the last one overboard. "I just don't like the taste. It's like sandy, fishy-tasting chicken."
"They have frog legs at Ty's sometimes," Cam said. "I'll get you some next time so you can see for yourself."
Cole reached out to help me climb out of the boat and onto the dock.
"I didn't tell you thank you for that," Jacob said. I assumed he was talking to Cole for bringing the boat or taking him frogging, but when I regained my balance enough to look at him, I could see that he was looking at me.
Cam and Cole both turned to head up the dock to the shore, leaving Jacob and me standing there.
"Me?" I asked, feeling completely flustered by our proximity.
"Yeah," he said. "Those fried things were really good. One of them had cheese in the middle."
"Boudin balls," I said.
"Exactly," he said. "It looked like they took that boudin stuff and made a fried ball out of it."
I nodded. "Boudin balls," I said, seriously. "That's what they're called. And you're welcome. I'm glad you didn’t just feed it to your dog." I stared at him for a few seconds before starting to walk up the long dock toward the shore. Jacob fell into stride beside me. We trailed my cousins by about twenty feet, but we were walking slowly, so they left us behind.
"You were quiet," he said as we walked. I hadn't said more than a few words the whole time, so he was stating the obvious.
"I was just watching y'all," I said. There was a slight tinge of melancholy in my voice, even to my own ears. I didn't mean for it to come out that way; I was just taking everything in and trying not to seem to overzealous.
"Something wrong?" he asked after we walked a little ways in complete silence.
I glanced at him, and he turned to look at me. "No," I said, with a little sarcastic smile that said I knew he didn't really care.
"One day, you're trying to hug me and bring me food, and the next, you'll barely say two words to me," he said.
"I'll still hug you and bring you food," I said. I glanced at him and smiled, but I knew he could tell I was being cautious.
"All right, then," he said.
He stopped walking, and I took a couple of steps without him before turning to see what he was doing. We were in a dark section of the dock, but I could still see that he was looking right at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You said you wanted a hug," he said.
"I said I would still give you a hug and bring you some more boudin balls if you wanted. I never said I wanted a hug."
"Oh, okay, well never mind, I guess." He took a step forward like he expected us to continue on our way, but I could tell by the way he was talking that he was looking forward to a hug. I reached out to him when he tried to step around me. I took him into my arms, burying my face into his chest and squeezing him tightly. He smelled good, and I felt instantly comfortable and cozy. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me securely in place.
"You can't just stay out here by yourself for the rest of your life," I said without looking up at him. "You need human contact."
I felt and heard him breathe in and out the same as he'd done the last time I was in his arms. I had the distinct sensation that the physical contact was somehow recharging him—like he was drinking my energy in.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, pulling back after we stood there for a few seconds. "That was for you just now. You were the one asking for that."
I smiled and rolled my eyes at him as we slowly started walking again. "Whatever you say," I said.
"Alex, you all right?" I heard Cam yell from over by the truck.
"Coming," I yelled. I glanced at Jacob. "Did you need them to help you move something?"
He shook his head. "We don't have to do it tonight."
"They won't mind."
"It's out in the yard," he said. "It'd be easier during the day."
"Oh, okay. I was hoping it was something in your house."
"Why?"
"Because I want to go in there," I said in a matter of fact tone.
He glanced at me with some underlying amusement in his
"They have frog legs at Ty's sometimes," Cam said. "I'll get you some next time so you can see for yourself."
Cole reached out to help me climb out of the boat and onto the dock.
"I didn't tell you thank you for that," Jacob said. I assumed he was talking to Cole for bringing the boat or taking him frogging, but when I regained my balance enough to look at him, I could see that he was looking at me.
Cam and Cole both turned to head up the dock to the shore, leaving Jacob and me standing there.
"Me?" I asked, feeling completely flustered by our proximity.
"Yeah," he said. "Those fried things were really good. One of them had cheese in the middle."
"Boudin balls," I said.
"Exactly," he said. "It looked like they took that boudin stuff and made a fried ball out of it."
I nodded. "Boudin balls," I said, seriously. "That's what they're called. And you're welcome. I'm glad you didn’t just feed it to your dog." I stared at him for a few seconds before starting to walk up the long dock toward the shore. Jacob fell into stride beside me. We trailed my cousins by about twenty feet, but we were walking slowly, so they left us behind.
"You were quiet," he said as we walked. I hadn't said more than a few words the whole time, so he was stating the obvious.
"I was just watching y'all," I said. There was a slight tinge of melancholy in my voice, even to my own ears. I didn't mean for it to come out that way; I was just taking everything in and trying not to seem to overzealous.
"Something wrong?" he asked after we walked a little ways in complete silence.
I glanced at him, and he turned to look at me. "No," I said, with a little sarcastic smile that said I knew he didn't really care.
"One day, you're trying to hug me and bring me food, and the next, you'll barely say two words to me," he said.
"I'll still hug you and bring you food," I said. I glanced at him and smiled, but I knew he could tell I was being cautious.
"All right, then," he said.
He stopped walking, and I took a couple of steps without him before turning to see what he was doing. We were in a dark section of the dock, but I could still see that he was looking right at me.
"What?" I asked.
"You said you wanted a hug," he said.
"I said I would still give you a hug and bring you some more boudin balls if you wanted. I never said I wanted a hug."
"Oh, okay, well never mind, I guess." He took a step forward like he expected us to continue on our way, but I could tell by the way he was talking that he was looking forward to a hug. I reached out to him when he tried to step around me. I took him into my arms, burying my face into his chest and squeezing him tightly. He smelled good, and I felt instantly comfortable and cozy. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me securely in place.
"You can't just stay out here by yourself for the rest of your life," I said without looking up at him. "You need human contact."
I felt and heard him breathe in and out the same as he'd done the last time I was in his arms. I had the distinct sensation that the physical contact was somehow recharging him—like he was drinking my energy in.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, pulling back after we stood there for a few seconds. "That was for you just now. You were the one asking for that."
I smiled and rolled my eyes at him as we slowly started walking again. "Whatever you say," I said.
"Alex, you all right?" I heard Cam yell from over by the truck.
"Coming," I yelled. I glanced at Jacob. "Did you need them to help you move something?"
He shook his head. "We don't have to do it tonight."
"They won't mind."
"It's out in the yard," he said. "It'd be easier during the day."
"Oh, okay. I was hoping it was something in your house."
"Why?"
"Because I want to go in there," I said in a matter of fact tone.
He glanced at me with some underlying amusement in his
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