The Milkman

by Tabatha Kiss

  I reach out and tap twice on the window.

  Jovie shoots up instantly, her sleepy, panicked eyes firing off in every direction.

  “Jove, it’s me,” I say. “Open up.”

  She lays a hand over her heart and exhales. “Fucking hell, Will…” she gasps before sliding over and popping the lock.

  I open the door and lower myself onto the backseat.

  “You scared the hell outta me!” She slaps my shoulder and scoots back to make extra room for me.

  “And you scared the hell outta Lola down the street.”

  She yawns. “That old bitch is still alive?”

  “One more good fright like this might do it, I think,” I joke, closing the door behind me. “What are you doing in here?”

  “Sleeping,” she answers.

  “Right. Why?”

  She laughs and rubs her neck. “Hank.”

  “He kicked you out?”

  “He got drunk and decided the extension on my rent he already agreed to give me wasn’t legally binding, so I walked out to let him sleep it off.”

  “He’s charging you rent?”

  “Seventy-five bucks a week. I figure he won’t remember the fight tomorrow. Never did before.” She buries her nose in her jacket. “Ugh, I can still smell his booze on me…” She pauses and leans over to sniff me. “No, wait. That’s you.”

  “Tuck and I were having a few drinks when Marv called about someone breaking into the shop. You’re lucky he called me and not the police.”

  She rolls her eyes. “No one’s gonna arrest me for sleeping in my own property.”

  “Which is housed on private property.”

  “Still better than a park bench.”

  I scoff. “Jesus, Jove…”

  She frowns. “Why are you being such a tool about this?”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “You?”

  “Yes, me.”

  “Why would I call you when I have casa de la Ford here?” She pats the back of the seat. “It’s suited me plenty before.”

  I pause, my mind once again hammered with unaskable questions as to where the hell she’s been for four damn years.

  I pop the door open. “Come on.”

  “Really, Will. I’m fine. I’ll get another few hours here and then I’ll sneak out before Marv opens in the morning. Easy peasy.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “No. Come on.”

  She heaves a sigh but shuts up and grabs her bag. We weave through the dark garage, moving in total silence as I lock up the shop behind us and hit the sidewalk.

  I turn off the square onto First Street and Jovie finally speaks again.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My place,” I answer.

  "You live on First Street?”

  “Yes.”

  She chuckles. “Remember how we used to TP this entire street every Halloween?”

  “Yes.” I smile. “And the kids still do that, by the way.”

  “Really?” Her smirk widens.

  “They call it a Jovie, as a matter of fact.”

  She pauses her stride. “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.”

  “They named a delinquent holiday tradition after me?” she asks, clenching her chest.

  “You certainly left an interesting legacy behind ya, Jove,” I say.

  “Wow.” She picks up her pace to catch up with me. “This pleases me.”

  We reach my house and Jovie follows me inside. She hovers in the living room, her eyes calmly scanning everything as I gesture around.

  “Living room,” I say. I point to the hall. “Kitchen to the left, bathroom straight ahead, bedrooms on the right.”

  She nods once before moving to set her backpack down on the sofa.

  “No,” I tell her. “You take my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “No, Will. I’ll be fine here.”

  “I don’t want you to just be fine. You’ll take my room.”

  “I’ve been enough of an annoyance tonight.”

  I clench my jaw. “Jovie, I just found you sleeping in your car and, according to you, it’s not the first time you have. My instinct right now is to comfort you and the only way I know how to do that is by providing you with a warm bed, some food, possibly a shower, I don’t know—”

  “Will, stop.” She stands off the sofa. “Okay. I’ll take your room.”

  “There’s plenty to eat,” I add. “Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge.”

  “I’ll probably just go to sleep. I’m not hungry.”

  “Well, for the morning, then.”

  She steps closer and pauses in front of me. “Thank you, Will.”

  I gaze down at her downturn face, feeling those instincts tug toward something more but I keep my hands to myself. “You’re welcome.”

  She takes another step but I shift in front of her.

  “Jovie, I know we’ve been through a lot but I don’t ever want you to think you can’t come to me when you need help,” I say. “My door is always open to you.”

  She looks up and nods. “I know, it’s just…” Her voice fades off but the missing words are obvious.

  “I know,” I say. “But still.”

  Jovie continues down the hall and disappears behind my bedroom door. It latches closed, blocking me out, but I’d rather there be only one door between us than the thousand there were before.

  At least now I know she’s safe and taken care of but she’s not out of the woods yet. She’s in deeper than I thought if she can’t handle seventy-five bucks a week in rent — but don’t get me started on how badly I want to pummel Hank right now.

  Whatever she’s been up to, it didn’t involve a savings account and she’s still too stubborn to ask for help.

  I sit down on my couch and kick off my shoes with one protective eye focused on the hallway. I slide a hand into my jacket pocket and feel for the folded-up note stuffed inside. I wish I could follow Tucker’s lead and believe that it’s meaningless but I can’t. Not yet, anyway.

  If Jovie won’t ask for help, then that’s fine. I’ll make sure she never has to. She won’t like it, but…

  I’ll make it convincing.

  Twelve

  Jovie

  I’m in Will Myers’ bed.

  The last time this happened, his ceiling looked differently. When he lived with his parents, his bed was against the wall next to the door. The window was to the left, making the moonlight shine in the opposite direction than it is right now.

  I’m nervous but, again, not the same kind. Back then, I had to worry about his parents or his sister barging in without knocking and catching us snuggled up together under the sheets. Not that we ever did anything too dirty in his parents’ house but good luck trying to convince them of that.

  No, I only slept in Will’s bed during times when I had nowhere else to go. It was the only safe and warm place I knew I could always trust.

  It’s good to know that even after everything, Will still thinks so, too.

  I turn over and look at the door, feeling my heart twist a little deeper in my chest. I can’t stop thinking that any moment now, the doorknob will turn and Will will step inside. He’ll walk over and stand above the bed, silently gazing at me until he reaches down to brush a strand of hair off my cheek.

  The fantasy plays out in my head, complete with him kissing me as I open the covers to him.

  But it can’t be like that.

  It won’t be like that.

  Whatever ship Will and I potentially had sailed a long time ago and got wrecked out on a deserted island somewhere.

  I adjust the pillow beneath my head and take a deep breath as his scent invades my nose. I close my eyes and curl my toes. Warmth rolls down my spine, coursing through my limbs until it settles in my core and throbs softly with my rhythmic pulse.

  Will is in the very next room. It’d be so easy to slip out of bed and go see him. I know that he’ll
feel me standing over him. He’ll open his eyes and sit up with concern for me and ask what was wrong.

  I wouldn’t even have to say a word. I could lower down and straddle his waist. He’d place his hands on my hips and draw me just a little bit closer until our lips touched.

  I’d feel his bulge growing beneath me and my core swelling to take him again. His fingers would crawl beneath my shirt to cup my breasts and my nipples would grow hard against his palms.

  Our lips would never stop moving. Our bodies would grind and tease each other. He wouldn’t object when I reached down to free his erection and I’d moan his name as I penetrated myself with it.

  My heat would spike and his hips would rock. Four years of built-up tensions would implode on us and there’s nothing either of us would do to stop it.

  I let out a soft, inaudible whimper as I come against my hand. My fingers rest as my blood pumps and my muscles twitch. Ripples of pleasure dance throughout my body and I focus hard on not making a sound.

  I roll over, burying my nose in his pillow again. Hopefully, that’s the only time I’ll have to force this urge out of my system but that dull throbbing between my legs refuses to let me go.

  Early sunlight shines through the windows. The curtains aren’t thick enough to block them out and I think to give Will shit about that but then I realize that he probably keeps them open like that on purpose.

  He’s not the same kid I grew up with.

  Back then, he was lazy and cocky and didn’t think twice about sleeping until after noon. Now, he’s responsible. He owns his own house and has a schedule to keep. The sun isn’t his enemy anymore.

  Maybe I could learn a thing or two from new Will Myers.

  I step out into the hallway in search for the bathroom and run right into Will’s bare chest.

  “Oh, sorry…” I say, hopping back and forcing my eyes down to my feet.

  “It’s okay…” He does the same but his gaze stops about halfway down my body. “Nice,” he says, gesturing to the shirt.

  I grab the bottom and force it downward to cover my upper thighs. “Yeah… I, uh…” I feign a laugh. “I didn’t want to sleep in my jeans in your bed and then I forgot I wasn’t wearing them…”

  “It’s fine.” He nods. “I won’t look.”

  “Thanks.”

  I push my hair behind my ear with my free hand, cursing to myself as my fingers immediately get tangled in whatever nest has taken over up there.

  He points to the bathroom. “Did you need to…?”

  “Yes.” I nod a few times. “But you can go first.”

  “No, I insist.” He shifts back. “You’re my guest.”

  I step forward, cutting off his path as I pass in front of him.

  “Don’t wait for me,” he says.

  I freeze mid-stride and look up at him again. “Huh?”

  He holds out his hand. There’s a piece of folded notebook paper clenched in his fist.

  I sigh. “Will…”

  “Don’t wait for me?” he repeats.

  “You said you didn’t get that.”

  “I went back and found it in my room yesterday. It fell behind my dresser. Don’t wait for me?”

  “Stop saying it.”

  “You obviously felt they were very important or else you wouldn’t have chosen them to be the last words you ever said to me, Jovie.”

  “What else was there to say? I knew how you’d react to me leaving.”

  “But you did it anyway.”

  “Because I knew you could do better.”

  “I didn’t want better,” he says. “I wanted you. Proposing was a bad idea, I know that now. Breaking up with you wasn’t much better, either. But I wanted you.” He stares at me with hard, unblinking eyes. “I still do.”

  Will drops the note and rests his hand against my cheek. I fight the urge to turn into it but my body refuses to listen. His strong fingers slide back under my ear and I tilt my face upward.

  Our lips touch. Warm breath slips between them but neither of us move. We linger together, hovering in a state of shock and wanting until I feel his bottom lip quiver against mine.

  The kiss is soft at first but grows firmer as Will’s arm curls around me. I grip his bare waist as my knees threaten to let me fall and he pulls me even closer against him. My lips part for his tongue as his hand slides from my cheek down my body, gliding from my heaving breasts to crawl beneath the bottom of my shirt.

  His finger hooks my panties as a knock pounds on the front door.

  “Yo, Will! Rise and shine!”

  We pull apart. He lets go of me and I hesitate before taking my hands off him.

  “It’s Tucker,” he says.

  “Yeah.” I wipe my tingling lips. “I should grab my stuff and get out of here.”

  “Well…” Another knock cuts the silence but he ignores it. “You don’t have to leave—”

  “Will!”

  He sighs and holds up a finger. “Just hang on a second. Don’t go anywhere. Please.”

  I smile as he rushes to the living room but reality sinks in deeper with every step he takes toward the front door.

  This can’t happen again.

  Thirteen

  Will

  I blow a raspberry, trying to make my lips feel less numb but Jovie’s essence still overwhelms them.

  One kiss. Just one kiss and I’m eighteen again. If Tucker hadn’t have knocked on the door, I would have picked her up and carried her to my bed. Hell, I might do just that as soon as I get rid of him.

  I take a quick, calming breath and throw on a poker face before opening the door.

  “Hey, Tucker,” I say, keeping myself planted in the door frame. “What’s up?”

  “I was in the neighborhood.” His eyes drift over my shoulder. “Just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to get some pancakes or something before work.”

  “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

  “You sure?” Again, his eyes target around me. “A man’s gotta eat.”

  “I have food here.”

  He squints at me. “All right. If you say so…” he says, taking a quick step back. “Hey, since I’m here, you wanna fill me in on what happened with Jovie last night?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “I woke her up and took her home. Talked to Hank for a bit to calm him down and that was it.”

  He nods. “Ahh… that’s strange because I was just over there and he said she never came back last night.”

  “He was pretty drunk,” I lie. “I mean, I doubt he remembers much at all. Classic Hank, you know?”

  “So, where’s Jovie now?”

  “You got me, man. Did you try the toy store?”

  “Doesn’t open until nine-thirty.”

  I wet my lips, still tasting a little bit of Jovie on them as my patience dwindles. “I don’t know where she is.”

  “Well, I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Right.” I nod.

  His eyes flick over my head again. “So, what are you making for breakfast?”

  I grunt through my teeth. “Fine.”

  He flinches as I reach out to grab his collar. I tug him inside and take one quick scan of the empty street before slamming the door closed behind us.

  “Jovie’s here,” I whisper.

  Tucker points a finger at me. “I knew it!”

  “It’s not what you think, Tuck. I slept on the couch.”

  “Pfft! Yeah, sure you did!”

  I point at it behind him, noting the pillow and blanket still slumped along it.

  “Oh…” His smug grin fades. “Then, why lie about it?”

  “Because you’re a gossip and I don’t want everyone in town whispering and giggling about Jovie’s private family business anymore. They’ve been through enough.”

  He gasps. “I am not a gossip.”

  I raise a brow. “Then, prove it. Don’t tell anyone she stayed here last night.”

  “I won’t,” he says, fishing into his pocket for
his phone.

  I glare at it in his hand. “What are you doing?”

  “Checking the weather.”

  “You just came in from outside.”

  “Checking tomorrow’s weather.”

  I snatch the phone from his hand. “Stay here.”

  Tucker crosses his arms and sulks while I head back into the hallway. Jovie’s gone, no longer standing between the bedroom and the bathroom. I check the latter first but it’s empty.

  “Jovie?” I ask, standing outside the closed bedroom door. I give it quick knock and I hear her shuffling behind it.

  It opens on her, now fully dressed. She’s combed the adorable knots out of her hair, too.

  “Is he gone?” she asks.

  “No.”

  “Does he know I’m here?”

  “Yes.”

  She steps back with rolling eyes. “Perfect. I’m sure the Mayor will be briefed by noon.”

  I move inside and close the door behind us. She scoops her boots off the floor and sits down on the bed to slip them on, moving fast with erratic, twitching fingers. Either she’s incredibly upset by Tucker’s sudden presence or that kiss shook her up as much as it did me.

  “Listen, Jovie,” I say, “if that ever happens with Hank again, I want you to know that you can come here.”

  “Okay.”

  “No questions asked. You ever need help, with anything, I’m here.”

  She nods as she zips up her boots. “Well, it won’t happen again but thanks for the offer.”

  “I think we both know you can’t predict what Hank will do—”

  “It won’t happen again, Will,” she repeats as she stands up. “Nothing about last night will happen again or… this morning.”

  I exhale. “Jove—”

  “It was a mistake.” She grabs her bag off the floor. “Plain and simple.”

  “Nothing about that kiss was plain or simple,” I argue.

  “I felt guilty and you’re really hot with your shirt off.” She gestures at my bare chest. “Plain, meet simple.”