Little Do We Know(57)

Afterward, when I kissed him goodnight on the porch, he pulled away and looked at me. And then he smiled and said, “I think I’m in big trouble, Emory Kern.”

It made me laugh. I came up on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and looked him right in the eye. “You are in so much trouble.”

He raised his eyebrows. “This is going to be fun.”

“The time of your life, I’m guessing.”

I pushed my body against his and kissed him harder. It felt like we’d known each other for months, even though we didn’t really know each other at all. I pulled away and looked up at him. “Hey, I just want you to know that…I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve had one boyfriend. We were together for about six months. Until tonight, I’ve never slept with anyone but him.” A nervous laugh escaped my lips. I wasn’t sure why I was telling him that. It wasn’t really his business. And it shouldn’t have mattered. It’s not like a guy would have justified a one-night stand that way. But for some reason, I kept talking. “I’m impulsive, but I’m not usually that impulsive. I just…really like you.”

He kissed me again. “You don’t owe me an explanation. I really like you, too.” We kissed under the porch light for a long time. I was afraid if we kept going, I might suggest sneaking him into my room for the night and letting him hide in my closet. Mom had been so distracted with her new boyfriend and her catering business, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed he was there.

But then his phone buzzed and he checked the screen. “My mom,” he said. “I’m late.” He kissed my forehead. “She can’t sleep until I get home, so I’d better put her out of her misery.”

I melted. As if he could be more adorable.

“Hey, I have an idea,” he said. “Want to have one of those cheesy eighties movie summer romances?”

I laughed. “Yes, I do.”

“Good.” He gave me a peck on the cheek. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. We’ll be a total cliché and go to the beach.”





I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been at the church so late at night. Everything looked different. Quiet. Peaceful. I wrapped my fingers around the back of the last pew and squeezed hard. I still loved this room, but it didn’t feel like it used to. It didn’t make me feel special, or touched, or inspired. I wasn’t awestruck, and for a moment, that filled me with sadness. I didn’t want this room to feel like any other room.

We started down the aisle toward the stage, and when Luke and I were halfway there, the side door opened. Aaron stepped onto the stage holding a bunch of recording gear in his hands.

He set everything down on the brown mahogany bench and met us at the bottom of the steps. The two of them shook hands, and Aaron waved toward the stage. “I grabbed a bunch of stuff. Boom mics, lav mics—” He gestured toward all the equipment. “But this is your show, you just tell me what you feel most comfortable with.”

“I’m not sure I feel comfortable with any of this,” Luke said as he let out a nervous laugh. “I guess we should just get started before I lose my nerve, and I’ll figure it out as I go along.”

Aaron reached for the lav mic. “Let’s start with this.” He pinned it to Luke’s T-shirt, snaked the cord around his waist, and clipped the battery pack to his jeans. “How’s that?”

“Good,” Luke said. “Thanks.”

Aaron started setting up the tripod.

“Where do you want to sit?” I asked Luke.

His gaze traveled around the room like he was taking it all in, from the narrow, stained-glass windows evenly spaced along the walls, to the huge metal cross that hung over the baptistry. Then he walked to the edge of the stage, sat down on the top step, brought his elbows to his knees, and rested his head in his hands.

“You don’t have to do this, okay?” It was true, but still, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d made a mistake bringing him here, calling Aaron, and making it a bigger deal than it needed to be.

“Actually”—he looked up and scanned the room—“I think I like it right here.”

“On the step?” I asked, and Luke nodded.

I turned around to look at Aaron, motioning to the video recorder, silently showing him where to set it up. “Perfect. Then I’ll be right back. I’m just going to go turn on the stage lights.”

“No,” Luke said decisively. “I like it this way.” When Aaron explained that the camera wouldn’t be able to see him very well, Luke said, “That’s kind of the whole idea.”

Aaron quietly set up the tripod, off to the side, so Luke was in profile, and then he called me over. He stepped to one side so I could see the screen.

I wondered if Aaron was jealous. I secretly hoped he was.

Luke’s face was in shadow. I could make out his features, but unless you knew who he was, you probably wouldn’t be able to identify him. It was perfect. That was the way he wanted it. I peeked over the top of the camera. “Do you want to check it out first?” I asked him.

“Nope,” he said plainly. “I trust you.”

Aaron asked him to test the mic, and when Luke said, “Testing, testing,” I could hear his voice shake.