What We Want, What We Get (a boy x boy novel)

Chapter Twenty-Eight - "I'm down for slashing his tires. 3, not all four."

I must have zoned out by a lot because when I re-center, I'm already in my driveway. I pull my seatbelt out and get out of the car, knowing Reese is going to walk me to my door (such gentlemanship). I grab my bag from his backseat and we make our way to the front door. 

"You know you can say no to picking me up at night, right? You have a quiz in the morning." I say just as we reach the door. 

"I know, but I'm good at French, so you don't have to worry." He says, reassuringly. 

"That's true, it's me that's language deficient. I've been in Spanish for three years and I still can't properly have a conversation."

"Lo siento, mi amor. " He says with a smile.

"Screw you, I understood that. At least I'm not a total lost cause." 

"You're a lost cause that I'm in love with." He says as he squeezes my hand.  Wow, he basically just said he loves me. I knew he would be the one to say it first and not because I don't, because I'm pretty sure I do love him too, he's so much better with his feelings than I am. He won't deny himself pain or pleasure, and everything in between. 

Clearly I'm smiling like a clown trying to look scary, but him saying that made me feel a lot better. Even though I always felt safe in his care, it feels just a bit stronger, a bit more reassuring, and a bit more natural than it would have felt twenty seconds ago. I give him a kiss that feels like a gust of wind in my opinion, but is just as sweet as our regular ones.

"I love you too." I say, because I feel confident that I mean it now. It's his turn to smile like a little girl now. What luck. "Now get out of here and study before I take it back." He starts to slowly back away as if I'm a pouncing Tiger, but not before he kisses me again. I giggle and watch him go back to his car, and I unlock my door and go inside. 

When I walk inside the hallway and kitchen lights are still on, which means someone is up making a late snack. I walk into the kitchen to see my dad drinking coffee with about hundreds of papers splattered all over the kitchen table. You would think a few dictionaries just threw up all over the place. 

"Am I walking into a crime scene here, dad?" I say as I hesitantly walk towards him. He's rarely up past 11, but this must be a big case if he's up this late AND drinking coffee (he despises coffee).

"I might as well be in a crime scene. This case is about a possible homicide (he's an defense lawyer, aka the toughest lawyer in my opinion), and if we win, your graduation present will be a good one." He says, which catches my attention.

"Even if my present wasn't on the table, do you think he could win?"

"Basically you wanna know if he's guilty or not.." He says, not even looking up from his papers (I ask him all the time about his clients).

"He says he's innocent and, as his lawyer, my job is to help him prove it, whether or not he actually is guilty or not. Just how the game goes kiddo."

"You're the one who told me once the system is rigged when I was ten."

"And I still stand by that. Was that Jayna you were out with?"

"No it was Reese, Jayna's at home."

"Really? Jayna was just here an hour ago looking for you, she looked really frazzled. I thought you tracked her down." He says, still not looking away from his notes. I immediately text her.

"Did she say what was wrong?" 

"Something about woman's intuition, she didn't go further. You need to go to sleep so this can wait until morning."