Why Did It Have To Be You?

by T. L. Quinn

  “Sure sounds good. I’d love to be the one to break the news.”

  Ugh. I still have to talk to Brian. “I’m going to break up with him tonight.”

  “Good. I don’t know how you haven’t already.”

  Me neither.

  “Yeah yeah I know, so don’t be surprised if I show up at your door tonight looking for a place to stay.”

  “I’d be honored. I’ll have ice cream and wine ready!” I laugh. “Thanks Ally, you’re the best!”

  Just as we are saying our goodbyes, the slider opens up and Dean walks out. “You almost ready?”

  My eyes scan him up and down. He is wearing khaki shorts with a white button up, but he has the sleeves rolled up exposing his sexy forearms. He has sunglasses hanging from his shirt and his hair is not quite as styled as usual. Damn. Casual Dean is almost just as sexy as dressed in fancy suits Dean. Is there anything he doesn’t look good in? I look down at my sundress and sandals and figure I am dressed appropriately for whatever we’re doing. “Yes. Where are we headed?”

  He smiles at me. “No way. It’s a surprise.”

  I laugh. “Everything with you is a surprise.”

  He grabs my hand. “C’mon slowpoke let’s move it.” I yelp as he pulls me up. “Well then okay Mr. bossy pants.”

  We head to his garage, and, of course, his car is super fancy. I give a low whistle. “Damn. You know you don’t need to try to overcompensate with fancy cars. Your dick is very adequate.”

  Dean scoffs. “Adequate?”

  I widen my eyes at him “Oh shit.”

  It’s too late though because he grabs me by the waist and picks me up and spins me around while he is tickling me. “No! Stop! Stop! I take it back! I take it back.”

  He puts me back on my feet and his body is pressed up against my back. “What is that you said about my dick again?” He says into my ear as his fingers rub my side threating to tickle me more.

  I giggle some more. “You have a fantastic cock. Really spectacular.” He laughs and kisses on my neck. I love the feeling of his chest rumbling with laughter on my back. I never want it to stop. “Really honestly. You give such good cock. I crave it.”

  Dean laughs again. “Stop! Your jokes are giving me a hard on.”

  He lets me go and walks over to the driver’s side door. “C’mon let’s go. We got places to be.”

  I laugh and get in the passenger side. Well, here goes nothing.

  Chapter 10

  We are driving along the lakeshore to wherever we are going. “Are we going to the beach? You should have told me. I would have packed my bikini.”

  Dean laughs. “No thank you! We are staying in the public eye the whole time. No temptations allowed. You know I can’t resist you.” He smirks at me. “Not that that dress is helping matters much.” Dean grumbles, and I laugh. “So what are we allowed to do on this date then?”

  He smiles ahead, confident as ever. “Well. I can hold your hand and maybe steal a few kisses. Definitely cuddles.”

  I laugh. “Oh man you and your cuddles. Seems like very serious business.”

  He just nods “It is.”

  He reaches over and grabs my hand. I link my fingers with his, and suddenly things feel more serious than they were before. You don’t hold hands when it is just sex. This somehow feels more personal even though I have literally had the man inside of me.

  He pulls our joined hands up to his mouth and places a small kiss on my hand, and then he glances at me. “But really I just want to get to know you more without being so distracted by how much I want you.”

  I laugh again, but his words both melt my heart and turn me on at the same time. How can someone be so sweet and yet so sexy at the same time? I don’t know what to say so I just smile and nod.

  Dean pulls into a parking spot downtown near the beach. “A little early for dinner?”

  He grabs my hand again and starts walking toward the water. “I was thinking of something a little greasier for dinner.”

  I give him a confused look, but then we turn down another downtown street and I see a huge fair is set up by the waterfront.

  “Oh my gosh! A fair?” I squeal. He smiles at my giddiness.

  “I wanted to take you somewhere teenagers usually hang out so you’d forget I’m a middle aged man.” He jokes referencing the first night we met.

  I laugh. “Trust me. If I had known about your actual middle aged man skills, I would have saved us a whole lot of time in the getting to know you portion of the night and would have gone straight to me splayed naked across the pinball machine time.”

  Dean stops walking abruptly. “Jesus Caroline! Now all I can think about is you naked on top of the pinball machine.” He pauses and then looks right at me with a grin. “Now I know what is happening on date number two. Or maybe how to end date number one.” He smirks at me again.

  I run my finger up his chest. “Already think you can convince me on another date huh?”

  He places his hand over my hand on his chest and leans down to kiss me. It is a slow, sensual kiss. Just when I try to take it deeper, he pulls back.

  “Yes. There will be a date number two.”

  He turns like he is going to continue to walk toward the fair but his feet aren’t moving. He’s just standing there. “Uhm. What are you doing?”

  He sighs. “Well, I can’t just enter a family event sporting a boner, now can I?”

  My eyes automatically fall to his pants, and I laugh. “No I guess you can’t. Quick think of something nonsexy. Oh! I know! You can imagine me and Brian getting it on.”

  Dean turns to me with a horrified look on his face. “What the actual fuck Caroline?”

  I start laughing so hard. I can’t help it. The look on his face is priceless. Dean doesn’t look amused. My smile grows even bigger. “What? It worked didn’t it?” I smirk at him.

  He just shakes his head. “How am I ever going to be able to keep up with you?"

  ◆◆◆

  We spend the first hour or so playing all the little carnival games. Dean wasted so much money trying to win all the prizes. I kept telling him, he could have just bought all the prizes ten times over for how much he spent trying to win everything. He would just get a serious look on his face and say “Yeah, but it’s more fun this way.”

  We’re walking around now, and I am carrying the huge, purple stuffed teddy bear that he finally won for me after multiple attempts trying to throw some darts at the top row of balloons on the wall. We were both trash talking to each other the entire time, but when he finally got it, I jumped up and down celebrating, and he picked me up by the waist and spun me around. I know I was giving him shit, but I know I'll end up sleeping with this thing every night. Well, that is unless I can figure out a way to be sleeping with Dean every night.

  “Want to bring this to the car and then we can hit up some of these rickety looking rides.” I laugh “Gee, thanks for reassuring me that we aren’t about to die on these deathtraps.”

  He laughs again. “My plan is just make you go on the tilt-a-whirl so many times you puke up everywhere and are so embarrassed you decide you’ll never find anyone who wants to be with you besides me.” He grins.

  I let out a fake offended laugh. “Oh, so that’s your plan? Trap me into dating you through overwhelming embarrassment?”

  He laughs and then pauses touching his finger to his chin like he is thinking.

  “On second thought, I do think I recall you screaming in the shower earlier something along the lines of how you couldn’t live without my cock and how you needed it to survive.”

  I let out a belly laugh. “You ass! You can’t steal my jokes!”

  He’s laughing too. “Hey that was original content! I just stole the general concept.”

  “Mhmm.” I smirk at him. “You may have those middle aged man skills, but your old noggin can’t quite keep up with my humor.”

  He pulls me close and grumbles “Don’t make me show you ‘can’t keep up’ s
kills.”

  I laugh and press my lips to his. I love how easy everything feels with Dean. It feels right.

  I never felt like this with Brian. I was always worried about whether he was having a good time or not. With Dean, I can just be myself and enjoy the date. I don’t feel any pressure. I am just enjoying him. He kisses me one more time and says “C’mon let’s get this in the car. We’ve got a tilt-a-whirl to get to.”

  ◆◆◆

  After riding every spinning ride in the whole fair, we both feel nauseated. I look over to Dean who looks like he is close to puking. “Why did we think this was a good idea?” I moan and hold my stomach.

  He laughs “Yeah it seems like it was much easier to handle when I was a kid.”

  I laugh as I imagine a little Dean running around the fair going on all the spinning rides over and over. I bet he was a cute kid. “Did your dad take you to the fair?”

  He grunts a laugh as if what I said was ridiculous. “No usually my nanny would bring me down to the fair by us at least once every summer.”

  I don’t know why I asked if his dad took him. The question does seem ridiculous now that I think about it. I feel like I need to comfort him. Like I can somehow make up for the lack of affection he received from his family. Maybe it’s because I know how he feels. Neither one of us had a horrible family. It’s not like we were abused or anything but sometimes it almost feels worse. Don’t they say indifference is the opposite of love not hate? I reach out and rub my hand up and down his arm. “I’m not close with my family either.”

  He looks over to me and smiles then his eyes suddenly light up even more.

  “Ah yes! We’ve gotten to the serious part of the getting to know you phase.” He claps his hands together. “Lay it on me. The more dirty, dark secrets we know about each other, the hotter the sex wil be.”

  I bust out laughing. “Oh, is that how it works? And besides who says I’m the type of girl who sleeps with a man on the first date?”

  Dean raises his eyebrows at me with a huge grin on his face saying who are you kidding?

  I roll my eyes at him. “Asshole.”

  He leans close and whispers “I’ll wait as many dates as it takes.”

  I look up to him in full swoon mode and then he ruins it by adding, “Unless it’s more than five because then my dick might fall off.”

  I shake my head and laugh. “Oh my god.”

  Dean laughs too. “So about those secrets of yours...spill.”

  “Alright fine, but first I need fuel. Oh! I need an elephant ear, but first real food. Hmm...maybe the bacon wrapped hotdog with cheese fries?”

  Dean gives me a play moan. “I can’t believe I found the perfect woman.”

  I laugh, and we head toward the food trucks.

  ◆◆◆

  We did spill our guts to each other over dinner or as close as fair food can come to dinner. I told him about my family growing up and why we don’t talk much anymore, about what I am studying at college, and what I hope to do with my career once I finish.

  He tells me more about his work and what he actually does, how he could probably work less but he likes to be the best in the business, and how hard it was not being able to raise Brian, especially when his mom started to start fights with him and make excuses of why she couldn’t bring him over more. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I feel more connected to him than I have some people I’ve known my whole life. We were sitting at the picnic table talking for hours and then even more as we walked around the fair eating the elephant ear we decided to split.

  Dean looks at our empty plate and then looks at me. “So, I guess it’s time we end this perfect date on the ferris wheel, huh? I mean don’t want to ruin any teen romance fantasy you had going or anything.”

  I laugh “Of course! It couldn’t end any other way!” I put my hands over my heart to add to the dramatics.

  Dean wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Oh, I can think of a few other ways it could end.”

  My heartbeat speeds up when I think of going home with Dean, but then reality hits me, and I remember Brian will be there. I look at Dean and I know he knows what I am thinking about. He grabs my hand

  “C’mon we can talk once we're sitting in what every romance movie ever has told us is the most romantic place so I can convince you to do what I want you to.”

  I laugh, grateful that Dean can lighten the mood so I don’t stress too much. He is similar to Ally in that way. No wonder I like Dean so much. He is like the super sexy male version of my best friend.

  We step onto our cart on the ferris wheel, and Dean puts his arm behind me. He leans down and kisses my shoulder. “Ah no wonder these things are so romantic. It’s because of the cuddles.”

  I laugh. This man always knows how to charm. I lean my head over and lay it on his shoulder and then let out a long breath. I want to just last in this moment forever. Ferris wheels really are romantic.

  “I’m going to end things with Brian tonight.” Dean looks down at me but doesn’t say anything. “Ally told me I could stay with her.” Dean looks sad at my words.

  “You don’t have to leave. I have a third bedroom or Brian could stay in a hotel. That’s what he wanted to do originally anyway.”

  I smile up at Dean “I’m not going to live with my ex-boyfriend and don’t you think he’d find it strange if I continued to stay at his dad’s place while he is at a hotel?”

  “Just tell him it’s just until you find your own place. You’d have your own room. Not that I would let you spend any time there, but I think he would be fine with it.”

  I raise an eyebrow at him in question. “Oh really?”

  Dean sighs “Well, he’ll be fine enough. It’s not like he really is in a place to get to choose when he is the one who messed everything up in the first place.”

  I nod, but I still don’t know. I guess I'll figure it out once I start talking to Brian. I lay my head back on Dean’s shoulder. “Thanks for today.” I whisper.

  Deans smiles down at me and then places a kiss against my head, and we watch as the sun starts to set over the water from the top of the ferris wheel.

  Chapter 11

  We’re walking hand and hand back towards the car. This is probably the best first date I‘ve ever had, and if I had to guess, there probably won’t be any as good in the future either. We are laughing about a memory from earlier in the day when suddenly Dean drops my hand, and his smile drops from his face.

  He tries to turn away to hide himself from someone when a woman’s voice calls out. “Dean?” She walks closer to us. “Dean, what are you doing here?”

  Dean looks at me, and his eyes have a different tone than I have ever seen since I’ve known him. An apology.

  I glance back over to the woman. She’s a leggy blonde with a pretty face. She’s older than me. Probably around Dean’s age.

  When she notices Dean isn’t going to answer her question, she looks to me and extends her hand. “Hi, I’m Jenny. Dean’s wife.” She winks at me.

  I let out a small laugh thinking she’s joking. I stare at her a second and she just smiles, so I look back at Dean. He’s not smiling. He’s also not denying it.

  Suddenly, I feel like I can’t breath. Dean is married? What? No. That can’t be. Why did Brian never mention it? Why doesn’t she live with him? They must be separated or maybe they are one of those modern couples in an open marriage. Oh god. I not only slept with my boyfriend’s dad but my married boyfriend’s dad. I feel like time has stopped and all the air around me has been sucked away. I need to get out of here.

  I can’t just walk away without saying anything, so I just look back at Jenny.

  “Hi, I’m Caroline. I’m Brian’s girlfriend.”

  Dean’s head whips toward me, looking angry that I am still referring to Brian as my boyfriend. Well tough luck. You didn’t tell me you had a wife.

  Jenny’s face lights up. “Oh yes! Brian has mentioned you quite a few times! I’m surprised it has
taken us this long to meet, but you know college boys. They don’t want to hang out with dear old mom quite as much.”

  Mom? Oh god. Dean is married to Brian’s mom. What the hell! Did he lie about everything?

  I can feel my anger rising, and I plaster on a huge fake smile to try to hide what I am feeling.

  “Where is Brian?” Jenny looks around like she is expecting him to be here. I don’t want her to know I am here alone with Dean, so I quickly say “Oh he just went to grab the car. I was just about to call him. I’ll see you later.”

  I wave at Dean. He is looking at me confused, but he probably doesn’t know what to say so he just lets me continue. I glance over to Jenny. “It was nice to meet you.” I walk away as fast as I can and call an Uber.

  My driver pulls up pretty quick since this is a popular area, and I get in the back seat. As the car starts driving back towards Dean’s house, I lean back in my chair and close my eyes.

  I try to stop them, but a few tears stream down my face. I really thought I could trust Dean. I should have known better. When things seem too good to be true, they usually are.

  I try to think of what I am going to do once I get back to Dean’s place. I have my overnight bag packed. I could just grab it and head over to Ally’s, but I haven’t talked to Brian yet.

  I feel like me saying “Hey, I know you cheated on me. See ya!” isn’t exactly going to cut it. I guess I could break up with Brian and pack all my stuff up to bring over to Ally’s, but that will allow enough time for Dean to get home, and somehow I don’t think he’ll just let me walk out the door without talking. Ugh!

  The house is about 20 minutes away, so I decide to just text Brian that way he can kind of anticipate what is going to happen.

  Me: We need to talk. I’ll be home in about 20 minutes.

  Brian: Okay.

  ◆◆◆

  My Uber pulls up to the house, and I get out and start walking toward the front door. Just when I reach the door, I see Dean’s car pull into the driveway. He must’ve left right after me if he is already back.