Page 64 of Lovetown, USA
“Uhhhh, that’s awkward.”
“It ain’t more awkward than getting child support taken out your check or getting your dick swabbed for an STD test.”
“Dad!”
“Look, you a grown man. This is grown man shit.”
He blows out a sigh. “I hear you. I do.”
“Good.”
I hear him shuffling around on the other end of the phone. “We’re good, me and you. Right?”
“Yeah," I say, wondering where this is going.
“Okay, so my mom, she’s probably just trying to stir up something. You know how she is.”
“She’s your mother,” I say with a sigh. “Respect her. Always. Even with me.”
“I hear you.” He pauses for a beat. “Alright then, Dad. I gotta go meet Raven and I can’t show up empty-handed.”
“There you go,” I encourage, laughing.
“Wait, where you at?”
“I’m on a date, actually.”
“Alright, I ain’t gon’ hold you. I wantyouto get a girl, too.”
I shake my head, smiling at my son. “I’m working on it.”
When I return, Lane is fidgeting, shifting around on the blanket.
“You good?”
“Trying to get comfortable. My lower back is aching a little bit.”
“I got you.” I sit behind her, stretching my legs out on either side. “Lay back against me.”
Just before she does, she turns to look at me. “Did you know about the marriage tax break?”
“Yeah. It’s been around since I got here.”
She frowns. “And you don’t think that’s odd?”
“Not really. Every city has incentives for shit.”
She doesn’t press, and instead leans back, her spine against my chest. I wrap my arms around her, shifting into a rigid stance so that she can relax. Her hair brushes my jaw, and I can’t help inhaling the scent of whatever’s in her hair, something light and floral. I nuzzle the curve of her neck, smiling against her skin when she tilts her head just enough to let me.
The sun finally dips, melting into the horizon, painting the darkening sky in streaks of purple and gold. The lanterns and the flickering flames from the candles glow brighter as the shadows creep in around us. Whatever’s being said on that screen is beyond me, fading into the distance until I can’t hear it anymore.
For a moment, it feels like the whole world belongs to us. The warmth of her body pressed against mine. The rhythm of her breath syncing with mine. The soft hum of possibility hanging in the air.
I’m lost in her, and I don’t wanna be found.
I know we’re just friends who fuck, but Ifeellike it’s more.
I feel her sigh. Her body gives up its last bit of slack and relaxes against me. I press my lips gently against her skin, marking her neck, her shoulder, her ear, her jaw. Her skin smells like cinnamon and tastes like sweat. I wish I could take her right here. I’m so gone, I’m imagining laying her down on this blanket, surrounded by the crowd, and making love to her over and over again until we both tap out.
