Page 26 of Beyond the Hedge Maze

Oliver’s gaze snapped up to Jesse’s in an instant, and while he knew he most likely resembled some frightened woodland creature, Jesse was completely calm. There was no matching panic or insecurity in his eyes, only a steady expression and the familiar warmth that always radiated from him.

His heart was pounding at a thousand beats per minute as Jesse’s grip tightened. He stood so close, the toes of their shoes brushed. Oliver had to tilt his head down to keep eye contact and his glasses once again slipped down his nose, but he didn’t dare move.

Jesse’s gaze darted between Oliver’s lips and eyes as he spoke. “I’ve been trying to work up the courage to kiss you all day. For several days, if I’m being honest.”

He was fixated on the sound of Jesse’s voice, latching onto the ways that it was different from his own, using it to calm his racing thoughts. Suddenly, his focus slipped away from Jesse and refocused on the statue of Melpomene hovering over Jesse’s shoulder. He hoped it wasn’t a bad omen, that he wasn’t the leading man of his very own Greek tragedy. He’d been in this situation before, and he wasn’t keen for a repeat. Not here, not in the maze. He wouldn’t have this place tainted.

He took a steadying breath and decided to ask what was really on his mind. “Because no one can see us?”

A small divot appeared between Jesse’s eyebrows. “Do you want people to see us? The village feels a little too conservative for that kind of thing, but never judge a book, I guess. I really don’t care where it happens so long as it, you know, happens.”

“You want to kiss me in public? Have you ever kissed a boy before? Are you sure it’s not just because we’re alone?” The questions tumbled from his lips in a frenzy, but he could tell the exact second that Jesse understood, his face relaxing into a sad, knowing smile.

“I’ve kissed one other boy and two girls, but one of those was on a dare. I like both. Well, I don’t think about it too hard one way or another. I like people. I like you. I really, really like you.”

“Me?” Oliver asked.

Oliver had thought it was impossible for them to get any closer, but then Jesse’s foot slid in between his own, and now they were chest to chest, Jesse’s hand cupping his cheek. “Yes, you. Can I?”

Oliver nodded, and their noses tentatively brushed against each other. Of course, he wanted to kiss Jesse. More than he had ever wanted to kiss the other boys at Eton.

His glasses were slightly in the way, and when they first went in for the kiss, they both turned their heads in the same direction. It was awkward and inexperienced, but Oliver didn’t care, it was perfect. When they finally got it right, Jesse’s lips were impossibly soft, tasting like the fizzy drink they had shared earlier. When Jesse pulled away, Oliver followed, chasing after him.

Oliver’s heart raced as he cracked his eyes open to peer down at Jesse, hoping against all odds that this wasn’t some test he had failed. But what he saw instead was the same huge, goofy grin he’d spent the last few days trying to perfect on paper.

Jesse’s thumb caressed Oliver’s cheek. “These dimples are my favorite.”

A startled laugh burst out of Oliver, and for the first time in a long time, he let it happen. Let himself feel happy and hopeful before he quickly pressed their lips together again.

Chapter 13

Jesse

Present

Jesse drummed his thumbs tensely against the steering wheel of his rental car. His good mood was quickly evaporating into nervous energy as the city landscape morphed to the kelly-green of the English countryside.

Before Chapman House flashed on the screen of that conference room, he thought he had every optimistic bone in his body broken by his corporate job. And when he had taken the assignment, he had been so certain it was the right thing to do, the Fates tugging his human thread West from London towards the countryside. The closer he got to his destination, however, the more tangled the thread became.

What if he had made a mistake? What if Oliver had made himself perfectly clear that night at the pub when he turned and left without another word? Was he venturing into stalker territory?

Picking up the small sedan that morning, he had been ecstatic. Public transit in the UK was the easier and most sensible option, but when he had been offered a chance to rent a car for the duration of his time in Gloucestershire, he had jumped on the opportunity. He hardly ever got a chance to drive, and knew he’d enjoy the scenery of the Cotswolds much more from behind the wheel than seated on the train.

Now, there was hardly anything beautiful about the scenery. If anything, each rolling hill brought forth another wave of worry.

He grabbed his phone from the cupholder at his side, keeping one eye on the road as he unlocked his phone. Quickly, he hit one of the names on his speed dial, the phone connecting through the car’s Bluetooth.

Michelle answered his call with a groan. “It’s way too early for whatever crisis you’re having right now.”

Jesse ignored her comment. It was nearly noon, but he knew that the girls tended to keep late hours. Tanvi worked the dinner service at a trendy restaurant in Shoreditch, while Michelle was a freelance writer who swore she did her best work in the dead of night. “He hates me.”

“Babe, he doesn’t even know you. Give me a second, Tanvi is asleep.” Jesse heard the springs of the mattress shift under her weight as she got out of bed and presumably left their bedroom. “Tell me what’s really bothering you.”

“I shouldn’t have taken this assignment. I should have left it to Charlotte or someone more qualified. It’s been two years working at Emerson, and I barely know what I’m doing.” The more he spoke, the more he descended into a frenzy. “I haven’t spoken to Oliver since I was fifteen, excluding one stupid fucking comment at the pub that night. Why on Earth would he want to see me?”

“J—”

“I couldn’t even handle the spoons, Mi. The spoons...I was bested by them. This is so much bigger than that.”