Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
KENNEDY
That night, Theo and I hold tightly to each other’s hands as we stand in front of my sister’s single story brick home.
When I first told him I wanted to introduce him to Claudia, I assumed one day she’d come over for a visit.
But he surprised me by saying it was time he started making more of an effort.
I thought that meant we were going to travel through the void again, but to my complete bewilderment, he stepped out the front door and gestured for me to follow him through the forest.
We took our time, and I made sure he never got too overwhelmed by squeezing his hand and rubbing soothing circles on his back, occasionally pushing him against the trunk of a tree to hide for a moment and lose ourselves in another kiss.
Eventually, we made it to Claudia’s neighborhood, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” I say as I wait patiently on the sidewalk for Theo to make his first move.
“I thought you said she’s just like you,” he grumbles, but I can hear the hint of humor in his voice.
“Well…yeah? So what?”
He arches his brow. “You were kind of intimidating when I first met you.”
My jaw drops. “I was not.”
He smiles and leans into me. “I was dying in that house, Kennedy. Then, when you showed up, it felt like I was brought back to life. That’s a scary feeling when you haven’t stepped outside in sixty years.”
My lips part, unsure of how to respond as my ghostly heart pumps wildly inside my chest.
“I can only imagine how much fuller my afterlife will feel with more of you in it.” He kisses me firmly, holding there longer than necessary, and I don’t want him to ever let go. “Come on,” he says against my lips, “let’s go inside.”
We step carefully over the powdery snow that’s begun to stick to the sidewalk. Sprinkles of feather-light flakes fall all around us and cling to our coats and scarves.
I knock three times on the door. When it opens, Claudia is standing there, backlit by the warm light of her home wearing a different apron than the one she keeps at the bakery.
Her eyes light up at the sight of me, then they scan over to Theo. For a brief moment, she leers at the stranger in her doorway, mouth puckered with distrust, but then she sees my arm strung through his, and she lowers her defenses.
“You must be Theodore,” she says, extending her hand.
He takes it firmly and they shake. “You can call me Theo. It’s very nice to meet you.”
We discard our shoes, kicking them off by the door before removing our outer layers and hanging them on the rack.
Claudia takes us to the kitchen where a delicious combination of smells waft straight up my nose.
She’s got a whole chicken in the oven, baked asparagus resting on the stove, and a tray of cupcakes dotted with blueberries waiting to be devoured on the counter.
“Make yourself at home,” she tells us, pulling out the bench from underneath the farm table.
She checks the timer and then takes a seat across from us. “You’ve got ten minutes until the chicken’s done. Tell me everything.” She eyes me eagerly. “From the beginning.”
Theo and I exchange a knowing look. He grins slyly, and nods for me to start.
“Well,” I begin, “it all started on Wednesday…”