Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (39 page)

William sighed. “I don’t know. I haven’t been on one—”

“Since the accident,” Jason finished for him. “If I were you, I’d figure out how well I do with all that stuff before I make any promises to the Coast Guard.”

“How?”

Jason thought about it. “Face your fears. Start driving again every day. Or maybe just go for a helicopter ride to see if they make you nervous too. If not, then you’ll probably be fine. You can get away with not driving, right?”

“Maybe.” William thought about it as they went around a curve in the road. “In a way, it doesn’t matter if I’m scared or not. I have to do this. It’s the only plan I’ve got. You know what I mean?”

Jason was quiet.

“You probably think I’m kidding myself,” William said.

“No,” Jason replied instantly. “I believe in you.” Then he stopped and pointed toward the trees. “First fireflies of the year!”

Deep in the shadows, greenish-yellow lights blinked on and off, slowly drifting on the warm night air. The lazy movements were hypnotic. Soothing.

“There must be a creek in there,” Jason said. “Or maybe a pond. Fireflies always live near water.”

“Really?” William said. “I remember them being in my backyard when I was a kid. We don’t have a pool or anything.”

“They must have found water somewhere. I wrote an essay on them once. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Before William could react, Jason pulled them toward the trees, unconcerned about not having a clear path. He stopped occasionally to make sure William was aware of some obstacle—a low branch or a spider’s web he’d seen reflected in the moonlight. Aside from that, he didn’t seem to share William’s nervousness, or flinch at any unusual sounds.

Then Jason halted, extending an arm to make sure William did the same. “There you go!”

William pressed against him, looking over Jason’s shoulder. The ground dropped away, rising again a few yards ahead of them. He couldn’t see the water at the bottom of the ravine, but he could hear it.

“You’re amazing!” William said, hugging him from behind.

“Eh,” Jason replied. “It was only a school paper.”

“I don’t mean just that. The rest of you is amazing too.”

Jason was silent. Then he gently moved William’s arm away so he could turn around. “What I was saying earlier about not having money, that probably won’t change.”

William stared, not understanding where the conversation was leading. “Okay.”

“I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. You’ve seen me driving around in a Bentley, but it’s not mine. The house I live in is nice, but it doesn’t belong to me, and I won’t be there forever. I need to get my own place, and when I do, it’ll be just an apartment.”

“That’s not why I love you,” William said. “My feelings don’t—”

“It’s more than that. I don’t have a plan like you do. I’m not enlisting or going to college. I work at a pet store. I’m a retail grunt. That’s all I’ll ever be.”

“You don’t know for sure,” William said.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea,” Jason said. “Most people have dreams of what they want to be. Mine revolve around what happens when the work day is over. I just thought you should know upfront. I might hang out with successful people, but I don’t want you to confuse me for one of them.”

William laughed. “I’m not in this for the money.”

“I’m not calling you a gold digger,” Jason said hurriedly. “I guess I just don’t… Never mind.”

“What?”

“I don’t get what you see in me.”

William’s mouth fell open. “Wow. Okay, if you want to start with the superficial, you’re smoking hot.”

“I’m not fishing for compliments! I only—”

William covered Jason’s mouth with his hand. “I also like how positive you are. Whenever I tell you one of my deep dark secrets, you always find the silver lining. And all those obstacles keeping us apart? You plowed right through them. Give yourself credit.” Jason tried to move William’s hand, but he was out-muscled. “I’m not done. I like that you play guitar, especially the face you make when you’re really into it, because it’s the same one you make when you’re about to come.”

Jason pulled away and looked aghast. “You're messing with me!”

William shook his head. “I’m not. I like your crazy history, and that you always know how to make me happy. I was miserable before you came into my life.”

“Having met Kelly, I can imagine why.”

“Stop.” William laughed. “He wasn’t that bad. And besides, this is about you.”

“Fine,” Jason said, feigning exasperation. “Praise away!”

“You’re fun to be around, you’re always sweet to me, and unlike a lot of people, you’re genuine. And I’m glad the Bentley isn’t yours.”

“If it was, I’d sell it, buy the cheapest car I could find, and put the rest in the bank.”

“Now that’s what I call sexy!”

Jason laughed. “You’re weird.”

“Yup. If it helps, I’m just as surprised that you’re so into me. I come with a lot of baggage, but you still put up one hell of a fight. I don’t deserve that.”

“Maybe that’s how it works. When two people really love each other, they each feel like the lucky one.”

Jason moved in slowly, eyes locked onto William’s as they kissed. When their bodies pressed together, he could feel they were both hard. He slid a hand down the front of Jason’s jeans and kissed him more intently. Unfortunately, this ruined Jason’s balance and he stumbled back, almost sliding down the ravine. William caught his arm just in time and pulled him in.

“Maybe this isn’t the best place,” William said.

“I disagree,” Jason replied, stepping close again.

William walked backwards to avoid him. “Seriously. It’s kind of creepy out here.”

“You said you like how persistent I am.”

“Did I?” William said, bumping up against a tree. “I take it back.”

“Too late.”

Jason kissed him again, then slid down to his knees, getting William’s pants open with surprising speed. William exhaled in pleasure, feeling the warmth of Jason’s mouth. He wanted to do more, to pull Jason back to his feet and return the favor, but this felt too good. William stared into the darkness, the fireflies blurring and doubling in his vision. Then he closed his eyes and reached behind to hug the tree for support as his body convulsed, fingers running along the bark.

Jason refused to stop, head still bobbing, one arm pumping until he hissed in pleasure and rested his forehead against William’s hip. Then he got back to his feet.

William helped him. “Add that to the list of things I like about you.”

Jason laughed, zipping up his jeans. “Think Lily and Isaac were that quick?”

“Only one way to find out.” Part of him wanted to remain, the darkness more like a sanctuary now. He imagined they could stay the night there, talking about their feelings until the sun came up. “So what do you like about me?”

“You?” Jason said, sounding surprised. “Nothing.”

“What?”

“I don’t like anything. I
love
everything.”

“God that’s cheesy,” William said, “but it so works for me!”

They loitered awhile longer, basking in the afterglow, before making their way back to the dirt road. They joked about the car rocking back and forth, but when they rounded the bend, they saw it was motionless. Lily stood next to it, arms crossed over her chest.

“Everything okay?” William asked when they approached.

She jerked her head toward the interior. “He fell asleep.”

“Oh.” William stifled a laugh. “Before or after…”

“We didn’t have sex,” Lily said, sounding tense. “Let me ask you something. Have you ever been stoned?”

He shook his head. Jason nodded in the affirmative, so she turned to him. “When you’re high, does that make it hard to…” She raised an index finger, making it go from a hook shape to pointing straight up.

“Oh.” Jason rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I actually have the opposite problem. Like it won’t go away.”

William made a mental note to buy a joint from Errol and get Jason high. “So Isaac couldn’t…”

Lily blew the hair out of her eyes with a huff. “Right. I said we could cuddle instead, because that’s what they always say on TV. Then he fell asleep.”

“Maybe he’s narcoleptic,” Jason said.

“And impotent,” William added.

“Or just really high.” Lily seemed lost in thought. “Then again, so am I. One of you better drive.”

“No problem,” Jason said. “I’ll—”

“I’ll drive.” William turned to him with a meaningful expression. “Can’t be worse than flying in a helicopter, right?”

* * * * *

Another double date, this one even better than the previous because it was with Ben and Tim. William was pretty sure he had a crush on both without actually wanting to be romantic with either of them. He loved how Ben seemed to be in charge, even though Tim was the brawnier of the two. William could relate to that. He also loved that when they bickered, it was never long before their smiles reappeared. Or before they made bedroom eyes at each other. He couldn’t imagine their relationship not lasting, detecting no sign of the stagnation his parents’ marriage had gone through before their divorce.

When they returned home from dinner and a movie, Ben fed the cat and asked Tim to take the dog with him to the mailbox. Normal and boring, but they made it all so enviable. Being around them was an inspiration, but also bittersweet because he realized he wasn’t ready yet. Not long ago, he’d had a similar life with Kelly, albeit not as happy. He was still enjoying the freedom resulting from leaving that behind. Jason was the best perk of all, but their relationship could easily become a similar trap. He was certain sharing a life with him would be harmonious, but it would still limit what he could do.

“We’re about to retire,” Ben announced, returning from the kitchen.

“Okay,” William said. He was seated on the couch, Jason to one side of him, Tim on the other, and debating which of them he’d rather snuggle up against.

“
You
might be going to bed,” Tim said. “
I’m
watching the game.”

William’s eyes flitted to the TV screen where athletes were throwing a ball around. Yay. Then he looked to see what Ben’s response would be.

“You can watch it in our room.”

Tim grunted. “On that tiny screen? No way. You go ahead. I’ll be up later.”

Ben didn’t budge. “They need their privacy.”

Tim put an arm around William. “They’re watching the game with me! Besides, Jason has his own room. They can go up there if they’re in the mood for shenanigans.”

“Shenanigans,” William repeated, giggling madly.

Ben sighed. “Remember when we were their age, and we’d be in my room, except we couldn’t do anything fun because we never knew if my mom was going to interrupt us? Only once my parents had gone to sleep were we able to relax. And besides, maybe they aren’t the only ones interested in shenanigans.”

Tim hopped to his feet. “Good night, gentlemen!”

William, much to his embarrassment, stood up with him. “Good night. Thanks again for dinner. And the movie! It was awesome. Can I get a hug?”

Tim humored him, patting him roughly a few times on the back while doing so. Ben was gentler, William tempted to pick him up and run for the door. He grinned while watching them go upstairs.

“Now I see why you’re with me,” Jason said. “After a bigger prize?”

“No!” William said, happy expression still in place. “They’re just so hot! I love them. I want to start a fan club and be the president of it.” He noticed Jason’s raised eyebrows. “You don’t think so?”

“I remember feeling the same when I first met them, yeah. These days, they’re more like… I don’t know.”

“Family?”

“Hard to say.” Jason reached for the remote and turned off the television. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a family. I’m not sure I remember what that feels like. I mean, I think I do, but maybe it’s just a fantasy I invented, or something I learned from watching TV.” He looked at William. “No need for the sad eyes! I’m okay. Really. Let’s go outside. It’s too nice to be in here.”

“Only if you play for me.”

Jason agreed, ducking upstairs to fetch his guitar. Once they were outside, they pulled two of the lawn chairs to the very edge of the patio. Jason set the guitar in his chair and stripped off his shirt.

“Should I take mine off too?” William asked, staring in appreciation.

Jason laughed. “I wouldn’t mind. I just like how the guitar feels against my skin. The vibrations, more than anything.”

“Too easy,” William murmured. He adjusted the lawn chair until it was almost flat. Then he lay on his side and faced Jason, ready for a private concert. The music was random, shifting in shape, beautiful chords ascending and descending between periods of repetition.

“Did you write this?” William asked.

“Just freestyling,” Jason said. “Some is from songs I know, the rest I’m making up on the fly.”