Page 59 of Summer of You

When we came crashing back to earth, we collapsed on the mattress, our breathing loud in the otherwise silent camper.

My limbs were numb as the blissed-out feeling washed over my body. The feeling of completeness was only made better when Chase nuzzled into my side. He kissed my shoulder tenderly and if he’d spoken anymore softly, I would have missed what he’d said. “I’m yours for always.”

This felt like a joke. After months of waiting, there was no way that the e-mail I was staring at was real.

“Congratulations Mr. Grant. We’d like to offer you the position with LateNight Games. As discussed...”

I read over the words a few more times, still refusing to believe them.

“What’s wrong?” Chase rested his head on my shoulder, and I quickly shoved my phone into the mattress.

“I don’t think anything is wrong.”

He laughed and kissed the side of my head before sliding off the bed. Chase scratched his lower back as he went into the kitchen and grabbed the half gallon of milk from the fridge. He opened the cap and took a swig of it before closing it and putting it back inside. Things like that would drive my mom insane, but he hadn't had to impress anyone except himself for the last few years.

“So why do you look like your world just fell apart?”

It was hard to have a serious conversation with him when he was standing across the room naked like that. Everything inside of me screamed to pull him back into the bed and have my wicked way with him again.

“Because it feels too good to be true? I’ve gotten nothing but bad news when it comes to jobs with my degree since I graduated, so...”

His face lit up. “You got a job?”

It was impossible to fight the smile anymore. My face hurt with how wide my smile was as it stretched across my face. “I got a job.”

Oreo must have sensed the excitement in the room because she jumped onto the bed and bumped her head into my side. I laughed and scratched her head. “You want to congratulate me, too, pretty girl?”

Chase came and lifted her from the bed. She gave a disapproving meow as he set her on the ground. It didn’t bother him too badly as he climbed onto the bed and pushed me back into the mattress. “I can think of a better way to congratulate you than the cat can.”

And he did, with that very talented mouth of his.

When we finally managed to get our acts together and clean up, I read him the e-mail. The job was in Seattle, but would allow me to work remotely for the majority of the time. Since I had a computer that was compatible with their programs, it really was a dream job scenario. The pay wasn’t bad either. It would take a little bit, but it wouldn’t take too long to save up some money so I could move out of my parent’s place.

The biggest hurdle was Chase. I needed to go back to Seattle for orientation, and I refused to leave him behind ever again. There wasn’t a guarantee that Mom and Dad would be cool with him tagging along with me.

“You know, the worst they can tell you is no. I still have my camper for now. They have to be okay with Oreo as well. I can’t go with you and leave her behind.”

Chase was right. All I had to do was ask my parents, but my heart raced thinking about asking if my boyfriend could live with us for a while. What would they think about his cat?

My fingers slipped on the screen of my phone as I pulled up my mom’s contact and hit the button to connect the call. It rang a few times before she answered.

“Hey, Nathan. Is everything okay?”

I huffed a small laugh, my entire body vibrating with nerves. “They’re great.” My voice broke, and I cleared my throat. Chase covered his mouth and tried to not laugh at my struggle.

“That doesn’t sound like things are great. Everything okay with Uncle Drew? Did something else happen?” Panic leached into her questions. It was still too soon after the heart attack for my family to relax.

“Uncle Drew is fine. It’s me.”

“Oh, God! What happened, Nathan?”

It was my turn to laugh. This was turning into the world’s most ridiculous conversation. “I got a job offer.”

“What!” she screeched into the phone. “And here I thought you were calling to tell me that you and Chase ran off and got married or something.”

Knowing that my parents were so open and accepting of my relationship with him made me feel warm. Not everyone was as lucky.

“No, not married... yet.”

---