Free The Long Wait for Tomorrow by Joaquin Dorfman

caught sight of Kelly standing at the other end. Patrick had almost forgotten the suit and tie; it gave Kelly a mythical quality, untouched by the scorching sun even as it warped the very air around him.
    Kelly’s eyes had already found their mark.
    And as Patrick completed his turn, he saw Jenna staring back.
    Eyes meeting across a proverbial room all dressed up as an asphalt wasteland.
    Before Patrick could even think of closing his eyes, Kelly was already in front of her. Looking Jenna up and down with the same marvel he had bestowed on Patrick that morning. Of course, what was about to happen was a horse of a different color, and Patrick watched, helpless as Kelly sent his arms around Jenna and pressed his lips against hers.
    It was no ordinary kiss. Kelly rocked her back in every last sense.
    Even Patrick felt it, knew what this was. This was their first kiss all over again. All the excitement, discovery, all that Patrick had weathered was now back in full force. Worse than all that, it was real. Another building block, piece of the puzzle, the certainty that there was something happening here.
    Eyes closed, even after their lips parted.
    Jenna straightened, let out a shaky breath.
    Patrick held on to his, petrified of what pathetic noise might escape if he let it have its way.
    Too far
, his angels lamented.
You’ve come too far to have this happen all over again.
    “Jenna,” Kelly said, voice low. “Look at you.”
    “Wow, Kelly,” Jenna replied, recovering somewhat. A single finger absently stroking her exposed stomach, almost getting caught in the belly-button ring with an indigo stone set in the middle. “I missed you, too.”
    “No, you have no idea,” Kelly told her, grinning. Gave her a second, swifter kiss, stepped back. An artist admiring his own creation, and he began to laugh. “No, Jenna, you have no idea how much I missed …” Kelly turned to Patrick, gave the momentary impression that Patrick was about to receive a similar treat. Instead, Kelly sent his arms over both their shoulders, drew them close. “I missed the two of you so
much.
”
    The blast of a horn sent them all jumping away from each other.
    A station wagon sat before them, engine purring impatiently, looking to get on with its day.
    “Hey, come on, you two.” Kelly linked his arms with theirs and led them farther into the parking lot. “Look at this, here we are. Together again. I swear, this day’s been good to me as any that’s ever actually happened.”
    Patrick kept a close watch on his steps, jostling against Kelly’s exuberant strides. With Kelly in the middle, it was hard to gauge Jenna’s reactions. The few times her face came into view from beyond Kelly’s torso, all he could glimpse was a smile.
    A wide smile, detailing every emotion that Patrick didn’t seem to get out of the situation.
    “So, Kelly …” Jenna broke free to face them as they kept walking. “Where are we going?”
    “Well, the world is my oyster,” Kelly replied.
    “The world’s always been your oyster,” Jenna reminded him.
    “We’re going to his car,” Patrick told her flatly.
    “What makes you say that?” Kelly asked playfully.
    “Because here we are,” Patrick said, pointing to Kelly’s Jag, top still down.
    Kelly stopped, traced a finger over the paint job. “Well, I’ll be damned, so we are.”
    This tepid admission of guilt was followed by the sound of wild cries and catcalls.
    Idling in a lane several spaces over, Cody leaned on the horn of his enormous Ford pickup. It was one of those stylish models. Marketed as a useful aid in hauling five hundred tons’ worth of construction supplies, driven by those without five hundred tons of construction supplies to haul. Though the handful of football players in the back of Cody’s truck came pretty close. They gave the hydraulics a good workout, hopping up and down, basso voices calling out their star quarterback’s name.
    “ Kel-ly! Kel-ly! Kel-ly!”
    “Gonna stomp