Page 40 of Daydream

Henry washes his hands at the sink and turns, leaning against the surface as he dries them on a towel. “Watching you zoom around is tiring. Sit down with me and Joy?”

“Oh, it’s you and Joy now, is it?”

He is smiling in a way that feels illegal to enjoy as much as I do. He walks back toward me, stopping the same distance away as earlier. A normal distance that would not even be an issue if he hadn’t done an endless number of filthy things to me in my subconscious last night. “Jealous?”

“You wish.” I, reluctantly and withsomuch resistance, let Henrytake my hand and walk me to the living room couch. “We need to finish the research for your essay soon. This is the only time this week I’ll have time to help you.”

“Shhhhh,” he says, pulling me down onto the couch beside him. “Let’s nap instead.”

“Don’t shush me to get out of working. I have my own essay to do, too, so it’s happening whether you like it or not.”

“I’ve already finished it, Halle.”

I sit up immediately and look at him properly for the first time. “What?”

“I finished it earlier. It was on something I already knew a lot about. I went through a phase. I just stuck to the structure you showed me and it was easy. So you need to find something else to boss me around over, Cap.”

“I’m not bos—”

“Ilikeyou bossing me around, Halle,” he says softly. “You’re allowed to be assertive. You don’t always have to do what other people want. Except for now, open your laptop and write your essay. I’ll supervise.”

I’m pretty sure my jaw is hanging open. Standing from the couch, I walk across the room to grab my laptop from the last place I used it. Henry is showing Joy a fish video on his phone when I sit back beside them. “Unbelievable,” I mutter as I tuck my feet under my butt and open the screen.

“No distractions, please,” he says. “I’m very busy.”

After twenty minutes of writing, I feel a hand on my ankle. When Henry lifts it onto his lap I have no choice but to drop to my elbow. When he grabs the other one and repeats I’m basically lying down on my side, making it impossible to work on my laptop. “Can I help you with something, Henry?”

“No.”

I roll onto my stomach from my side for comfort, placing mylaptop in front of me to attempt to continue to work. He uses my complacency to stretch my leg out across his lap and push my jeans up to my knee. That’s when I feel something tickle against my foot. Looking back at him over my shoulder, I eye him suspiciously. “Are you drawing on me?”

“I was raised not to tell lies,” he says.

When I turn back to my laptop I feel the tickling again. It continues, progressing over my ankle and up my calf. I’m convinced it takes twice as long to finish my work because I might be strong, but I’m not strong enough to be able to block out Henry’s soft touch against my skin. This is the worst possible timing after my dream last night.

After what feels like forever, I finally shut my laptop and climb off the couch. There’s a chorus of disapproving mumbles as I disturb Joy from her sleeping spot and interrupt whatever Henry has been doing.

“It isn’t finished,” he says as I pull up the leg of my jeans to investigate further.

My head twists and I try to bend my foot at an angle it’s not supposed to go. “What is it?”

He looks at me like I’m ridiculous not to immediately be able to tell upside down. “Cats in a meadow.”

It’s actually very cute. If only it was somewhere I could keep, instead of decorating my skin. “I would have shaved my legs if I’d known you were about to pay extra attention to them.”

His eyebrows pinch together a little. “It isn’t surprising for me to find hair in a place where hair grows, Halle. You haven’t shattered any illusions for me that women are smooth and hairless.”

The inner feminist in me is screaming at myself because he’s right. What he said to me is exactly what I’d say to my sisters, because I don’t want them to grow up scrutinizing and changing themselves, and yet I don’t say it to myself. “Sorry, you’re right. It’s not a big deal.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault; you’ve been brainwashedby the cosmetics industry and men with porn addictions.” A laugh chokes its way out of me. He’s right, again, but it’s the flat, matter-of-fact way he delivers it that shocks me, because he isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met. Then I remember he was raised by women and he isn’t doing it for some kind of brownie point or praise. He immediately moves on before I can even weigh in. “What do you want to do now?”

“I need to finish the book I’m reading for book club and I kind of want some fresh air. I’m also hungry. I’m also tired and want to lie down. I also need to write.”

Henry nods along until I’m done listing. “Okay. Go change into some sweatpants, please. We’re going on a date.”

I have so many questions. So,somany. Instead of asking them, I nod in agreement and disappear upstairs.

THE EXCITEMENT OF THE UNKNOWNis the thing keeping me quiet as we drive uphill in Russ’s truck.

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