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He’s doing his best to be quiet, the sun just now peaking over the horizon It’s been that strange kind of twilight for an hour I kind of like the way the light painted everything purple--it felt like ere in one of those stories where time stops We’re nearly to the door when the handle on his cooler breaks off, sending the plastic container bouncing down the ay and into the grass
"You are really bad at being sneaky," I whisper, laughing at hi at the back door, propping it open for us
"We…uh…lost track of tih he’s holding inside fro us in I can’t hteen, and Houston and I are adults--I’ that she probably knoe’re late
"Leah up yet?" he asks, looking up the stairs
"No, not yet You caught a break That early-riser of yours slept in for once on a Saturday," Joyce says, her hand on her hip, her coffee oing to?"
"It’s not until two I think," Houston says, glancing atthat sood I’e sale until noon, then I’ll be back You can handlebreakfast," she says Houston opens his mouth to talk behind her, his brow pinched, but he shuts it quickly
"Sounds good," is all he says instead
Joyce retreats upstairs to change, and Houston and I both collapse on the dining roo up with us
"I was kind of thinking I’d take a nap I forgot about her ru It makes me yawn, too, but I know I’m not as tired as he is
"How about I handle breakfast, and you shower and take a nap?" I suggest His eyes lock onto the side while he looks at me His attention starts toand h a few cabinets until I find the pancake mix I used to make pancakes for Cass and me all the time; I’m sure I can remember
Before I turn around, I feel Houston’s hands slide throughme into him, his mouth hot on my neck, my knees instantly weak "You’re pretty phenomenal, you know," he says My brow pinches as I look at my hands
"I don’t know about that," I say He spins me to face him, his hands on my hips, his face close He needs to shave I also hope he doesn’t He leans in and kisses the tip offrom side to side
"You used to know you were phenomenal I could tell by the way you walked I don’t knohoainst mine with his final words "You are quite phenomenal" His kiss is the perfect punctuation mark, an exclamation point--the deepness of it as hisainst my cheeks I love that I have to look up to kiss him And I love that he thinks I’with every inch he et in there andWithout hesitation, I dip the spoon in the powderhis black sweater with a stripe of white
"No, no," I say "We don’t even h his smile and looks down at his soiled sweater, then shakes his head before looking back up to"See?" he says, his eyes starting ata slow, affectionate line down the center ofthe spoon "Pheno to the stairs
"What happened here?" hishi at the center of his sweater I turn around and begin pouring ingredients inwater and stirring
"Oh, well then lucky she didn’t hit you," she says, and I s, but I like that his mom is proud of me for it