“But here’s the truth: In movies, it’s never half so lovely as it is here and now with Jase.”

“In movies, it's all beautifully choreographed, set to an increasingly dramatic soundtrack.In movies, when the boy pulls the girl to him when they are both finally undressed, they never bump their teeth together and get embarrassed and have to laugh and try again.But here's the truth: In movies, it's never half so lovely as it is here and now with Jase.”

“Is Jase already gonna marry you?” I start coughing again. “Uh, No. No, George. I’m only seventeen.” As if that’s the only reason we’re not engaged. “I’m this many.” George holds up four, slightly grubby fingers. “But Jase is seventeen and a half. You could. Then you could live in here with him. And have a big family.” Jase strides back into the room, of course, midway through this proposition. “George. Beat it. Discovery Channel is on.” George backs out of the room but not before saying, “His bed’s really comfortable. And he never pees in it.”

“Is Jase already going to marry you?"I start coughing again. "Uh. No. No, George. I'm only seventeen." As if that's the only reason we aren't engaged."I'm this many," George holds up four slightly grubby fingers. "Jase is seventeen and a half. You could. Then you could live in here with him. And have a big family." Jase strides back into the room, of course, midway through this proposition. "George. Beat it. Discovery Channel is on."George backs out of the room, but not before saying, "His bed's really comfortable. And he never pees in it."The door closes and we both start laughing.”

“Jase glances up to smile at me. “Don’t worry, Sam. It’s just us.”

“So now you've met my mother,' I say to Jase that night, leaning back on the roof. 'I sure have. That was awesome. And completely uncomfortable.”

“Um. So ... Are we going to study?"Jase slides his thumbs behind my ears, rubbing the hollow at their base. He's only inches from my face, still looking into my eyes. "You bet. I'm studying you.”