Page 84 of Incompatible

"If I were you I’d leave this car here, you can borrow mine."

That’s when I remember I’m still missing the bumper…

Snow takes the car keys out of his pocket and lets them dangle in front of me.

We hold each other’s gaze for a moment.

I swallow.

"Sure, thanks, I had a small accident on the way, nothing major," I mutter, but honestly maybe it’s better to avoid driving around in a damaged car and drawing police attention.

"Of course," Snow mutters, his expression very specific, but what can I say, my brother is one of those people you just can’t get through to.

I switch cars under his watchful eyes.

He doesn’t say anything else.

I start the engine and drive Snow’s car to Alex’s place. But before I get out, I instinctively check the glove compartment.

Inside are… condom boxes, some open, a bunch of single packets scattered everywhere.

What the fuck?!

I blink. Snow is nineteen, it’s not like it’s forbidden, but damn… ever since he started giving music lessons a lot of students come over with their parents, could that be the reason?

I shrug, and then something hits me. I pocket a few condoms. Better safe than sorry.

That strange euphoria from the call with Ennio still hasn’t left my body.

I see Alex waiting at the door and I feel real joy, like from this moment on I’ll be able to build our relationship too, maybe in a more… ‘teenage’ way…

Alex runs toward me and jumps into my arms.

Ever since we became boyfriends in March, there’s been more closeness between us, the kind Alex initiates on his own even though he tries to be careful, maybe afraid he’ll cross that line again, but sometimes I think it would be nice if he did, just to test what I’d feel.

First we eat pizza, we’re both fans of it, and we talk about random school nonsense, gossip from the band. I’m not in it anymore but I still hear about the power struggles between the new lead singer, and the second vocalist.

Once again, Alex has another chess tournament coming soon and he’s a bit stressed because this time people from outside the state will be competing too.

I offer him a chance to spar with me, and he gives me a smirk, and I scoff, "Hey, arrogance comes before the fall!"

Then we go to his room. He has a pretty cool home-theater setup, we can lie in bed while movies play on the wall in front of us.

We lie side by side sharing popcorn, and Alex moves closer until our shoulders touch.

I feel his energy next to me the entire time, warm and sweet, something that melts things inside me, heals me, wakes me up.

Whenever the movie hits a lull and neither of us is commenting, all I think about is Alex, how beautiful he is, how wonderful, how faithfully he’s stood beside me from the moment we met, like we’re two perfectly matching gloves.

After a moment I’m not paying attention to the movie at all. There’s only Alex, his aura beside me, the scent of his shampoo, his small hand resting close to mine.

And then I just say it… wild, crazy.

"Will you marry me when we turn eighteen?" I blurt out suddenly.

Alex freezes, then turns toward me in the dim light from the screen, his eyes huge and shimmering like amethyst crystals.

"Is that a serious question or a joke?"