by E. L. Todd
I eyed it. It was beautiful and classy. But it was a tube top. “I’m not sure it’ll contain my cleavage—thanks for that by the way.”
She smirked. “It will. It has padding inside.” She grabbed one in my size then grabbed a white shawl “It’ll look great on your skin tone.”
“You think?”
“I know. Let’s get it.”
“Okay.”
We headed to the fitting room and stepped inside together. I changed in front of her, unembarrassed about being practically naked in front of my mother. I pulled up the dress then fit the zipper.
My mom smiled. “It’s perfect.”
I looked at my chest. “They look like they are sitting on a platter.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t fight it. Besides, your husband will love them.”
“Every guy I pass in the hallway loves them.”
She laughed. “Sounds about right.”
I changed then we left the dressing room. At the register, my mom took out her credit card to pay for it.
“I can get it, Mom.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It’s a gift from your father.”
“You guys buy me too much stuff.”
“Just accept it.” She held out a gold bracelet. “Your father bought this for me twenty years ago and he spent way too much on it. I practically ripped his head off but he talked me down. So, you can accept this dress.”
“How do you put up with him?”
She handed over the credit card then took the receipt. “Because I love him like crazy.”
We headed out of the store.
“Lunch?” she asked.
“Pizza?”
“It’s like we have one mind.”
We went to the pizza parlor in the mall then sat down with our food. We both ordered slices of combination.
“Dad knows I have a boyfriend and I’ve had them before.” I took a bite then sipped my soda.
She nodded. “He told me.”
“Was he mad?”
“No. He understands you’re a grown woman that has a personal life. It’s just hard for him to accept it sometimes. He just cares about you, honey.”
“I know…but he’s so psycho about it. Did he ask you anything?”
“No.”
“Is he having a PI follow me around?”
She laughed. “No.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“How’s it going with Zack, by the way?”
I shrugged. “Fine.”
She eyed me. “Fine? Just fine?”
“Yeah…I don’t know. There’s not much to say.”
“No interesting stories?”
“None that I can think of.”
My mom ate her pizza quicker than I did. “It doesn’t seem like you really like him, Skye.”
“I do,” I said quickly. “He just gets on my nerves sometimes. He gets extremely jealous and argumentative. I feel like we argue just as much as we enjoy each other’s company.”
“What do you fight about?”
“Nothing, really. That’s the sad part.”
“You know how your father and I get.”
“Yeah, but then you guys are love bunnies for two weeks in between. It’s not like that with Zack.”
“Do you love him?”
I didn’t like it when people asked me this. “I’m too young to know love.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’re twenty-one. What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. We’ve only been together for six months. I don’t think that’s long enough to know.”
“I disagree. You know if you love someone immediately. You may not acknowledge it, but that doesn’t make it untrue.”
“Zack and I aren’t that serious. We’re just having fun.”
“So, he’s good in bed?” my mom asked.
I shrugged. “He’s alright.”
She smirked. “I’m having a hard time understanding why you stick around.”
“Well, I used to have a really big crush on him. The moment I saw him, I was dumbstruck like a teenager. But I guess after I got to know him, that excitement wore off. Isn’t that how it is in all relationships?”
“No. I feel the same way about your father as the day we married.”
“But you guys are weird.”
“Then ask that question to any of your aunts and uncles. They’ll have the same response.”
I knew that too well. Sometimes they didn’t understand the boundaries of public displays of affection. “Well, they are weird too.” I finished my pizza then felt my stomach. “I’m going to explode.”
She shrugged. “I could eat forever.”
“You’re lucky you aren’t a cow. I hope that’s something I inherit from you besides these humongous back killers.”
She laughed. “I’m sure you will. It seems like the only thing you got from your father is his eyes.”
“That’s a good thing. Otherwise I would be a crazy control freak.”
“There’s more to your father than that.”
I knew that was true. “I know.”
We squared the bill then headed home. My mom usually spent the night at my place before she drove home the next morning, on my father’s orders.
We tossed our bags in the corner then sat on the couch, putting our feet on the coffee table.
“How’s Cayson?” she asked.
“Good. He’s being a geek, like usual.”
“And you think you aren’t?” she teased. “You went to a business conference to give a presentation.”
“But I don’t study biochemistry. That’s super geeky.”
She smirked. “I guess. That was nice of Cayson to go with you.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t surprise me. He’s the nicest guy in the world.”
“He is. I know Cortland is very proud of him. Whenever he talks about him, all he does is brag.”
“He’s something to brag about.”
“Your dad mentioned you stayed in the same hotel room?”
“Yeah. All the other rooms were booked.”
She nodded. “And how was that?”
“Fine. He slept on the couch. But Dad got me the presidential suite.” I had to roll my eyes. “So the couch was practically the size of a bed. After walking in my heels all day, Cayson rubbed my feet. His hands are a godsend.”
She chuckled. “He’s too sweet.”
“He is. But that’s why he’s my best friend.”
“Is he the reason why Zack gets jealous?”
“Don’t even get me started… Zack thinks Cayson is in love with me because he’s always around.”
“Does he know you stayed in the same hotel room?”
“Yeah…he wasn’t pleased about that. It was World War III.”
“What did you say?”
“That he has to accept Cayson completely or our relationship is never going to work.”
My mom raised her hand and high-fived me. “Good girl.”
I laughed then pulled a blanket over my legs. “Would Dad react the same way if you and Uncle Cortland stayed in the same room?”
“No. He trusts everyone in our inner circle. In fact, if your father couldn’t be there for some reason, he would prefer someone to stay with me.”
“Wow. I guess he’s not that crazy.”
She smirked. “I wouldn’t say that…”
Like my dad could hear our conversation, he called her. Her phone vibrated on the coffee table. She grabbed it and sighed. “I forgot to call him.”
“Oh no. Where’s my helmet?”
She answered it. “Hey.”
His voice was audible on the other line. “Are you back at the apartment?”
“Just check the GPS,” she said sarcastically.
“You know I’ll only do that if I’m concerned for your safety.”
“Yes, I’m back.”
“Okay. Can you do me a favor?”
“You know I’ll do anything for you.”
She smiled. “Sure.”
“Thank you. Can you do me another favor?”
“Now you’re pushing your luck…” A wide grin was on her face.
“Can you call me when you leave tomorrow?”
“I know the drill, babe.”
“Thank you, baby. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Bye.”
She hung up.
“You just saw him today,” I argued. “How can you possibly miss him?”
She put the phone down, a smirk still on her lips. “I always miss him.”
When Zack and I were apart, I wasn’t going crazy for him. Most of the time, I appreciated the space. “Did you see Roland while you were down here?”
“We had breakfast today.”
“Why don’t you spend time with us together?”
She shrugged. “I know you both have different needs. I like to give each of you my full attention privately. It makes us have a stronger bond. Besides, your brother isn’t going to want to listen to us discuss shopping, boys, sex, and my marriage to your father.”
“Yeah…I don’t even want to discuss it.”
She laughed.
“Movie?” I asked.
“Something with a pretty man.”
“We really are related.” I turned on the TV and we lay on the couch until bedtime. I wasn’t going to make my mom sleep on the couch, so we both slept in my bed. I had a king size bed so there was plenty of room anyway.
When my mom left the next day, I was sad. Saying goodbye was always hard. She was just a two-hour drive away but not living at the house anymore always made me a little teary-eyed. I missed helping her make breakfast in the morning on the weekends. I missed listening to her read to me at night before bed. There were so many things I took for granted in my youth.
“Bye, Mom.” I hugged her tightly, closing my eyes.
“Bye, honey. I’ll see you next weekend.”
“That’s so far away…”
“It’ll be here before you know it. And the holidays are coming up.” She pulled away and gave me a brave smile. “We’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
“Yeah…”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She walked to her car then drove away. I stayed outside my door, suddenly feeling alone. Something in my life wasn’t right but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something was missing. I had a wonderful family who loved me, I was studying something I was interested in, and I had great friends that would do anything for me. So what was wrong?
“What do you think of this?” Trinity held out the dress to me. It was silver with sparkles and was skin-tight.
“It’s cute.” I stayed on the couch, my computer in my lap.
“I think it’ll be good for this gala.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
“What are you wearing?” she asked.
“A pink dress.”
“Short or long?”
“Knee length.”
She laid the dress on my counter then sat down on the couch.
“Does your house still smell like a beer factory?”
She laughed. “No. I left the windows open for a few days and that cleared out the smell.”
I scrolled through an article I was reading. “That night was a blur. I drank way too much.”
“You and Zack were practically having sex in the hallway.”
Why didn’t that surprise me? “I’m sorry if you saw too much.”
“Apology accepted.”
“Did you hook up with anyone?”
She grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. “No.”
“Really? That devil costume didn’t attract any winners?”
“Nope. They couldn’t handle this anyway.”
I hadn’t seen Cayson in almost two weeks. He didn’t come by the diner on Wednesday like he normally did. It was like he disappeared. “Have you talked to Cayson?”
“I’ve seen him around here and there.” She stopped when she found a fashion show.
“Did he seem…different?”
“No. Why?”
“I don’t know… I just haven’t seen him around much. We usually cross paths every day, but I haven’t spotted him in almost two weeks. He didn’t come to the diner either. That’s two weeks in a row.”
She shrugged. “Maybe he’s busy.”
“Yeah…but it’s still unusual.”
Trinity watched the show then grabbed the bowl of popcorn off the table.
“I miss him,” I whispered.
“When was the last time you saw Zack?” she asked.
“Um…we’ve both been busy so I guess over a week.”
“So, you miss Cayson more than your own boyfriend?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that…”
“That’s how it sounds.”
I scrolled through the article on my computer. “Relationships come and go but what Cayson and I have is for life. That’s why it’s different.”
“I didn’t see you all week and that didn’t ring any alarms.”
I looked at her. “What are you getting at?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder if you have feelings for Cayson.”
What? “No.”
“You’re awfully close. You do everything together, tell each other everything, and you snuggle together.”
“I tell you everything,” I argued.
“But I can’t recall a time when we snuggled on the couch together.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “How did you know about that?”
She squirmed a little bit. “It’s not brand new information, Skye. Seriously, you aren’t attracted to him?”
“Well…I think he’s a good-looking guy.”
“You know what I mean, Skye.”
“I understand why the girls are so interested in him.”
“That doesn’t answer my question either.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s just a friend.”
She gave me a firm look. “You’re sure?”
“What do you mean am I sure? I have a boyfriend.”
“That you don’t even like most of the time.”
“That’s not true,” I argued.
“Yes, it is. He drives you up the wall.”
“We have good times too.”
“Sure…” She turned her attention back to the screen.
“I don’t have feelings for Cayson.”
“Whatever you say.”
“I don’t,” I argued.
“It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself, not me.”
I turned my attention back to my computer, ignoring Trinity.
She smirked then continued to watch TV.
“You’re going away for the weekend?” Zack asked sadly. “You just spent last weekend with your mom.”
“It’s for my dad’s company. I have to go.”
He sighed. “Why didn’t you invite me? I’d be your date.”
“Well…it’s a family thing.”
He crossed his arms over his chest while he stared at me. “When am I going to meet your family?”
Meet my family? Where the hell was this coming from? “Um…I don’t know. But I don’t think now is a good time.”
“Why not? We’ve been dating for six months.”
“I haven’t met your parents,” I countered.
“Because they live in California,” he snapped. “If you want to make a trip out there, I would love that. But your parents are only two hours away.”
Why did he want to meet my parents so bad? “We haven’t even said I love you to each other. Don’t you think meeting parents is premature?”
He continued to stare at me with intensity in his eyes. “Well, I love you.”
What? Did he just say that?
“Sorry?”
“I love you,” he repeated.
Blurting it out right this second wasn’t romantic at all. It felt rushed. “Uh…”
“It’s okay if you aren’t ready to say it back. I’m not in a rush.”
“No, I think you are.”
“I just think it’s time we take our relationship to the next level. I have a suit and a tie, and I’m not doing anything this weekend. It’ll be fun.”
I wasn’t ready for that. My dad was intense and stern. Meeting a boyfriend was something he didn’t look forward to, and I would rather only put him through it once, for my sake and for his. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Zack.”
He sighed in annoyance. “What more do I have to do, Skye? I said I love you. I treat you right. I don’t rip Cayson’s head off.”
“Have to do for what?” I asked. “What do you want from me?”
He ran his fingers through his hair anxiously. “Nothing. Forget it.”
What the hell was going on here? Why did he want to meet my parents so much? “Zack, I told you from the beginning that this wasn’t serious. I just wanted something fun. Meeting parents and saying I love you is not something I signed up for.”
“So, I don’t mean anything to you?” he snapped.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I feel like you’re rushing me. You have from the beginning. I said I wanted to take things slow and just hang out, but you wanted to be my boyfriend. I just wanted to fool around and you pressured me into a commitment. This is as far as I can go—for now.”
He clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything. “Fine. Whatever. I can be patient.”
“Maybe we should just end this relationship…” If this situation was making him unhappy, then he shouldn’t be in it. I didn’t want to hurt him and I didn’t want to string him along.
“No.” His eyes shined in determination. “I said that’s not an option.”
“It seems like you want something more than I can give. If you’re looking for a wife to settle down right now, that isn’t me.”
“I’m not looking for anything. All I want is you.” He came close to me and cupped my cheeks. “I’m sorry I pressured you. I am. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t go. Please.” Desperation was in his eyes.
When he looked at me like this, I couldn’t say no. He did mean something to me. He did make me feel good. There were times of laughter and joy between us, and the sexual attraction was undeniable. Every time he held me like this, begging me to be with him, I couldn’t say no. “Okay.”