Free 56 Days (Black) by Nicole Hildreth Page A

a little,” I said with a giggle.
    “So, see,” he responded, “we didn’t need a condom after all.”
    “Jack?”
    “Yeah?”  He pulled a fresh pair of jeans out of his bag.
    “Are we really going to see each other when we get home?”
    He faced me, picking me up and throwing me onto the unmade bed.  He pressed his damp chest against mine.
    “ Baby, you’re going to have to take out a restraining order to keep me away from you.”
    He kissed up and down my neck as I wrapped my arms around his back.
    “Get off of me.  I need to get dressed,” I joked.
    He squeezed harder.   “Yes.  We are going to see each other… as much as possible.”
    He rolled off of me and I pulled some clothes out of my bag.  He watched me intently the whole time.
    “God, weirdo,” I uttered, “quit looking at me.  Get dressed.”
    I smiled at him and snapped my bra closed.
    “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
    I turned my back to him, flustered.
    “Hey, turn around.  Don’t be like that.”
    His voice was soft… caring.  I turned towards him.
    “I’m just not used to guys being like…”
    “Like what?  Nice to you?”
    “Something like that,” I murmured.
    “That’s all going to change.  I promise.”
    * ****
    The ride home was the best hour and a half I had ever spent in a vehicle.  I nestled into Jack as he lazily rubbed his hand up and down my arm.  We alternated between holding hands, his hand in my lap, mine in his… with Buster continually infringing on our affection.
    He asked me a thousand questions; I asked h im a million.  He seemed honest.  Forthcoming.
    He let me pick the music.  I flipped through his iPod; his tastes were similar to mine, everything from Bauhaus to The Beastie Boys.  I chose a playlist he had created titled “Road Trip.”  It seemed fitting.  The first song was “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Band of Horses.
    “ Aw, I love this song,” I whispered, laying my head on his shoulder.
    He craned his neck and kissed my forehead.  “Me, too.”
    When the city came into our view, he lightly squeezed my thigh.  “I meant it when I said I wanted you to spend the day with me.  Do you want to?”
    “Yes,” I answered, too quickly.
    “Your place or mine?”
    I thought about my place.  Was it clean?   I mean, it was generally picked up, but his house was like a museum.  I didn’t want him to judge me because I had a sticky coffee table.
    “I don’t know,” I said.  “My place may be a little… much for you.”
    “I want to see it.  Honestly, I can’t wait to get there.”
    “Okay, buddy, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    We got lucky, finding a place to park less than a block away.  Jack carried my bag; I pulled Buster by the leash.
    When I opened the door, I quickly looked around.  Oh, God, he’s going to know everything about me now.   My love for all things… weird.  Better to get this over with now, I guess.
    “Wow .”  He looked around with a smile on his face.
    “Too much?”
    “No, I just need a minute to take it all in.” 
    He walked over to my life -size Dracula prop.  I had a bidding war with some guy on eBay last year over it.  I ended up winning the bid, paying just over 300 dollars for it.  Totally worth it.
    “Wow,” he repeated, looking around.  “This is… amazing.”
    I took a deep breath and exhaled.  “Thank God.  I thought that you would want to call the whole thing off once you got in here.”
    He picked up a few different robot figurines from my bright green bookshelves, studying them.  He wound one up and watched it slowly move its legs until colliding into another metal friend.  He ran his fingers over my pink, tufted couch and picked up a fuzzy pillow shaped like a rocket ship.
    “Want a drink?” I asked.
    “Yeah,” he responded, kicking off his boots and socks.  He followed me into the kitchen.
    “Beer or water?  Those are your two big choices.”
    “Water … holy shit.  It’s like a