“See,” Mrs. Alcaraz said. “No cold beds.” And then she turned to Jacob. “You want to help roll out dough?”
“Yessie!” Jacob stood up on the couch and reached for her.
She scooped him up into her arms, balancing him on her hip. I was used to Jacob being shy. But he felt comfortable with Mrs. Alcaraz after just a few hours alone.
Abuela.I watched the two of them laughing in the kitchen. It had been a really long time since I’d heard him laugh like that. The same way he used to laugh running around our back yard, without a care in the world. He was happy here.
“Please stay,” Kennedy said and put her arm around me. “Even just for a little longer.”
I watched as Mrs. Alcaraz showed Jacob how to cut the dough. I could already smell the filling for the empanadas on the stove. The whole apartment felt warm and cozy. Just like it always had. Just like when I used to call this apartment home.
I dropped my head onto Kennedy’s shoulder. How was I ever supposed to leave now?
Homecoming - Chapter 11
Sunday
Matt
I’d been good all day. But as soon as I made it to my room, I caved and called Kennedy.
It went straight to voicemail.
Fuck.I collapsed on my bed and looked up at the ceiling. I waited a few minutes and then called her again.
And again it went straight to voicemail.
She’d specifically asked me not to call her, and now I’d called her twice. I ran my hand down my face.
Perfect match my ass.I didn’t believe in perfect matches. Or the one. I couldn’t afford to. That’s what I’d been doing the past 16 years, and all I’d accomplished was feeling like shit.
There was no true love. No such thing as a happily ever after. I knew that for a fact.
But I also knew that I loved how I felt around Kennedy. And that she made me laugh. She made me feel like myself again. I didn’t realize how much of myself I’d lost over the years. But Kennedy knew me. The real me. The person I’d left behind. What was wrong with that?
I stared at the ceiling.
What was Tanner’s problem? No, what was the problem with all my friends? I just needed one person to have my back. Instead I had four traitors. Five if you counted Nigel. And since when had I started counting Nigel?
There was a knock on the door.
“Go away,” I mumbled. I hated how I’d been sent to my room and now I was acting like I did when I was a kid and my mom was mad with me.
Nigel popped his head in anyway. “Do you want me to draw you a bath?”
“Not right now, Nigel.”
“Are you sure? There’s a new massage feature I just installed.”
I looked over at the bathroom door. I couldn’t see the whole tub from here, but it looked exactly the same. “What massage feature?”
“An old-fashioned one.” He lifted up his hands and wiggled his fingers.
Was he seriously saying that he wanted me to sit ass naked in the tub while he massaged me with his hands? What the ever living… “Nigel, aren’t you busy?”
“Not in the slightest.”
Seriously?“I thought we had an agreement. You’re supposed to be talking to your connections amongst Poppy’s staff.”
