Will you go home, she signed,after you drop me off?
It was a while before he answered. A new song came on, the singer’s voice filtering out through the speakers in a wind-bitten tenor.
“As you may or may not have heard,” Thomas said, “I’ve been let go from my job.”
She turned to face him in full. She hadn’t even considered that.
“It does make sense,” he said quickly, before she could think of something supportive to say. “Moving back home, I mean. It’s what unemployed college dropouts usually do.”
I’m sorry, she signed.
“Don’t be,” he said. “I’m glad I took the job. I’d take it again.”
An oversize flatbed rushed past, carting lumber. Thomas drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel, matching the beat of the music.
“Price, uh,” he started, and cleared his throat. “Price has some connections. In Boston. I have a phone interview lined up for next Monday.”
In B-o-s-t-o-n, she repeated.
“Well, yeah,” said Thomas. “The job would be in Boston.” He cut another glance her way. “I, uh, heard a rumor that you might be headed up that way, too.”
I might be, she signed.I haven’t decided.
“No?” He checked his side mirror, changing lanes. “Well, you don’t have to figure it out today. You have time.”
So do you, she signed.
“Yeah.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Hey, maybe if we both end up in the same city, I can take you out on a real date.”
Her heart gave a violent flutter. She pressed her fists together, thumbs extended.A date?
“Yeah, a date—dinner, a movie, a walk in the Seaport.” He paused, his cheeks coloring, and added, “You know, things you do with a girlfriend.”
A girlfriend. It was a normal word, for a normal girl.
Quietly, she said, “Tommy?”
He whipped around to face her before she could say anything more, the truck drifting slightly into the adjacent lane. A horn honked and he corrected course with a muttered curse.
“Sorry.” His eyes darted back to hers. His cheeks were flush with color. “What?”
“AmI your girlfriend?”
His laugh was quiet. “I hope so.”
She tugged the strap of her seatbelt loose and leaned across the center console, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m glad you exist.”
He caught her hand in his as she dropped back into her seat. “I love you, too,” he said. “But you already knew that.”
Up ahead, the road stretched endlessly on. She tipped her head back against the headrest and shut her eyes. Today was going to be a very good day. She could feel it in her bones.
