Let's Get Lost Read Online Free PDF

kindergartner all day.”
    â€œNo? I could have sworn I was. Only kindergartners ever laugh at my jokes.”
    â€œI could see that,” Leila said. “And kudos for not taking the opportunity to make fun of my height. I set it up perfectly.”
    Hudson shrugged. “I like how short you are,” he said, immediately grabbing a chip from the open bag in the middle of the table and munching on it as a way to keep himself from apologizing for the comment.
    The sky had darkened to night, and now the only light came from the pinprick stars and the neighbors’ kitchens. But he could see Leila smiling to herself, biting her bottom lip. Then she leaned back in her chair and put her feet on his lap again.
    â€œWhat are you planning to see along the way?” Walter asked, grabbing a second burger, dressing it with his usual half dozen squirts of hot sauce.
    â€œI haven’t really planned much out. I’m just going to play it by ear, see where I end up.”
    â€œYou’ve already seen Vicksburg,” Hudson said. “It’s all downhill from here.”
    Leila chuckled in a way he hadn’t heard before, a laugh that was soft and throaty and that shocked Hudson into goose bumps. “I’m sure the rest of the country will have trouble living up,” she said.
    After a few minutes, Walter got up to clear the table, and when he was inside, Leila pulled her feet off Hudson.
    â€œI guess I should let you get some rest, then,” Leila said. “You’ve got that interview.” She slipped her feet back into the flip-flops and stood up.
    The joy he’d felt since meeting her was slipping away, but Hudson didn’t know what to say to stop her from leaving. He followed her as she walked to the sliding glass door that led back into the house. She didn’t open the door, though, just stood there looking at her feet as if mulling over some thought.
    The lights from the kitchen turned on as his dad started cleaning up inside. Hudson could see Leila clearly again, her hands in her back pockets, a half-inch strip of skin visible between her shirt and the waistline of her shorts. Then she stepped forward and pulled him in for a hug. It was surprisingly strong, coming from someone her size, from someone he’d just met a few hours before. It felt achingly good to be pressed against her.
    â€œIt was very nice to meet you,” she said. “Good luck with everything.”
    Then she planted a kiss on his cheek and walked inside. It was almost paralyzing, the kiss, the feel of her lips on his skin, the already increasing distance between them. Paralyzing enough that by the time he went into the house, Leila had already said good-bye to his dad and was at the front door. Not just at the front door but halfway out of it already. She noticed him and paused; then she waved good-bye and closed the door behind her.
    He stood in the hallway between the kitchen and the living room, trying to get over the shock of seeing her leave so suddenly. When he became aware of the sound of rushing water, he noticed his dad standing at the sink doing the dishes. “Pop, need any help?”
    His dad turned, the bottom of his shirt stained dark with water. “No, thanks.”
    â€œOkay,” he said. “I’ll be upstairs. Night.” But he didn’t move for a while, just stood there staring at the front door.
    â€œG’night,” his dad called back. “I’ll be by your room at six to make sure you’re up. Tomorrow’s a big day.”
    â€œRight,” Hudson said. When he broke out of his daze, he climbed the stairs with measured effort and went into his room, plopping down onto his bed and pulling out the stack of papers he’d printed off the internet full of possible questions he might be asked during an admissions interview. He leafed through some pages, more aware of the sound they made as his fingertips pushed them aside than of the