Nineteen

Hudson

The closer we got to town the more excited I got. It was strange, we'd been together all day, but I was thrilled when he said he'd stay a little longer. And if I wasn't being delusional, I would have sworn he was just as happy to spend more time with me. "I'll need directions to your house," I said as we drove past the city limits.

"Sure, stay on Main Street," he directed. He lived on the edge of town, and when we pulled up to the garage where his apartment was, I realized I recognized the house.

"Isn't this where the Bradshaws live?"

"Yep, when their son moved out to go to college they rented it to me." He climbed out and I helped him carry everything he'd bought upstairs.

"Hey this is nice," I said as I set two bags down on the counter.

"It's a little bit of a walk to work, but nothing too bad. Plus, if I ever have car trouble, I know for sure I can walk it."

"Did you walk this morning?" I remembered seeing his car parked on the side of the driveway.

"Yes, I didn't want to leave my car downtown. Give me just a few minutes to put everything away."

"No problem." I walked around his small living room before standing in front of the large window that faced town. "Wow, from here it really is beautiful."

"What's that?" he asked, distracted by what he was doing.

"Foggy Basin, it's beautiful from here."

"There was a company that wanted to build something out here, but I haven't heard anything about it for a while. Give me just a second to get my laundry." He was in there a few minutes before walking out with a laundry tote.

"My dad mentioned that. I think they didn't get approval, but I'm not sure what it was they wanted to do with the land. It would be a shame to lose the farmland."

He came up behind me then and wrapped his arms around my waist while kissing my neck. "Yeah, I guess it would be. I mean Foggy Basin is mostly a farming town. I'm ready to go," he whispered, and I covered his hand with mine.

I took his hand and led him down the stairs and over to the car, and he gave me a strange look when I opened the door for him. He was tough, and he was a little abrasive, but he deserved to be treated well and his smile told me he didn't really mind me spoiling him a little. "Any idea what movie you want to watch?" I asked when I got into the car.

"Anything," he said, and we chatted about the movies we loved and hated on the short drive to my parents'. "Lately I've been watching a lot of Korean horror but I'm also rewatching Schitt's Creek because it never gets old."

"I've never watched it," I said, and didn't add the fact that when I'd get home after work, I was ready for bed.

"No way, okay that's what we're watching, well we can watch an episode or two, but you need to watch it in order." He was so excited just talking about watching it, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd tried a few times but couldn't get into it.

We got to the house, and I parked as close as I could to make it easier to carry everything in. I'd bought more than I needed but I hoped Jack would be over here more this week since my parents were gone. "Have you heard of any places for rent?" I asked as we stepped inside the house, both carrying as many bags as we could.

"There's always something for rent, it just depends on what you want. Let me ask around and see if I can find something decent," Jack said and set the bags he carried down on the counter in the kitchen. "Did you need this many groceries?"

"Well, I was hoping I'd have some company this week," I admitted, and he grinned at me.

"I was hoping you'd said that." He walked over close enough to steal another kiss but before he could step away, I pulled him close to me.

"Where are you going?" I asked him and kissed along the line of his neck.

"Anywhere you are," he whispered.

He smelled so good, freshly showered and I recognized the scent of my body wash, but I missed his own scent and was surprised how well I knew it already. "Let me put the rest of this away. You go start your laundry and find us something to watch." After another quick kiss he left the house and returned with his laundry. "It's out in the garage," I said.

He walked out and I heard the washing machine start before he came back into the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. It was strange how comfortable I felt with him, and how much I didn't want him to leave. But I knew how challenging it could be to work with someone you're seeing, and I didn't want us to be sick of each other before we had a chance to really know what we had between us.

I walked out to where he was sitting and sat down next to him. He pulled his legs up and leaned against me. I'd forgotten how good it felt to feel a touch that wasn't just sexual, and it made me want more. Sliding my arm behind him I rubbed his back, and he groaned.

"That feels good," he said, and lay down with his head on my legs. He started the show and at first, I wasn't all that interested, but by the third episode I was fully committed. I knew their story from both sides. I'd been the country boy in the city and now I was the city boy in the country, and both had their own difficulties, but they also had their good things too. Jack was a good thing. I would never have met someone like him in the city and I made up my mind right then to do all I could to enjoy our time together and not dwell on when it would end. And deep down inside in a place I kept hidden even from myself, I hoped that it never did. "What do you think so far?" he asked and looked up at me.

I brushed his hair back and just looked at him for a moment. "I like it," I finally said, but I wasn't taking about the television show.