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I grinned as Pete hopped off the crane and made his way back to us.
“Thanks for entertaining her.”
“Hey, I was entertained too,” I told them.
Pete gave a small bow. “Anyway, I’m headed home soon. You hanging out on the roof tonight?”
Lark glanced at me. “Yeah, maybe.”
“You should join us,” I said, and Lark smiled. I hoped I didn’t overstep—my welcome or the invitation.
“Cool,” Pete said. “See you later.”
We headed back through the woods, and I felt freer than I had in a long while. Nobody knew where I was, and that was liberating in its own way. Not that I was trying to hide my friendship with Lark, but for now it was for the best. Besides, the real world knowing was like an intrusion, and this felt too precious to me.
Lark lifted Star onto a fallen tree log and held her hand while she pretended to be walking a balance beam, and then he demonstrated his graceful balancing skills next. “Pete and I used to do this when we were younger.”
“I’d probably fall flat on my face.”
“No way. You dodge being sacked all the time.”
“True, but you’re probably fitter than me.”
“Let’s test it out.” There was a gleam in his eye as he pointed in the distance. “I’ll race you to that big tree and back. Star will stay right here and tell us who won.”
She grinned, already excited about her role in the game.
“I’m not sure I—hey, no fair,” I called as he took off.
I started at a dead run to try and catch up, but he was fast. On the way back to Star, I gained on him, and when I finally caught up, I swooped him off his feet and swung him around. I felt so happy in that moment.
“Maybe you should try out for a running back position,” I said as Lark squealed, and I set him down in front of Star, who was beaming at us.
We panted as we stared into each other’s eyes, and I wanted to kiss him so badly I ached with it.
“It was a tie,” Star announced.
“He cheated,” Lark said, and I pretended to be shocked.
“You cheated first.”
He tugged on my arm. “Come on, let’s grab some dinner.”
That was exactly what we did, and I was thrilled he had included me in the plan. Once back at the trailer, he heated up his mom’s leftover spaghetti, which was fantastic, and then I hung around while we played a board game, watched part of a movie, and he put Star to bed.
We met Pete on the roof and talked about a whole host of things, including our stay in the hospital. I enjoyed hearing about their memories from school and about the girl Pete had begun seeing, and when the wind picked up, tossing around our plastic cups, we decided it was time to call it a night. We said our goodbyes to Pete, and then I followed Lark inside.
As soon as the door was shut, I couldn’t help myself; I pushed him up against the wall and took his mouth in a long, slow kiss, just wanting to savor every moment of this night with him.
The door handle jiggled, startling us, and we sprang apart.
His mom stepped inside, and after looking between us, offered a knowing smile. “Nice to see you again, Henry. Sorry if I ruined your plans by coming home early.”
“There weren’t any plans,” Lark said, and he was right. He hadn’t invited me over, and I hadn’t asked. It might sound strange, but something had told me he’d want to hang with me again. Glad I hadn’t been wrong.
“It’s true,” I said, suddenly feeling awkward. “I should go.”
“You can’t leave before having some warm doughnuts.”
