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He pushes open the door and ducks his head in a shy sort of hich hs ache, and not because of the bruises He’s holding a bunch of grocery store floith the price sticker still on them He hands them to me aardly "I’m sort of new at this," he says "The clerk at Jewel said you’d definitely like these"

I squelch a grin "You asked for help?"

"Sure," he said "My cousin Kate said I should bring you flowers, which--I know, I know--I didn’t need her to tell me that, thank you very much But I didn’t really know, like, what kind"

"I love the

And then, fro else out and hands it to me "Do you still like these?" It’s a butterscotch sucker from their candy jar

I stare at it, take it in my hand "Yeah," I say "I do" Okaythat almost ive his he really wants

I love you, I want to say But it feels very weird today to say soer is over, that is, and it appears we’ll both live At least until our parents find out we’re hanging out again, anyway

I slipin the world, and we’re talking like we’re sixth graders again, sitting under the slide with our suckers and doing that innocent, flirty thing Every tih it hurts, and when he blinks those long lashes and looks at rin, ht to go on forever

Sadly, we lose track of time

Thirty-Eight

Whenmy hand, and they see the flowers in the crook ofto have an aneurysht and his chair topples to the floor behind hile to sit up

"Get out," ly to me, then back to my father "Sir," he says, and I feel a rush of waro "Can we talk about this?"

"No Out" My father points to the door He’s being calain"

"Mr Demarco," he says, "Trey and Jules saved our restaurant and our lives, and I’m just--"