Thirteen Summers

fifty-five

THIRTEEN SUMMERS

The office building was quieter than Caleb was used to.

Too quiet.

The kind of quiet where every sound felt louder than it should be. Keyboard taps. Paper shifting. The low hum of the air conditioning.

For Josie, it was just perfect.

Caleb sat slouched on one end of the couch in Roman's office, Josie tucked into the other corner, her laptop balanced on her knees.

Their backpacks were on the floor by their feet, half-open, schoolwork spread out between them.

Roman's office had glass walls that didn't quite give you privacy, just the illusion of it.

From the couch, they had a perfect view straight into the hallway outside.

And Roman.

Caleb tipped his head slightly, watching through the glass.

Roman was standing just outside the office, talking to a girl Caleb had never seen before.

She leaned against the wall casually, arms crossed loosely, smiling in a way that wasn't professional.

It was different.

Josie nudged Caleb's ankle with her socked foot. "Do you see this?"

"I see it." He murmured. "He's standing weird."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"He's not doing the scary lawyer posture." Caleb said. "No crossed arms. No murder stance."

Josie inspected Roman, he stood relaxed, slightly leaning down as he talked to the woman.

"He doesn't have a murder stance." Josie frowned, glancing at her twin.

Caleb gave her a look, that said Really?

Josie turned away from him and looked back to the glass wall.

Rome is a teddy bear, Josie thought to herself.

She squinted through the glass. "He's smiling."

"That's suspicious." Caleb replied. "And he's smiling like...weird, he only does that when he actually likes someone."

Roman said something that made the girl laugh, her head tipping back slightly.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes still on him.

Josie leaned closer. "Okay but look at her."

Caleb glanced at her. "What about her?"

"She's comfortable." Josie said. "No panic. No pretending to be busy. From what I've seen everyone here is at least slightly scared of Cam and Rome."

"Scared shitless, probably because of their murder stance." Caleb snorted. "She's brave."

Roman shifted his weight, listening intently, nodding now and then.

Caleb frowned. "Yeah. He cares."

Josie gasped softly. "Do you think they like each other?"

Caleb didn't hesitate. "Absolutely."

She blinked. "We could be overthinking it."

"Jos." He looked at her. "He literally doesn't talk to anyone like that."

As if on cue, the girl leaned in slightly, saying something quieter.

"What is she doing?" Josie gasped and then covered her mouth. "She's flirting."