Page 81 of The Way Home

“Yeah,” Jamie said, swallowing another piece of suya. It tasted like fire. “I just figured we always do English things. I wanted to see you in your element.”

Caleb grinned, big, toothy, and boyish. His teeth were bright against his dark skin. It made Jamie’s heart swell with joy.

Surrounded by colorful art and spicy food, Caleb really did look so happy. It made Jamie feel more at ease, knowing he was having a good time.

“I wish I could have met her,” Jamie said, dabbing his lips with a napkin. “Your mum.”

“Me too. I hadn’t seen her in forever when she passed. After divorcing my dad, she spent most of her time with family in Texas. Or traveling back to Nigeria. Couldn’t really blame her.” He shrugged. “I think she always hated Ohio. And me and my sisters were grown up, so…” he trailed off.

“Did you have a funeral service? In Texas?”

Caleb frowned at his fork, twirling it skillfully in his hand. “No, we had her ashes flown to Ohio. She wanted to be buried at the church we went to as kids.”

“How about this?” Jamie said, pointing at Caleb with his suya kebab. “You tell meeverythingyou loved about your mum while I eat this food from her country.”

Caleb laughed, glancing at the kebab. “You really don’t have to, J. I think you’ve proven your point.”

“I want to.”

“Okay.” Caleb leaned forward, elbows on the table. “The first thing to know about Marlene Adeyemi is her cooking…”

Jamie leaned back in his chair as Caleb let loose. He talked morethan Jamie ever remembered. His smile spread across his face as he told story after story about his mum—how incredibly kind she was, her vibrancy.

Ever since they’d first met, Jamie assumed there was an explanation for Caleb’s contagious energy. Apparently, that explanation was Marlene.

Something about this restaurant brought Caleb fully into himself, and Jamie felt a swell of pride for bringing him here. Caleb spoke about the way his mum had always cheered louder than anyone at his football games, how she was a brilliant artist, and how music filled their house from morning till night. As he spoke, his brown eyes shone with both love and loss.

Jamie hung onto every word.

Glancing up at the ceiling, Jamie imagined Marlene looking down at the two of them.

“If you thinkyou’remessy,” Caleb was saying, “my mom was the messiest person alive. Drove my dad fucking insane. Every surface in our house had something on it. Pencils, earrings, trinkets… You name it.”

Caleb smiled wistfully down at his rice. Something in Jamie cracked open. A deep, aching need to knoweverythingthat lived inside Caleb’s heart.

“You’re finished,” Caleb said, suddenly. It took Jamie a moment to realize he was talking about his food. “And your tear ducts finally gave in.”

Jamie chuckled, swiping at his eyes with the back of his knuckles. “Right,” he said, laughing again as he gently shooed Caleb’s hand away from the check when the server brought it.

As they rose from the table and headed to surprise destination number two, Jamie wondered if Caleb knew the real reason for his tears.

Chapter 21

If Caleb hadto pick a favorite sport, it wouldn’t be soccer—it would be watching Jamie eat Nigerian food.

The spices were killing the man, and he was trying his darndest to hide it.

The night was already perfect, but Caleb couldn’t wait to see what he had planned next. His heart was positively bursting because of how much thought Jamie had put into this date.

After that amazing restaurant—which, honestly, Caleb couldn’t believe he hadn’t found sooner—Jamie was now dragging him excitedly down Old Compton Street.

“Are we going to a pub?” Caleb asked. Jamie slid an arm under his bicep and tugged him forward. “Because I don’t think we need to rush—”

“We’ll be late if you don’t hurry!” Jamie interrupted, picking up the pace.

In classic London fashion, it was starting to sprinkle. If Caleb’s aching shoulder was any indication, more rain was on the way. They weaved through a group of people on their way to the mystery destination. It was Saturday night, so the streets were full of people heading toward pubs.

“What are we going to be late for?” Caleb asked seriously. This part of town only really had bars and clubs.