Love and Skate (11 page)

             
“
I didn’t know.  And I didn’t want you to think I was weird for wanting you to meet my parents so quickly.” I let out a long dramatic sigh and sh
r
ugged.

             
“Your mom is great.  And believe me, if my parents weren’t how they are, I would want you to meet them too.  I’m so glad you brought me.”

             
“You are the sweetest person in the world.”I said to her, and I meant it.  She was everything good and I hoped that maybe some of it would rub off on me.

             
“
Sweet?  Sweet? I am not sweet.” She tried to look all offended. “I am tough and
mean and very,
very dangerous.” She couldn’t even finish the sentence without laughing.

             
My mom came out of the back and brought out the whole spread.  I knew she would.  There was enough food for five people.

             
“Mom, this is too much.”

             
My mom looked at Nellie and they both laughed.

             
“Have you seen him eat Nellie?”

             
“Yes, and I don’t think you cooked enough.” They laughed again at my appetite, but I was used to it by now.  And to see my mom and my—Nellie get along was worth all of the nervousness.

             
My mom moved to go back to the kitchen but Nellie grabbed her hand to stop her.

             
“Please stay and eat with us or at least tell me some good blackmailing stories about Owen.”

             
My mom and I locked eyes for a second and I knew she wouldn’t tell any compromising stories.  She smiled at Nellie and pulled up a chair next to her.  She started in about when I was little and we were in church.  I pulled so many stunts in church that there was no telling where she was going with it.

             
“So, they are passing the grape juice around and Owen stands up in the pew and almost screams, ‘Are you feeling better Mom?’  So I tried to shush him, but he wouldn’t listen, of course.  Then I asked him what he meant, hoping that if I answered his question he would be quiet.  Then he screams, ‘Everybody is taking the same medicine, so I
wanna
know if you feel better,’ He thought the grape juice was little cups of medicine! The whole church cracked up.”

             
She and Nellie laughed and Nellie leaned over to hold on to my bicep because she was laughing so hard.  Mom’s phone went off and she checked the message.

             
“Your dad will be here soon.  He wants to meet Nellie before you leave.”

             
“
Ok, thanks Mom.”

             
“I need to go see if everything is done in the kitchen. 
Nellie don’t even think about leaving before telling me goodbye, ok?”

             
“I wouldn’t dare.” Nellie answered her.

             
Mom made her way to the kitchen and we had pretty much finished eating. 

             
Nellie
reached under the table and put her hand on my thigh and squeezed the tiniest bit.  My eyes went wide and she giggled knowing exactly what she was doin
g.  She moved her hand away as my mom now approached with her famous lemon cheesecake.  Nellie took her first bite and looked like she might slump out of her chair. 

             
“Oh, this is the best.” She practically moaned it.

             
“Yeah, she makes this every Friday night.  So every Saturday morning I ate cheesecake for breakfast.”

             
“Lucky.” She said before she put another bite in her mouth.

             
I saw my dad walk into the front door and my mom went to talk to him.  They had been divorced for almost two years but they still talked on the phone every day and neither had ever dated.  I was sure that one day they would get back together.  And I was also sure that everything I had put them through had caused them to divorce in the first place.  The stress of the whole thing tore them apart. 

             
I didn’t a
lert Nellie to his presence.  Chase Black
was one who needed to observe her for a few minutes before he approached her.  It was his way. 
Mom went back into the kitchen and dad watched us a little more before he finally came our way.  Nellie looked up at him and then to me and back to him.

             
I got up and hugged my bear of a Dad.  I only had about an inch on him in height but he met me in weight.  I may have had my mother’s looks, but I had my father’s stature and height almost identically. 

             
My dad introduced himself and Nellie got up and shook his hand.  Then he reached under her arms and picked her up and gave her one of his bear hugs that he usually only reserved for me and my little brothers.  One day Nellie would have to meet them too.  I hoped soon.

             
Nellie laughed at something my dad whispered in her ear and he was such a clown there was no telling what he said. 
He talked to us for just a while and then went into the kitchen.  Nellie looked exhausted so we decided to leave.  We stopped in the kitchen and Mom and Dad both hugged her almost to death and then invited her to Thanksgiving. 

             
She looked to me and then my mom backtracked.

             
“Why don’t you two decide what you’re doing for Thanksgiving and then let us know, ok?”

             
“Ok Sylvia, thank you so much for dinner and everything.  It was a pleasure to meet you
and you Chase
.”

             
My parents had insisted she call them by their first names.
I hugged my parents again and we headed out. 

             
It was all I could do not to cry.  His parents were warm and kind and anyone could see how much they loved him.  Not once did they comment on my hair or my tattoos.  Not once did they look at me like anything was wrong or different.  And it was the very reason I didn’t want him to meet my parents.  They would probably not say anything directly to him, but th
ey would cut me down to no end in front of him.
I just knew it.

             
I sat in his Bronco on the way home and didn’t realize that I was completely ignoring him until he started speaking.

             
“You ok?  I freaked you out right?”  He said while he stared at the road ahead.

             
“No, not at all.  I’m so glad you brought me to see your parents.  They are so nice.  Seriously.  It just made me think about my parents and how they are
kinda
the opposite of yours.”  I reached between us and took his hand in mine.

             
“They can’t be that bad, they had you.”  He rubbed my hand with his thumb as he spoke.

             
“Yeah well, there’s not a day that goes by that they don’t regret that.  Don’t worry.”

             
We pulled up at my apartment complex.  Apparently I had been in my own world longer than I thought. 

             
We both sat there and looked up at the windows which marked my apartment.  Tonight had been so wonderful but I wasn’t ready for it to end.  But at the same time it was already almost one in the morning and I’m sure Owen was tired. 

             
“I’m not ready to let you go.” He turned in the driver’s side seat and half smiled at me.

             
“Me either.  I…”  I was always such an open book but it also meant that I took a chance at getting my heart broken. 

             
“You what?” He said as he played with the ends of my hair.

             
“I feel like I never get enough of you.  We’ve spent all this time together tonight and
it’s still not enough.”  His face stayed unmoving so I tried to backtrack.

             
“Sorry, I’m just tired.  Can we just ignore everything I just said?”  I covered my face with my hands.

             
“Absolutely not.” He took my hands from my face and continued, “I have felt that way since I first met you.  And I hope that it’s never enough.  I hope you never get enough of me.”

             
I blew out a breath of relief.

             
“Can you at least walk me up?”
I whispered.

             
“Are you serious?  Like I would miss kissing my girl goodnight.”

             
Before I could say anything, he got out of his side of the car and came around to open my door.  He took my hand and we walked very slowly towards my apartment. 

             
We got to the door and I unlocked it.   Amber’s room was shut so I assumed they had already come home.  I turned to see Owen
.  He braced both of his hands on the top of the door jamb and he was looking down at me.  He looked like he wanted to say something but instead he folded his arms around me and held me to his chest.  It was much more than an embrace.  For the first time in a long time I felt safe.  Those arms could protect and save me from the bad friends, the ex-boyfriend, t
he ex-best friend, the parents
and the gossipers.  I let out a sigh and held on tighter.  He stroked the length of my hair as we stood there and when I looked up to thank him again he was already looking at me so seriously that I almost forgot what I wanted to say. 

             
“Thank you for tonight.”

             
He closed the distance between us and
when our lips touched everything went away but us.  I clun
g to the back of his shirt
then my hands traveled
underneath his shirt and he
ld on to the muscles just above his waistband.  With this act he deepened the kiss and pressed me, with hands on my back, as close to him as two people can get.

             
“Ahem.” I heard behind us and we bo
th stopped to look behind him
to see Dylan and Amber coming down the hall.

             
“Hellie, your bed is all of
six feet away.  Don’t give away your v-card right here in the hallway.
” 

             
They squeezed past us into the apartment and went directly into her room.  All of the sudden I
was
reminded of how I didn’t ‘put out’ and how it ruined relationships.
I could almost hear a draining sound as the blood rushed from my face.
I gave a small smile to Owen and told him goodnight.  He looked confused.  Maybe he thought we were going to…  I shut the door and went to sleep.  Shortly afterwards, I woke up to the sound of a text message.

             
O: U ok?

             
N: Y

             
O: U r lying.

             
N:
Tmrw
? Lunch?

             
O: Y, where?

             
N: Salem Park, picnic tables.

             
O: ok

             
I looked like crap the next day and the way I felt matched it perfectly.  I had completely turned a cold shoulder on him at the very mention of anything intimate. 

             
My shower this morning had revealed that the bruise on my thigh was massive.  But I still had to wear shorts as this crazy southern weather had taken a turn for hotter temperatures.  I put on some black shorts and a light pink tank top.  I forgot to ask what time Owen wanted to meet so I texted him.

             
N: What time?

             
O: Soon.

             
N: Ok, 30 min?

             
O: Y

             
Why soon?

             
I ran to the local sandwich shop and picked up a small sandwich for me and two huge ones for Owen plus chips and drinks.  I got to the park and he was already there sitting at one of the tables.  I got out and got the f
ood and made my way to him
.  His head was resting in his hands and I wasn’t even sure if he noticed I had arrived.  I sat down opposite him and he raised his head slowly.  He started to worry me.

             
“Hey, I got sandwiches.  I didn’t know what kind you liked.”

             
“Thanks.” He said it but he didn’t move to eat.