Tempus (15 page)

I hurried outside, locking up, and waited on the steps.  I was surprised to see the Toyota.  I realized for the first time why he never really drove it anymore—he took up most of the front seat!  I smiled at him, and shook my head a little as he climbed out.  He wasn’t quite six feet tall, but it still looked like he had to unfold to get out.  It was adorable.

As he came around the front of the truck, I got a good look at him.  His hair was spiky as usual, and he had on a pair of dark sunglasses, which he removed and placed on his head.  He was wearing a fitted black on black striped button up, the top two buttons undone, and the long sleeves rolled up neatly below the elbow.  His dark jeans were close fitting, but not tight, and his black boots were polished.  His green eyes were shining as he smiled.

“Twins,” he said as he stepped up one step, embraced me, and whispered, “You look beautiful.”

“So do you,” I sighed, and then realized what I’d said.  “I mean, you look great.”

“I tried.”  He walked me down the steps and to the truck, opening the door for me.  He gave me a quick kiss before closing the door, going around, and getting in.  Once inside I realized he wasn’t quite as squished as he appeared from the outside, but the Toyota didn’t have nearly as much room as the Monster.

“Why did you drive
this
?”  I wanted to know.

“I thought we would drive down to Springfield and have a steak dinner at Longhorns.  I remembered you had a hard time getting into the Monster the last time we ate, so I figured I would make it easier for you this time.  Is Steak okay with you?”

Points for thoughtfulness.  “I love a good steak!  You know, I haven’t been to Longhorns since Mom died, that was one of her favorite places.  Dad won’t go back.”

“We can go somewhere else if you want to, if it bothers you.  Pick any place, your wish is my command.”  He seemed to be worried he might have done something wrong.

“No, Longhorns would be great, seriously.  I’ve wanted to go, but Dad makes excuses why we can’t, so I quit asking.  I didn’t think I’d get to eat there again until I moved out.” 

He looked at me for a moment, and then said, “You can sit in the middle if you want.  I’ll even buckle you in.”

I scooted over to the center of the seat and let him reach around me for the belt.  He smelled so good; I couldn’t help but breathe in deeply through my nose when he leaned in front of me.  He noticed, and turned his head to face me, gently brushing my lips with his.  My tummy fluttered.

“We better get going,” he said, sounding a little breathy.

“Yes, we better,” I echoed, my voice even weaker than his.

Think’st thou existence doth depend on time?

—Lord Byron

We made it to Longhorns by seven and it took half an hour to get a table.  It was just as I remembered; only it seemed
smaller
.  We laughed about how, as we got older, perspectives changed; the irony wasn’t lost on either of us.   

The Restaurant was unusually busy, and it took a while to get our food.  By the time it arrived, we were ravenous, and by the time we were finished, I was grateful Steve had driven the Toyota.  I was so full that, once we were inside and I was buckled in the truck, all I could think about was how much I wanted to unbutton my jeans, stretchy or not.  I fought the urge, but it wasn’t easy.

It had taken so long to be seated and eat that we arrived at the theater late.  If we rushed, we could probably make it before the movie started.  Neither one of us was in a hurry, though.  We just sat in the truck, feeling bloated, and laughing about it.

“Maybe steak wasn’t such a brilliant idea for a first date,” said Steve.

“No, it was
great
.  Maybe
starving
before eating wasn’t a good idea, though.  You’re going to think I’m a pig, but in my defense, I haven’t eaten much all day.  I’m bad about that; I’m kind of all or nothing.  They say that’s really unhealthy—starving and bingeing.  I don’t do it on purpose.”

“I do that sometimes, but it’s usually because I’m busy and
can’t
eat.  I stuff myself to make up for it,” he laughed.  “So are we going to try to catch any of the movie, or do you want to do something else?” 

“Hmm.  I think I want to do something else.  Sitting still in a theater doesn’t sound fun, except maybe I could stretch out.”  I patted my stomach,   “My jeans shrunk a size back there.”

“Mine too,” he agreed.  “Well, I could take you home if you want.”  I shook my head.  “Or we could go rent something to watch at my place.  You haven’t even seen inside it.  It’s small, but I like it.”

“That sounds like a plan.”  I was curious about his place.  I’d only seen it from the outside once, when Dad stopped by for something.  I don’t remember what. 

“It’s a plan, then.”

We drove back to Era, stopped in at Video to Go for a couple of new releases, and drove to Steve's place.  It was a small guesthouse, which he rented from the McLemores.  It sat on the back of the property, a good distance from the main house.  He even had his own driveway off North Sycamore.

It was a square, four-roomed house with a diamond shaped center hall, a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and small kitchen.  Steve took care of all the maintenance, of course.  He had even built small porches on both the front and the back.  It wasn’t fancy, but it was neat and tidy, outside and in.

The living room had a dark grey chair and sofa, a coffee table, and a small entertainment center.  The television was nice, as was the stereo, which was no surprise.  I noticed the DVD player on a shelf, and below that, a Play Station Three.  I would never have guessed Steve for a gamer. 

As he showed me around, I noticed there weren’t a lot of decorations, but everything was tasteful, and it didn’t have that ‘unfinished’ look that so many places did.  Overall, I liked it, and it felt cozy. 

While Steve put in a DVD, I excused myself and went to the bathroom.  I didn’t spend much time, but wanted to check my face and hair.  Everything was still acceptable, so I washed my hands and returned to the living room.

Steve was sitting on the sofa when I returned.  The only light was from the flickering television, the DVD menu playing, and it made his eyes sparkle.  He patted the space beside him, so I walked over and sat down.  He put his arm around me, and pulled my head over on his chest.  “You can stretch out if you want, if you’ll be more comfortable.”

I didn’t want to put my boots on the sofa, so I slipped them off before extending my legs and burying my feet between the cushion and the arm.  I was so comfortable, but I could tell Steve wasn’t.

“Do you want to change?”  I asked him.  “If you do, I don’t mind. 
I
would if I could.”

“No, I have a better idea, if it’s okay.”  He looked at me, so I shrugged.  “Hop up.”

I stood up and Steve stretched out on the sofa, turning sideways.  He barely fit.  He got up, held up a finger, and ducked into the bedroom, returning a moment later holding up a pillow like a trophy.  He put it on one end, stretched back out on the sofa, and raised an arm for me to join him.  There wasn’t much room left for me.

I lay down and he pulled me up against him.  Once we settled in, I was
incredibly
comfortable.  I snuggled back while he pushed the play button and started the movie.  I wondered if he could see over my head, but I could feel his face against my hair, hear him take deep, deliberate breaths, and realized he probably didn’t care.

I wasn’t paying any attention to the movie.  Steve had started caressing my face and ear with his free hand, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.  I was being lulled into a stupor, and didn’t mind one bit.  Except it made me sleepy.  Very, very sleepy.  I tried to force my eyes to stay open, but they refused.

“Jessie. 
Jessie
.  Wake
up
.”

Someone was talking to me in my dream.  It sounded like Steve, but I couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from.  I was turning every direction, but I didn’t see him anywhere.

“Jessie, I have to take you
home
.”

My eyes fluttered open, and for just a second, I didn’t know where I was.  I almost jumped up, but Steve kept his arm around me, and breathed in my ear.

“I’ve got to take you home, it’s late.”

I remembered where I was, who I was with, and why.  I had fallen asleep!  I tried to sit up, and this time Steve helped me.  In a panic, I checked my chin for drool.  Nothing was there, thankfully. 

“I’m sorry.  I was so comfortable and my eyes were so heavy.”  I yawned, and then wondered how my breath was.  I was making a terrible impression.  I started to rub my eyes, but remembered I had on makeup.  At least I had before I fell asleep, now I wasn’t sure.

“It’s ok, I dozed off too.  We’re lucky I woke up when I did.  We won’t be late, but we’re cutting it close.”  He stood up and stretched, walking toward to kitchen.  “You thirsty?”

“Very!”  As he went into the kitchen, I checked my breath in my hand.  I was safe, but my mouth felt icky.

He brought me a coke, and I gladly took a big drink, trying to swish the bubbles around my mouth a little without being obvious.  It was so cold, wet, and delicious, and the bubbles popping felt good on my tongue.  “Wonderful,” I said after I swallowed.

“I had a great time,” he smiled.  “Hope I’m not too boring for you.”

“Not at all.  I just haven’t slept well the last few nights.”  I didn’t say why.

“Me either.”

I knew his reason was different from mine.  Once again, I had a moment of guilt, but it wasn’t that bad.  I had enjoyed myself with Steve, and I liked that I felt comfortable enough to fall asleep.  It would never have happened with any ex-boyfriend I ever had.  That had to mean something.  Points for comfort?  Maybe.

I leaned against him, his arm around me, as he drove me home.  It took less than five minutes this time of night, and even so, my eyes were getting droopy again by the time we got there.  He got out and opened the door for me, taking my hand as I slid out of the seat.  We walked arm in arm up the steps and stopped at the door.

“You better go in before you fall over, unless you want me to carry you to your room.”

I laughed, “That won’t be necessary.  Lucky for me, my feet know the way.”

“We’ll do this again, yes?  Next time eat salads or something, right?”  We both laughed, and then his eyes got serious for a moment.  “I had a great time being with you.  I know we didn’t do much, but your company was enough for me.”

Without waiting for a response, he kissed me.  It was a much more fervent kiss than any he had given me before, than
anyone
had ever given me, and it was the closest to fireworks I’d ever been.  I responded without conscious thought, and that only served to make his kisses more passionate.  I felt something, some emotion, stirring in a way it never had, and it frightened me a little.

I could barely breathe, and I didn’t know whether to let go, or hold on tighter.  It was settled
for
me when I heard my dad’s footsteps in the kitchen, headed toward the door.  Steve had heard to, and we both stepped apart just before the door rattled.  The curtain lifted, and there was Dad’s face, peering out at us.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Roger.”  We spoke at same time.

Dad waved and dropped the curtain, but I heard a chair scrape against the kitchen floorboards, so I knew he’d sat down at the table.  I stepped toward Steve and whispered, “How’s my face.”

He reached up, wiped a tiny smudge of mascara from under my left eye, and said, “It’s beautiful.”

“Shhhhh!”

He laughed and I gave him a pointed look.  He asked, “Can I call you in the morning?  Or you can just call me when you get up.”  He seemed to consider a moment.  “You call me, okay?”

“Okay, I will.  I had a great time, and I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”  I giggled.  “
Literally
.”

He leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.  It looked for a split second as if he was going to grab me again, and then he took a deep breath.  “Goodnight, Jessie.”

“Goodnight, Steve.”

I once again watched him until he was backing out, and as before, when the light hit his face, he blew a kiss.  This time when I caught it, I blew one back.  His smile was blinding.

Now it was time to face my dad.  I wished he had just gone to bed.  What was he going to ask and what was I going to say?  I blushed just thinking about it, and had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm down and allow my face to clear, as if it would do any good.  I held my breath and swung the door open.  Dad wasn’t there.

Relief flooded me, and I rushed for the stairs as if my life depended on me getting to my room in the next three seconds.  On the second floor landing, I heard Dad call out, “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, Dad.”  I called back, never slowing down.

As soon as I reached my room, I pulled out my cell phone I sent Julie a message.  ‘Dead on my feet.  GREAT NIGHT.  Promise to call you first thing tomorrow.’  That should buy me until the morning, enough information to make her happy, but not enough to make her call me.