by Craft, Maggi
“Oh, really? That’s nice,” I said about his mom visiting her son so much. “I think I’ll stay here so you can visit with your family. Your dad isn’t coming?”
He looked down. “No, he’s busy.” I could tell his feelings were hurt. Anytime Slayde spoke of his dad, he always looked sad. I had only met his dad a few times when Brady and I dated, and he always seemed nice to me. Brady hadn’t ever acted like he had any issues with his dad, but maybe he was used to him being gone all the time, since Brady had always lived with his mom.
Looking back at me, he said, “But you can’t stay here. You’re going. My mom’s feelings would be hurt if you didn’t come.” So, he did tell her about me. That made me feel good.
“Well, OK then. I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”
As we got ready to go meet his mom and sister, I felt sick. I was more nervous than I had been when we went on our first date. It took me twenty minutes to decide what I was going to wear. Should I wear jeans or shorts or maybe even a sundress? It was a little silly, I guessed, but I knew Slayde and his mom were very close. It would definitely be important to him that she approved of me. I really hoped she still liked me now that I was dating her son.
We caught a taxi, and Slayde was super happy and bubbly. I, being a little nervous, was quiet and let him do all the talking.
When we got to the hotel where they were staying, I saw them waiting in the lobby. Mrs. Price’s face lit up immediately. I knew Slayde was her baby. Running up, she squeezed him for what seemed like forever while his sister, Taylor, who was now twelve, rolled her eyes.
His mom still looked exactly as she had years ago. She hadn’t aged a bit. Still tiny. Still beautiful and smiling and perfectly polished.
Slayde finally pulled away and said, “Mom, I can’t breathe.”
Laughing, she turned to me, gave me a big hug too, and said, “Arden, it’s so great to see you again. How do you like Paris?”
“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Price,” I said. “Paris is great. I love it. I don’t want to go back.” Why did I say that? If he’s told her about me, he probably told her I’m staying with him. I hoped she didn’t jump to any conclusions about how I was spending my time with her son. I felt my cheeks get pink. Slayde smiled and winked at me.
“Oh, please, call me Lexi. Mrs. Price is my mother-in-law, and she isn’t very fun.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. Then she winked at me.
“Hello, people, starving teenager here,” said Taylor. Taylor was precious; she had the same gorgeous skin and smile as Slayde. They had the same dark hair, except hers was very curly. She also had his eyes. They both looked like their dad. I remembered her being a cute little girl and extremely dramatic. I didn’t think she had changed much.
“Teenager? You’re not a teenager yet.” Slayde put his arms around her head. “You are still my little monkey.”
“Stop it, Slayde. You are messing up my hair. Mom!” she yelled, pinching him under his arm. He quickly let her go.
“Stop it, you two. We’ve only been together three minutes, and you’re already driving me crazy. Slayde, don’t touch your sister’s hair, for goodness’ sake.” Lexi smiled at me. “Children!” This might not be so bad after all.
We decided to go eat so Taylor didn’t “just die.” I imagined it was probably entertaining at the Price residence when both Taylor and Slayde were home. They kept me entertained most of the night with their bickering and picking on each other. The age difference between them didn’t appear to affect the usual sibling shenanigans. He did everything he possibly could to annoy her, and that made her gripe at him. It was amusing to me, but I could see how it could get old after years.
Lexi looked at me. “I thought that eventually they would grow out of this, but I guess I was wrong. I still can’t take them anywhere. Slayde loves to aggravate her, and it makes her nuts. Which, in turn, makes me nuts. The older they get, the worse it gets,” she sighed. “So, how have you been? How is your mom?”
Lexi had already learned that my mom was far from mother-of-the-year material. She was an attorney, and she worked all the time; we would go days without seeing her. If she weren’t working, she was with her loser boyfriend. So I raised myself and my sisters, and that was nothing my mother had cared to change. She didn’t do any normal mom stuff. She didn’t shop for prom dresses with us, or school clothes, or anything, for that matter. She was an absent parent, and all of our friends’ parents knew that. Slayde’s parents had pretty much let Kenedy move into one of their guest rooms when they were dating, I guessed because they thought it provided at least some adult supervision. We were allowed to do whatever we wanted at our house.
“I guess she’s fine. I haven’t talked to her in a few months.” I shrugged. “But I’m fine. I’m in med school at ULA, so I’m really busy. I’ve taken as many classes as I could possibly handle since I started, at seventeen, and finally found time to take a little break.” I laughed. “Actually, my advisor highly suggested I take a break. This will really be my last chance to do so. So, why not? I will go back in time to get a little research done before fall semester begins, but I’m enjoying this little time off from reality.”
“Well, surprise, I rented us a villa in Portofino for the weekend. We can get some sun and relax.” Lexi smiled. Slayde said he’d love to go. He had the weekend off. They all three looked at me, as if mine were the fourth vote that they needed in order to win some prize. “Well?” said Lexi. “What do you think?”
“Oh no, I couldn’t go. But thank you for including me,” I said.
“Why not? What do you have to do that is so important you can’t get out of here for a few days?” Lexi asked me.
“Nothing, I guess, but I don’t want to intrude on your family time.”
“Oh, please, that is definitely not the case. You will be my only sanity. I need some adult conversation.” She gave a pleading look.
“OK, I guess,” I said, and they all cheered.
“Great. It’s settled. We leave in the morning. Meet us in the hotel lobby at eight. Scott will be waiting for us.”
I wasn’t sure who Scott was, but I guessed I would find out at eight in the morning. As we were leaving, Taylor asked Slayde, “Did you ever find my earring that I lost when I stayed with you during spring break?”
“Yeah, I think it’s in my medicine cabinet. I’ll look when I get home,” Slayde said.
“Please don’t lose it. Dad gave them to me,” Taylor said.
“Hell, you already lost it. Just like you did half of everything in your makeup bag. The cleaning lady was leaving random crap on the counter for me for about a month. I’m sure she thought I’d had a bunch of women over. I found lip gloss, mascara, tampons, and hair stuff. What did you make it home with? Anything?”
“Oh, shut up! You leave your socks, shoes, and T-shirts all over our house. So, mind your own business and bring me my earring in the morning.”
That explained a lot. Not the condoms, but at least he was being safe. I couldn’t believe his mom had let a twelve-year-old girl come to Paris for spring break, but I guessed that wasn’t any of my business either.
I was very anxious that night and unable to fall asleep. I tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. I was excited about the trip but also nervous about sharing a whole weekend with his family that I barely knew. Slayde must have heard me, because he came and got in bed with me and pulled me close to him. I immediately relaxed. I felt safe in his arms, and that was a really awesome feeling. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
When the alarm clock went off, I wanted to hit the snooze button and roll over and just stay in the bed with Slayde for the rest of the day. He kissed my forehead. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It’s time to get dressed. We are going to have a good time in Italy.” He got up and turned on the shower and the coffee pot for me like he had been doing it for years.
While I was drying my hair, he came into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He looked
confused. “I know it was in here,” he said to himself.
“What?” I asked.
“Taylor’s damn earring. I thought I saw it the other day. Where could it have gone? Maybe it’s in my nightstand.” He walked out of the bathroom. I shut the door behind him and started looking on the top shelf where I had seen the earring the other day. It wasn’t there. What if it had fallen out when I knocked out the medicine? I looked all over the floor, behind the clothes hamper, and in the sink drain, but didn’t find it. Oh no! What if it also fell into the toilet? What am I going to do?
When I walked out of the bathroom, Slayde didn’t seem too concerned about it. “You ready?” he asked, smiling at me.
We entered the hotel just as Lexi and Taylor were coming out of the elevator. There was a car waiting to take us to the airport.
As soon as we got inside, Lexi started telling me all about this one store in particular she couldn’t wait to shop in. It was her favorite, and they always had the most unique things. I was so intent on trying to listen to her that it took me a while to realize that we had headed to a different airport than the one I flew into. This one only had smaller planes. I guessed it was a private airport.
Slayde had said nothing about how we were getting to Italy, and he had not mentioned that we would be flying there on a private jet, but why would he? This was normal to him.
When we approached the plane, a tall, thin man with auburn hair and blue eyes approached. This turned out to be Scott, the pilot.
“Good morning, Scott,” Lexi said.
“Good morning,” he said as he helped her with her bag.
“Scott, this is Arden, Slayde’s girlfriend. Arden, this is Scott.” Girlfriend? I didn’t know what to say. I just shook his hand. “He’s the best pilot around,” she said and patted my shoulder. “We’re in good hands.”
“Let’s hope so,” Taylor said as she passed him. He smiled at her. He’d obviously been their pilot for a while. They all seemed chummy with him. He was not like an employee. More like a friend.
When we got on the plane, I had to pick up my jaw. I was amazed at what I saw. So, this is how rich people live. It was insane. The jet was so comfortable. Its nice, big seats made first class look like a dump. Not that I’d ever flown in first class, but I passed it on the way to coach.
Slayde squeezed my hand. “You OK?” he asked. I guess I was being too quiet. I was still mulling over the girlfriend comment. Had he told her that I was his girlfriend?
“Yes, I’m fine,” I reassured him.
Once we were in the air, Slayde leaned over to me and said, “About what happened the other night — ”
I interrupted him. “Do we have to talk about that?”
“Yes. I need to know what you want.”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I couldn’t very well say that I wanted to take him back to LA with me and have perfect tan babies with him. Or could I? “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, do you want to be with me when you go home? Can I come back when I’m finished in Paris and be with you?” Maybe Lexi knew more about what Slayde wanted than I did.
I looked down. “Yes, I’d like that.” I knew I was blushing again.
“Why are you acting like it’s a bad thing? It’s not. Being separated for a few days is gonna suck, but I’d rather see you two or three days a week than not at all. Wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Is that how you feel? Be honest with me. I need to know what is going on in that pretty head of yours.”
I smiled. “I obviously can’t help how I feel about you — ”
He cut me off. “Why do you want to?” He leaned away from me, and looked at me as if he were angry. His eyes got squinty, and he raised his eyebrows. “Am I not good enough for you? I know I’m not as smart as your doctor friends at school, but I think we have a really good thing going on.” He must have noticed his reaction had upset me because he softened his tone and rubbed his hand down my cheek.
“Slayde, don’t be ridiculous. I think you’re very smart. I’m not into any of those guys anyway. You make me laugh.”
“I feel like I make you cry.” He was very matter-of-fact.
“You’ve never made me cry. I make me cry. I’m just sensitive, I guess. I don’t know why. No matter how strong of a façade I try to have, my tears always sell me out.”
He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I just want to know where we stand. I want to be with you and only you.” My stomach was doing backflips; I couldn’t believe this was happening. I could feel my face get hot again, but I wasn’t going to let myself cry. I looked down to try and control my emotions. I guess I paused too long, because Slayde asked, “Do you want to date other people?” He looked me in the eyes.
Even with the seriousness of his mood, I had to laugh. I couldn’t believe he would think that. “No. I don’t want to date other people, Slayde.”
“So then, we’re all good?” he asked, his expression softening and the right side of his mouth turning up into that adorable smile. I nodded, and he was happy Slayde again. “OK, enough heavy stuff. Let’s just relax and enjoy this trip.” He grabbed my hand and turned on the huge TV in the plane and started a movie. Letting out a sigh of relief, I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder.
I looked up and smiled at him. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. You could never in a million years have gotten me to believe that Slayde Price would ask me out, much less want to date me exclusively and take me on his dad’s private jet on a trip with his family. I could’ve died right then and have lived a full, happy life.
The airport we flew into was tiny. I would only consider it an airport because there were six other planes parked there. It was in the middle of nowhere, but of course there was a car waiting to pick us up.
We took a fifteen-minute ride down a little narrow road with lush vegetation on one side and a gorgeous view of the ocean out the other. I was trying to soak it all in. Of course, Lexi, Taylor, and Slayde had been there a thousand times, and they were talking about something else. I wasn’t sure what. I wasn’t listening. I had to see everything I could. I knew I might never get the chance to come here again.
As soon as we got to the villa, we all bailed out of the vehicle. The villa itself sat on the side of the cliff overlooking the Ligurian Sea. It was three narrow stories and painted a bright yellow like many of the surrounding villas. The kitchen and a sitting area were on the first floor. There were two rooms and a bathroom on the second floor and one room on the top floor. The bottom-floor rooms led out onto a huge patio overlooking the ocean. It was the most magnificent, breathtaking thing I’d ever seen.
Once all of our luggage was inside, we were greeted by a woman who seemed to be in about her fifties. She spoke no English. Lexi began to have a conversation with her in Italian. I was impressed to see that Lexi spoke very fluent Italian.
Lexi turned to us. “Taylor, your room is on the second floor, across from mine. Slayde and Arden, your room is on the third floor. That is, if you don’t mind sharing a room with each other. If that makes you uncomfortable, Arden, you can have Taylor’s room, and she can sleep with me.”
Taylor gave me a very strong “you aren’t taking my room” look. I could tell Lexi caught it too. “Whatever works for everyone is fine with me,” I said. I knew I was blushing. I didn’t mind sharing a room with Slayde, but what did his mom think of that?
“Of course she’s comfortable sharing a room with him. Hello, she lives with him,” Taylor blurted out, surely irritated with the idea of having to share a room with her mother. Lexi gave her a stern look. I was a little embarrassed.
“Oh, Taylor, chill out,” Lexi said and headed down the hall to her room.
When we got upstairs, I was immediately drawn to the balcony that overlooked the ocean. It was the most exquisite thing I’d ever seen. The water was the most beautiful emerald color, and I could see all the way to the ocean floor.
Then I noticed ther
e was only one bed in the room. Slayde must have read my mind, because he said, “Are you really going to make me sleep on the floor?” He laughed.
“I guess not, but it really bothers me that your mom thinks I’m shacking up with you. She must think horribly of me.”
Slayde was laughing, but I didn’t think it was very funny. “Are you serious? She doesn’t think any such thing. She knows we aren’t sleeping together. I told her you made me pinkie promise not to touch you before you would even agree to stay with me. She asked me if I thought you would be OK with this arrangement before she even got to Paris.”
I thought that was interesting. They had discussed this before she even got there. So she must know more than I thought she did. She must have liked me at least a little, or she wouldn’t have invited me. Unless she only did so to make Slayde happy, but I didn’t think that was it.
“And what made you so sure I would?” I asked.
“I wasn’t, but I had to try.” He laughed and pulled me on the bed and started kissing me. After a few minutes of that, I knew I had to stop before I couldn’t. I tried to get up, but he pulled me closer to him.
“Slayde, let me up. Seriously, she probably thinks we’re up here having sex right now.”
“Then let’s not disappoint her,” he laughed.
“Slayde Price,” I squealed and tickled him. I knew he wasn’t really teasing, but I chose to pretend he was.
That night, we had supper out on the patio overlooking the ocean. This was no doubt the most beautiful place I had ever been. Lexi raised her glass and said she wanted to toast to us all being together and having a great week. Taylor was the only one who didn’t have wine, but she had a wine glass of water, and she raised it to toast with us.
“I wish your dad were here,” Lexi said.
“Well, that’s just the theme of your life, isn’t it?” Slayde said. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe he was speaking to his mother that way.