Him by Carey Heywood (reading strategies book .txt) 📕

I wrinkle my nose. "I travel so much. Does running through airports count?" He shakes his head. "I drink a lot of water and do some yoga. Really just basic stuff. My balance is crap. It would probably get better if I tried harder, but…" I lay my head on his chest.

"Whatever you are doing is working so don’t change a thing." He rests his chin on my head.

I bring my hand up to his chest and trace the contours of his chest with my finger. Will truly has a beautiful body, strong and firm. I could touch him all day. His arms tighten around me, and his head dips so his lips can find my neck. We make our way back to the spare bedroom. Will almost steps on his empty bowl when he lifts me from the couch.

"I can walk, you know," I tease, kissing his neck.

"This is more romantic."

"Oh, alright. Carry on then."

~*~

Much later, after a shower, Will asks me to go with him to speak to his mother. I own my own business, a successful one, and I'm twenty-five years old. Why do I feel so nervous about what she will think of me? Will and I talk on the way about possible flight plans. How soon he comes to join me somewhat depends on how well our conversation with his mother goes. I can't help but remember the last time I was at his house when we pull up. It was senior skip day, and we had fallen asleep by the pool. I wonder if she ever would have said those things to me on the phone if she had not found us that way that day.

Will leans over to kiss me before we walk up together. He takes my hand in his as we enter his house. His mother is in the living room. Will says hello, but she doesn’t respond. She just turns her head and acknowledges his presence. Her gaze stops and rests on our joined hands before moving up to look at my face. If she recognizes me, she doesn’t show it. Will leads further into the room, and we sit, side by side on the sofa, facing the armchair she is sitting in. The house is still exactly as it was when I was here the last time. A living museum to the dead.

"Mom." She looks over at him. "Do you remember my friend, Sarah Miller?"

Her eyes snap to my face and widen briefly before dropping to our still joined hands. She nods.

Will chews on the side of his lip before going on. "Sarah lives in Colorado now, and since I'm on summer break, I'd like to go out and visit her. Do you think that would be alright?"

She doesn’t do anything immediately, but after a moment, her face crumbles, and she lifts her hands to cover her face. Will releases my hand and goes to kneel by her, gently shushing her and rubbing her back. She leans into him and grips his shoulders as she cries. I sit uncomfortably on the sofa, not sure what to do. Any hope of her support in the trip seems in vain. Will manages to get her to calm down, and I go with him up to his room so he can change. He sees the anxiety in my eyes and pulls me to him once his door is shut. It seemed like such a fantasy, us coming together the way that we did, after all of these years.

"Have you left her by herself before?"

Will chews the side of his lip. "Nothing longer than a night here and there since my dad died."

"She just doesn’t leave the house?"

He nods. "Not since she came back from the hospital that day."

"But she takes care of herself otherwise?"

"She doesn’t cook anymore but will eat things that are already prepared. I keep the kitchen stocked with ready made stuff."

"What do you want to do?"

He brings one hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Ideally, maybe hire someone to stay with her while I'm gone."

I frown. "Do you know anyone?"

He shakes his head, and I sink onto his bed. I leave tomorrow. It seems clear that Will won't be able to come with me, at least right away. He changes out of his dress pants and shirt and into cargo shorts that sit on his hips in a way that makes my mouth water. He catches my eye as he pulls a t-shirt over his head.

"I'm going to go check on her again. I'll be right back." He leans down and kisses me before leaving me in his room.

I stand and walk around his room. This is the first time I've ever been in his bedroom. I wonder if it's changed much from when we were in school. The rest of the house looks exactly the same from the last time I saw it. I sit back down on his bed and take out my phone. I need to talk to Sawyer.

I exhale when she answers.

"What's up, buttercup?"

"So Will and I happened last night, and this morning," I say, spinning my ring.

"Whoa. Are we happy or sad about this?"

"Happy, definitely happy. Maybe a bit freaked out too."

"Freaked out is acceptable."

"He mentioned coming home with me, but his mom has issues so he's going to need to find someone to stay with her, and who knows how long something like that will take. I’m just scared that once there's space between us he'll change his mind."

"What's the deal with his mom?"

"I think I told you how she got after Will's sister died, right?"

"Mm hmm."

"I guess she got even worse after his dad died. She won't leave the house or cook, and she lost it when Will mentioned spending the rest of the summer with me."

"She still showers herself and gets dressed though, right?"

I laugh. I'm not sure