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“I missed you, Will,” he whispers when his ear comes to rest on my ear. His hands caress my shoulder and I nestle my face into his neck and take a deep breath. He smells like soap and the cinnamon candy he’s started eating, too.
“Missed you, too, baby.” I kiss his throat and wrap my arms around his shoulders and hug him.
“I want to take you somewhere special tomorrow, but you need to come to my house.”
“Your mother is not going to let me spend any time in your house.”
“Let me worry about that.” He says it so easily. I’m not convinced, but I smile because I don’t want to do anything to dim the light in his eyes1
“Okay… I can’t wait. Even though, really, I can because it means you’re leaving.”
He gives me an enigmatic smile, like he’s got something to say but doesn’t quite know how.
“What?”
He pulls away from the curb and we begin the scenic drive out of River’s Wilde.
“You know… Georgetown has a Creative Writing program.”
“That’s nice…” I say not making the connection.
“Well, maybe you should apply.”
“Why Georgetown? I don’t know anyone in DC.”
“You’d know me,” he says and I do a double take.
“Remi, last I checked, UT is in Austin.”
“I applied to Howard. I got in. I think I’m going to go.”
I blink at him. I’m not surprised that he wants to go. But I’m shocked that he’s actually going to do it.
“You are?”
“Yeah.” His voice is full of so much wonder that I know he’s surprised at himself, too.
“What about your mom? Your grandfather?”
He sighs deeply, his brows draw together and then, he shrugs. “This summer, I’ve had so many signs that this is the right thing. But volunteering here has really solidified it for me. And Lupe’s told me so much… The stories of how some of the kids end up there. How some of the kids enter into the system and then for lack of a good advocate end up right back in situations they’ve just escaped from. Or end up aging out and having nowhere to go because no one’s helped them plan. I don’t know, but Kal, there’s something about the idea of stepping into that breach, of doing something to change their outcomes, that strikes a chord with me. It resonates the way reading Marshall’s biography did. I want to make a real difference. I have so much, what good am I if I don’t give something back?”
I put my hand, upturned, on his thigh. His slides his hand onto it and we link fingers.
“You’re wonderful.” I beam up at him, and the last sliver of sun as it falls from the sky slides across his face just then. His eyes, which are normally as dark as the night sky are set ablaze by it.
In their fire, I see all of the happily ever afters I thought wouldn’t be mine.
God, how I want to be his.
He cups my face in his strong cool hands. “You’re the one who introduced me to CASA. If I’m one hundred percent honest, this started because I wanted to spend time with you.”
“I knew it.”
“Of course you did. You’ve known me from the minute we met. We’re the same, you and I.” My heart is racing so fast, each word bringing me closer to total annihilation. And I’m so here for it.
“And now?” I breathe up at him. My eyes firmly on his lips.
“I love their mission. When Lupe started listing all of their issues, I immediately started thinking of solutions. And one of the most important ones is strong advocacy. I could do that.”
