AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“May I?”
She looked up to see him holding out his hand to her. “You want to hold my hand?”
“Yes... and no. I just want to test something.”
She shrugged, wanting to feel the sensation of his smooth skin again. Not wanting to appear too eager, she raised her hand slowly. He stared at it for a long time before he finally took it. At first, he held it in his hand as if he was examining it. He turned it over and touched each of her fingers. But then he held it softly, rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand.
Shivers rolled through her.
“It’s so odd,” he said to himself.
“What?” Her voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
He opened his hand, and she did the same. Then he slipped his fingers through hers. It was like romance in slow motion. Every nerve in her body hummed and zinged and whizzed. “This feels different,” he said.
“I’ve always loved holding hands.”
He looked down at their joined fingers and frowned. “Not me. Not usually.”
Before she could ask what he meant by that, the dogs came running toward them again, and Jason released his grip, brought his hands back to his lap, and balled them into fists.
The moment was gone too soon, and she was left wanting more.
He heaved a heavy sigh as the dogs gave up trying to get their Frisbee thrown and rolled around in the grass instead.
“I guess everyone’s got something wrong with them, and this is just my lot in life.”
He spoke with such sadness that she almost reached over and patted his leg, or better yet, took his hand again. But she gripped the grass around her and pulled.
“Instead of thinking that there’s something wrong with me—like my parents tried to convince me of for years—I like to think of myself as gifted, special even. I have something that makes me unique from all the billions of people who have lived on this planet. And that is pretty cool.”
He hummed to himself. “That’s one way to look at it, I guess.”
With the dogs settled on either side of her, she dared to ask, “How was it, holding my hand?” Her heart raced as she waited for him to answer, but her hard-earned courage was rewarded.
“Surprising.”
“Really?”
He nodded and studied her. “It’s the oddest thing. It was painful at first, and then kind of a numb feeling, but then I focused on your calluses, and the pain went away.”
She cringed as she looked at the thick bumps of hardened skin on her palms. Calluses? How romantic.
“Well,” she said, “I guess it’s a step. Maybe we just need to test things out a little more.”
She pointed her index finger at him, and he nearly toppled forward.
She got in a poke and laughed.
“Hey,” he said, poking her back.
She stared at his finger. “You just touched me!”
He laughed. “Yeah, so?” Then his mouth dropped open, and he stared at his finger. “Yes, I did! Which means...” He pointed his finger at her again.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said, squirming away.
The dogs jumped and barked around them as they took turns poking each other. His touches were light, and she was careful to give him time between hers. It was the most fun she had had in a while, poking someone’s side. To anyone else, it would have felt like kid’s play, but for Jason it had to be a significant moment. It was a step in the right direction... for both of them.
