Loving Liberty

by Belinda Boring

  “I appreciate you inviting me to dinner tonight, but we’re not really compatible, Andrew. I know all I’ve done tonight is disappoint and frustrate you. ” I’d watched my sister try manipulating my father before, teaching me that if I brought my flaws to Andrew’s attention, he’d rethink his interest. “Nothing I did was right. I was boring and didn’t understand a lot of what you were talking about. Something tells me you’d be better dating someone older, more sophisticated like yourself.” I almost added like my sister, Erica; but I wouldn’t wish him on my worst enemy, let alone my sister. Sure, she’d be angry, but one day she’d thank me for dodging this bullet.

  “Yes, you’re young and lack the level of sophistication I usually expect in my dates, but you intrigue me.” We reached the front door and Andrew covered my hand as I reached for the knob. “I’m sure with the right coaching, and with my help, you’ll have nothing to worry about. See you Saturday at six o’clock sharp.”

  I was running out of time and feeling completely frantic. There was no way I could endure another torturous night of this. “Andrew, please. My sister . . .”

  “Erica is beautiful and you’re right, she does seem the better choice.” He stepped in closer, his focus now on my mouth, showing me exactly what he was planning to do. The few mushrooms I’d managed to keep down now surged upward. “But I love a good challenge.” And with that, he leaned forward and kissed me.

  I’d seen a lot of kisses on television and had almost received one from Oliver, but this one—this one was disgusting. He had absolutely no finesse, his slimy tongue driving straight into my mouth where it violently flailed about before he started moving his lips. There was nothing romantic about it. No fireworks or erratic beating of my heart. Andrew all but swallowed my face; and when it was thankfully over, I fought the urge to wipe my mouth on my sleeve. It was by far the grossest thing I’d ever experienced. Andrew grinned like he’d just scored the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl.

  “We can also work on your kissing, Liberty.” He must have mistaken my horror for worry as he lightly tilted my chin with his finger. “I’ll be in touch.”

  He strutted down the stairs and back to his car. It was then that I remembered he hadn’t given me my phone.

  “Andrew, my phone!” Eager to get upstairs and into my pajamas, I needed to text Oliver.

  Jogging back and handing over the device, he couldn’t stop himself from giving one last lecture. “Next time, leave it at home.”

  I simply nodded and watched him drive away, letting out a huge sigh of relief. It was over and I’d survived.

  Now all I needed was an excuse for Saturday.

  Chapter Twelve

  “He what?” Oliver’s voice exploded over the phone.

  I’d replied to his text as soon as got upstairs and he’d called a moment later, clearly furious over the details I’d shared.

  “It was horrible,” I groaned, finally in bed. “I know I said what’s the worst thing that could happen, but I didn’t think the universe would take me seriously. Andrew was unbelievable. I’ve never been so mortified and offended.”

  When Oliver asked me how the date had gone, there was no anticipating he’d have this strong of a reaction. At first he was really quiet; but as the conversation went on, he became more and more vocal. He was beyond angry.

  “No one treats you that way. Ever. I have a good mind to go teach him a lesson.” He let out a sharp breath. “Why didn’t you text me back? I would’ve been there, immediately.”

  “He took away my phone,” I muttered, embarrassed that I’d let Andrew get away with it in the first place.

  “He what?” Oliver repeated.

  “He took it and kept it in his pocket. He basically treated me like a child the entire night and I let him. This is as much my fault as his.”

  “Son of a . . .” He stopped himself before he continued. “I knew it was a bad idea for you to go. My gut told me this guy would be like every other privileged self-serving jerk. I should’ve just gone with my instinct and shown up.”

  “You were going to show up?” Having someone this protective was still such a new concept and it left me somewhat awestruck. I’d had navigated this world for so long—biting my tongue and always being compliant It was definitely strange having this conversation. Had this been my parents, they would’ve told me this was the way things were done and Andrew was well within his rights.

  “I was. Blake got tired of watching me pace back and forth, waiting for my phone to buzz. We were going to drive to the restaurant and watch. Damn it, I should’ve trusted myself.”

  “Blake?”

  “Yeah, he’s my best friend and roommate. I’ll introduce you to him and his girlfriend, Molly. You’ll love them.” Oliver took in a deep breath, attempting to calm down. “I’m sorry, Liberty. I’m not usually this hotheaded. I was worried and it looks like for good reason. I know what guys like Andrew are like. I grew up with them. I just have this mile-long protective streak when it comes to you. I don’t like that he felt it was okay to talk to you the way he did. You deserve so much better.”

  I deserve someone like you, I wanted to add, but didn’t. “It means a lot that you’re angry. No one ever defends me. It’s nice.”

  “Well, get used to it. I’m just glad he didn’t try to put the moves on you.”

  When I didn’t deny it, Oliver exploded again.

  “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to hunt that weasel down and . . .”

  “It’s okay, he just kissed me. He didn’t do anything else.”

  “Kissing you is bad enough!” There was the sound of someone else with Oliver, and I heard him give a brief muffled explanation. When Oliver mentioned the kiss, the other guy began swearing, too.

  “Is that Blake?” I asked.

  “Yeah, and he agrees. Andrew needs a strong lesson in manners and how to treat a lady. Please tell me that wasn’t your first kiss, Liberty. Please.” I didn’t answer. “Damn it.”

  “It’s okay. Really,” I consoled. “Can we just put this behind us? I won’t be going out with him again.”

  “Your first time wasn’t meant to be like that. It’s supposed to be special, and with someone you want kissing you. In fact, no date should be like that, at all.”

  “I know, but there will be others. Years from now I’ll laugh about how gross it was and how I escaped from having my face swallowed whole.”

  Oliver groaned loudly. “You’re killing me here. Tell me it wasn’t that bad.”

  “It was. I scrubbed my face three times when I got into the bathroom,” I confessed.

  “Then there’s only one thing to do. I’m taking you out tomorrow night. Let me show you how a real date should be.”

  “I don’t know if I can. I’d need an excuse to give my parents. I can’t just leave whenever I want to. Not without being interrogated.” My brain was already firing, accepting and rejecting possible reasons to be out on a Thursday night.

  “Can you say you’re going out with friends?”

  I didn’t have the heart to admit I didn’t have any. My parents were so controlling, I didn’t want to subject others to the crazy demands of my family. When I tried to make friends with other girls from school, they never measured up to my mother’s standards. After having to explain over and over why I couldn’t do things with them, they stopped asking and I simply gave up trying.

  “I can say I’m using the library for study. I told them I was having difficulties with a certain topic one of my professors introduced this week. That should work. It may even win me brownie points.”

  “Then let’s do that. Say you’ll catch a taxi home so we don’t have to worry about meeting whoever would pick you up. Then text me tomorrow, with the time and place and I’ll take it from there. I promise you. Your date tonight was not the norm.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I figured. I just don’t have many experiences to compare it with.”

  “Well, you will now. I feel much
better.”

  “You’re acting like you’re the one who survived Andrew.” I teased.

  “He would’ve limped home if it had been me.” He chuckled. “Anyway, let’s change the subject before my blood pressure rises higher. Tell me something fun that you did, today.”

  Still giddy over my date with Oliver tomorrow, I launched into a new story, grateful to finally have a friend who cared.

  The last thing I expected to see when I opened my eyes the next morning was Erica’s scowl.

  “You broke your promise,” she growled, stepping back enough for me to push the blankets back and sit up. “I thought we had a deal.”

  “What are you talking about, Erica?” I asked, bewildered. Rubbing my eyes and stretching, my brain still half asleep.

  “Andrew. Your date with him. You were meant to be so disagreeable he’d lose interest. But noooooo.” She jabbed her finger at me, angrily. “Imagine my surprise when I find out you have a second date.”

  My feet dangled over the edge of the bed as I shook my head. “You don’t want him. Trust me. I’m saving you a world of grief. Besides, there is no second date.”

  “That’s not what he told Mom when she called him this morning to see how things went. Apparently, he’s completely smitten by you and is excited to take you to the symphony.”

  I let out a loud groan. So I hadn’t imagined the whole thing and now my mother knew, as well. For a split second I wanted to crawl back into bed and pull up the covers to hide. There would be no excuse big enough to escape Andrew a second time, now she was aware; the noose was tightening around my neck.

  “I never agreed. In fact, I spent the entire night being criticized by him. Everything annoyed him.” I looked into the stern features of my sister. “And I constantly told him how he’d be better suited with you. He even admitted you were beautiful.” Finally standing, I brushed past her. “This is not my fault!”

  “It is! Obviously you weren’t convincing enough. Andrew is mine. I can give him things you can’t.” Erica grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop walking toward the bathroom. “I haven’t forgotten my threat.”

  I didn’t want to know what she had to offer Andrew and was ready to tell her so when she brought up Oliver. “Keep him out of it, please.” There was no mistaking my desperate tone.

  “You’re seeing him?” Her eyes widened and a gleeful smirk spread across her face. “Oh my gosh. I thought you only knew him from that one night, but you called him, didn’t you? You did! Don’t even bother denying it.”

  I couldn’t. If there was one thing Erica was a pro at, it was reading me. Over the years, she’d learned all my subtle nuances and it was difficult to lie to her. Sometimes I could fool her, if I focused really hard, but she’d surprised me this morning. The phone number had been a decent threat. Now that she knew I’d actually used it, it was like she’d hit the mother lode. The trick now, was damage control.

  “Have you been secretly seeing him?” She got up close and studied me.

  Trying not to flinch and keeping my voice even, I shook my head. “I’m not that brave. I called him once, but the second he answered I hung up.” It wasn’t really a lie either. The first time I’d gathered the courage and used his number, I had hung up.

  “I don’t believe you. You sounded too desperate just then.”

  “I’m embarrassed. I have a small crush on him and if you get Mom and Dad involved, then every time I see him at those events that he works at, he’ll know I’m the stupid little girl with puppy love.”

  She weighed my reasoning and I stood strong against her scrutiny. My hope was that if I belittled myself enough, she’d accept it and move on. When she finally nodded, I shrugged and tried looking naïve. It wasn’t hard. Navigating all the game playing my family did was confusing.

  “See, that’s another reason why Andrew is better off with me. No man wants to date a child.” She added a small half chuckle at the end, as if pleased with her insult.

  “I don’t know how else to convince him. Honestly.” I let out a frustrated breath. My bladder was screaming at me and I needed this conversation over. Unfortunately, Erica still had things on her mind.

  “You need to tell me everything that happened last night in detail. Somehow you screwed up and if we can see where, you can fix it on Saturday.”

  “I don’t want to go on another date with him. He’s a pig.”

  “What do you know? Andrew Hampton is rich, successful, and gorgeous. I’d keep your opinions to yourself, Liberty, before you show just how stupid you really are.”

  “Can I at least go to the bathroom first?” My bladder was full and any minute now, I’d begin squirming.

  “No, this is more important. Tell me and then you can go.” I was ready to ignore her and go anyway, when Erica added with a snide smile. “Unless you want me to tell Mom about Oliver. I’ll do that while you’re in the bathroom . . . your choice.”

  This time I glared at her. “Fine, what do you want to know?” I sat back on my bed, hoping it would help alleviate the pressure.

  “Everything. From beginning to end. Leave nothing out.”

  I hated that I didn’t just tell her no, dissipating her power over me. It was a nightmare going through the date, reliving it was torture. It didn’t help that Erica asked me to repeat certain things over and over, describing how he looked and reacted.

  “I’m stumped,” she finally admitted, flopping herself down on my bed. “If you’re telling the truth, your behavior should’ve scared him off.”

  “I told you.” I wasn’t even going to argue that it was his behavior that was atrocious.

  “What happened when he dropped you off?”

  “That’s when he mentioned the symphony.” I purposely left out the kiss.

  Again, I couldn’t fool her. “He didn’t try touching you?”

  “Well,” I started.

  “That’s why then. You were easy!” Erica exclaimed and looked at me like I was the Whore of Babylon.

  “First off, I am not easy. And second, he kissed me. I didn’t ask for it, I definitely didn’t want it, and it was by far the nastiest thing I’ve ever experienced.” I was getting tired of Erica’s holy-than-thou attitude.

  “You’ve experienced? Who else have you been kissing? This Oliver? Andrew is a million times better than some waiter. If you didn’t enjoy it, then you were doing it wrong.”

  “You know what? If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to him. He may think we’re going out on Saturday night, but he’s only setting himself up for disappointment.” It was impossible not to get worked up dealing with Erica. She was relentless, always poking and prodding, digging and undermining any ground I managed to claim as my own. It was a sick game with her that fed her ego and need for power. It drove me crazy that no matter how I tried, sooner or later I always fell into her trap.

  “You have no say in this, Liberty. You’ll do what you’re told—like it or not. I want you to go and embarrass yourself. Show Andrew that even though he could get you easily into his bed, you’re not worth the trouble. Yes . . . that’ll work.”

  “Please, Erica. I don’t want to.”

  “I don’t care what you want. You’ll do this or our parents will find out about your precious Oliver. Don’t for one second believe that I accept your lame reason, either. You’re involved with him somehow and when I find out, I’ll own you.”

  I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from snapping back. That and to keep from crying. It was precisely moments like this that made me hate my life and wish for the courage to leave.

  One day I’m not going to care about what blackmail or threats they throw my way. One day I’ll be strong and what they say and do won’t hurt me.

  That day was getting closer and closer.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I still couldn’t believe this was really happening. Expecting my parents to play the interrogator, I spent all day coming up with every possible answer in case they questioned my goin
g to the library that night. My excuse was I wanted to do some extra reading for class and the books I needed were there. It would explain why I didn’t take my heavy school bag, and instead carried cash, in case I needed to photocopy something. They were somewhat suspicious at first, but luckily it wasn’t the first time I’d studied like that. After peppering me with questions, they finally gave me permission. My date with Oliver was an actuality.

  He’d sent me the address where to meet him, somewhere on Marginal Way, telling me to dress casually. Luckily, my attire was believable for an all-night reading session.

  Turning up in a taxi, I rubbed my hands against my jeans, nerves stirring in my stomach. Oliver promised me an amazing night, but hadn’t told me what our plans were. It was tempting to just admit that just being with him would make it perfect, but I still hadn’t found the courage to admit my feelings. I wasn’t even sure he felt the same.

  The car door opened and there he was—with a wide grin that said he was excited to see me. Before I could get my purse open to pay the driver, Oliver handed the guy some bills, thanking him for taking such good care of me.

  “I hope you brought your appetite with you, Liberty.” Helping me out, he gave me a quick hug, and I caught the faintest trace of his cologne. He smelt so good, like Oliver, and I nodded.

  “I didn’t know the plans, so I made sure not to eat anything beforehand.” My stomach chose that moment to gurgle. “I’m starving!” That’s when I became aware of my surroundings. We were standing outside Matt’s Famous Chili Dogs, according to the diner‘s sign. It also said they sold burgers and fries. I’d never been to an establishment like this and my wide-eyed expression showed it.

  “It may not be as fancy as some of the places you’re used to, but the food here’s incredible,” Oliver said, holding the door open so we could go inside. Workers greeted us and it was cheery inside. I instantly loved it.