On the Edge of Tomorrow

Chapter 15

"I want to learn all about you." I pushed as we flopped down on the generic loveseat next to the bed.

"Okay, such as?" Billy settled in next to me and set a heavy foot on the coffee table.

"What do you want me to know?"

He sat back and gazed at me before settling on "many things."

"Tell me cheerful things."

He again paused as his mind spun through items. "When I told my parents I didn't plan on going to college, I thought they'd hit the roof, but both were completely calm."

"Really? I'm pretty sure my mom would die if I skipped college," I giggled. 

"Mmhmm, my dad asked why. I told him it didn't fit for me. It perplexed my mom. I've always liked to read and enjoyed history, so naturally, they assumed I'd continue to college, not that it was the norm." He paused and inspected my expression before continuing. "Only two of my brothers went to college; the other two got into trades."

"I always wished I was better with my hands. I'm too clumsy for anything of use," I sighed. 

"I disagree," he murmured as he lifted the pendant from my neck with a single finger before letting it fall back to my chest. "My dad asked for my plan; I told him I had taken a mechanic job. He asked why that felt right; I told him I enjoyed the work. He smiled and said he was proud of me." His stories were like him, straightforward. Billy's eyes stayed on his hands, twisted together on his lap. They unknotted as a fresh memory came into focus. 

"I wish I could have met your dad," I whispered, causing Billy to drop his face so his lips could gently glide over my temple. 

"I got into a fistfight on the playground once; I must have been around ten." A hint of a laugh toyed with his smirk. "Some little jerk was teasing a girl about her red hair." He shook his head with laughter. "I laid him out with one punch." His eyes flickered up to me. "It shouldn't be something that makes me happy, violence and all, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't."

"Who was the girl?" I asked, expecting to hear of some adolescent love.

"Not sure," he shrugged. "She was a couple of grades behind me."

The story struck me as more endearing in that his chivalry didn't stem from a deep connection. He just saw something wrong and acted. My hand reached out to his, and he let it slide in with a gentle squeeze.

"What else?" I nudged; his quiet memories captivated me.

"The first time my mom laughed after my dad died, really laughed; I remember that so clearly. It had been months; I was convinced that she'd never be happy again. Then one Sunday dinner, my brothers and I were ribbing each other, and she let out an honest-to-goodness laugh. I've never been happier or more relieved in my life." His gaze stayed on my hand so he couldn't see the pooling in my eyes. "One time, my brothers decided they wanted to build a soapbox racecar. Being the youngest and smallest, I was, of course, the driver. I remember sailing down the hill by our house as they cheered." He lifted his eyes to mine. "Then the wheels came off the front, and I flipped. Smashed out my front teeth and broke my nose." A smile spread across his face, "worth it."

"That explains the hook." I teased as I tapped a fingertip on his nose. "I assumed it was a fight."

He gave a shrug that made me think fights had also helped the shape.

"It's funny to think of you as the smallest," I smiled. 

"Mmhmm, wait until you meet my brothers." It was an absent thought, meeting his brothers, but it send a pang of longing and fear through me. I wanted to meet them. I want to dive into everything that made up this human next to me. But with every new detail, I was being pulled deeper into him, and the fear of drowning closed in on me.