Page 37 of Just Like in the Movies
“Hilly ground, right? So they built into the hill. That way you get something that’s like a two story house, but the front is only one story.”
“What do you do about the bedrooms?” I asked.
“It’s kind of flipped. Bedrooms are in the basement, the rest of the house is upstairs. Washer and dryer and the places with the most dirty things to put in them all on the same level.” He was beaming with his idea.
“You can’t put a washer and dryer anywhere but in a basement?” I’d seen them in apartments, though, when I’d first moved.
He shrugged and looked a little sheepish. “I know it’s not likely, but I’m paranoid about a flood. Imagine if a hose burst on the top floor of the house? What a mess that would be.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, struck by his logic. “So I should be looking for a place on a hill. When it’s time to buy.”
“Are there a lot of hills in L.A.?”
“Not really in downtown, but the land rises as you get farther from the ocean. Houses up there can be really expensive.” I kicked myself as soon as I said it, because I was trying to follow along with Lew’s dreams, not shoot them down.
He didn’t seem bothered by it, oddly. “I suppose, though, if you looked after your washer you wouldn’t need to worry about leaks. And you’d probably get a better view with a two-story house.”
I breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Probably. More floor space for less money, too. My apartment’s this little tiny thing on the edge of one of the expensive areas, just a bedroom, a bathroom and then everything else is one room.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him that, except that I wanted him to feel at least a little like he was a part of my life. “I lived with a bunch of guys for a couple of years and it was fine, and then a friend was moving out of this apartment and asked me if I wanted it. And I was getting tired of that lifestyle. I wanted to focus on work and getting ahead, and most of them…” I let my voice trail off and made a face. “Anyway, I like this better.” Would Lew accept an invitation to come visit? I glanced over at him, then looked back at the road. Probably not. Not yet, anyway.
But if I followed his lead well enough, maybe at the end of my two weeks? One week now, I realized, and had to fight a sudden burst of unexpected panic.Relax, there’s such a thing as email and video chat.I stole another glance at him and his eyes met mine.
For a moment, I saw everything he was feeling, the hope, the wariness, the fear and even, I thought, the love that he still felt, somewhere down deep for me. Impulsively, I reached across and took his hand. “I promise you, I’ve changed. Or remembered myself again. I won’t hide things from you and if you start to worry about anything, I promise you as true and complete an answer as I can manage if you ask me about things. We both know you’re the one who actually thinks about stuff, but I’m trying to do more of that now. I just kind of suck at it.”
Lew smiled a little nervously at me and nodded and then the moment was gone. He pulled his hand gently out of mine and turned back to the window and I thought I’d blown it right there and then while I’d been trying to build a bridge.
But then his hand crept across the car again and his fingers curled around mine. And if we made the rest of the drive in silence, it wasn’t a bad silence, and I got to hold Lew’s hand all the way there.
