“Oh, really?” Grams asked in surprise. “Tell us about him. Was it someone you met on campus?”
“Maybe we should meet him before that happens,” Grandpa interrupted sternly.
“Absolutely not,” Dad piped in and I gave him a thankful look. If he hadn’t been there, I probably would have give in to Grandpas strict rules and introduced them to Justin.
I don’t think that one would have gone over very well. I had a feeling a tattooed, pierced, cigarette smoking guy would be someone Grandpa would ban me from dating, no matter how old I was. I had defied my mom plenty, but I wasn’t prepared to do that with my grandparents.
“I think Della has learned her lesson over the years and can make her own choices. I would like to spend some together while I’m back though, Della. Maybe we could meet up to go fishing one day this week if you don’t have any early morning classes.”
“That would be great.” Fishing had always been our thing. We would wake up early to take Grandpa’s fishing boat out and talk for hours. My mother thought it was the most disgusting thing and demanded I immediately bathe whenever we came back from one of our trips.
We finished up our lunch and dad and I did the dishes while catching up with each other. It was great to have him around again. We had always had a special bond that I think my mother was jealous of. It had fizzled a little over the years when I had moved away, but he always tried to come up with something special to make it up to me. Now that he was back, I could tell that he really was interested in getting to know me better and being the father that I needed.
Chapter 12
“How do you think this looks?” I stood in front of Callie and Zoey who were sprawled out on their stomachs, spinning around Callie’s room that looked like Pepto Bismol and a furry white cat had gotten into a fight and exploded all over her room. I mean, I loved pink, it was my favorite, but this was a little much.
“Hello?” I jutted out a hip, glaring down at them when they still didn’t give me answer.
“Oh, sorry Della, We’re just a little busy reading about you.” Callie giggled before looking up from the newspaper that they the two of them had in front of their faces.
“Huh?” I scrubbed at my face, regretting ever coming to the two flighty twins for advice on what I should wear on my date with Justin. I had no clue why I was so worried about what to wear. Justin would probably show up in a t-shirt and those ratty jeans he always had on, thinking he was hotter than any guy out there.
“Look.” Zoey jabbed at the paper again with her pointer finger. “Apparently you’re hot news around here. I didn’t know that I was living with an actual celebrity. Can I please have your autograph?”
I threw a fluffy pink pillow at her face, snatching the paper out of her hands. “What is this exactly?”
“The entertainment section of the school paper of course. Do you live under a rock or something?” I gave Callie a look and began searching the page. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know the school paper was so interesting. I figured no one read it.”
I scanned the page until I found an article where my name popped out at me. I skimmed it quickly, seeing that they had done a small piece on me attending the campus and how I was a ‘ reality star’. I guess if you considered five episodes and a follow up that had just recently aired, a reality star, then the article was correct. I shrugged as I passed it back to Callie’s waiting hands. “Whatever, it’s not a big deal, I’m sure no one will even read this. Besides you two.”
“Yeah, right,” Zoey replied with a roll of her eyes. “Anyway, on to what you’re wearing. I think you look hot, a little too hot for Justin in my opinion, but I guess it’ll do.”
I straightened the denim skirt I had on with a smile. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter who I’m going out with. I wouldn’t want to disappoint.”
“Here,” Callie tossed me a hair tie, pink of course. “You need your hair up with that shirt on.” She did a little twirl of her finger, motioning to the backless lace shirt I had paired with my skirt. “Justin won’t be able to keep his hands off of you,” she snorted.
“And that’s supposed to surprise me or something? Justin can’t keep his hands off anything with boobs.” We all burst out laughing loudly; I almost didn’t hear the knock on the door. I glanced down at my phone, seeing that it was just a little bit before seven. At least he was on time.
“Hey,” he greeted simply, holding out a box of gummy candies to me as I let him in. I couldn’t help but gush at the gesture and by how he looked.
He had done a total transformation from the grungy bad boy. He had a pair of dark washed jeans that didn’t look to have one single hole in them and a black button down shirt, rolled to the elbows. He looked…delicious. Of course, the lip ring and tattoos were still there, just giving him that touch of bad boy, but I actually liked it. It sort of surprised me. I had always been into the more clean-cut guys, like Chris or Nash.
But that wasn’t what really got me.
No, the fact that he brought me a box of my favorite gummy candies was what really got me.
“These are my favorite. How did you know?”
He gave me a smirk, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked around our dorm. “I always see you sneaking them during class. It sort of makes me wish I was the candy instead.”
My cheeks turned a bright red as the image of Justin being in my mouth instead of the candy flashed through my mind. How did he always turn almost everything into something sexual?
“Well, thanks. Way more original than flowers. It sort of makes me think you’re a little bit of a stalker though.”
“You shouldn’t think that, you should know it,” he teased. Or at least sounded like he was teasing. “Are you ready to go? I have plans for us that I think you’ll love.”
I looked at him warily, wanting to know what his ‘plans’ were. Knowing Justin, he was ‘planning’ on taking me back to his place so he could finally have his way with me. “Sure, just let me grab my shoes.” I ran into my room, slipping on a pair of wedges that tied around the ankle.
“Please, lead the way,” he instructed as soon as I stepped back into the living room. I rolled my eyes at him, knowing exactly why I needed to ‘lead’ the way to his car, but stepped out before him and headed towards the parking lot.
I got into his car a little more willingly this time and watched my surroundings as the campus disappeared and we got on to the highway. He was humming along to the radio in an off key tune that made me smile. He looked so sweet and innocent while he was doing it, I really didn’t want to make fun of him. “Here we are.” He pulled into a crowded parking lot and the sign read “Sandy Lanes.”
“You’re bringing me bowling?” I scrunched up my nose at him and he laughed, tugging at my hand to pull me across the seat and out the driver’s side. It wasn’t like I had anything against bowling, I really wasn’t dressed for it though, and I figured Justin would’ve taken me somewhere a little different.
“Yes, princess. Do you think you can handle it?”
“Of course I can handle it. You just should have warned me, I would have worn something else.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t mind at all what you have on.” His hand skimmed the hem of my skirt as he held the door open for me. “In fact, it should make things more interesting.”
I rolled my eyes as we stepped up to the counter. The old saying of ‘don’t roll your eyes or they’ll get stuck like that’ ran through my head, but I couldn’t help myself. I felt like I needed to have a constant eye roll going around Justin.
We got our shoes and picked out our balls, which of course I had to be given a lesson on picking out the proper ball. Justin insisted that I needed a set of balls, just in case something happened to the other. Because a good set of balls was what really mattered in life he explained.
“I’d like to place a little bet,” he said after entering our names onto the scoreboard. Of course, his name went in as King and mine as Sexy. I was expec
ting Queen or something since he thought I was so stuck up about some things, but I guess that name would do.
“Of course you would. Let me guess, if you win I owe you some kind of sexual favor,” I deadpanned at those gray eyes that stared back at me, clearly amused.
“What kind of guy do you take me for, Della?” He dramatically clutched his hands to his chest like I had offended him, if that was even possible. “Actually, I was going to say if I win, I get to pick our next date and if you win, you get to pick. Nothing sexual about it. Unless of course you decide that’s how you want it to be.”
“Oh, so you just assume there will be a second date?”
“There will be a second date, Della. I can guarantee it.”
“Whatever,” I stood to grab my ball, lining my feet up with the arrows. Bowling wasn’t something I had done very often, but I had always been competitive. Nash seemed to always bring that out in me and now Justin was doing it. I went to pull my hand back but was stopped mid-swing when Justin grabbed my free hand. “Don’t you think you need some assistance?”
“Not really,” I groaned, yanking my hand out of his grip.
“Really? I figured you’d never done this before. That’s the whole reason why I brought you, I wanted to give you a hands on lesson.”
“Sorry to ruin your fun, but I don’t need any lessons.” I grinned when I saw his disappointed look and took off down the lane, almost managing to knock down all of the pins. Our scores stayed pretty neck and neck for the rest of the game. I laughed more tonight than I had in a really long time. Justin was constantly coming up with some new way to tease or flirt with me but always just keeping it right at the edge of over the top.
“Okay, last turn, this is your chance for the win. Remember you get to pick the next date.”
I ignored his comment about there all ready being another date and stepped up for my turn. I hit every pin, pumping my fist as I spun around. “Strike!”
Justin grinned at my enthusiasm, picking up his ball to finish out his turn. It looked like he purposely threw the ball down the gutter, and he turned shrugging his shoulders at me. “I guess you win. Have you decided where we’re going yet?”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” He beamed at me when I said it, clearly I had okay’d the second date and he was getting his way. I was actually looking forward to it.
“C’mon, let’s grab a bite to eat and then we’ll get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.” He wrapped one arm around my waist and led me out of the bowling alley.
He ended up taking me to one of those drive in places where they bring your food out to you on skates. I hadn’t been to one since before my parents divorced, and it brought back so many good memories. I let myself get carried away, ordering a chocolate milk shake, fries, and a hamburger. By the time I was finished I felt like I was going to explode.
“You have a little something right there.” Justin’s finger grazed the corner of my mouth and I dropped down the mirror to take a look. I figured it was some sort of plot for him just to touch me, but sure enough I had a smear of chocolate across my face. I rubbed at it with my finger.
“Is it gone?” I turned towards him and surprisingly there was no smile on his face. Instead, he was staring at me with a sort of wonder in his eyes. “No,” he whispered quietly. “I think I’m going to need to help.”
His lips landed gently on my cheek and he brushed them across my cheekbone, causing goose bumps to break out all over my body. “And I think you have some right here,” he murmured against my neck, his tongue darting out to lick a trail up to my ear. Normally, I hated this kind of foreplay.
After Chris, things had been all about sex and that was all I ever let it be. But Justin, Justin was a pro. I pulled back slightly when his tongue moved to the seam of my lips. “Justin, wait.” I held up a hand, putting a few inches of space between our bodies that had somehow drawn together like magnets. “What exactly are we doing here?”
“What do you mean, Della?” He asked in a husky voice, his eyebrows knitting together.
I licked my lips, thinking of how exactly to answer that question. I really wasn’t even sure. “I mean…what’s going on between the two of us? Am I just another girl in the long line of those who should feel lucky to have been graced by Justin Parkers presence or is this something more?”
“Della…” He reached out, tucking a piece of hair that had escaped my pony tail. “We’re just having fun right now. Does everything in life have to be so serious?”
I pondered his question for a minute. Up until now, yes everything in my life had been serious. It seemed like I had always had to lie about something or cover something up with what had happened in my past. Didn’t I deserve to have a little fun?
“O-kay, I’ll bite. We’re just having fun then.” I stuck a hand between our mouths right before he leaned back down to place his lips on mine. “But I do want to make one thing clear. Even if we’re just having fun, I think it would be a good idea if we don’t see other people right now. I really don’t want to end up with any diseases.”
Justin snorted loudly before slowly nodding his head. “I think I can handle that, Della.”
I grinned at his answer and reached up to latch onto the back of his neck, pulling his head back to mine. I could feel his smile against my lips before I took control, probing his oh so willing mouth open with my tongue and diving right in. I needed to live in the right now. And right now, this guy was so into me and into this kiss, with a hunger like I had never felt.
He reached around, gripping my ass, to pull our bodies closer. Our panting filled the inside of the car as we both seemed to try and get as close to each other as possible while we explored each others mouths. He pulled back slightly, grabbing my bottom lip in between his teeth to suck it into his mouth and letting it go with a loud pop. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?” I asked, my hands on his thighs as I tried to return my breathing to normal.
“Do you really wanna know?” he replied with a smirk, before I gave a quick shake of my head and mashed our mouths back together.
***********
“Wake up sleepy head, the fish like to bite early.” My dad’s voice broke through the remainder of my hazy dream, and I was pulled out of the sterile white room that haunted my dreams often.
“It’s all ready time to wake up?” I groaned, slowly peeling my eyes open and saw his wide smile staring back at me. I sat up with a groan and looked over to see it was five in the morning. Way too early. Why did I agree on spending the night, just to wake up early on the one day I didn’t have class until later in the afternoon.
“What’s the matter? You used to love fishing. Please don’t tell me you’re too girly for that now. I think it’s too late in the game to try for a son.”
“No, Dad, just haven’t been in a really long time. Give me ten and I’ll be ready.” He left with a nod of his head, and I took a speedy shower, throwing on sweat pants and a hoodie, and pulled my hair up into a bun.
I was a little groggy still with it being so early, but I was excited about doing this with my dad. It was something we used to do all the time.
“Here you go, thought you might need this.” He shoved a to-go cup of coffee at me before we quietly exited out the back sliding door and headed towards the dock where Grandpa had a small fishing boat.
After loading it up with rods, a tackle box, and what looked to be some packed goodies from Grams, we made our way out to the center of the lake. I had always loved coming out this early with my dad. It was so peaceful, and it felt like it was always a bonding experience between the two of us.
“So, your Grams said that things are going well. How are you really doing, Della?” He placed both of our baits on to the end of the hooks and handed me a rod. He still remembered that was the one thing I refused to do when fishing.
“I’m really okay, dad. I’ve made some great friends here, and I’m keeping up on my schoolwork. I like my job, and I like making
my own money. Grams set me up with a therapist when I got to town and I go there once a week. I think I’ll be done with those pretty soon though.”
“Glad to hear, sweetie. Maybe you and I can go to an appointment together and we can talk to the therapist about your sessions as long as he thinks that’s all right. Have you heard from your mother much?” That seemed to always be a sore subject with my dad. He had taken the divorce pretty roughly and the two of them didn’t have much communication. I think that’s one of the reasons it took so long for me to end up here.
“Once, but I think it was pretty much to scold me more than anything.”
“For what?” He asked sharply. I answered with a shrug of my shoulders because I really didn’t feel like explaining to dad the reasoning behind my mother’s call. She only thought of herself and that situation hadn’t been any different.
“That’s just ridiculous, I’m sorry Della. I just assumed she would have been there for you since that situation was more of a woman’s expertise. I should have fought harder for you, but I just thought you would better off with her since you were getting into your teenage years. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, but that’s going to change.”
“It’s okay, dad, really. I know you were busy with the promotion and everything; it was a lot to handle. I’m sure I would have just added to the stress.”
“That’s not an excuse, Della. You’re my daughter, and now you’ve gone and grown up on me and I couldn’t be prouder. You’ve really come a long way.”
We spent the rest of the early morning fishing and catching up. As I suspected, Grams packed muffins, fresh fruit, and extra thermoses’ of coffee for us. We pulled to the dock just as the sun was centering over the lake and dad helped me out of the boat.
“There is one more thing. I know your mother and I agreed that it would be best to take away your car and credit cards, but I have a bargain for you. What do you say to handling half the payments on a new car? It’s not as fancy as the one Gerald got for you, but it’ll get you from point A to point B.” He tossed a set of keys at me, and my mouth gaped open.
Chaotic (Imperfect Perfection) Page 9
