by G. V. Steitz
I broke the kiss quickly to catch my breath. Dominic immediately went in searching my neck leaving a trail of kisses down one side and up the other.
“What are we doing here?” I panted on the side of his neck, savoring the feel of his hands running up and down my sides of my t-shirt. I let go of a whimper as I felt his kisses pull away from my skin, leaving me feel cold from the loss of his heated mouth on my skin.
“Should we stop?” Dominic panted as he looked back with his heavy eye’s. I shook my head.
“Tell me then.” He said to me as he stop running his hands up and down on my, resting them on hips again. “Don’t stop.” I whispered. Dominic cupped my face and quickly and breathed into my lips, “thank God.” Then dove in to devour my lips. Dominic pulled away again, panting. “I have never been attracted to anyone as much as I am with you.” He confessed causing me to look down from his admission, making me nervous. “Ivy, look at me.” Was not said lightly. His voice demanded it and I eagerly looked back up at him, searching his eyes, his face for answers.
“We aren’t doing anything you don’t want. Ever. That I promise you so at any time, you want to stop, we stop. Ok?” He stated with such determination I felt a shiver run through my body. I wanted to tell him what I was thinking. I didn’t want to doubt his word. I believed him. I don’t know why, but I did.
“I… I trust you Dominic.” I stuttered quietly. I just want to hold on to this moment for a little longer. Is that ok?” I ask, worrying he would change his mind but I needed to chance it.
“A little longer? Oh, we will be doing this many, many times after tonight sweet pea.” He said with a smile creeping across his lips, making me bite down on my bottom lips, smiling back at him.
“I warn you though, this doesn’t get you out of talking to me tonight. You have been warned.” He declared without any doubt in his tone. With a chaste kiss on my lips he leaned back on the couch looking at me. Making me squirm in his lap.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, tugging myself off his lap . Dominic just pulled me back down on to his lap.
“Where do you think you are going?” He asked me holding me in place. I shrugged.
“I see. So you still need me to give you a couple ideas of where you won’t be going?” He said and leaned into my face and began placing kisses gently on my mouth, carefully pulling me back into his arms, holding me close to his chest.
Just as we were getting back at it, Dominic’s phone rang out. “Hang on, this could be my parents. If I don’t answer they will track me down like a hound.” He said and I carefully pulled off of him, he reached in his pocket, got the phone out, and tugged me back into his lap before my great escape.
Ugh. Dominic threw his head back and answered the call. “Hiiiii Ma.” Dominic said with a long sigh. “Yep still with Ivy here. Yeah… Ma, I don’t know about me forcing her to come over by us and you swallowing her up hole with 50 questions…” He paused to listen to her speak as he rolled his eyes, making me smirk at the look on his face. “Yes Mom, I know you make a huge breakfast every Sunday. I know what you make Ma, you don’t have to recite them.” He told his mom in a huff making me bite down on my bottom lip and quietly chuckled. Then Dominic looked back up to my eyes, you could tell he was practically pleading to put him out of his misery. I thought I would help him out. Might help me in a way from getting too deep here.
“Can I speak with her? I asked softly making Dominic’s eyes bulge out like saucers. I thought he was going to pop a blood vessel. “Ma, oh brother… Ma, Ivy would like to say hello to you. Can you please not embarrass me?” He ended with him closing his eyes and offering me the phone, making me giggle a little.
“Hi Mrs. Cavalier? Hi this is Ivy… I… Yes Ma’am… yes Ma’am… I appreciate that. Really that is very thoughtful but I… Ok, yes of course. Thank you so much. Ok, bye.” I held the phone out to Dominic and laughed. “She wants to speak with you.” Dominic groaned and took the phone. I was waiting to get his reaction. No sooner did I say that, Dominic’s head shot up and smiled really big. I never seen such a smile on anyone so big as his. “Ok, great. Yeah, thank Mom. Ok, see ya soon. Yeah, love you too. Bye.” He said the last part so quick, it was almost like he was embarrassed to admit he loved his mom. It was all so cute.
With a deep sigh and Dominic staring at me with that smile. “So, I see you got invited to my place. My mom told me she loves your voice and she cannot wait to show you ho to make her “famous apple pancakes.” Her words, not mine. Lucky you. I will break it down for you real quick. Mix the pancake batter, add chopped up apple pieces. Grill and eat.” Dominic stated quickly and I couldn’t stop laughing. “Ok, so I should go throw something in a bag I suppose.” I offered as I motioned to get up. Dominic had a different plan. He picked us both up like I was weightless, and walked me over to my bedroom, with my legs wrapped around him, I squealed.
Chapter 6.
Dominic
Home with the Cavalier’s
I got us over to my parents place. Ivy seemed nervous. We sat in the car a minute so I could calm her down.
“Ok, listen to me. My parents are Italian. I know, most people would say so? What’s the big deal? The BIG deal is… Unless you are Italian you have no idea what a dramatic shit storm you could possibly be walking into. First, and foremost, my mother. First she will be in utter disbelief at how skinny you are, “thank God you brought here, she needs to eat….” Then, she will start to offer you every single thing we have in the house to eat. After than, and you if you refuse everything, it’s considered an insult. If you don’t eat enough, she will just start bringing things out and pilling them all over the table. Following me so far?” I ask her. “Ivy, this isn’t funny. I am dead serious. Do you know Italian families who’s mom only has boys, and only wanted a daughter? Well I am next in line to start dragging all of her personal selections in and out of the house for me to marry. So unless you know how these things go, I am so not joking. Now I have to talk fast, because I am sure she can scent fresh blood here already, and she will come out and drag your ass in there. Focus.”
Ivy just sits there in the passenger car seat, turned towards me, turning red from probably lack of oxygen from laughing so much. “Please, I am going to pee in my pants, stop making me laugh. She can’t be that bad.” Ivy says, still laughing. All I did was roll my eyes, offered up a silent prayer to God and hoped for the best.
“Ivy, come on, pay attention! Stop laughing. I have maybe three minutes tops. Don’t worry about my father. He is the nice one with the girls us boys bring over. Don’t freak out if any of them in there start talking family trips, holidays you will now be sharing with us, you don’t need to give them a Christmas list… Ok, fine. You don’t believe me. You can’t even stop laughing. Great, now look who is here. HI Ma. Grrr, stay there. If I don’t let you out myself I will get wacked with a wooden spoon. Stop laughing!”
I walk around my car, open the door for giggle face here, still red. Naturally, my mother’s smile drops off. “What in God’s name have you done with this little angel Dominic?” My mother says as she wraps Ivy up in her arms, while narrowing her eyes to slits with a scowl on her face. Muttering something in Italian about being disrespectful to women and not feeding them.
“My angel, you are all skin and bones, you can’t survive like this. Come inside, I will cook for you.” Ma says. Causing Ivy to look over her shoulder at me and I give her a look back with an arched brow like, see. Now, go and laugh.” Knowing my mother, Ivy will be eating nonstop until she lives tomorrow. AFTER DINNER tomorrow. Yep, she laughs now. Just wait little Ivy.
We all clamor inside. Ivy, is whisked off to the kitchen. I probably won’t see her until sometime tomorrow afternoon. My parents almost fell back on their ass’s for the manors Ivy had.
“Thank you very much for allowing me to come to your home so late in the evening Mr. and Mrs. Cavalier. I didn’t want to impose however, Dominic insisted I come over here. He wouldn’t stop talki
ng about your wonderful breakfasts. I wish I would have thought of something to bring as a dish to pass. I’m sorry, I will next time. I mean if I am ever invited back. I’m sorry.” Ivy said trying not to fidget and her cheeks got pink when she said if she got invited back. Oh Lord. She doesn’t know my mother. Just you wait Miss Ivy.
“Oh, Joseph, did you hear how polite and sweet this young lady is?” My mother had her hand on her chest like she never heard of anyone calling her Mrs. before, let alone offer to bring a dish to pass. I just sat on the kitchen chair and watched the show. My mother is REALLY dramatic. So, half the fun is watching someone who is clueless to this type of strange way us Italian’s cohabit and it is really entertaining. I just shake my head slowly as my mom starts pulling things out of the fridge, passing them to my father and then to me, to put all over the table. My father physically placed Ivy in the chair, HIS chair, the “HEAD of the family, no one sits here but me chair.” Yep. Right there. Ivy of course, was still laughing and talking to my mother like they were long lost friends. I am so happy I found my mother a new friend. I suppose I should just go to bed and forget about my chances of talking with her anymore with my mother around.
“Ah… Hello? If any one cares, I am just going to go run upstairs and change into some sweats or something. Ok? Does any care? Hello… Hel… Never mind.” I start mumbling to myself and jump the stairs two at a time to get changed. Might as well put my fat clothes on if I have to start eating with Ivy.
No sooner do I hop down the stairs and get back into the kitchen, I literally freeze in my tracks. Ivy is still at the head of the table, and she has a plate of food in front of her face, nearly covering her entire face. And her and my parents are going through photo albums. Yes. The embarrassing ones when you are kids and looking stupid, doing stupid things. Ivy, is laughing so much, I didn’t think I would of ever heard her laugh so much.
“MA! What are you doing????” I yell, causing them all to look up at me. Ivy still hasn’t stopped laughing. “I like the one of you dressed up like a little girl.” Ivy belts out making throw myself in another chair and bang my head on the table. “Why me…”
“Oh, stop be so dramatic Dominic, really I mean, I don’t know where you get it from.” My mother states, making my head jerk up and look at Ivy. “You have to be kidding me right?” I ask out loud. Ivy looks at me and winks while she shrugs her shoulders and gets back to my mothers stories.
“Aweeee, look at this one. Oh my God!” Ivy squeals. Please God don’t be the one I think it is. Please God don’t let it be…I silently pray…”You were a FAIRY!” Ivy laughs and is laughing so hard, she is bent over and is crying.
“Alright, that’s enough of embarrassing me for one night.” I demanded trying to get to the photo album currently open. “Ah, Joseph, please take your obnoxious son out of her and let me and Ivy have some girl time please.”
Ivy, starts stuffing things in her mouth so she doesn’t have to say anything, as I glare at her with my squinted eyes. “Come on Son, let’s go talk football.” My father says, as he hauls my ass out of the kitchen. Throws me down on one of the couches in the living room to talk about what I know to be NOT FOOTBALL but little trader Ivy in there being all BFF’s with my mother now. Perfect. I just huff out a low painful sounding sigh for dramatic effects, since no one knows who I get it from. I roll my eyes at that comment.
My father and I settle down in the living room. I can hear my mother giggling and cooing over Ivy. Makes me smile actually. Especially since I never brought a girl home.
My train of thought was quickly interrupted once my father found his comfortable spot in “his chair” that I would bet could easily become “Ivy’s chair.”
“So, I like her. She seems real, sincere, and innocent. Why did she get stuck with you?” My father ribs me thinking he is funny. He’s just a softy when it comes to beautiful women.
I shrug. “She’s new to our school. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her mom. Seems that her mom works a lot I think. Not positive, but I get the impression she is alone a lot.” I consult with my father in a hush tone, not allowing Ivy to hear us. Although, with my mother rambling on and on in there, I doubt anyone could actually hear my father and I talk. I shake my head with that thought.
“She doesn’t have any other siblings besides the one who passed away? What was it from again?” My father asks, as he cross’s one leg over the other.
“Nope, just the one who passed away maybe three years ago. She was really close with him. He was five years older than she was. Mitchell passed away from Leukemia. I gather all of a sudden. Not sure all the details as of yet though.” I pause before I continue. “Dad, I’ve really made her feel bad in the past. I wanted to try to make it up to her today, so I took her out for pizza and a movie.” I shook my head thinking back to how I found her. “Her birthday was last week. I found her under the bleachers listening to her brothers voice message on her phone over and over and over… He mom left her a note before she went to work that day saying they would celebrate this weekend and just left her a package of oreo’s. So she was eating those when I found her. Turned out that Mitchell had a tradition with his baby sister called “Date Night.” The weekend after her birthday every year, he took her out for pizza and a movie. So I thought it would be nice, you know, filled in for her brother.” I say shrugging my shoulders like it’s no big deal.
My father studies me a minute and pulls his leg down and lowers himself over his knees, placing his arms on his knees to talk closer to me. “What did you do so terrible? Seems like you did a very honorable thing if you ask me. I am sure she was tickled you did that for her.” He offered.
Here we go I thought to myself. Letting out a deep sigh, I lowered my head and rubbed the back of my neck before I spoke. Twisting my neck, cracking it on both sides I decided to just be honest and get it over with.
“Ivy’s first day, she was walking with a bunch of papers in her arms across the football field. I was with Tyler and Lena.” I began the story before I was interrupted. “Why do I get a bad feeling when you say “Lena’s” name?” My father asked me.
I nod slowly. Anyway, Ivy and I looked up at each other at the same time when she passed us three by, and she tripped and fell. All the papers she was holding went flying all over the field. Lena instantly began to laugh and make little digs at Ivy. So I went over and gave Ivy a hand with collecting her papers. I introduced myself and after we were done, I went back to the two of them. They first period bell rang and we all began to walk towards the school. When the three of us came up to Ivy, I introduced her to Lena and Tyler. Lena began with her bullshit calling Ivy names and saying she needed “Special” classes etc. So after I cut her off from going on, I dragged the two of them in to the school, leaving Ivy.” I stopped to get the reaction I was afraid I was going to see. And I was right.
My father was grinding his teeth and his jaw was twitching. Fuck. “What in the HELL is wrong with you?” My father grounded out slowly and in a very low growl.
“Dad, I know ok. It gets worse which causes my father to throw himself back in his chair, with his hands balled into fists on his arm rests.
“So throughout the last couple weeks, Lena, any time she can digs her nails into Ivy. I didn’t pay much attention, not wanting to add fuel to the fire or get myself involved in a cat fight so I kept to myself. Even though I knew with Lena, and her cheerleader team, were harassing Ivy. I should of known better. All that changed when I was sent out of gym to do laps around the field, for God’s know why. I am sure I said something stupid. Anyway, as I was going around my first lap, that’s when I hear Ivy crying and playing the last message she got from her brother singing happy birthday to her. He bought her the cell phone she still uses today. So I crawled under and found her and she talked to me for a little bit. That’s when I found out about her brother Mitchell and shortly after he died, her parents broke up and her mother is always moving her and Ivy all the time. Ivy said she doesn’t bother m
aking friends anymore because as soon as she does, her mother makes her move again.” I stopped to take a break. Disgusted with myself, I leaned my head back on the back of the couch. I listened to Ivy in the kitchen with my mother. They were both laughing and carrying on like both of them were teenagers. My mom is such a sweetheart to pull Ivy under her wing and mother and fuss over her a bit, which I think Ivy really could use.
“I do not believe you!” My father said more sternly and the look on his face would scare a raging polar bear into hiding.
“Dad, I know. Ok? I fucked up.” I admitted.
“That is to put it mildly.” He said dryly. “And so what, you thought a pizza and a movie would fix everything?” He asks me looking at me like I just grew horns.
“NO but it’s a start isn’t it?” I ask. “I mean, I got to know her more today, and then when I dropped her off, she dashed inside and forgot her left over pizza. I didn’t realize it until I was half way home. So I turned around and brought it over. She had her stereo up pretty high, and didn’t hear the door bell or me yelling for her. So I walked in after I noticed the door was still left open a little behind the screen door. Dad, she was hysterical. Crying in her sleep, having a dream about Mitchell. I was afraid to wake her so I sat next to her on the floor and was trying to talk to her to come out of it. She must of thought I was Mitchell. She moved and before I knew it, she was sitting in my lap, crying and squeezing the stuffing out of me. Begging me to let her stay with me, (Mitchell) and why couldn’t she be the one to die, and not to leave her. Over and over. It broke my heart Dad.” I said sadly looking down between my legs I was leaning over, my head hug low out of embarrassment.