Page 34 of Home Between Homes

“With you in the lead, I can honestly say it was a hit,” he replied, squeezing his left eye shut as cum dripped from his forehead.

I searched the room and found a box of tissues on the sideboard that came to his rescue. He wiped his face, and when it was clean, he stood up. His mouth hovered in front of mine, teasing me as if the blow job was merely a prelude to tonight. He put his hand on my head, ruffled my hair, and after an intense kiss that made me hard again, he said the words that made me fall completely for him.

“Good boy.”

TEN

NEW YEAR

The air stood still.For the first time in days, it had stopped snowing. The night covered the city in darkness, leaving only a handful of yellow, orange, and white lights glimmering in neighboring houses.

Who knew how the other people had spent their time in isolation?

Maggie stuck her snout in the snow where the steps leading down from the porch to the front yard would normally be visible if not for the frozen bliss. Realizing her mistake, she snorted and pulled it back quickly, a white glaze now covering her nostrils. Her head jerked from side to side, but the cold punishment wouldn’t come off, no matter how hard she tried.

I crouched down to free her from her misery, and as soon as I wiped her clean, her tail stood up. She pushed her head between my legs and gave me some of her warmth as a thank-you for helping her. My hands brushed all over her fluffy fur.

Four and a half hours ago, the weather service had announced the blizzard’s end. I was just trying to put together some sort of dinner with the leftover scraps from my shopping trip a week ago. So, in that regard, the news came at a good time. While the last few days had been a carefree mix of snow,cuddling with Maggie, snuggling under a blanket with Jack, the cowboy boyfriends, and reminiscing about college, it was all now overshadowed by the inevitable end of our time together. Sure, they asked everyone to stay put for the night, which gave Jack and me a chance for one last respite. But in the morning, they would start plowing the roads so we could get back to our lives.

The itching on my neck had been back ever since. At first, the skin only twitched a little, but the more the realization set in that this would mean the end of Jack’s and my unplanned home, the more my neck itched.

I scratched so hard that my fingers were bloody before I could finish dinner. I had rushed to the sink to wash it off before Jack noticed so as not to worry him, but there was no hiding.

“Be gentle with yourself,” he said, coming up behind me.

“Sorry,” I replied.

He pulled the hem of my shirt away to inspect the wound, rushed to the bathroom, and returned with a wet handkerchief and a first-aid kit. He sat me down on the table and took care of the wound, gently cleaning and drying it before putting on the band-aid.

Now, four hours later, it was still there, protecting the wound from my scarf rubbing over it as Maggie and I cuddled in the cold.

“How do I tell him I don’t want this to end?” I said to her as if she could understand.

She pressed her body closer to mine, her head grinding so hard against my legs that I fell over. I threw my right hand behind me to steady myself on the floor.

Although Maggie acknowledged my struggle to stay on my feet with a bark, she continued to crawl deeper between my legs.

Perhaps this was her answer to my question. Maybe this was her way of telling me to show Jack exactly how I felt—to crawlinto his arms and make it clear that these couldn’t be the last hours we had together.

If only I could have stayed in Seastone. I wished I didn’t have to go to Glenn’s Creek in two days, move back in with my parents until I found my own place, and start working at the FDA. It had little to do with the job I once loved anyway. I wouldn’t have minded trading it all for more time with Jack. If I could have paid off my student loans by fooling around with him, I would have stayed in a heartbeat. Still, this didn’t have to be over. Jack and I could do something long-distance. Or at least remain friends and visit each other.

A wail as Maggie lost control of her feet and plunged headfirst into the snow again brought me back to reality. My hands darted underneath her and pulled her back to her feet. Her fur looked like she had tried on a polar bear costume.

“I got you.” I brushed my palms over her, removing as much snow as I could.

Her body shook, her mane flailing about. She couldn’t stop growling as she trudged the five feet to the door.

I turned the knob and was greeted by a recording of an orchestra playing old-fashioned romantic music. Jack’s head whipped around. He was crouched next to the Christmas tree, the door of the sideboard under the TV open to reveal a spinning record player.

He laughed when he noticed Maggie. “What happened?” He rushed over to us, grabbing Maggie’s paw towel on the way.

“A lot of snow combined with a little recklessness,” I replied.

While I slipped out of my boots and jacket, he took care of her paws and fur. His eyes lit up as he cleaned her, letting me see the flame in him that once made him want to be a veterinarian. He was as gentle with her as ever, though Maggie wasn’t having it. She let Jack rub the towel over her, but as soon as he wasdone, she plodded off to the kitchen, clearly needing some time alone.

Jack hung the towel over the shoe rack and hurried into the bathroom. The sound of the faucet running for thirty seconds echoed through the house. I got rid of the second sweater I wore every time I went out with Maggie and climbed onto the couch.

The music was infused with warm cracks that only a vinyl record has.

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