Let's Get Lost Read Online Free Page B

old, so it was a shock every time he noticed just how gray his hair had turned. “All right, I’ll see you guys outside, then.”
    When he was about halfway up the stairs, Leila called out, “You have a lovely home!”
    â€œThank you,” he called back, his voice fading as he climbed the stairs and closed his bedroom door.
    â€œHe’s so sweet,” Leila said.
    â€œYeah,” Hudson said, picking at a splinter on a kitchen cabinet.
    â€œWhat interview do you have to be well-rested for?”
    â€œI have this interview with the dean of admissions at Ole Miss. It’s to see if they’re going to offer me a full scholarship.”
    â€œWow. That’s impressive.”
    Hudson shrugged. “I guess. My dad knows the guy, so he helped set up the interview, and that’s why he’s a little paranoid about it.” Not wanting to think about tomorrow, when Leila might no longer be around, Hudson moved toward the back door. “Let’s get the grill going.”
    Leila nodded and helped him grab a few things from the kitchen; then they went out to the backyard to light the charcoal. The air had cooled pleasantly with the oncoming dusk, only a few streaks of orange light breaking through gaps in the trees where cicadas buzzed. It was a large yard, the grass bright green and healthy. A toolshed stood in the middle, not far off from the fire pit that Walter had dug and lined with bricks. There were a few tree stumps and camping chairs gathered around the pit in a circle, a crushed beer can forgotten in the weeds from the last time his dad’s friends had come over. Hudson wished that he had some ability to stop time, to hold the Earth’s rotation, so that he could just stand near Leila for a little while longer.
    â€œSo, a doctor, huh?”
    â€œYeah, but it’s not a big deal,” Hudson said. “Nothing like that seeing-through-doors trick.”
    â€œSuperpower, not a trick,” Leila corrected, grabbing a match and tossing it onto the pile of charcoal. “And I’m sure you have some powers of your own.”
    â€œNot really.” At that moment, the only superpower he felt he had was that he could spend time with someone like Leila and have her want to stay around for dinner.
    â€œBullshit,” she said, giving him a friendly hip check. “Ranting,” she pointed out. “I could listen to you rant about treasures all day.”
    Hudson tried and failed to keep the size of his smile under control, especially when he noticed that she was smiling back at him. “I’m also pretty damn good at setting a table,” he said, trying to draw attention away from his blushing. “I can do it with one hand. And I don’t even have to look up online which side the knife is supposed to be on.”
    â€œI knew you were holding out on me.”
    â€œI’ll show you,” he said, and he went about setting the table with an exaggerated care that he hoped was funny. Leila took a seat and watched him, a smile on her face. When he was done, he sat next to her as they waited for the coals to heat.
    This was Hudson’s favorite time of the year, favorite time of day, favorite spot of his house. It was the first time in a while that he was sitting there without a book in front of him. He’d almost forgotten how enjoyable his backyard was when he could simply sit and look around without having to study. Leila leaned back in her patio chair and put her legs up, resting her heels on Hudson’s lap. She did it so casually that Hudson couldn’t tell just what she meant by it; if she meant anything at all or if she just needed a place to rest her feet and made no distinction between him and any other surface. Or maybe, just maybe, she was as happy to be spending time with him as he was with her.
    Hudson barely moved, focusing on the weight of her feet on his lap. By the time his dad joined them outside, Hudson’s