Roots [Completed]

Chapter 2 - part 2

Topher hesitates, at first, but then his arms wrap around me and - he laughs.

"You're - tall!" I exclaim, pointing out the obvious, "What kind of steroids do they have you on?"

Topher laughs again, this time sheepishly. He rubs the back of his head. "And you, Jane, have barely grown at all. There are some kindergarteners taller than you."

I gape at him, pretending to be offended. "I'll have you know I'm almost as tall as the third-graders!"

His smile makes it hard to breathe, for a second. My arms tighten around him reflexively, before I realize we're still touching and step away, embarrassed.

"It's nice to see you again," he says, and I might be reading into it with a lot of hope but it seems like he really means it. Like it's a secret he came all this way just to tell me. I tuck my wild curls behind my ears.

"What brings you back, after all these years?" I ask to disguise the flush through my body, "Just couldn't stay away?"

He kicks at the ground. I notice that he's wearing nice shoes, a sharp contrast to the sneakers he wore when we were kids. "Something like that. I missed - this place."

I bounce slightly, pressing my hands together. They feel awkward, now, somehow, not holding anything.

"Come and say hi to my moms," I tell him, and, just like that, I am towing him behind me, holding on to his hand.

"Mom! Momma!" I call, "Someone's back in town!"

The house smells like lasagne, something Mom must have cooked up for dinner. I cross my fingers that there's enough leftovers to convince Christopher to say.

Wordlessly, the tall man follows me into the house. His hand, first unmoving with surprise, finally holds mine, and it creates a strange zip of energy up my spine.

"Jane?" Momma calla from the kitchen, and then both of my moms freeze as Topher and I stop in the living room. It takes a moment for them to get over the shock of - well, he must be over 6 feet, and broad as a bodybuilder, and smiling shyly like he did when we were kids.

Momma is the first to speak. "Who's this, Jane?" she says with a welcoming smile.

"This," I declare, unable to quell the stupid smile on my face, "is Christopher West."

Three minutes later, after my moms pick their jaws up from the floor, Christopher and I are eating leftover crab salad and lasagna (the worst combination ever, in case anyone is wondering) at the kitchen table.

"Christopher, it is so nice to see you again," Mom is saying as she places a plate of store bought cookies on the table beside the crab salad.

My parents host antics would have embarrassed me, but Christopher is loving it. In the brighter lights of the kitchen, I'm able to more perfectly take in his profile - and I swear he's the most beautiful creation I've ever seen.

It's more than just his looks. In fact, I'm certain he's not actually that attractive. His teeth are just slightly crooked, his ears poking out a bit too much. His nose looks like it's been broken at least once before. But the way he moves, the way he breathes, it's all just so entirely him. It's like I can see his soul moving around inside of him. I don't think I would ever want to just look at something the way I want to look at him.

Of course, this leads to staring. I duck my head quickly when Topher's eyes flash to mine, dark and blue as the ocean.

"What are your parents up to?" Momma asks him.