by Claire Adams
“Okay then, if you wait for the oven to be done you’ll only have about a half hour to get ready, so if you can manage—”
“Of course,” I cut her off, grinning once more. “My boyfriend is coming. Part of the charm of that particular terminology is that I get to spend less time getting all dolled up. He has seen me right out of bed and right out of a shower so he knows what I really look like.”
“Shower?” Stacey looked at me with her eyes wide open. “You guys have already managed to hit the shower?”
Nick, who had been sitting on the couch and too busy munching on chips so far to speak, chose this moment to quietly exit the living room.
Stacey and I both giggled for a second because of Nick’s reaction. “I thought I told you. So much has happened these last few days. The shower was fun…but Zayden will be here soon so we better get all set up. Thanks so much for agreeing to hang out with us tonight.”
“Are you kidding?” She pointed her spatula at me. “I’ve been dying to properly hang out with the dude since we first – ahem – corresponded about you.”
“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten,” I said, trying to be reproachful, but was glad that all those months ago Stacey had tipped off Zayden, believing he would be the right guy for me.
---
“So where is your living room?” Zayden looked at me expectantly as he sat on our couch sipping on the Margaritas that I had freshly made.
I looked at him with my mouth open, unable to answer, while Stacey and Nick burst into a chortle.
“Did I say something funny?” he asked.
Before Nick or Stacey could answer with something sarcastic, I jumped in. “We only have one. Most people only have one, Zayden.”
My face was getting scarlet red.
Zayden grinned softly. “I was only joking.” He chuckled.
“So, uh, Zayden,” Nick said nervously. “What do you do for fun?”
Zayden shrugged, non-committal. “Stuff. Work mostly.”
“You do work for fun?” Nick was trying hard not to laugh.
“No, I mean…I work a lot. Sometimes I go golfing, but it’s mostly for networking purposes. Can’t say I particularly enjoy the sport. I did play basketball in college, but no time for that sort of a thing these days.”
“You watch T.V.!” I interjected. “Why else would you have a 80-inch television in your room?”
“News mostly. Bloomberg is usually always playing in the background wherever I go.”
Stacey, who had been quiet so far in a respectful attempt not to laugh, spoke, “Bloomberg is not watching T.V. and you sure don’t need eighty inches of television screen to analyze the stock market. Wanna switch?” She pointed her head towards our regular thirty-two inch T.V.
“Sure, you can just have mine. I hope you don’t feel offended if I pass on yours though,” Zayden said nonchalantly to everyone’s surprise. We all sat quietly for a few minutes before we bursted out laughing.
“We don’t actually want your T.V., Zayden. Stacey was joking.”
He probably knew that, but with his kind of money probably didn’t care.
“But why not?” He raised his eyebrows. “You guys seem to have a real interest in it and sure look like you could use a better set. A wedding present perhaps—”
Everything escalated after I gasped and gave Zayden a look that meant to say I was ready to commit murder. Nick looked like he would throw up and Stacey just sat there motionless in complete shock.
“He doesn’t mean you guys,” I said lamely, trying to rectify the situation, while still glaring angrily at Zayden. “My other friends are getting married. From my Stats class. You don’t know them.”
I was rambling nonsensically, making the situation worse and worse. After a few minutes, things got increasingly uncomfortable so I looked at Zayden and said, “Can you come with me to my room real quick? We need to talk.”
He seemed to have gathered he had said more than he was allowed to and looked guilty and nervous. If the situation hadn’t been so bizarre and ridiculous, I would kiss him for how adorable he looked.
Quietly, he followed me into my room, leaving Nick and Stacey to themselves.
As soon as he shut the door behind him, I snapped. “What the hell, Zayden? I told you it was supposed to be a secret! He is not proposing to her until next week.”
Covering my face with my hands completely horrified about having ruined Nick’s surprise, I threw myself on to my bed. “You can sit, you know,” I said when he continued to stand awkwardly by the door.
Carefully, he walked closer and closer to me until he was right next to me. He ran his palms through my face and sighed deeply. “I am sorry. I had completely forgotten you mentioned it was a surprise. I didn’t mean to ruin it for your friends. You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“I know,” I said, pulling him towards me to cuddle. “But what are we going to do now?”
“We are going to sit here for a few more minutes and let your friends figure things out. Then we are going to go out, I’m going to apologize for my blunder and we are all going to have a nice evening. How does that sound?” He stroked my hair, pulling me towards his chest.
“It sounds like all we can do for now.”
“It will be okay. Don’t think about what’s happening outside. Let’s talk about something else. Did you get your paper back?”
I removed myself from his embrace and lying by my elbow looked at him and said, “Yes, I got an A and the teacher said it was one of the best papers he had encountered on the subject.”
“If only he knew how we got to the idea.” Zayden snickered.
“I want to write all my papers with you exactly like that from now on,” I said, getting slightly cheerful again.
“I don’t know how much writing will actually get done, but I am not going to protest, baby.”
His use of endearment made me feel the ground beneath me disappear.
“I love you,” I said, looking him straight in the eyes this time. He didn’t say anything but I was sure I saw a twinkle in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed me softly and passionately. Then I understood. He was not able to say it just yet but he loved me too.
We just lay there holding each other for a long time before going back out. When we finally made it back to the living room, Nick and Stacey seemed engaged. They were beaming with joy. It wasn’t so bad after all.
Chapter 9
Zayden
Aria had somehow convinced me to redo the dinner with her mother, but go about things a little differently this time. For one, she had picked me up in her car, a blue Ford Taurus that she managed to drive pretty well but kept me on my toes the whole time nonetheless. I wasn’t sure I had sat in a car quite like it before. It was incredibly small, the seats felt like they were made of plastic, and my legs were hurting from the little room in her front seat.
“You okay there?” she asked, eyeing me quizzically.
“Yeah.” I smiled, trying hard to ignore the discomfort. “I’m great. I’m with you.”
That had the desired effect of making her blush, to my relief, and she didn’t ask me any more questions regarding my comfort for the rest of the ride.
We pulled into her mom’s driveway and I was met once more with the foreclosure notice.
“How long does your mom have the house?” I asked Aria as we walked in.
She shrugged nervously. “I am not sure. She’s had the notice for a while, but my mom doesn’t like to discuss it with me very much. She feels guilty, so I don’t ask her questions.”
“Hmm,” I said, thinking I would figure out how to help them out of this situation soon.
Molly received us with a huge smile despite the way I had walked out of here the last time.
“Thank you so much for coming over again,” she said joyfully.
“Of course! I am sorry I had to run out the other night. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. It was just…” I looked at the floor, afraid to accidentally catch Aria’s
eyes. “Stuff came up at work, you know how it goes.”
“Absolutely!” Molly exclaimed. “Don’t worry about it. You must be busy running the bank. I am grateful that you could make some time to come over again. Aria, why don’t you take Zayden into the living room and you guys hang out while I prepare dinner?”
“I…let me help,” I said uncertainly. “I am not too bad of a chef myself.”
“Oh he’s brilliant,” Aria chimed in.
Molly looked uncomfortably from me to Aria and back. “That’s quite wonderful of you to offer but I can’t possibly…you’re a guest here.”
I waved my hand nonchalantly. “Please. I insist.”
“If you want.” She shrugged.
“I’ll set up the table and the living room and you can help him mom,” Aria said brightly and walked away, leaving me to join her mother in the kitchen.
“So what are we in the mood for?” I asked, surveying the kitchen. It was small, but very well structured. I quite admired the simplicity.
“I was going to make some steaks.” Molly still looked nervous.
“That happens to be my specialty! I can throw in some sautéed vegetables as well. You can chop them off for me if you feel like it. But really, feel free to just go hang out with Aria in the living room. You made us a delightful dinner the other night as it is.”
“Don’t be silly, I want to help,” she said, pulling out the chopping board and some mushrooms and zucchini.
As we worked on the dinner, Molly began opening up somewhat. To an uncomfortable degree almost. Her questions were getting a little intense.
“So Aria was telling me you have been married before. Your ex-wife, where is she now?” she asked casually while chopping onions, like she might as well have been asking about the weather.
“Uh.” I was completely stumped, unsure how to take that question or answer it. “She’s around. I’m not sure where, we don’t exactly keep in touch.”
“That’s not what I heard,” she said, looking up at me for a brief moment and then changed the topic like that hadn’t just happened. “So how long have you been seeing Aria?”
“I’m sure she has told you, Molly.” I was trying hard not to be frustrated but I knew where she was going with this and didn’t feel like I deserved an interrogation after all that I had been doing for her family.
“Yes, but I was hoping to hear your side of the story. It’s quite alright if you’re not up to telling me much.”
“Fine,” I snapped in spite of myself. “I have known her for a few months now and have been fond of her since the very first time I laid my eyes on her.”
“That’s a rather odd way to put it, don’t you think?” she asked, giggling as though ensuring that the tone of the conversation remained outwardly light. “You couldn’t very well be fond of somebody just by looking at them. If you hadn’t spoken to her yet then surely you mean you just thought she was attractive?”
I tried hard not to grunt. I cared about Aria a lot and I was here in her mother’s house for the second time in the past week because she was important to Aria. Therefore, the fact that she approved of me for Aria had become very important to me. I didn’t want to ruin that just because Molly was asking too many questions I didn’t feel like answering.
Deciding to do my best to keep my cool and humor her, I said, “Sure, I pursued her at first because I thought she was attractive. Let’s be honest, isn’t that why anyone pursues anyone? All these talks people have about superficiality is such complete bull, because physical appearance is the first thing anyone can see and that’s always what draws people in. But that said, after the initial attraction passed, it became so much more. Every time I spoke with her she sounded brighter and more intelligent than half the staff in my bank put together. Her wits, her charms, her sheer confidence, all those things blew me away. I wasn’t exactly expecting or preparing to fall for your daughter, Molly. We have quite a large age gap and I assure you, I am aware of it. I’m not simply exploiting a young woman. She is so mature for her age! I am sure you know! You raised her to be this way. Most women my age wouldn’t be able to live up to half of what Aria has in terms of personality and brilliance. You should be proud of your daughter. You have created quite an extraordinarily exquisite human being.”
“Wow,” she said, stopping her chopping and looking like she had just escaped from underneath a train track. “I don’t know what to say…You’re right, she is quite extraordinary and obviously, I am proud of her. I just wasn’t sure what you were…I mean, someone of your stature and prominence, I just wondered how someone like you would take interest in my little Aria…And then you have been paying all this money for my hospital bills…don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it. But as a mother, you can’t exactly blame me for thinking it all seems a little too good to be true?”
“I love your daughter, Molly,” I heard myself say, startling the both of us. I had yet to say it to Aria herself or even admit it to myself, but it had just come out of my mouth in front of her mom, defiantly, as though daring her to question me any further.
“You do?” Her eyes were wide open. She was certainly taken aback and the effect was satisfying. Within a few seconds, Molly reverted back to her jovial self. “Of course you do! Well, I am glad to hear it. Aria deserves the best, Zayden. She has been through a lot and lives an extremely tough life for a twenty year old. She deserves more happiness than the world can even offer.”
“I plan to make her happier than in your wildest imaginations. I agree with you that she deserves it. So there is not much point having this discussion, really. Should we carry on with preparing the dinner then?”
She said cheerfully, “Of course! You seem to be doing a marvelous job with that steak. I can’t wait to try it.”
Glad that she was finally done quizzing me, I put all my efforts into dinner, making sure to perfect it to really impress her. My words were all well and good but I suddenly felt this burning need to outdo her somehow; to show her that I could make Aria as happy as she does, if not more. While I appreciated her mother’s concern – in some ways it only showed how much Aria was cared for – I also felt that I had already proven my dedication by meeting with her the second time. Not to mention all the money I had invested into their family.
Trying not to dwell on that aspect very much, I began to set up the table where Aria was waiting for us.
“How did the dinner preparations go? Did mom drive you too crazy?” she asked, looking genuinely concerned.
“Not at all. We had a good time considering we have a whole lot in common.”
“Do you?” She raised her eyebrows.
“Well, for one, we both care a lot about you.” I grinned, making her blush once more.
Chapter 10
Aria
So far the evening hadn’t gone completely awry and I was grateful for that. Zayden and my mom seemed to have had a pretty good time making dinner together and I was glad to see the potential for them to get along.
He had made a truly delicious dinner, which sure as hell helped my mom decide in his favor. Once or twice I had caught his eyes during dinner and he seemed somewhat amused by the whole ordeal. I wondered what he had talked with my mom about and debated asking him later, but decided that it was best that I left it alone. For some reason, I suspected it was best to just accept that they were getting along – for whatever reason – and not push it very much further.
I turned on the tap in the bathroom to wash my hands, thinking about how Zayden had been looking at me endearingly as my mom narrated stories of when I was a kid. I hadn’t thought he would find any of the tales of me eating pudding with my hands as a three year old interesting, but he had looked delighted and kept asking mom for more. It was a side of him I had never seen before and I wondered if he would be reacting the same way, with as much enthusiasm if it was his mother we were having dinner with and she was telling me his childhood stories.
That made me realize, with a sinking feeling
, I didn’t know very much about his childhood or his family. I knew his mother was a little difficult and pushy from everything he had told me about her, especially in her trying to get him back with his ex-wife. But had she always been this way? What had his dad been like? I knew he had passed away six years ago, leaving Zayden in charge of everything. From the way he mentioned him on the odd occasion, it seemed that Zayden had been rather fond of him. Somehow I had never thought to ask more. I resolved to ask him about his childhood and his dad the next time we were alone together – maybe the car ride back – and maybe even suggest meeting his mom, if he didn’t completely hate the idea.
As I started wiping my hands off, I heard the door behind me and jumped.
“Holy shit!” I exclaimed rather loudly. “What are you doing here?”
The look in his eyes said everything. They were raw with desire and his topmost shirt button was undone. I gasped.
“My mom! Where is my mom?”
“She went to give your neighbors the leftovers. She looked rather happy about it. I am assuming there is some kind of a romance going on there,” he said, taking another step toward me. “Which is good for us.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on my neck while his bulging shaft rubbed against me, making my arm hairs stand. “Cause we can have some romance of our own. There is nothing as good as spontaneously fucking.”
Trying to ignore the fire igniting throughout my whole body as he nibbled on my neck, I said, “She won’t be very long and I told her I was just in here to wash my hands. Zayden, we can’t.”
“Oh,” he said, breaking off the skin contact and for a second I really thought he was going to back off. I couldn’t help but feel disappointment. But then he shoved me against the bathroom wall and pulled down my panties so fast, my heart started thudding rapidly. He leaned back down on to my neck and removed my hair to the other side of my shoulders. He ran his tongue over my neck as his hands crawled across my back and up the hem of my skirt. By the time he cupped my throbbing center with his palm, I would have let him do just about anything he wanted to me whenever he pleased, wherever he pleased.