Getting a Clue | ✓

Chapter 8

This party was like a reverse party in that it ended instead of started when the sun went down. I was cool with that. As much as it hadn't been a complete disaster, I was ready to go home. Or at least back to Jethro's house.

Honestly, Jethro looked pretty tired too. On the way home, with his mum driving the car, Jethro shut his eyes and rested his head against my shoulder. Fuck, I wanted to just... hold him. To cuddle up together and be sleepy but okay.

But I didn't know where the line was or what exactly we had going on here. Some touch was obviously okay, but would it freak him out if I got too sentimental about this shit?

When we got back to his place, I wasn't sure what to do. Text my dad to pick me up, I supposed, but I didn't really want to. If I did that, whatever magic had happened today would end and who knew what the mood would be by the next time I saw Jethro.

Suddenly, Jethro turned around from where he'd been taking off his eyeliner at his desk. "Do you want to stay over?"

"Huh?" I said, not because I didn't understand the question but because I needed a few seconds delay to process it.

"Stay the night here. We could watch some movies and stuff."

I hadn't wanted this to end but now the actual reality of it not ending was in my face, my mind was full of nothing but doubts and questions. Were Jethro's parents okay with this? What would I wear to sleep in? Where would I sleep? Did Jethro have a spare toothbrush? What would we have for dinner?

"It's okay if you don't want to," Jethro said after I'd been silent much, much too long. He turned back to the mirror above his desk.

"No, I do," I said quickly. "I'm just thinking... logistics. And psyching myself out, I guess."

"You can ask me stuff if you're worried."

"Nah. It's always just dumb stuff that doesn't matter."

Jethro spun his chair back around again. "If it matters to you, it matters to me. Come on. Tell me what's worrying you."

I didn't want to look at him. I didn't really talk about this stuff more than I had to. Not with my parents and not with my psychiatrist. Not with anyone. It just felt dumb. "I don't know. I guess I just have to think up every angle and make sure everything is covered. Like, do you have a spare toothbrush? I know it doesn't really matter, but I can't just let it go."

"I do have a spare toothbrush you can use. What else?"

I let out a sigh. This felt way more intimate than the hand holding. "Will your parents be okay with me staying over?"

"Yup. Will yours?"

"I guess so?" It wasn't like it had ever come up before. "Yeah, they won't mind."

"Anything else?"

"So many things."

So we went through them one by one, and he answered every question and didn't make fun of me for how silly they were. We could order pizza for dinner. We could share his bed. He'd lend me some pyjamas to sleep in. There was no problem he didn't have a simple solution to.

I texted my mum to let her know I'd be staying the night at Jethro's.

Two minutes later, my phone rang. I let out a long sigh and glared at it. It persisted in ringing. My mum was calling me.

Eventually, I answered. "Is this necessary?"

"I just wanted to make sure everything is okay," my mum said.