House of Boys

Chapter 21

Moses

Even though we make sure to call each other as much as possible, I miss Jordan. Neither of us wanted to say goodbye at the airport and he almost missed his flight because of that. Mr. Joseph and Jason offered me my own bed, well Jordan's bed, while he was gone and it worked out. Jason and I realized we have way more in common than we originally thought and it's cool to have someone to just talk to like a brother. Jared is usually hanging around with us too but it's obvious he misses Jordan and I'm a poor replacement.

"Jason and Moses don't buy me snacks," Jared tells Jordan on the weekly video call.

"How dare they not buy my baby bro snacks! I will buy you even more when I get back," Jordan jokes as he and Talia laugh on the couch.

"How is the internship going?" Mr. Bryan asks Talia as he leans into Mr. Joseph cuddling on the couch.

Talia and Jordan give each other a look as if there is a secret between them then turn back to the screen.

"Well," Jordan starts, "A private collector wants to hire Talia."

They both go really silent and I can tell Mr. Bryan doesn't like what he just heard but he plasters on a fake smile.

"Wow, a private collector, that's great," he says with faked enthusiasm.

Talia leans in and smiles, "It's only till January Papa, and I will still be home for thanksgiving, okay?"

Mr. Bryan nods his head and leans in closer to Mr. Joseph who gives him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Are you staying longer too?" Jared's little voice bursts through the silence.

We all sit quietly waiting on the edge of our seats as Jordan fidgets with his hands.

He takes a deep breath and looks up at the screen, "MDev Europe offered me a one year contract for the office they are establishing in Ireland. I would be a project manager and also Darlene would be there so I can live with her."

"That's great!" Mr. Joseph shouts, except his enthusiasm isn't faked, "Do you get a pay raise?"

Jordan shrugs his shoulders, "Actually because of cost of living I would get a slight cut, but it's still a really significant number."

"Okay," Mr. Joseph says with a huge smile, "Just have the company send me whatever paperwork they need me to sign and I will get Darlene a guardianship document."

Jason jumps up and walks away and I just sit there quietly. It's become really awkward.

"Are you mad at me Moses?" Jordan asks pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shake my head vigorously, "No, I was just hoping I would see you right after summer break."

"Oh, don't worry," He says with a huge smile, "The contract won't start till December, so I will be home for a while."

I nod my head and smile, "good, cause I really miss you."

Jordan covers his face as Talia pokes his side, "Awww your boyfriend misses you so much," she teases, laughing uncontrollably.

"I miss you too," Jordan says in the sweetest voice as he uncovers his beautiful face.

Jason comes back to the couch and sits back down with his arms folded across his chest, "I'm happy for you, but I wish you were staying home for good."

"Well, hopefully I can get an equal position when I get back to the states at the old office," Jordan has a huge smile on his face and winks as he talks.

"Did Paolo say that?" His Dad asks, leaning in closer to the screen.

"I can neither confirm nor deny," jokes Jordan as he and Talia seem to give each other the same insider looks then laugh.

It's getting late for them and they have to both be up to work on Monday so we say our goodbyes. I am happy everything is working out for Jordan the way he wants but I am still really disappointed because, well, I'm in love. Jordan Kaminski is the love of my life and I get that at seventeen people would say I don't know what love is, but I love him.

I love the way he nervously fidgets with his hands, the way he tries to relate to my social problems with my friends or issues I'm having in school. I love how we can sit on our private video chats quietly as he waits for me to fall asleep or I wait for him to finish getting ready for work. I love how happy he makes me, and how nothing, not even an ocean, can pull us apart.

In our house of boys, I found true love.