I returned back to Odysseus fighting the Cyclops only to be interrupted a paragraph later by Sam’s “We Are the Champions” text-tone. I scrolled through her text and replied back. She wanted to know if I’d go swimming with her at Dawn’s place tomorrow.
Not sure, shopping w/ mom.
I watched the blue glow of my cell screen, waiting for her reply.
R U OK?
Fine. It was way easier to lie over a text than in person.
But Samantha apparently knew me better. I jumped when the phone rang and flipped it open. “Yeah?”
“Need to talk?”
“About what?” I picked at the pink bunny in my lap, the tiny threads of fur old and warn. I’d had it since I was a baby.
“I don’t know. Zach, maybe? You haven’t talked to me since we’ve been back.” She sounded a little annoyed.
I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me. “Just adjusting to normal life again.”
A knock on my door sent my stomach flipping. I stared at it a second then glanced at my clock. Boy, David must have blown it. I got up from the bed and headed to the door, wondering if I’d be consoling a broken-hearted mother for the third time this year.
Sam continued, “Well, I think you should come hang with us tomorrow, get your mind off him. Besides, we only have one week left!”
I griped the knob and turned as I answered, “I’ll ask my mom, I’m sure—”
Paul stood in my doorway, his hair all wavy around the frame of his face.
“Um.” Dude, these gods knew nothing of proper etiquette. “Sam, I’ll give you a call later. Bye.” I clicked the phone shut before I heard a reply. “You know I have a front door, right?”
“Sorry,” he said a little breathless. “It’s just, I don’t usually do this.”
“And what exactly are you doing?”
He gave a charming smile that knocked Zach’s out of the ball park. My heart melted just a little and I decided I’d be nicer to him.
“Giving you some answers?”
And so we stood there, in awkward silence, as I wondered how exactly I was supposed to react. My room, my sanctuary, not for boys to come in unless there was a plan to make-out. And was that such a bad idea? I mentally smacked myself for thinking I could get away with macking on a god. A god that was taken by another god who’d surely kick my ass back to
“Jessa?”
Craptastic. “Oh, uh, well . . .”
He decided to take charge and stepped inside my room without invitation. So much for boundaries. Holy mother of God, did I have everything cleaned up? I did a frantic search to make sure I didn’t have dirty clothes, more importantly the panty kind, laying in plain view. My heart nearly bottomed out at seeing yesterday’s ensemble strewn across the floor in front of my closet.
“Here, I have an idea.” I pushed Paul to my window, hoping he hadn’t caught glimpse of the clothes, or the empty Twizzler package and half-empty can of grape soda on my nightstand. He must think I’m a pig. Ducking through the curtain of rainbow colored beads I pulled the screenless window up and motioned him to go first. “After you.”
He looked like he was trying really hard not to smile behind his obvious amusement. I frowned, even more agitated.
Paul climbed out the window onto the semi-flat overhang of the roof that belonged to the first floor guest bedroom. I followed, taking a seat next to him, pulling my flannel knees up to my tank top. From the corner of my eye I could see him watching me, but I didn’t need to see him to know it. That familiar feeling sifting beneath my skin was clear indication. He sat criss-cross, leaning back on the white siding of the house. I stared up at the sky as the midnight blue of dusk faded into the black of the oncoming night.
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