Page 56 of The Token Yank

“Easy there,” Eamonn said when Rafe began to swerve to the right side of theroad.

“Sorry. Old habits diehard.”

“Nobody is dyingtoday.”

The lush green of the English countryside whipped past them. Rafe waved to a car driving in the opposite direction. The world opened up to him at that point, and Rafe believed he could go anywhere and do anything on this planet. His chest rumbled with a new feeling.Adventure.

He opened both front windows. Wind whipped into the car and flipped their hair in alldirections.

“Woo!!” He drove the speed limit while also hurtling into a newdimension.

Rafe turned on the radio, another old habit that died hard.Hey Judecame on. Rafe immediately switched to anotherstation.

It was Eamonn who switched itback.

“We don’t have to listen,” Rafe said over Paul McCartney’s soothing voice. Or was itLennon’s?

But Eamonn didn’t switch the channel again. He turned it up. He gave Rafe a knowing smile, that he was ready tolisten.

Rafe turned it up louder just as it hit the “na na” part. They did a telepathic countdown.4, 3, 2,1…

And they each sang out the “na na” part at the top of their lungs, with Eamonn adding the “Hey Jude” line at the end. How could you not sing along to this song? The wind rushing in the car filled their lungs and made their voices carry through the English countryside. They weren’t even singing by the end. Just yelling and laughing out “na na” over and overagain.

Rafe felt a hand on his thigh, not trying to calm him down, but a hand that wanted to be there withhim.

He pulled to the side of the road when the songended.

“Not bad,” Eamonnsaid.

Rafe’s lips stopped him from saying another word. The kiss was even better than the one on the soccer field. Eamonn pulled him closer as their mouths fused together. Rafe gasped for breath that would never be enough to fill hislungs.

“I’m ready to go home,” Rafesaid.

“Home?” Eamonn asked, a touchworried.

“To ourdorm.”

His chest, and more southern parts of him, rumbled with cravings for a newadventure.