Don't Turn Back (Coming Home Book 1)

by Stephens, Amy

  My parents have often dropped hints to me about finding someone to date. I’ve had guy friends, but nothing ever serious. Besides, I enjoy hanging out with Rebecca while Greg is away. I figure when the right guy comes along, I will know it’s right. I think about Brian and wonder if I could see myself dating him. One thing is for certain, since being around him, I’ve definitely noticed some different emotions being stirred up inside me.

  I finally give up on studying. I change into different clothes myself, putting on a pair of tight jeans and a nice top, and slip on a pair of flip-flops. Here in the South, you can just about get away with wearing them year round. We both end up in the hallway at the same time.

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. How about I treat us to lunch to celebrate your finding a new job? Then, we can head over to the grocery store. I seriously need to restock my refrigerator.”

  “Sure, just let me grab my shoes.”

  I say a silent prayer of thanks to myself. He said yes!

  I gather my grocery list from the kitchen table and put it in my purse. I grab my phone, and we walk outside to the sidewalk together. It’s such a beautiful day. I unlock the car doors and we both get in. As I start the car, a Blake Shelton hit blares from the radio. “Sorry about that!” I say as I reach over and turn the music down.

  “Not a problem. I actually love listening to Blake. He’s one of my favorite country music artists.”

  I pull out of the apartment complex and ask Brian for suggestions of what he would like for lunch.

  “I’m open for pretty much anything. What would you recommend?”

  “I know of a really good pizza place if you are in the mood for that.” I suggest.

  “Sounds pretty good to me.” He looks over to me, and smiles. “Thanks for inviting me to lunch.”

  The remainder of the drive to the restaurant is spent in silence. I park the car, and as we walk to the entrance of the pizza place, Brian places his hand at the small of my back. I’m not expecting this, and am not sure how to respond. Walking in, we see there is a lunchtime crowd. Desi’s is one of my favorites. He is known for his special sauce and garlic bread, and all the locals come here regularly. I notice a booth in the back corner and point in that direction. I slide in the booth, and it seems that Brian plans to sit on the same side with me. I am shocked, but no less giddy with happiness. Isn’t this what couples do? I’m not trying to read more into this, but I certainly like the feel of things right now. I’m really curious to know more about this guy.

  We both order sweat teas, and he passes me a menu. The waitress tells us the day’s special, but we agree on a hand tossed pepperoni pizza with an order of garlic bread.

  Brian glances towards one of the big screen televisions that is mounted on the ceiling. A football game is on, and we both find ourselves pulling for the same team. A few minutes later, our pizza arrives and the waitress refills our drinks. We both reach for the same piece of garlic bread, and I feel an electric current as my hand lightly grazes his.

  “Here, it’s hot.” He says and hands me a slice of bread that I place on the side of my plate.

  We continue to talk about our likes and dislikes, realizing we have even more things in common than we first discovered the other night at the hotel. Time passes by, and we realize there is no way we are going to finish off the pizza. I look over at him and notice he has a little bit of cheese stuck to his chin.

  “Here, let me wipe this for you. I hope you have enjoyed lunch.” I say to him as I take my napkin and lightly wipe the cheese from his chin. I really would like to use something else to remove the cheese, unsure what exactly has taken over me so suddenly. I’ve never been the straightforward type before, not until Brian came along. Maybe he’s got me under a spell?

  “This is the best pizza I think I have ever had.” He is quick to add. “Thanks for suggesting it.”

  I don’t want our lunch date to end, but the waitress brings our ticket. I reach over to grab it, and Brian attempts to take it, insisting on buying. But I won’t allow it. “No, I invited you here to celebrate your job. It’s my treat to you.” I look over to him and smile. I leave enough money on the table to satisfy our bill and tip, then excuse myself to the bathroom before leaving. Brian is waiting for me outside the door, leaned up against a pole with his foot propped. Damn, I can’t believe anyone in her right mind would kick this guy out. There is something mesmerizing about his eyes, and I quickly look away.

  We climb back in the car, and I pull across the street to the grocery store. Brian grabs a cart and takes off like a little kid, pushing it through the parking lot, then jumping on the back of it. I yell out to him, “You’re going to flip that thing and bust your butt!” We both burst out laughing as I catch up with him and we head inside the store.

  I scan through my list and make a mental note of things I need to get. Brian casually points out things he likes, and I am not surprised we like many of the same foods. I toss a few of these items into the buggy, wondering if he notices. We browse the meat counter at the back of the store and I see Brian looking through some packages of rib-eye steaks.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice, juicy steak. Maybe when I get my own place, I will invite you over to grill a couple of these outside.” He says this so casually, it’s as though he already knows he’ll see me again.

  “I’ve got the grill at home.” I quickly offer. “Why don’t you pick out a few steaks for us, and I’ll let you show me your cooking talent on the grill tonight.” As I say this to him, I realize this may sound like I’m being a bit pushy.

  “Mmm, sounds good. Are you sure you haven’t had enough of me already?”

  “I’ve actually enjoyed spending the day with you.” And I really have.

  “It’s a deal then, but I’m buying these.” He says and picks out two of the best steaks and places them in the cart.

  I nod my head and reply, “Ok, if you insist. But everything else is on me.”

  I grab a couple more items for our meal tonight, including a twelve pack of beer.

  We finish up my shopping list and walk to the front to pay. Brian bags everything and together, we tote it all out to the car. We stop at a Redbox machine and pick out a few movies for tonight as well. I swear, if you didn’t know any better, you would think we’ve been a couple for some time now. Maybe it’s a sign for what’s to come, for us.

  Arriving back at the apartment, I help Jennifer unload the groceries from the car. I’m not sure where she likes the items arranged in her cabinets, so I stick with putting away the cold stuff. I figure I can’t go wrong there. She saves the empty bags and shoves them inside a larger bag in the bottom of the pantry, something I remember my mother used to do.

  She turns towards me and asks if I would like a beer. While at the grocery store we had both agreed beer would be great with our steak tonight, but who am I to argue if she wants to start drinking a little early? I grab us both one and walk over to sit beside her on the couch as she turns on the television.

  She shared with me earlier that although she never played any sports while in school, she has always been a big football and baseball fan. I played football while in high school, but was forced to quit the team before starting my senior year. Things started getting much worse at home, my grades started slipping, and football became a thing of my past. I was probably good enough to receive a scholarship for college, but I had absolutely no family support. It got so bad, there were many nights I stopped coming home. I would crash at a friend’s house or over at my brother’s. My parents either never noticed, or never bothered to bring it up. By the time I finished school, with just barely passing grades, I was out of the house completely. I would stop by and visit my mom, often staying a couple of nights, but then my dad would start in on me. My visits back home became less and less. I probably stayed at my brother Jake’s house the longest. He was always busy with work, working long hours and coming home late. He never noticed my coming home in the mi
ddle of the night or the next morning. I’m not saying I’m proud of this lifestyle, but I was getting by without anyone telling me how to live my life.

  By that point, the piece of junk car I had had since high school was nothing but an eye sore. I had a few too many drinks one night while hanging out with a buddy, and I somehow ran it off in a ditch. Nothing about the car was worth saving, and I often wondered why my life was spared following the accident. I realized then that I needed to get my shit together if I was ever going to make something of myself. Jake bought himself a new truck he had been saving for, thus, I ended up with his silver Honda.

  I was in and out of relationships, but nothing ever serious. No one wanted to date a loser with nothing to offer. Jake threatened to kick me out if I didn’t get my act together. We shared a few words, and I realized I needed to find another place to stay before we both said some things we would regret later.

  Shortly after that, I met Macy and we all know that story.

  I hadn’t realized I was lost in my own thoughts. Jennifer was waving her hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention. “Earth to Brian.”

  “Sorry, I was just thinking back to a few years ago.” I don’t want to divulge too much of my history, for fear she will want to read more into my past.

  I retrieve another beer for us from the refrigerator. Then another. We are both enjoying the conversation we are having. It’s really easy to talk to her. I notice it’s starting to get dark outside, and Jennifer walks over to open the patio doors. I walk up behind her and touch my cold beer to her leg. She screams playfully, and runs around the room trying to chase me. It’s apparent that she is starting to get a buzz from the beer. She makes several attempts to tag me with her beer, but I am much too quick for her. She ends up setting her beer on the coffee table, and I let her tackle me on the couch. We take turns tickling each other like high school kids, and at one point, she is close enough to my face, I can feel her breathing. For a brief moment, I look her in the eyes and probably hold my gaze a few seconds longer than I should. I believe she feels it too, because she suddenly jumps up from my lap.

  “Wait,” I reach for her hand before she can walk away. “Come here.”

  I pull her towards me and she allows me to embrace her in a hug. No longer laughing and giggling, I look down into her eyes and place a gentle kiss on her lips. I taste the beer on her tongue and I make the kiss a little deeper. Just when I think she’s enjoying the moment, she pulls back again.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and get the grill fired up. You’ll find the charcoal in the box on the porch. I’m going to go relieve myself of some of this beer before I have an accident.” She manages to say to me before she heads down the hallway towards the bathroom.

  I’m not sure if I embarrassed her, or if maybe she was afraid of what the kiss might lead to, but it was actually fun to let loose, laugh, and have a good time with her. Jennifer is starting to grow on me a little bit and I am enjoying her company. I can tell through some of her actions that she is not as experienced as I am in the dating field, but I can quickly remedy that if she allows me to.

  I walk outside to the porch and start prepping the grill for our steaks. Jennifer returns to the door moments later. I try to read the expression on her face, but she doesn’t look me directly in the eye. Instead, she asks if I am ready for another beer. “I think I will wait for our supper to be ready before I have another. Thank you though. But you go ahead if you want one.” I think the beer is allowing her to relax and feel more comfortable around me.

  Walking back inside, I let my eyes follow her. Yes, she could grow on me.

  I pull our steaks from the container in the refrigerator and place them on the counter. They have been marinating all afternoon, and my mouth is watering, thinking how fabulous they are going to taste. Jennifer starts getting our potatoes ready for the microwave. She promises me she can make a baked potato just as good in the microwave as she can in the oven.

  I head back to the patio and see the grill is just about ready for our steaks. I call back inside to her, and she meets me at the door holding the container in her hands. “Mmm, I can’t wait for these babies to be done.” She shares this with me then takes another swallow of her beer.

  “Babe, you better slow down on that beer. At the rate you’re going, I’m going to have to cut you off before the steaks are even ready.” She pokes me in the arm and winks at me.

  “I’ll be okay. It’s not often I get to let loose. Rebecca and I are always so careful to limit ourselves when we go out. I’m actually going to kick back tonight and enjoy it.” She walks up close to me and brings her arm up around my waist. I’m surprised by her actions, but I know the beer is working on her.

  I’m not sure how to respond, so I return the hug. She loses her balance and leans into me. I catch her stumble and hold her upright. “Oops, sorry ‘bout that.”

  “It’s alright,” I tell her as she regains her balance and heads back to the kitchen. I’m thankful to know maybe the kiss from earlier was not a setback after all.

  I turn the steaks, and the aroma drives me crazy. “Shouldn’t be too much longer. How’s it coming with the potatoes?” I call back to her.

  Meeting me at the entryway to the patio, she hands me an unopened beer and replies “Waiting on you.” Jennifer walks up beside me again, and I notice the glassy look in her eyes. One more beer, and this girl will be done for the night. Hopefully, when she gets some food in her, she will sober up some. Even though I told her I would wait on the beer until our food is ready, I go ahead and pop the top off the bottle. She’s right about kicking back and taking it easy tonight. I’ve been through a lot these last few weeks and I’m ready to relax as well.

  We both sit on the swing again and wait for the steaks to finish cooking. I lay my arm across the back of her shoulder, and she leans into me, placing her own hand on my leg. She lays her head back to rest on my arm, and I make a mental note of how she fits perfectly in the crook of my arm. Focus, Brian. Focus. Don’t let the effects of the beer get to your head, too.

  Our conversation continues for a few more minutes. Then I stand up from the swing and pull the steaks from the grill. I extend my hand out to her and help her stand up to head back inside.

  We both sit down to the table and she selects the smaller of the two steaks. We load up our baked potatoes, and she picks her beer bottle up towards me. Holding it in the air, I bring mine up to clink with hers, and she says, “Cheers. Here’s to new friendship, great company and a damn good-looking meal. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.”

  “Cheers,” I echo. We both dig in to our meal, and I must admit, I did a damn good job with the steaks. Her baked potato is not bad either.

  Jennifer and I spend the next half hour sharing more stories with each other. I really think this girl is probably the nicest person I have ever spent time with. She’s so carefree and is always saying the sweetest things with a constant smile on her face. I don’t even think she could frown if she tried.

  “We did a fabulous job tonight, huh?” I ask her. I stand up to clear the table and she remains in her chair. I look over at her and can’t help but laugh. “What’s the matter, baby. You have a little too much to drink?”

  She rolls her eyes at me in a playful way. As she stands, the look on her face tells me she is done for the night. I convince her to let me put away the dishes, so she picks out the movie we are going to attempt to watch. She doesn’t mention anything to me about leaving tonight, and I don’t bother bringing it up either.

  Brian starts to clear away our dishes, so I walk to the living room. I close up the patio and lock the doors, pulling the blinds closed behind me. I pop one of the movies into the DVD player and walk to the couch. Before I sit down, I figure I’ll probably feel more comfortable in something else.

  I stop by my bedroom to grab some clothes to change into before heading to the bathroom. I glance at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I can’t believe I drank so much bee
r tonight. There’s a knock on the bathroom door, startling me. “You okay in there?” I hear Brian ask from the other side. I open the door up, and I can see his eyes take in my current attire. I must admit, I definitely feel more comfortable in my tank top and pajama shorts. I hope this isn’t too revealing for him, or that it encourages him into thinking that I might want something more.

  “Yeah, I just wanted to get more comfortable.” I tell him. I notice he too is holding a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt in his hands. “Looks like you’re going to do the same, huh?”

  “I got the kitchen all tidied up. You ready for the movie?”

  “Sure, you go ahead and change, and I’ll save you a spot on the couch.” I angle my face towards his and flash him a slight grin. Maybe I’m flirting with him a bit too much, but it sure feels good.

  Minutes later, Brian returns from the bathroom, and I cannot believe what is standing before me. What the hell? I’m sure my mouth is hanging open as I stare at this extremely fine specimen standing right here in my living room. I guess he changed his mind about the t-shirt, because he’s wearing nothing but his shorts now. I think back to earlier when he walked around wearing nothing but my bathroom towel. Who knew that hidden underneath his clothes would be such an unbelievable body? Brian has a natural glow to his skin tone, and it appears as though he works outside, shirtless, in the sun. I’m sure the alcohol is influencing me because of the tingling sensation I am feeling right now, just by him simply standing in front of me. I would love to slide my hands over those abs.

  I reach over and pat the couch for him to sit down. “I would offer to make some popcorn for us, but I’m still stuffed from that delicious steak you made,” I tell him.

  “It was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. But, I agree. I don’t think I could eat anything else right now, even if I wanted to.”