Page 74 of This Blood That Binds Us

“Humor me.”

With his signature wink, I took his hand. He waltzed me away from the ground and into the glow of the fire. He wrapped one hand around mine and the other on my waist. We stepped together, and as we went to take our first step, Aaron stepped on my foot.

“Ow.” I giggled.

“I’m sorry.” Aaron exhaled nervously. “I never said I was good at it, just that I wanted to.”

“That’s okay. I’ll show you.” I rested my hand on his shoulder and gave his other hand a reassuring squeeze. I imagined what it would be like to dance with a boy growing up. I hoped it would be at prom, but I never went to mine. This was better than that.

“Now you just . . . feel the rhythm and sway.”

Chirping crickets played our symphony. The soft silence between didn’t matter.

For a few minutes, we were just present. Enjoying every step of our dance. Our eyes met at the same time. It was almost like we were the same person sometimes. Like puzzle pieces, we just clicked.

“So, Aaron . . . crayons or colored pencils?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Uh, what?”

“If you could pick only one to use for the rest of your life, which would you pick? I’m just curious.”

“Is this a test?” A wicked grin spread across his face.

“No. I’m just trying to get to know you better. There are a lot of things to learn about a person. Technically, I could start anywhere.”

“Hmmm. Okay. Colored pencils, definitely.”

His hand was firm on mine as we continued to move to the music of the forest. Everything around us fell away. Aaron’s feet would bump into mine every so often with his off-rhythm swaying.

“Oh, bad choice. Crayons are way better.”

“Yeah, whatever. You lose all color choice with crayons. There are a million colors of colored pencils.”

“I guess you’re right, but crayons are dark and more opaque.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that one for using the word ‘opaque.’”

I knew it was ridiculous to talk about something so trivial, but somehow it was fun. All of our conversations were so heavy. This one was light.

“Okay, what about food?” I said.

“Ohhh my god, I miss food so much!” he exclaimed. His voice mixed with frustration and excitement.

I laughed. “Hamburgers or hotdogs?”

“Um, I’m a true American, so hamburger.”

“I think you could make an argument for both there but agreed. Hamburger.”

“Hamburgers were so good...” Aaron’s eyes glistened as he talked. “What about icing. What’s your favorite?”

He opened up to me like a book, pouring out long-forgotten quirks and lost loves. I loved every bit of it. Not just hearing his, but also getting to share my favorites with someone else who was interested in hearing them felt nice.

“Cream cheese. I love red velvet cake,” I said.

“Me too! I’ll have to make you one for your birthday. I used to love cooking and food. Luke taught me most of everything I know.”

“I didn’t know you cooked? Did you want to be a chef or something?” I tilted my head up to look at him through his lashes.