Plastic Hearts
Page 29
Page 29
Author: Lisa De Jong
Jade’s face gave way to a surprised expression. “Oh good. You guys are going to have so much fun! I love weddings. ”
Jade and I started talking about weddings after she mentioned her love for them. I had to admit I was also a sucker for a beautiful wedding, but I could tell the subject didn’t thrill Dane. Men only seemed concerned with the type of food that would be served and if there would be alcohol. Still, he sat and listened before leaving to go get his project from his apartment. I was really beginning to notice how well he fit into all aspects of my life.
I filled Jade in on what had happened outside before we left to go to our respective afternoon classes. She didn’t seem surprised and even though she didn’t say it, her expression said, “I told you so. ” She suggested I call my mom to move the whole thing forward and I agreed that I should start preparing my parents now. I didn’t know what I would say, but it wasn’t right to just show up with the guy I was in love with and not give them some warning. And for the first time, I felt like this might all work out. There may be a way to be with Dane and still keep my old world in place. Maybe they would have no choice but to love him.
Chapter Eighteen
I didn’t want to put off talking to my mom any longer than I had to so I told Dane I needed to sleep in my own room tonight after we left the library. I didn’t tell him why exactly, but blamed the exams I had to take tomorrow and my need for sleep. That part wasn’t a lie because I hadn’t been sleeping much at Dane’s.
I was relieved that Jade had gone out for the night: I didn’t want her to be my audience. This was something I needed to do on my own.
I paced back and forth, trying to slow my heart and quiet the screaming voices in my head. I tried to decide exactly what to say. I wanted to tell her enough of the truth that Dane wouldn’t be a complete surprise, but I didn’t want to say so much that she would already have her mind made up to like him or not before we got there. I had to walk a fine line.
I almost couldn’t breath as I dialed the number to the house. Part of me hoped that she wouldn’t pick up, but just like every other time the phone only rang twice. “Hello, Riley residence. ”
“Hi, Mom,” I said. My hands and voice were shaking.
“Alexandra, how are your midterms going?” she asked. Never “how are you?”. That would be too much to ask.
“Fine. I have two more to go and then I’m done. Biology went well and I turned in a paper for Art. I only have Anatomy and Calculus left,” I replied, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
“I don’t know why you waste your time in Art. All it does is take up time you should be using to study for things that matter. ” And make me happy, I thought.
“Mom, listen, I called to tell you I’m bringing a date to the wedding. His name is Dane and we have been dating for a while now. ” I bit my cheek as I waited for her response.
“Dane who? What do his parents do?” My heart rate picked up again because I knew my answer wouldn’t satisfy her.
“Well, his name is Dane Wright. His mother works in the restaurant industry and his dad is no longer in the picture. He’s so sweet; I can’t wait for you to meet him. ” I closed my eyes again as I braced myself for her response. She didn’t care about the last part, but I hoped to make her forget about the other things I mentioned. I didn’t care where Dane came from because I was wrapped up in who he was now. Why couldn’t she see things that way?
I heard her sigh on the other end. “What about Ryan?”
“Mom, I will always love Ryan, but we didn’t work in that way. He is a friend and nothing else. ”
“I can’t stop you from bringing him, but we’re going to talk about this. Ever since college started, you’ve done nothing but make poor choices. You need to get control of your life again, Alexandra. ” I let out all the air I had been holding in my lungs. This was going better than I expected. She didn’t say I couldn’t bring him and I was used to her threats. What she really meant to say was that she needed to get control of my life again.
“Is it okay if he stays at our house? If not, we can get a hotel,” I asked, biting the inside of my cheek again.
“You’re not staying at a hotel with some boy. You can both stay at the house, but he is not sleeping in your room. He can have one of the guest rooms. ” I did a fist pump; this was a small victory. Before I picked up the phone tonight, I didn’t think I would get her to even agree to Dane attending and now I had her setting up a guest room for him. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe everything would be okay.
“Thanks, Mom. I should probably let you go. I need to study before I go to bed,” I said, trying to hold back some of the excitement in my voice.
“Yes, you do. But, Alexandra, we really are going to have a talk when you get home,” she said, leaving no room in her voice for argument.
“Okay, well I will see you in a couple weeks then. Good night. ”
“Good night,” she said before quickly hanging up the phone. As soon as I put the phone down, I did a silent dance around the room. I had just done something I never thought I would do and I made it through. I felt like I was swimming.
While I thought it went well, I wouldn’t know for sure until we get there. Hopefully my mother would be so busy that she won’t have the time to pay attention to me and my love life. We would be leaving that Friday after class, arriving just in time for rehearsal and dinner, have wedding festivities all day Saturday and gift opening and brunch on Sunday before heading back to school. I just had to make sure we didn’t spend too much alone time with my parents. This might just work after all.
I pulled out my Calculus book and studied until my eyelids felt heavy. It was only 11pm when I threw on my pajama pants and tank top. A good solid eight hours of sleep was exactly what I needed to get through my Calculus test. This whole night had gone much better than expected and I had no doubt that I would sleep well tonight.
My phone buzzed as I started to drift asleep. Dane. Whenever we are apart, he always texted me right at 11pm.
Dane: I love you. Sweet dreams.
It only took me seconds to respond.
Alex: Love you too.
I hugged my phone to my chest as I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.
For once, I was taking a chance for myself and I didn’t want to ever regret it because if I did, there wouldn’t be any more chances. I wanted this one to pay off.
The next two weeks flew by and it was now the Friday of rehearsal dinner. My relationship with Dane was on strong footing since our argument over his attendance at the wedding and I had only spent that one night apart from him.
Last night he’d had me help him pack. He usually didn’t care much about how he looked, but he really wanted to make the right impression. We stayed away from jeans and t-shirts, opting instead for dress pants, polos and button ups. The wedding tomorrow was black tie so we rented a tux for that; I couldn’t wait to see it on him. I loved him exactly how he was, but didn’t every girl dream of seeing the man she loved in a tux?
After Dane had fallen asleep last night, I laid there thinking about all the things that could go wrong. What if my parents, Mom especially, said something completely inappropriate? How would Dane react? What if Dane hated my life and wanted to go home? It all spun in my head as I thought about what my reaction would be to each and it all ended in me having a complete breakdown. I just needed to get through this weekend, stay close to Dane, and hope everyone else was too busy to pay much attention to anything but the wedding.
I wasn’t looking forward to being Alexandra for the next two days, but I went into it knowing I could fit back into my comfortable self on Sunday. I wasn’t a natural actress and the more I got to know the real me and understood where and what I wanted to be, the harder the act became. Eventually I would either have to accept it or take it on headfirst. I couldn’t do either at this point.
I placed my bags in the trunk and headed to Dane’s apartment. I knew it bothered him that I was driving, but taking his motorcycle to Greenwich in March with two huge suitcases was not an option.
As I pulled up to his apartment building, I noticed him sitting on his suitcase on the sidewalk. He wore a beanie and his signature leather jacket, but he opted for grey dress pants instead of his usual jeans. My heart clenched at the realization of how much he cared for me. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me.
I popped the trunk so Dane could throw his suitcase in with mine and waited for him to join me in the car. I hadn’t seen him since this morning and I craved one of his calming kisses. As soon as he was comfortable in his seat, I grabbed his jacket and pulled his face to mine. I could feel the smile on his lips as I completely took control of the kiss. “Did you miss me?” he asked when I finally pulled away.
“I always miss you,” I replied before pulling him in for one more kiss. “Are you ready to meet the parents?” I asked as I pulled out into the street. I glanced at him out of the side of my eye and noticed that Dane Wright actually looked a little nervous.
“Of course, I can handle meeting the parents,” he said before reaching for my hand and kissing the tips of my fingers. “I should probably warn you, though. This is the first time I have ever met the parents; I hope I pass the test. ”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, this is the first time I have brought someone home they didn’t already know. I guess, in a way, that this is my first time bringing someone to meet my parents. ” We both laughed.
“I guess it’s just another first we are experiencing together,” he said. I looked over at him and he gave me one of his sexy signature winks. “How about a little game to pass the time? Ten questions?”
Playing a game sounded a little silly, but I was down for anything if it would relieve the anxiety I felt. “How does that work?”
“We take turns asking each other questions and no matter what, you have to answer it. No passes,” he explained. His eyes showed a hint of mischief; this could be fun, actually.