The Way We Rise

  “I think it’s time for a little pre-breakfast appetizer.”

  I bite my lip with anticipation as he kneels before me and kisses the inside of my knee. His gaze drops as he becomes completely focused on the task at hand. His mouth plants a slow trail of kisses over my thigh, drawing out the anticipation until the sweet throbbing ache between my legs becomes almost painful.

  I thread my fingers through his hair, clutching a handful as I gently encourage him to go for the prize. He chuckles at my impatience, but he quickly obliges my hints. His hot mouth covers my clit, kissing and lightly sucking until I can hardly breathe. The orgasm hits me like a freight train. But Houston doesn’t allow me to give up there.

  With my muscles still twitching, my limbs still warm and pliable, he stands up and slides into me. I wrap my legs around his hips and his fingers bite into my ass as he watches his cock thrusting in and out of me. He looks up at me for a moment, to see if I’m also watching.

  “You see that?” he says, turning his attention back to the way his cock moves back and forth in a seamless rhythm. “I’m knitting you a baby sweater… Purl in front…” He slides out of me and rubs the tip of his cock over the crease of my ass. “Purl in the back?”

  I laugh. “Purl in front, knit in the back. And… with that monster? You must be out of your mind.”

  He shrugs as he slides back into me. “We’ve got plenty of time to work our way up to that.”

  He plunges into me slowly and methodically, taking his time until the pleasure becomes too much for him. For the last few minutes, he fucks me hard and deep. His large hands have a firm grip on my ass as he pounds into me. I cry out each time he slams into my clit, and another orgasm ripples out from my core. He thrusts into me faster for a brief moment, before he begins to slow down, his cock twitching as he finds his release. His hand slides between us, rubbing my clit to finish me off while he’s still inside me.

  “Oh, God,” I breathe, my body trembling as I pull him closer, resting my cheek on his solid, sweaty shoulder.

  He buries his face in my neck as he wraps his arms around me and holds me tightly against him. His cock continues to twitch inside me as he breathes heavily into my hair. Then he opens his mouth and scrapes his teeth over my skin, his tongue tasting me as we both try to catch our breath.

  “I have to get going,” he says, though he makes no move to pull out of me.

  “But you haven’t had breakfast,” I reply, slipping my fingers into his hair and smiling when I see goose bumps sprout on the back of his neck.

  He finally pulls out, slowly, and tucks his monster back in its cage. “I’ll eat at work. I gotta get back there before the repair guy shows up to fix the valve on the vat.”

  He lays a soft kiss on my cheekbone and another on the corner of my mouth before he heads to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I try not to think crazy things like the possibility that Houston’s having an affair, or that… he hates my cooking! He always has to leave when it’s time to eat.

  He spends five minutes in the shower and another ten minutes getting dressed and doing his hair. He’s out the door before I’ve even finished scrambling my eggs. Once the breakfast dishes are cleaned, I take a shower and get ready to finally see the new Hallie’s Hope offices around the corner at ten a.m. Only, when I arrive at the address my dad gave me, no one’s there and the key he gave me for the front door doesn’t work.

  I call his cell and he picks up right away. “Dad, the key to the office isn’t working.”

  “What? That’s impossible. I had the copy made from my own key. Are you sure you’re using the key I gave you?”

  “Yes. It’s the only key I have other than my apartment key. I still haven’t gotten my car back from Kenny.”

  “You haven’t gotten your car back yet? Honey, you need to do that. If you’re going to be working for me, you’ll need a car to go to meetings and fund-raising events.”

  “I know, I know. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I wasn’t able to get the parking space at Mom’s building, and now I’m waiting for them to assign me one here. It never ends.”

  He chuckles. “Well, hopefully you’re all settled now and you won’t need to worry about this stuff anymore for a while.”

  I sigh as I think about my insecurity over Houston’s work habits, and how I promised him before I moved in that I wouldn’t get upset if he had to work late. God, I’m such a typical girl. I almost hate myself.

  “Honey, is everything okay with Houston?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m just frustrated because now I have to go back to the apartment and be alone again. When can you get me another key?”

  A male voice in the background asks my dad a question and he tells the person to wait a minute. “Sweetheart, I’m about to go into court. I’ll have to call you back when it lets out and we can set up a time to meet and exchange keys. Okay?”

  “Okay, Dad. Good luck.”

  “Thank you.”

  I walk back to the apartment wondering if I should be happy that I got out of work or annoyed that I’m going to have to find a way to meet my dad to exchange keys later. I don’t know if it’s okay to invite him here, even when Houston is gone. Houston has been very supportive when I’ve talked about my new job over the past week, but I can still sense some tension when the topic is broached. We’re not out of the woods yet.

  The rain begins as I turn onto our street, so I walk briskly past the yoga center toward the building entrance. When I enter our apartment, the place reeks of bacon. Despite the fact that it’s raining and about fifty degrees outside, I open all the windows and begin burning a vanilla-scented candle. I reach into the coat closet to get my coat, when I notice something familiar sticking out of the pocket of the coat Houston was wearing when he left for work last night.

  My heart races as I wonder how much of a violation of his privacy it would be for me to slip the Sierra Nevada tin box out of his coat pocket. I mean, he did once give me that box, even if I did give it back to him. It was mine at one point in time.

  I stare at the corner of the tin box for a couple of minutes, but I finally give in to my baser instincts and slowly slide it out of the coat. The moment I slip it out of his pocket, I notice something is wrong. There’s no sound or movement coming from inside the box.

  I swallow hard as I carefully lift the lid and find the folded envelope containing Hallie’s suicide note. I pull the envelope out and my heart drops. The ring is gone.

  Why is the ring gone? There could be a million reasons. Maybe he’s having it sized. No, that doesn’t make sense. I haven’t gained or lost weight. Have I? No, that’s ridiculous. If I haven’t noticed I’ve gained weight, then Houston definitely wouldn’t notice. But then, why else would the ring be missing from this box?

  Either he gave the ring to someone else (ridiculous) or he took it to a jeweler (plausible). But for what? Houston definitely doesn’t need to sell the ring for money. And if he doesn’t need the money, then the only explanation is that he doesn’t think he needs the ring. Now that I’ve moved in with him, there’s no reason to come home on time. No reason to share a meal with me. And now, no reason to marry me.

  I make a quick stop to take care of some personal business before I walk the ten or so blocks to Killer Burger. When I spoke to Kenny yesterday, I insisted that I needed to meet him to get my car back, but that I also had some things I wanted to discuss with him about Houston. In return, Kenny insisted I meet him at Killer Burger, so we could get a bite to eat while we chat. And I’m not one to deny a man his craving for a José Mendoza. But the moment I enter Killer Burger and spot Kenny seated at a table near the window, I realize José has been replaced.

  Kenny is sitting next to a gorgeous man who appears to be a few years older and a few inches taller than him. His friend has dark hair, cropped in a military buzz cut to show off his perfectly shaped head. And even from about ten feet away, I can tell he has the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen on a human.
As soon as Kenny spots me, he leaps out of his chair and runs to me, and the guy next to him stands up a bit awkwardly.

  Kenny throws his arms around me. “Aurora, my love. I’ve missed you.”

  I hug him briefly. “I’ve missed you too,” I say as he locks arms with me and leads me toward the table. “Who’s your friend?”

  Kenny beams as his friend flashes me a stunning smile. “Rory, this is Pedro. Pedro, this is my best friend, Rory.”

  Pedro is dressed better than I am, and when I shake his hand I’m pretty sure his hand is softer than mine.

  “Nice to meet you, Rory,” Pedro says in a deep, smooth voice, which, if I’m not mistaken, is laced with a tinge of a Texas drawl. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Kenny.”

  The way he glances at Kenny and holds on to each syllable of his name tells me this is him, the guy who’s been killing Kenny’s neck. This is the boyfriend Kenny has been keeping hidden from me. And by the looks of it, they’re in love.

  “I think I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” I reply, looking to Kenny to confirm this is him.

  He rolls his eyes. “Yes, it’s him.”

  Pedro laughs. “I hope it’s all been good things.”

  I take a seat across from Pedro, watching his subtle yet favorable reaction when Kenny brushes against him on the way back to his seat. The sight of it makes me so happy I could cry.

  Kenny sits down and stares at me for a moment. “Oh, no, sweetheart. No tears allowed.”

  I dab at the corners of my eyes. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being a total girly-girl. I guess I’m just a little… emotional today.”

  Kenny shakes his head. “Girl, you’re emotional every day.” He holds up his hand to stop me from voicing my gut reaction. “And you are entitled to be.”

  I roll my eyes. “Nice save. Did you two order?”

  Kenny lays his hand on Pedro’s bicep and I’m pretty sure he gives it a light squeeze. “Honey, can you order for us? We both want a José Mendoza well-done.”

  “Hey, you don’t know if I want to change my order,” I protest.

  Kenny fixes me with a look of utter exasperation.

  I smile as I turn to Pedro. “And an iced tea, please.”

  Both Kenny and I stare at Pedro’s perfect ass as he walks away, but Kenny interrupts me with a gentle smack on the top of my hand. “He’s mine. Don’t get any of your crazy redhead ideas.”

  “Crazy redhead ideas? Are you comparing my life to an I Love Lucy episode?”

  He smiles as he reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “So what do you think of him?”

  I glance over my shoulder at Pedro then turn back to Kenny. “He’s gorgeous, and polite. And you look very happy, so I’m very happy for you.”

  He raises his arms in the air and smiles. “I am happy. Wheeeee….”

  I laugh. “And he’s obviously very into you.”

  Kenny beams at my words. “You think so? I mean, not that I question his sincerity, it’s just, you know… It’s hard to believe something so good can be so real.”

  His words make me think of Houston and the reason why I wanted to meet with Kenny today. I want to know what happened to the ring. And if Kenny doesn’t know, maybe he can help me stop worrying that I’ve made a terrible mistake by moving in with Houston. Maybe he can help me realize that something so good can be so real.

  I glance at Pedro again and he’s at the front of the queue, which means he’ll be back here any minute. Now I feel slightly annoyed that Kenny brought him. Not that I didn’t want to meet Pedro, but I really wanted to talk to Kenny alone. How is he going to hug me and tell me everything is going to be all right with a table and a hot Pedro between us?

  Then it dawns on me. Maybe I shouldn’t be talking about this with Kenny. I should be discussing this with Houston. In our hearts, Kenny and I are still best friends, and we will always be there for each other. In reality, we both have new BFFs.

  “Rory, you say you’re happy for me, but you don’t look happy.”

  I look up at Kenny. “I just had a very sad thought. I came here to talk to you about Houston. You see, I didn’t come straight here from our apartment. I made a stop—”

  Kenny stands up suddenly, and I look over my shoulder to see Pedro approaching. “I’ll help you,” Kenny says, making his way to Pedro and plucking the drinks off the tray he’s carrying.

  I sigh and force a smile as Kenny dishes out our burgers and fries, but I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. I shove down a few fries and a couple small bites of my burger, but Kenny quickly realizes something’s wrong.

  “Aurora, the last time we were here you inhaled that burger in about two seconds.”

  I stretch my mouth into an even bigger, phonier smile. “I’m just tired. I didn’t get enough sleep. I can’t digest food when I’m tired.”

  Kenny gets very serious as he tears a paper towel off the roll in the center of the table and wipes the corners of his mouth. “Rory, do you remember the last time we came here? You and I pretended to be engaged and I dropped you on your junk?”

  I smile at the memory. “Yes, I remember that quite well.” My eyes widen as I begin to suspect what he’s getting at. “Are you and Pedro engaged?”

  They both laugh hysterically at my suggestion and Kenny shakes his head. “No, honey. We’re not engaged, and I’m actually talking about you right now. Pay attention.”

  My brow furrows. “What are you getting at?”

  He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a small ivory envelope. Written in precise calligraphy on the outside of the envelope are the words Page No. 1. He holds it out to me, but I find myself gripped with fear as I try to imagine what’s inside that envelope. Is it page one of my book? Is it page one of a breakup letter from Houston? The last time someone handed me an envelope in such a dramatic fashion, it contained Hallie’s suicide note, and the landscape of my world was irrevocably changed.

  “What is it?” I whisper.

  “Open it and you’ll find out,” Kenny replies, his smile never wavering.

  I take the envelope from his hand and I’m immediately taken by the lush creaminess of the paper and the weight of it. I take a deep breath as I lift the flap and pull out an ivory slip of paper about the size of an index card. The edges are frayed, as if the paper is very old, but it’s obviously been artificially aged. The words on the page are written in handsome storybook calligraphy.

  I read the note a few times, trying to make sure I’m reading what I think I’m reading. Finally, I look up at Kenny and the beaming smile on his face tells me I’m right.

  “Is this what I think it is?”

  “If you think it’s the first page of a beautiful fairy tale, then you are partially correct. If you also think it’s the first hint in a very carefully planned scavenger hunt, then you are even more correct. But that’s all I can say.”

  I think about the things I came here to talk about with Kenny and I’m beginning to think that none of that stuff matters. I don’t need answers to the questions I came here with. All I need to know is where I’m going, and apparently, that’s to my old castle in the kingdom of McMinnville.

  Kenny hands me my car keys, but looks at me like I’m crazy when I bolt up from my chair to leave. “Hold up, Princess Aurora. You’re not leaving without me.” He turns to Pedro and my stomach flutters as they exchange a tender kiss. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  I shake my head as we walk out to the parking lot. “It should be illegal for two people that good looking to be together.”

  He chuckles as he grabs the keys out of my trembling hand. “You can’t drive right now. You’re a nervous wreck. And I’d very much like to reach the end of this scavenger hunt in one piece.”

  I smile as he opens the passenger door for me. “Where does it end?”

  He shakes his head. “Nuh-uh. You’re not getting it out of me.”

  I take a deep breath and stuff my hands between my thighs to try to calm the trembling. “How lon
g have you known about this?” I ask as Kenny pulls my Toyota out of the lot.

  “Can’t tell you that either.”

  “What can you tell me?” I continue. I figure he’ll slip up eventually if I badger him enough.

  “Well, I can tell you that you are a nosy little twat who wants me to spoil the ending of a very special fairy tale.”

  I gasp. “Kenny, how could you speak to me like that?”

  He smiles. “You can give me a clean, hard soap-opera slap when we get to our destination.”

  “So who else is in on this? It’s a proposal, right?”

  Kenny mimes pulling a zipper across his lips, turning a lock, and flicking away an imaginary key. “Not talking.”

  I roll my eyes and lean forward to turn on some music. It feels weird sitting in the passenger seat of my own car. It looks different from this angle. Like, I never realized how old-school-cool this car is until now. I have a cassette player. I should be cementing my geekdom by making mixtapes for me and all my friends.

  I settle on an indie-rock station, then I sit back and close my eyes, letting the sound of the rain battering the windshield soothe me as I try to imagine what awaits me at my old house in McMinnville. Thinking about this fills me with buzzing anxiety, so I decide to open the notes app on my phone and create a playlist for my first mixtape, which I will give to Kenny. By the time I’m done arranging the order of my favorite lovemaking songs for Kenny to use with his new boyfriend, and trying to sneak some more information about this scavenger hunt out of Kenny in the process, our one-hour car ride is over.

  The moment we pull up in front of the house I spent most of my life in, I’m overwhelmed with emotion. This house is so ingrained in my psyche, it’s still the location where most of my dreams take place. Whenever I read a book, this is the house I imagine. It’s as much a part of me as my hair color, and yet I’ve tried my hardest to put it out of my mind for the past six years, afraid that embracing my memories of it would open some mental floodgates, and my mind would become overrun with memories of the past. Now, as I gaze at the two-story house with the white siding and slightly droopy overhang shading the porch, I realize I’m ready to do away with those kinds of silly superstitions and embrace every part of me.