket at one end, but as soon as Cal was beside him, they came together like slotting the final piece of a puzzle into place.
Jesse relaxed into Cal’s side, settling with Cal’s forearm across his chest. More fireworks flashed, coloring the world gold, or white, or red before everything fell dark again.
In the moments of light, Jesse could see the way Hilliard and Monty were cuddled up in the front seat, too. Monty was busy nosing at the soft spot behind Hilliard’s ear, placing several small kisses there. It looked so natural for them to be that close. Inevitable, almost.
With a satisfied sigh, Jesse turned his attention back to the sky, wondering if he and Cal looked the same way.