Page 9 of The Homecoming

She crossed over to the desk and turned on the computer. It was time to find a job.

Around five o’clock, the doorbell sounded. Autumn had hidden in her room the whole day with her phone off. From behind her door, she heard Dan downstairs asking if she was home. Her mother invited him inside and asked if he’d stay for dinner. He protested that he didn’t want to impose, but Shirley was adamant on feeding him. Autumn tiptoed across the room to her desk. She listened for feet on the stairs, but his knock on the door came without warning. He opened it without waiting for a response. Autumn looked up from the computer desk. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey yourself.” He closed the door behind him but stayed across the room. “Your phone’s off.”

She couldn’t read the look on his face, so she decided to play stupid. “Oh, I didn’t know that. I’ve been job hunting on the computer all day.”

He crossed the room, grabbed the back of her desk chair, and wheeled her to the bed. He sat on the edge and faced her. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and tried to smile. “Nothing.”

He didn’t buy it. “Autumn, we’ve hung out every day since you came home and now you’ve gone radio silent. It doesn’t take a detective to figure it out, babe.”

Her face was hot as she sighed. “Fine. I just don’t do…what I did last night. Going to some guy’s motel room like I did.”

“So, I’m just ‘some guy’,” he said.

“No, that’s not what…” She stammered.

He smiled and shook his head. “I’m kidding. I know you’re not that kind of girl.” He rubbed her arm and took her hand in his. “You had to know out at the waterfall how much I wanted you. I didn’t say anything because I could tell you weren’t ready. Then, you showing up last night was…a dream come true.”

“I’m worried,” she admitted, “that we shouldn’t have crossed that line. I’ve known you my entire life. You’re like a brother, and I’m worried we’re going to ruin that.”

He nodded for a minute before taking her other hand so he could hold both at once. “I’m not your brother, thank god. Don’t worry about ruining anything, you’re not gonna lose me. I want to keep seeing you. I want to take you out, have fun while we can. I also want to pull you into this bed and make you come repeatedly.”

She blushed and started to laugh; no one had ever said anything like that to her. Dan pulled her from the chair and flipped her underneath him on the bed before she could react. “My parents are downstairs,” she whispered, “and they’re about to call us for dinner.”

He kissed her as his hand groped down into her shorts and found the perfect spot. "We can be quick," he whispered.

She gave in as she moaned, "God." He pulled her shorts off, unfastening his own pants before climbing on top of her. "No," she said, grabbing his shirt. "Take it off."

"I thought we needed to be fast," he whispered.

"Not like this."

Dan nodded and pushed himself up, walking to the door to lock it. He sauntered back across the room toward her with that same mischievous smile and removed his shirt and pants.

She smiled. "On your back, Madera."

His grin widened. "Whatever you want."

***

The McMillan family sat around the kitchen table, passing bowls of food and filling their plates. It was all so ordinary and innocent. Little did her parents know she’d spent the night with the man sitting next to her and they’d just defiled her childhood bed. He’d covered her mouth just to keep her quiet and even now, she was blushing. She had to act like everything was normal. Dan retrieved the pitcher of tea from the fridge and filled everyone’s cups as Shirley brought up Autumn’s job hunt, forcing Autumn to stop thinking about Dan and have a coherent conversation. She would be heading to the temp agency the next day to sign up and see what kinds of positions they offer. It may help her decide what direction to go.

The rest of the dinner conversation was innocuous and pleasant. Dan raved about her mother’s cooking and cleaned his plate twice. He knew exactly how to stay on the right side of both of her parents. At what point was it considered ass kissing? At the end of the evening, she walked out on the front porch with Dan for a moment alone.

“Are you going to turn your phone back on?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good, I gotta do some chores around the house for my mom tomorrow. But I’d love to see you tomorrow night.”

“I’d like that.”

He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “I want to kiss you but your mom’s behind the door watching us,” he whispered.

Autumn was clearing the dishes from the table when her mom came in to watch over her shoulder. “You know, Dan has turned into quite the handsome young man.”

---