This Is Heaven

RAINEY

“Rain…would you like to come home with me?”

I blink at him, wondering if I heard him right. Ansel just invited me to his house.

I’ve done a lot in my life. I’ve partied, drank, gotten piercings.

I even have a tattoo of an eagle with shackled feet on my back that matches the one Riley and I got together.

But I’ve never spent the night at a guy’s house. The idea makes me nervous.

We sit in silence for a moment, me staring at him in surprise and him waiting for my answer.

He looks up, thinking, and then laughs a little.

“Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant, would you like to stay at my place tonight?”

“I know what you meant.” I give him a small smile. “It’s just…”

“What?”

I shrug, unsure of what to say.

“You can say no,” he reassures me. “I just don’t want you out on the streets. I wouldn’t sleep well knowing you’re not safe.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. But…I…I wouldn’t want to—”

“Intrude?” he finishes for me, smiling. “You wouldn’t be intruding. My mom would be happy to have you over.

“She makes amazing stewed chicken, if that helps you decide.”

He laughs, and I can’t help but smile back.

I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a long time.

The last time was when Ansel came over and my mom made pasta. But I didn’t get to eat it because of the drama at the table.

I bite my lip, thinking.

“I’m not forcing you. It’s your choice, and I’ll respect whatever you decide.”

I don’t want to go home and admit defeat after my mom told me to stay away tonight. I have too much pride for that.

So, maybe staying at Ansel’s is the better option.

“Okay…as long as I won’t be—”

“You won’t be intruding.” He smiles, pulling out his phone. “I’ll text Alex to pick us up, okay?”

I nod as he starts typing on his phone.

Staying at Ansel’s house? I hope my cheeks can survive the night without setting his house on fire.

***

Soon, Alex pulls up to the curb. We say goodbye to Tim and step outside the café, stopping under the narrow overhang of the building.

The rain is coming down harder now. I rub my arm and look up at the sky.

The stars and moon are hidden behind thick, black clouds, and I can tell the rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

There’s no cover between us and the car, so I’m about to make a run for it, but Ansel grabs my arm, laughing as he pulls me back.

“What are you doing, Rain?”

I look up at him. “Making a run for it.”

“No way. I don’t want you getting sick. We’ll share the umbrella.” He lifts the umbrella I hadn’t noticed he was holding.

“Oh.” I smile, pushing my hair out of my eyes and looking at the sky again.

He opens the umbrella and moves closer to me. I look up at him. He wraps an arm around my shoulder, pulling me under the umbrella and against him.

My eyes widen in surprise, and he notices, smiling down at me.

“I hope it’s okay to touch you like this.”

I blink, my usual way of dealing with surprise. “Uh, yeah… It—it’s okay.”

~It’s not. My heart is racing and my face is burning.~

“You okay?”

“Yeah…”

“Are you sure? Your face is red, and your voice is…shaky.”

I swallow hard. I keep forgetting that Ansel notices everything. “It’s just the rain…and I’m really cold…”

He smiles gently, then pulls me closer. My chest is pressed against his, leaving no space between us. I’m nervous about being so close, but his warmth is comforting.

“Is that better?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

I try not to look at him, so he can’t see the worry in my eyes. My face is completely red from his arm wrapped gently around me.

His familiar strawberry scent is mixed with a fresh, masculine smell that I can’t identify.

I feel small and delicate against him, and his warmth is a stark contrast to the cold night air.

I’m so focused on the feeling of his body against mine that I don’t realize we’ve reached the car.

Ansel opens the back door. He smiles at me. “Aren’t you getting in?”

“Oh, y-yeah.” I slide into the car, and he closes the door, quickly moving to the passenger seat. The air conditioning in the car is high, and I rub my arms, trying to warm up.

“Goodnight. Welcome to Alex’s Uber. Where can I take you lovely people tonight?” Alex jokes, grinning at me in the rearview mirror.

I smile.

Ansel shakes his head at his brother while closing his umbrella. “Your jokes are so lame.”

“But it made Rainey smile. Didn’t it, Rain?” He smiles at me through the mirror.

“Rainey’s spending the night with us,” Ansel tells him.

Alex’s eyes pop a little, then his lips curl into a grin, his trademark mischievous look. “Oh…” He glances at me, then at Ansel, who’s buckling up.

“You two are really moving fast.”

My cheeks flush.

“It’s not like that,” Ansel says, causing his brother to wiggle his eyebrows while settling into his seat.

“Sure.” Alex grins as he adjusts the hand brake. “Sure it isn’t.”

“Why are you still driving Alaric’s car?”

“Well, if I wasn’t such a naughty thief, who’d pick you up tonight, Ansel?”

Ansel doesn’t answer. He just stares at his brother, expressionless. Alex smiles, taking his silence as agreement.

“That’s what I thought. Hold on tight, Rainey. I just smoked some weed, so I’m high as a kite. I won’t be holding back today.”

I’m puzzled by his statement until he hits the gas and the car shoots forward. I nearly fly backward, instinctively grabbing Ansel’s headrest for support.

“Jesus, Alex, can’t you drive better?” Ansel chides his brother, who laughs like a maniac but doesn’t slow down, instead cranking up the radio.

“Star Boy” by The Weeknd fills the car as he steps on the gas even more.

“You okay, Rain?” Ansel asks, quickly glancing at me.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“Rain, why didn’t you bring Riley? I would’ve gladly let her sleep in my room.”

Alex smirks, taking a turn so sharp that I nearly slide to the other side of the car. My stomach lurches as I struggle to stay seated.

“She’s miles away from here. Plus, what makes you think I’d trust you with my best friend?” I smile, raising an eyebrow.

“Aw, come on. I wouldn’t bite. The one you should be worried about is Ansel. He bites…like a snake.”

“Mom?”

I realize Ansel’s now on the phone, pressing a finger to his ear to hear better. “Alex, turn that down. I can’t hear her.”

“Oh, sorry.” He leans over and lowers the volume a bit, grabbing a pack of Skittles from the dashboard.

He offers me some through the rearview mirror, and I shake my head with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m bringing a friend home. Yeah, okay. Sure.”

He hangs up, and Alex immediately cranks the radio back up, earning a flat look from Ansel before he turns to me.

“My mom says she’s happy to have you over, Rain.”

I smile. “Oh, okay.”

“Yeah, awesome. Tonight’s going to be interesting,” Alex remarks, smirking in his seat.

Ansel playfully slaps his brother on the head. “Cut the crap for once, Al.”

He laughs. “It’s not crap. It’s facts!”

“Focus on the road. It’s slippery.”

“Yes, yes. I’m on it.”

***

The rain has now eased to a light drizzle, with the sky promising more showers later.

Alex turns into a neighborhood, and I lean forward to take in my surroundings. A sign at the entrance reads: Welcome to Crossview Close, Scheme Two.

Scheme Two of Crossview is so different from Scheme One.

The houses are middle-class, simple, and modest—flats and two-story buildings that are much humbler than the ones in my neighborhood.

Doors are wide open, people bustling in and out, while I’m sure that Scheme One is already asleep by now.

A few guys are hanging out on porches, smoking, chatting, just relaxing, and I can hear kids playing in their yards despite the light rain.

This is the neighborhood I’ve always dreamed of. I’d trade mine for this one in a heartbeat.

“Wow,” I murmur. “This is heaven.”

Alex looks at me as if I’ve grown a second head, while Ansel smiles softly.

“What’s heaven, Rain?” Alex asks, genuine confusion in his voice.

“This,” I say, rolling down my window and sticking my head out. The light rain kisses my face and the cool night air carries the scent of home-cooked meals.

“This neighborhood…it’s heaven.”

Ansel’s smile doesn’t change, but Alex looks confused as he pulls into a driveway to park the car. “You mean this annoying place?”

“You have no idea what you have,” I mumble, more to myself than to him.

“We’re here,” Alex announces, ruffling his hair as he turns off the engine.

I look up at the building in front of me. Ansel’s house is unpretentious, a modest two-story house with white walls.

It feels like a ~home~. I’m not sure I can explain what I mean by that, but I love the feeling it gives me.

I follow Ansel and Alex up the small steps to the house, my eyes taking in every detail of the yard.

There are beautifully planted flowers on both sides of the pathway, and I spot an old car in the tiny garage on our left.

Laundry is hung on the lines at the back, and a barbecue grill sits at the corner of the yard.

These small but noticeable details make his home seem real, not just a perfect place with little sign of life.

At my house, it’s nothing like this. My mom hires a maid to do the laundry, and she decorates the yard with fake potted flowers, claiming that real ones might make her sneeze.

She’s too lazy to grill herself, so she’d rather buy jerk food at overpriced restaurants.

I wish my life was like this.

Ansel opens the door and steps into the house. I notice the welcome mat at the entrance, where the two boys stomp their feet to get rid of the mud.

I follow their lead, intrigued by this new ritual.

Once I get home, I usually head straight inside. Lingering at the door to clean my shoes means risking a run-in with my mom and Jeff.

“Mom! We’re home!” Ansel calls out as they guide me into what appears to be the living room. It’s small, with just a few pieces of furniture, but it feels much warmer than my own house.

I spot two boys on the couch, engrossed in a video game. They’re both wearing hoodies, their backs to us.

“I’ll go find my mom, Rain,” Ansel says, and I nod as they disappear around a corner.

“We’re here, bitches!” Alex shouts, but the two boys are so absorbed in their PS4 game they don’t even register his words.

A wicked grin spreads across Alex’s face. He grabs a pillow from a nearby chair, balls it up, and hurls it at the back of one of the boys’ heads.

He bursts into laughter as the boy’s head jerks forward from the impact.

Furious, the boy snatches a pillow from behind him and whirls around to throw it back at Alex.

“You little fuckface! You always—” His words die in his throat, his hand frozen mid-throw as his eyes land on me.

His eyes soften as he takes me in, as if he’s just seen an angel.

“Whoa…”

“Yeah! I win this round. Take that, Aiden!” the other boy crows, turning to see what his gaming partner is staring at.

His eyes widen when he sees me, and his cheeks flush a deep red. “Oh, hi.”

I’m taken aback, not just because they’re identical twins, but because they look like a perfect blend of Ansel and Alex.

The jet-black hair, the striking blue eyes, the flawless skin.

I’m so captivated by them that I can’t move, just standing there, taking in the sight of them.

The one called Aiden jumps up from the couch, nearly tripping over his own feet as he turns to face me.

“Hi. Sorry about that. I’m not usually so crude. It’s just that my brother is a bit… off.”

He shoots Alex a look before turning back to me, a charming smile on his face.

~Brother? So they’re all brothers? Wow.~

The other boy springs up, slinging his arm around his twin’s neck a little too roughly, earning a glare from him.

“They’re both nuts. I’m the sane one. I’m Arden. And you are?” He grins at me.

Aiden rolls his eyes at Arden, grabbing his brother’s hand and yanking it off his shoulders. Alex just shakes his head at the two boys.

“Stop trying to impress her, you idiots,” he warns, pulling a joint from his pocket. “She’s with Ansel.”

My eyes widen as I look at him. He winks at me, pressing a finger to his lips as if to silence me.

He throws his arm around my neck and turns me away from the two boys, who are hurriedly running their hands through their hair and straightening their hoodies.

“Just pretend you’re Ansel’s girl. They won’t leave you alone otherwise,” he whispers.

“Alex, get your sweaty arm off the child’s neck.”

He quickly tucks the unlit joint into his back pocket as I turn to see a middle-aged woman approaching us. Her features make it clear she’s Ansel’s mom.

She’s wearing a red apron over a summer dress, and she’s quite short. Her hair is black and wavy, but unlike the boys, her eyes are amber.

“Ma, I was just showing her how to handle the King boys. You know how it is.” He winks at his mother, who just frowns at him.

“Go help Ansel set the table.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He salutes her and scurries off.

“Hi, sweetheart. I’m Melissa.” She smiles at me. I can’t remember the last time a ~mother~ smiled at me like that. It feels strange, unfamiliar.

I smile back. “Hi, I’m Rainey. Thank you for letting me—”

She pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard. I stiffen at the unexpected contact, but as her hands gently pat my back, I find myself relaxing into her embrace.

Her hug is comforting, as if she somehow knows something about me.

“Glad to have you here, sweetheart.”

I didn’t realize how much I missed a parent’s hug until now. She pulls away, and I secretly wish it could have lasted a little longer.

~Get a grip, Rainey.~

“You’re very pretty. Do you like stewed chicken?”

I laugh, remembering Ansel telling me that’s her specialty. “Yeah, it’s been a while since I had that.”

“Good, because I made plenty,” she chuckles.

“Wow, who’s this lovely girl?”

I look up to see a middle-aged man in a black V-neck and jeans descending the small wooden stairs. He must be Ansel’s dad.

He looks so much like the boys, and I can see where they got most of their looks from. His eyes are a deeper blue, and he has the same flawless skin.

He’s an older version, but I can tell he must have been quite the heartthrob in his day. His eyes crinkle as he smiles, and he’s very muscular. I notice black earrings in both his ears.

So that’s where the boys get their love of jewelry.

“Hi, I’m Austin King, Ansel’s dad. Nice to meet you.” He takes my hand and shakes it. “We’re glad to have you here. Stay as long as you like.”

“Yes, you can even stay forever if you want,” Melissa laughs.

She has no idea how tempting that sounds.

I can't help but smile. “Thanks.”

“Alright, let's get some food. Follow me, sweetheart.” She takes the lead towards the kitchen, and I trail right behind her.