After what felt like the longest night of my life, I wake up the next morning, stretching my legs as the light shines through the windows. Anthony has been awake already and as I look at the clock I realize it is already nine in the morning. It's odd how you can sometimes sleep so heavily and peacefully when you let so much pressure out of the balloon you stay wrapped in forever. Part of me carries this crushing boulder of worry, wondering who will be waiting for me downstairs and whether or not last night was a dream. I feel the heat in my face again as I think about the confessions made the night before, my embarrassment overshadowing any worry as I pull on my heavy gray sweater and my jeans, almost falling as my foot gets caught in an old hole in the knee. What can I say, they're comfortable and also my favorite pants. My socked feet skip across the wood floor, sliding through the entryway and stopping me at the kitchen door, any remaining worry disappearing as I see Anthony standing at the counter with a laptop open, my laptop. As I look at the screen, I see him click out of the page faster than I thought possible. "Itsa secret. You gotta wait."

I open my mouth to protest, but I'm interrupted by a kiss, soft and quick. It still leaves me burning up as he pulls me through the door, stopping only to put our shoes on before he's skipping down the path again. It's hard to feel down and upset with him around. He's sweet and he's bubbly and kind. He's nothing I've ever seen before, a magical being tucked into a body that seems to serve no purpose other than to serve others unhindered and selflessly. There's not enough words to describe him except to say that he's Anthony. He's my Anthony. 

We've made it into town, stopping by the diner to see M as we are on our way to some undisclosed location. As he steps out from behind the counter, his smile lights up and he pats me on the shoulder, throwing my body forward as he boasts in laughter, "I see you so much now, I could call you my son, Dante!" I wince at the contact, but still manage to pull the sides of my mouth into a small smile, "Whatever makes you happy, M. You're not such an awful man, even with your blatant disregard for personal space." Mike steps away, ruffling through my hair as I roll my eyes. "Ahh, sorry boy. I forgot you don't like that kinda stuff. I guess Ant gets all my fatherly doting." As I watch them goof around, I feel like everything might be okay. Anthony leads Mike to the back, telling me that he won't be long as he winks. I nod, unable to make any other notions as I sit there with butterflies whizzing around in my belly much faster than they should be.

The napkins have never been more fascinating, my hands busying themselves tearing one apart as I watch them talking behind the kitchen wall, the little window only showing me their faces. Anthony looks serious and Mike, well I've never seen him look more serious than now. The conversation seems more and more grim as they talk, but suddenly Mike puts on a big smile, saying something before Anthony looks my way. I wish I could say that I pretended I wasn't watching, but if we are being honest, I kept staring and waved a little. The wave that everyone does sheepishly and makes it so obvious that they were just caught staring. Yeah. THAT wave. I just did it. As they come back around the front, Mike sets out two plates of key lime pie, forcing me to relive a memory that makes my heart flutter. I don't notice my face shining a bright red until Mike smiles again, his booming laugh quickly filling the diner as Anthony digs into his pie. Breaking down, I go ahead and eat my slice, still enjoying the delicious flavor as I wonder just how Mike learned to cook so well.

The bell on the door jingles and I hear Mike greet his customer. It's not personalized like usual, his polite welcome to the city telling me that he doesn't recognize this face. As a pair of legs straddle the stool beside me, a damp layer of panic settles across my shoulders. "That looks delicious. I'll have a slice of that, please," he points at the pie in front of me. Anthony glances over at me, my body frigid like ice as I'm struggling to keep from shaking. The nausea comes at me in waves, spilling my nerves into my chest to make room. I can't look up anymore. I'm the only person who knows what he looks like and there's no way I can avoid this without drawing attention. As Mike sets the plate on the counter, he drops a dime on the counter, pushing it across to the plate, "A dime to every new customer since the day we opened, that's tradition, hope you come back to spend it here." Kadence puts on this polite air, picking up the dime and winking with the grin he knows all to well as charming before nodding, "Oh, I think I'll be in town a long time, sir. I'll be by quite a lot. You have a good looking menu." The dark undertones of his words only hit me as his knee wavers, brushing against mine as he turns to me, his grin warping into something dark and evil, as his chair spins and he drops a ten on the counter. "Keep the change."

When I finally hear that door jingle again, I feel Anthony's hand running along my arm, waking me up as he holds my hand. I pull back in a panic, placing my hands in my lap as I glance at him in alarm. His look is questioning as Mike comes around the counter. I can feel his huge arm resting over my shoulders as he pulls us in, "Tell me what it is about that boy that I don't like. Ain't nothin' in his face look honest."

"That's him, pops. That's the guy who broke into the house and ran Dante into the woods." The feeling of betrayal is probably etched across my face as I glare at him, "YOU TOLD HIM?!" 

"I only told him that he ran you into the woods. Nothin' else. Not my story to tell, babe. I wouldn't do that." I finally breathe out as I nod, returning my eyes to my lap. "You boys finally goin' out or somethin'? I been waitin' an awful long time to throw this party." Anthony blushes just a hint of pink, "Mike, please don't do that." I can feel the big man's body heat near my face as he half whispers, loud enough for the whole diner to hear, "Anthony hasn't stopped gushing about you since the day you stepped foot in this town."

"MIKE!" Anthony's face is a shade of scarlet that ignites a rush of giggles out of me. I'm not sure if it's the anxiousness or the embarrassment or the happiness, but I can't stop giggling and it ends with my stomach hurting.

After a while, my giggling subsides and the area goes quiet again, "His name is Kadence Captain and he's a horrible person. He's the biggest reason why I decided to move from where I lived."

"That's all I need to know, son. He's the bad guy. He's not welcome here and he'll soon find that out. Don't worry. This old town protects its' people. We are a family. Nothin' comes between family." Mike gives us one last pat before heading to the back of the diner, bringing back a set of keys and a piece of paper, handing them to Anthony before we leave. At the hardware store, Mr. Guffrees searches out a heavy deadbolt and a chain lock for the doors before cashing us out. I insist on paying as he chuckles at the counter, smiling at Anthony as he sadly puts his wallet away. He pulls me to the office building, which serves as city hall, the DMV, and the utility department. Anthony walks in, pulling my by my hand. I'll never get used to this kind of touch, this casual expression of affection. Holding hands with someone is the last thing I could ever imagine myself doing and yet it feels like his hand fits perfectly in mine. As he goes up to the booth, I plop down in the chair in front of it, not letting go of his hand. This lifeline he's giving me feels so strong and solid, like he'll never leave. I've zoned out, only coming back when I hear my name. "Dante, yes ma'am, D-a-n-t-e. Peterson." As she walks away, I see her shuffling papers into a copier. "Um, Anthony, what was that?"

His electric smile is back as he swings our hands back and forth, mixing his fingers between mine as the lady comes back, handing him a small envelope and wishing us well. As we walk outside, Anthony is a ball of energy, bouncing on every step as he hops along to the bakery. This man is made of sugar and sweets. He pulls me into the store and when I see the glare from Josh, I instantly feel out of place. Sally greets us warmly, her eyes on our hands as we walk up. She takes his face in her hands and kisses both cheeks, whispering something in his ear that makes him shake his head, an astonished look on his face as she giggles. Josh interrupts them, "So is this really happening?"

"Huh?" Anthony looks over at him, confused. "You datin' this boy, Anthony?"

I can already feel the shame building in my heart. It's coming and the words come into my head before he even speaks. "Yes, Josh. Please don't scare him off." The response wasn't what I expected and there were only more surprises left in store for me today. What is it with these people? "Let me pull you away for a moment." Anthony relinquishes my hand as he lets Josh drag me to the back, his eyes rolling as he turns to Sally again. 

Josh leads me into an open room that smells like the bitter smell of dough fermenting before he drops my arm. "Let me tell you this one thing. Don't you dare break his heart. You be good to him. He can't take no more heartache. Likewise, he breaks your heart, you come to me and we'll sort it out. He's been pining after you for a long time coming. You're a part of this town for better or for worse. You need somethin' an' we are gonna be here for you. Just say the word. And that Kadence boy ain't comin' around here either if he knows what's good for him. And if you tell anyone I said some mushy wet bread stuff, I'll deny it and you'll get it, you hear me?"

I nod, surprised at his gruff kindness as he pushes me out of the back. "Now get out of my production area." How did he find out so fast? We had only left the diner an hour ago. As we come back out, Sally gives me a huge hug that crushes my body even with as small as she is herself, then hands me off to Anthony who wraps my hand in his again as if it were natural. We walk out of the front door with a big wave and a box of banana nut bread. As we come to a stop at the diner again, we wave at Mike who is chatting up another customer. Anthony pulls me around the building to a small parking lot. He pulls my hand closer, flipping his hand to the top before sliding a key onto my palm. He then points to a small car behind the diner. "That's yours now." I freeze a moment before shaking my head. "I can't take that car! You've gone too far with these gifts, Anthony! You have to stop. You have to take it back." He gently shrugs, "It isn't a gift from me. It's an old car that Mike has had for years. No one drives it and it's goin' to waste so he gave it to you to help you get around. I don't want you walkin' around with that guy after you. Neither does he." I glare at him, trying to be angry, but failing so quickly when he laughs, pinching my cheek, "You're adorable."

As I unlock the car, the smell of stagnant air wafts out, confirming Anthony's story as we load it up with our items and he tosses the cars information in the glove box. We settle into the car and as we get comfortable, I turn the key in the ignition and it starts up immediately, running in perfect condition. It isn't a very old car, maybe five or six years old. I put it in gear and leave the parking lot, now thoroughly attached to how it feels. There's something about the way a vehicle drives and responds to you that makes you fall in love with it. I'm still going to talk to Mike about taking some form of payment when I work next. I won't take this car for free.

As we pull up to the house, I stop at the top of the driveway, pausing as I cut the car off. "So Anthony, does this mean we are, you know . . . dating?" It takes all of my effort to get a sentence out like that and he nods, "I thought we were after last night. Do you not want to be my boyfriend?" The sad shadow that's hiding behind his reassuring face makes me uncomfortable as I nod, "I would be honored to be your boyfriend . . . "

I reach across the car, mustering all of my courage as I pull his face to me, placing a kiss across his lips until he draws me deeper into that passionate wildfire he created inside my heart. I can feel his tongue grazing across my lips and brushing against my own as his teeth bite along the edges of my lip between breaths. I lean back in my seat, my heart ripping through my shirt as he does the same, a bright smile pulled across his face in a childish manner as he hops out of the car. He makes short work of taking everything into the house, but I can only sit there with my fingers over my lips. As exhilarating as that was, I'm not able to feel anything more than dazed and exhausted now. He comes to my door, opening it for me as he takes my hand, pulling me up and effortlessly sweeping me off of my feet in the cheesiest manner. He hums away as he carries me to my room, tucking me into my bed as I've fallen asleep halfway. I can feel my shoes being pulled away from my feet and a blanket drawing over me before I drift away. 

---

Anthony

I go through the house, setting up all of the locks and tidying up everything. The patio doors are locked and all of the windows are locked as I ascend the stairs. The chill I feel walking in front of that room is like ice, like evil creeping into the air. I shut the door to that room, shutting off the memories as I look back at my room and the sleepy heap of blankets across the hall. The rise and fall of those blankets means everything to me. Dante is the first person I've connected to since that day forever ago and I can't let him go. I won't be able to stand this house if he leaves. Something has to be done about Kadence Captain. 

I pull the blankets back to find this messy haired guy curled up into a ball, his jeans turned around as he flops to his opposite side, waking up a little bit. "Help meee," his sleepy voice is barely audible as he tries to twist his pants back. I grab them by his thighs and tug them down, making sure his boxers stay up. When he's finally free, I pull his sweater down over his waist like the dress it is before pulling my night pants on. I climb into bed and pull his back against me, finding my favorite spot nestled right between his shoulder blades as I wrap my arms around his waist. "I love you, Anthony." His voice comes out clear this time as he puts his hand over mine. "I love you, too, babe." Soon night takes hold of us and we are both asleep, the feel of his heart beating steady against my face lulling me into a comfortable place. He's alive . . .