Love Notes

by Heather Gunter

  Is it normal for a guy to be so excited for his girl to be meeting his parents for the first time? I'm thinking not and what a rare dude I must be.

  I'm not the only one though. My mom is stoked beyond words. She spent the day cleaning and cooking. She wanted to make sure we had something that Charlie likes.

  As it turns out Charlie isn't a picky eater and that thrilled my mom even more. We love food in this house. In fact my mom is a huge cooking channel nut. She is constantly trying new recipes out on us. My dad and I love it. We never eat the same thing twice. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few that weren't that great, but for the most part, we are happy guys.

  I make sure to dress casual, but still nice. I can't wait to show her off. I’m just so determined for them to see in her what I do. I don't doubt they will.

  I’m worried about Charlie from practice the other day, but I knew that I couldn't push her. I don’t doubt her family has everything to do with it, but to what extent, I don’t know. All I can do is be here for her whenever she is willing and ready.

  I did tell my mom though and she was concerned, but she did say that I need to not push Charlie. So I’m taking my mom's advice and not pushing her.

  The moment the door bell rings my heart speeds up. I'm a goner. All it takes is the ringing of the door bell to set my heart flying. The instant I swing the door open I'm met with Charlie wearing a dress, a dress that hugs her curves and comes down slightly past her knees. She is gorgeous.

  “Charlie, you look beautiful.”

  Her eyes instantly widen at the word, like she has never heard it before directed at her. I know I’ve told her this several times already and every single time she seems surprised by the words.

  “I do?” Her voice quivers in response.

  All I can do is shake my head, “Absolutely.”

  At my reassurance, a huge grin spreads across her face. Like this is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her.

  She steps inside and is instantly greeted by my dad. As soon as I make introductions he bear hugs her. Like literally picks her up off of the floor, with her feet dangling.

  “Dad, put her down.” I holler, but with amusement.

  The look of shock that registers across her face doesn't last long. It quickly turns into a small smile and she awkwardly hugs him back.

  She is going to have to get used to this. We are an affectionate family and it's all I have ever known.

  Anytime I fell down or got hurt growing up, they were there. My mom used to cringe when I first started football. I think all those years of getting tackled is the reason for her graying hair. My dad was a player in high school as well as college. He is an alumni of the University of Georgia so of course, I want to follow in his footsteps.

  My dad set Charlie down and I can see from the pink splotches surrounding her neck that she is slightly embarrassed.

  “Come in, come in Charlie and meet my wife. She is so excited to meet you,” my dad says.

  My dad glances at me as if giving me a sign of approval and steers Charlie into the kitchen.

  I follow, just taking in the scene. Everyone I love is in this house. I'm not sure how to describe this feeling. I trail behind wanting to see what my mom thought of her. I knew she would love her but I also know how exciting this day is for her. When you are the only female of the household you tend to get excited, or so she has told me.

  My mom turns around the minute we walk into the kitchen.

  “Oh my gosh Charlie, you are just as pretty as Maverick said you are.”

  Yep–she's blushing again.

  “That's very sweet of you, thank you.”

  As I am looking at her, I can tell that she honestly doesn't believe it. She really does not see how gorgeous she really is. This I know I will need to rectify. In baby steps, of course.

  “Maverick, why don't you take Charlie into the other room? Dinner is almost ready.”

  I walk over to Charlie and grab her hand leading her into the living room. Charlie takes in everything and immediately notices the pictures on the mantle and pulls me to it. There are a shit load of pictures of me sitting there of me growing up. Oh, who am I kidding? It's like a shrine.

  “Mav, you were so cute.”

  “Were? What do you mean by were?”

  “What I mean is you were cute when you were a baby. Now you aren't so cute anymore.”

  I act like I am getting offended, just teasing her.

  She tries again with, “What I mean is, you are more handsome, than you are cute.”

  I can tell she’s getting flustered and not sure what to say, to not offend me further. I decide to put her out of her misery and make sure she knows I'm teasing.”

  “I know what you meant. Thank you.”

  She smacks me sharply on the arm and says, “You butt.”

  But she's laughing and that's all that matters. I love her laugh. Just as I’m sidling up closer to her to kiss her, my dad walks in announcing dinner is ready.

  Perfect timing.

  Not.

  Dinner went so well. I think she started to feel a little more comfortable. She already has my dad wrapped around her finger and my mom was just as much in love. We sat and talked for at least another hour when I finally decide to steal her away for a little while, just the two of us.

  I had decided that we needed a little alone time. We never get any. We always have Will or Tori with us. Don't get me wrong, I love them to death but sometimes you just need to be alone.

  I open the door to the Camaro and Charlie slides into her seat. I walk over to my side and jump in. I'm immediately assaulted with questions.

  “Where are we going Mav?”

  “You'll see, I think we need some alone time, don't you?”

  I glance at her really quick and notice that she seems nervous but I'm not sure why. I automatically grab her hand hoping to calm her. It seems to work a little because she looks at me and smiles a small smile.

  The minute we reach our destination, she still seems a little timid. I put the car in park.

  “This is my favorite place.”

  I've brought her to a secluded place at the lake. It's beautiful here and I want to share it with her. I turn around and grab a blanket out of the back seat, hop out of the car and open up her door. She gingerly gets out and is eying the blanket cautiously.

  I get it now. She thinks I'm planning something intimate. It can't be further from the truth.

  “Charlie, the blanket is just for sitting on over there by the bank. Nothing more.”

  She breathes out a sigh of relief. “Oh good, sorry you had me kind of worried. I was a little concerned about the expectations here.”

  I grab her hand and lead her to the perfect spot and lay the blanket down flat. I sit down and pull her down to sit beside me.

  “I would never do that. Do you not realize this yet? I'm not that kind of guy. I want to take things nice and slow.”

  She looks at me with one eye brow raised up at me.

  “Okay,” I chuckle, “Maybe I do have a hard time with slow. But this, this is different. You aren't that kind of girl and that's one of the reasons I like you so damn much.”

  I can tell she’s breathing easier now, having heard me out.

  “To be honest, I didn't think you were, expecting that, but I guess we needed to have this talk anyway. Mav, I've never…”

  I immediately stop her from finishing her sentence.

  “Charlie I haven't either. I’ve never found the right person and I always knew I would know when I did, and it would be with someone special. I believe that you are that person, but that’s something neither you or I are ready for. Not, by a long shot. Let's just enjoy being together, and getting to know each other better.”

  She doesn't say anything at first, but then scoots closer and positions herself directly in front of me so that we are face to face. She takes her hands and places them on each check, much like I had done to her. She rubs a thumb in a back and forth
motion on one side caressing it and looks me directly in the eye.

  “Remember how I said that I thought I loved you? Well this just sealed it for me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I do.”

  She leans closer and lightly kisses my lips. How just a small but intimate kiss, can pack so much emotion and mean so much, I will never know.

  She pulls back, turns around and props herself against my chest so she’s sitting in front of me. I wrap my arms around her and spend at least another hour just talking.

  Before I know it, it's time to get her back to my house so she can go home. The moment we pull into the driveway, I see my parents walk outside to say goodbye.

  My mom hugs her and I’m thankful my dad refrains this time.

  “Charlie, I’m so glad to meet you. You are welcome any time.”

  She smiles a thank you, and nods her head and I walk her to her Jeep. Before she climbs in, she smiles, “Thank you Mav for having me over. Your parents are wonderful.”

  In answer, I shut her door and lean through the window and give her a lingering kiss. One to remember me by for when she gets home.

  Chapter 23-Charlie

  I’m desperately trying to keep my home life separate from my school life.

  Home sucks. My dad continually talks down to me and my mom sits idly by, letting it happen. Same shit, different day. I still have to watch myself and I wait for the other shoe to drop. Because it will, it always does. It’s like walking on egg shells.

  My dad made the point of saying, I was just waiting to get my heart broken, and that he would be there to tell me, ‘I told you so’.

  Nice, huh? This isn’t surprising, coming from him.

  When I'm at school, I feel like a completely different person. That’s the only time I feel free. It’s a completely new feeling, something that I’m unaccustomed to.

  My new happiness stems from Maverick. It still seems like a dream, and I feel as if I’m flying on cloud nine.

  School’s been so much more enjoyable with Maverick there. He’s attentive and seems to want to touch me when we’re together, always holding my hand. I’ve never been a touchy- feely person. Probably because my parents have never shown any affection. But with him, I don’t mind.

  Tori is amazing, and as much as I didn’t want to move here, there’s not a day that goes by, that I’m not grateful for her. She’s like an enigma. Tori isn’t one of the girls who gets jealous if you have a boyfriend and doesn’t act any different around us.

  Will’s hanging out with us now. He’s a cool guy and together they’re hysterical together. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a friend that you’ve known almost your whole life and grow up with them. Tori still seems a little off with Will around. I tried talking to her about it, but she just shrugs it off, saying it’s fine. She’s conversing with him a little, but keeps it to a minimum. It’s an improvement at least.

  Tonight, I get to cheer on my guy. I’m attending Maverick’s first away football game.

  The energy at school is contagious. We have a pep rally scheduled for this afternoon, since we’re playing our rivals. This isn’t the first game of Maverick’s I’ve attended, it’s just the first away game. I know, I don’t get out much.

  Of course, Tori and I are sitting together, and we’ll ride to the game too. Maverick decided to drive his car to the game instead of riding the bus, so I’ll be riding home with him. We’ve made plans for afterwards, which makes it even more exciting.

  The moment they call the seniors into the gym, I look for Tori to be waiting at my locker. As soon as she sees me, she loops her arm through mine and that’s how we walk in.

  We grab a spot on the bleachers close enough where Maverick will see us, and we wait. She nudges my shoulder with hers, “Are you excited about tonight?” All I can respond with is a smile and nudge her back. Changing the subject, I take the chance and go there. To the unspoken elephant, always in the room.

  “So, I see that you and Will have been talking some.”

  Tori turns head at me and snaps, “Don’t even go there Charlie. Not tonight. I like Will just fine and he’s a nice guy. He’s just not for me. So drop it.”

  Her voice then softens, “Please.”

  I drop it. I made the attempt and now it’s dead in the water. Maybe one day she’ll trust me enough to talk about it.

  All of a sudden the band starts playing and the crowd goes wild. As the class president starts to speak, automatically hushing the crowd, they start to announce the players.

  Maverick’s the first to be announced, since he’s the Captain. He runs in to take his spot, and everyone is cheering and going crazy. I’m screaming at the top of my lungs, making a huge spectacle of myself and I don’t care. The moment he’s in his designated area, I see his eyes search the crowd. My heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest, because I know he’s looking for me. The moment he sees me, we share a look. A look that says so much. We share an unspoken message between us. I can’t imagine not having him in my life, ever.

  The moment they call Will, his co-captain, he starts whooping and hollering, acting like such a guy. I laugh, watching them act like fools together.

  I glance at Tori, just for shits sake, to see if there’s a reaction from her. She seems lost in thought and isn’t paying any attention to me whatsoever. She’s watching Will move from one place of the gym to the other until he reaches his place beside Maverick. I can see a side view of her face and her eyes look misty. I let her be, because she obviously doesn’t want me to know a thing, which hurts a little.

  As soon as the pep rally is over, everyone is dismissed to leave. My stomach in complete knots. Not from being scared or nervous, but just from pure excitement.

  Tori and I hop into her car and drive to our rival school. “Now, you know we have to find a place to sit where Maverick will be able to spot you. He’ll want to find you out on the field, prior to the game starting.”

  I just look at her as if to say, “How do you even know this?” But she beats me to the punch, like always. “What? I know these things. Trust me.”

  We park the car and she leads me to the stadium, looking for the perfect seat. The place is already crowded and the energy is crazy in this place. I’ve never been to a school that takes football so seriously.

  Tori grabs my arm over to a tight place, but will fit the two of us and where we’re on ground level, easily to be spotted by Maverick. Another reason to love Tori, she’s considerate of others.

  Just as the game is about to begin, the announcer starts to announce the other team, meaning ours. Our team flies through the homemade sign the cheerleaders are holding up and I see a football player making his way over to us. I can’t tell who it is from far away, but the moment he gets closer there’s no mistaking it.

  As Maverick nears, my heart speeds up. As soon as he reaches me, he grabs my hand pulling me up to a standing position. “Couldn’t start my game before getting a good luck kiss from my girl.”

  I’m in awe, as well as shock. But I begin to smile, because this is Maverick. This is who he is. This is my Maverick, that loves me and seems proud to be with me.

  He grabs me around the waist and plants a smoldering kiss on my lips and whispers, “I love you babe and I’m so glad you’re here!”

  I hear his team cat calling at him, and see Will in the distance laughing and screaming at Maverick to get his pansy ass over there, so they can start the game already. All the while laughing, Maverick winks at me and turns and runs back to his team.

  Tori is laughing, I’m sure some of it has to do with the look on my face.

  “That boy is whipped, you know that, right Charlie?”

  I think I have a permanent grin plastered on my face that I don’t think will ever go away. At least I hope it won’t. Some things are too good to be true. Al least this is how it’s been in my experience.

  Needless to say, we win our game.

  The moment I see a showered Maverick headed
our way, I get excited all over again. I see Will with him looking directly at Tori. She looks as if she’s avoiding any and all eye contact with him.

  Maverick pulls me to him and swings me around. Hugging and snuggling my neck, “I’m so glad you’re here Charlie. All I had to do was look over and see you and I just felt better, stronger even. Maybe you’re my good luck charm.”

  Of course, to myself I think, luck? Nope, don’t think so, I’m far from lucky.

  “Ready to go? I have something planned for us, it’s a surprise.” Maverick looks suspicious, likes he’s up to something.