Forbidden Fruit: An Unlikely Love Story

by Michelle Fondin

  The anticipation of the moment overcame them. Nick brushed the hair out of her face and murmured softly into her ear, “I’ve missed you.”

  Marissa’s lips trembled as she spoke, “I’ve missed you too. Please don’t do this again,” she pleaded. “I hate being separated from you.”

  Nick gazed into her eyes, “I’ve just been so confused. When I’m with you it’s like time stops and nothing else matters. I could care less if I get fired or if people find out. But then sometimes I get scared that we’re not doing the right thing and it makes me push you away.”

  …But you can say baby, baby can I hold you tonight…

  Now her whole body was trembling, not out of nervousness but out of sheer desire to hold him forever and have him hold her back and never ever let go. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Hold me, Nick, please hold me.”

  His whole body enveloped her with the emerging desire that had been held back for so long. His lips found her lips passionately, their breath almost halted from the energy that surrounded them. Her body met his and had he insisted she would have given herself to him unconditionally.

  Yet, someone unlocking then bursting through the front door suddenly interrupted the intensity of the moment.

  They both sat up quickly like two teenagers caught in the act.

  “Hello,” said the intruder with a cheery voice.

  “Hey Will,” said Nick nonchalantly. Then without missing a beat he added, “Will, this is Marissa.”

  Will wiped a sweaty hand on his shorts and extended it toward Marissa, “Nice to meet you, I’m Will, Nick’s roommate.”

  Nick turned to Marissa, “Actually Will owns this townhouse. I’m just renting from him.”

  Marissa nodded staring at his shorts, “We’re you out running?”

  “Yeah,” Will said dropping his keys on the coffee table.

  “It’s freezing out,” Marissa commented.

  “I run every day. It doesn’t matter how cold it is,” stated Will. “And now I’m going to run up to the shower. See ya.”

  Marissa stared wide-eyed at Nick. “You told him my real name.”

  “He’s my roommate now. He’s going to have to get used to seeing you a lot. So he needs to know my girlfriend’s name,” said Nick warmly.

  Marissa heart skipped a beat. Did he just say girlfriend’? She thought. There was no way she was going to question it, but it stayed in her mind. “But I’m Samira to your parents?”

  “Yes,” Nick stated firmly. “And I’m Mike to your parents until further notice.”

  “Do you think I passed the test?” Marissa inquired.

  “What?”

  “With your parents? Did I pass the test?”

  “My mother just wants to see me hitched. But she’s also pretty nosy. She’ll want to know more about you. My dad, he just goes with the flow.”

  “Your parents seem really cool though,” said Marissa with envy.

  Catching her tone Nick consoled her, “Maybe it’ll get better once you’re out of the house.”

  “Maybe,” Marissa said skeptically, “but I doubt it. My family life is so fucked up.” She paused then added, “I’ll never be that way with my kids. I’ll listen to them, really listen to what they want out of life.”

  “Sometimes our greatest lesson from our parents is how to not be like them,” stated Nick wisely.

  “You said it,” said Marissa. “Speaking of parents, you’d better drive me back to my car. If I’m not home by midnight, my mom will have the police out after me.”

  “Really?”

  “Not really, but almost. I don’t want to ruin the mood of the evening. It’s almost perfect.”

  “Perfect will come when we can spend a whole night together uninterrupted,” said Nick as he gently rubbed her back.

  Wow, his words are on fire tonight, Marissa thought. She wished they were alone now, so they could follow their desire and live out their passion. They both stood there not wanting the moment to end. Finally Marissa reluctantly said, “We’d better go.”

  They lingered in the truck as long as they possibly could, covering each other with kisses as bursts of unleashed passion overcame them. When Marissa at last, peeled herself away from his inviting arms Nick called out, “Read the next two chapters.”

  The light and tingling feeling she was left with could not have been lifted had the earth come crashing down around her. She was sure now that he felt love for her. Even though he hadn’t said it, she felt it to be true.

  Even Barbara’s mean and menacing ways wouldn’t burst her bubble tonight. With an airy step, Marissa bounded into the house as if it were early morning and not ten minutes past midnight. Barbara was loading the dishwasher.

  “Hey, mom!” Marissa called out.

  Much to her surprise, Barbara was in a good mood, “How was work tonight?”

  “Good,” answered Marissa as she grabbed an apple.

  “Are you making good money?’

  “Well, pretty good. I haven’t taken over a whole section yet. Chip thinks I’ll be ready by next week. We’ll see how it goes.”

  “Honey,” started Barbara kindly. “Dan called several times tonight. He appeared upset. Is there something wrong between you two?”

  Marissa had a hard time believing that Barbara’s interest came out of genuine concern. Her mother had never shown one ounce of caring for her relationships in the past. “Mom, we’ve been apart for over seven months now unless you count the week he came to see me. It’s hard carrying on a long-distance relationship.”

  “Well, anyway. You should call him. He sounded very sad,” Barbara reiterated sympathetically.

  She was suspicious of her mother’s sympathy but she decided to feed on it anyway. “So can I call him now?”

  “Sure. I think you should.”

  Marissa grabbed her apple in one hand and the phone in the other. It was time. She needed to tell him about Nick. The game of infatuation was over. Serious feelings had emerged and she needed to play fair with Daniel.

  It seemed that the phone barely rang. He picked up, “Hello.”

  “It’s me,” Marissa said in an almost whisper.

  “Where have you been babe? I’ve been calling you all night.”

  “I was working. Didn’t Barbara tell you, I got a job waitressing.”

  “Yeah, so I heard. I got a call from Steve.”

  “Really?”

  “He said he saw you at The Shelter last night. He said you looked hot. Bastard was checking you out,” Daniel paused.

  Marissa rolled her eyes.

  “Anyway, he said you were with a couple of guys.”

  Marissa cut him off, “So what, is Steve your spy now?”

  “No, he just thought I might like to know. Mariss, who were those guys?”

  Annoyed Marissa answered, “I work with one of them and his name is Chip. The other one is a friend of Chip. I just met him.”

  “Were you with him, Mariss?” asked Dan nervously.

  “Daniel, if you must know, Chip is gay. And his friend, well, he hopes his friend is too.”

  “Oh man, I was scared Mariss. I was thinking…”

  “Daniel, I met someone.”

  Silence filled the air. “Goddammit Marissa. Are you trying to get back at me? I told you I was sorry and that I wouldn’t do it again.”

  Marissa paused again before saying in a serious tone. “Dan, it’s not like that. It’s worse.”

  “Worse than fucking someone Marissa? What’s worse?” yelled Dan.

  “I’m in love with him,” she answered quietly.

  Marissa heard sniffing on the other end of the line. Minutes went by before she heard his voice again. “Are you sure?” he asked in desperation.

  She sighed heavily. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ve known him since September.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Why now?”

  She choked out the words, “ Because I realize now that I
want to be with him.”

  “So you’re…no Mariss, you are not breaking up with me over the phone,” Daniel cried even louder.

  “How else do you want me to do it? Write you a letter? Daniel don’t you think I feel badly enough as it is? I would rather tell you in person. I’m really sorry.”

  Now she was crying and she truly was sorry for all the pain she was causing him. But she couldn’t lie to him or to herself any longer. The feelings she had felt for Dan didn’t even come close to those she now felt for Nick. To her it was perhaps a difference between childhood romance and real adult love. It seemed their love had always stayed on the physical plane whereas the love she experienced for Nick was much deeper and complex, almost spiritual.

  Silence filled the gap once again.

  “Fine. So does that mean you’re not moving out here?” asked Daniel in desperation trying find something to hold onto.

  Marissa thought about the question for a minute then answered impulsively, “No, I’m still moving out there. Just because we’re not…” then she stopped. Her decision did throw things off kilter and doubt entered her mind.

  “I see,” Dan said coolly. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know.”

  All of the sudden she felt terrible. She knew she was breaking his heart and that tore her up inside. But she needed to be true to her own heart which told her that Nick held that special place inside, not Daniel. And any pity she felt for Daniel wouldn’t change that. If she changed her mind now, it would lead to resentment toward him, not love.

  “I’m sorry,” she squeaked out sadly.

  “Whatever!” Daniel snapped angrily and hung up.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Freedom gave way to an even more intense unfolding of their relationship. Still they hadn’t talked at length about sex, love or commitment. It was just a relief to be able to see one another and talk with no boundaries or limitations. Nick’s townhouse was conveniently located between the school and her mother’s house and just a few miles from the steakhouse. From the first day Nick moved in, they had developed a quasi routine of seeing each other every day. It wasn’t calculated or planned, Marissa just happened to stop by his place after work. Oftentimes, Nick would be just returning from his job at the gallery. Sometimes they made plans but they were always impatient to see one another. In most cases, even though only a day had passed since they last saw each other, they would meet again as though it had been years, sharing and expressing thoughts, dreams and realizations. This intellectual intercourse, the bond that held them together, was unlike any that Marissa had experienced before and at times she feared that perhaps, she might never experience bliss so intense again.

  In the beginning, Marissa would be at Nick’s house by ten o’clock in the evening during the week. They would talk, have a bite to eat or cuddle and she would be off by eleven to get home in time for curfew. But as the days went on, an hour together was not nearly enough. They would just get started on an intense discussion on metaphysics when the clock struck eleven. One evening when this happened, Marissa turned to look at her watch then ignored it. Nick, absorbed in their conversation, barely noticed and continued to share. When she arrived home at eleven thirty, Barbara scowled and threatened to make her quit her job. “School comes first,” she had said. But Marissa protested saying that by working she was thinking of school first.

  Then there was school. During the first few months when she and Nick would steal moments here and there to be together, it felt daring, almost as if they were breaking the law. However, being considered Nick’s girlfriend was a whole other ballgame. As she walked through the school halls, she reveled in the naughtiness of the conspiracy. She fed off the secrecy. The unique situation drew them closer than would have been if circumstances had been otherwise. And as she caught glimpses of him throughout the day, there was smugness in her smile, a knowing he was hers. And although, by day, appearances showed he was the authority figure with power over students her age, by night, she knew their passion brought them to the same level or even made him subservient to her when they touched.

  Friday came along and they knew they finally had more time together. Marissa’s father rarely stayed awake past eleven, so he never knew at exactly what time she came home.

  “Perfect!” Nick exclaimed the night before. “We both work until nine. Ann has invited us over for a party she’s having for some of her friends. I’ll pick you up at the restaurant.”

  Uneasiness crept upon Marissa as she thought about meeting Nick’s friends. “Does Ann know, Nick, that we’re using her to lie to your parents?”

  “Marissa, Ann’s known me for a really long time. She knows how unconventional I am. I explained the situation to her and told her to keep it to herself. She understood. As far as everyone else is concerned, you’re with me and you can tell them what you want about yourself,” Nick reassured her.

  “What if they figure out how young I am? I’m bound to look out of place,” she complained.

  “Marissa, you don’t look or act young. If you did, I wouldn’t be going out with you. Just be yourself. They will adore you.”

  Still she couldn’t help but feel intimidation upon meeting people from Nick’s “world”. Outside of teachers and parents of friends, the adult world was still very foreign to her. Being considered as an adult with value to contribute to others was uncharted territory. It was true that Nick considered her to be an adult rather than a child but he was very different from most of the adult population. So part of the fear came from peering into that world for the first time. The other part appeared when she thought of what others might expect that she know.

  The nervousness occupied her thoughts even as she worked in the chaotic environment of the restaurant. Throughout the week she had been doing so well that Chip had granted her an entire section of tables to herself. And Friday night, the busiest night of the week, was probably not the best night for an amateur waitress to take on a whole section of tables for the first time. Her insecurity about making a bad impression with Nick’s friends coupled with her insecurity about being a competent waitress caused her to make mistakes that night.

  “Marissa, table 35 needs their check and they just sat you a two top,” Chip told her with impatience as they stood at the server stand.

  She ran about trying to keep up. However, when she arrived in the kitchen to pick up an order, she saw two bowls of soup that she was supposed to deliver to another table. The soup, as a result, was now cold. “I need two more broccoli and cheese bowls,” she shouted to a cook.

  “You and five other servers,” the cook shouted back.

  “Crap!” she mumbled to herself and ran out to deliver the food and explain to the other table why their soup was taking so long.

  Back at the server station, Chip barked more orders her way, “You’ve got to keep those water glasses filled babe and bus the tables.”

  “Where’s the darn busboy?” Marissa whined.

  “Who the hell cares? Bus your own tables if he isn’t there,” Chip yelled. “We’ve got a forty-five minute wait list. It’s our responsibility to keep the tables turning.”

  Marissa was angry. Maybe she wasn’t made for the fast-paced restaurant world.

  But she went back, brought out the soup and noticed that the hostess had sat her again. And this time it was a five top. Crap! she thought again. I’m going to die out here.

  She ran to the bar to get drinks for the new table when Chip came storming up to her, “They sat you again.”

  “What?” Marissa asked in disbelief.

  “I told them not to but they did,” said Chip in a huff.

  “Don’t the hostesses know it’s the first time I’m on my own?” Marissa said angrily.

  “I can’t help it,” said Chip, “it was a request. They requested a girl named ‘Samira’ but the hostess thinks they got it wrong. They pointed to you.”

  Marissa turned white, “Oh, my God!”

  Chip put his arm around her, “W
hat it is honey? Are you sick?”

  “I bet you any money those people are Nick’s parents. Oh God, what am I going to do Chip? I can’t wait on them. They think my name is Samira.” She looked down at her nametag and ripped it off.

  Chip’s twisted face of confusion turned to that of understanding, “Oh, I get it. The teacher’s parents.”

  “Chip,” Marissa begged, “they can’t know my name is Marissa. Please don’t make me wear the nametag, please. Tell Robert it got lost in the commotion. He won’t insist while the restaurant is so busy. Please!”

  “O.K. I’ll cover for you,” he said kindly. “Chances are Robert won’t even notice.”

  Marissa dropped off the drinks and walked gingerly to the table where Nick’s parents sat.

  “Hi, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, ” she said addressing them with a shy smile.

  “Samira!” Nick’s dad called out to her, “I told you to call me Jim.”

  “O.K. Jim, how are you tonight?”

  Jim Smith rubbed his belly and said, “I’m hungry for a steak dinner. When Nick told me you worked here, it gave me a taste for a nice, juicy steak. I haven’t been here in ages.”

  Nick’s mother studied Marissa from head to toe, “That dress is very becoming on you Samira,” she complimented.

  Marissa blushed and glanced down at the dress that she forgot she was wearing. “We have to wear these medieval gowns. It’s our uniform, ” she said apologizing for the way she looked.

  Mrs. Smith continued to stare. “Uniform or not, it suits you very well. The royal purple velvet fits perfectly with your olive skin and dark hair.”

  Marissa’s cheeks turned from pink to crimson. “Thank you.”

  Finally, Mrs. Smith shifted her eyes from Marissa to the menu. “Well, we might as well get a drink.”

  Jim Smith agreed, “Yes, it looks as if Samira has a lot of work tonight.”

  Marissa was relieved that she needn’t stand there and chat any longer. But when she brought back the drinks, Mrs. Smith couldn’t resist saying, “So Nick said you two are going to Ann’s tonight.”