by DD Prince
“Nonsense. I’ll go to McDonald’s. Aiden, what do you like?”
Aiden raises his eyebrows and is about to open his mouth.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t think---”
“Nonsense. Big Mac meals all around?” She says it like this is a big treat and grabs her purse and lifts the van keys from the table where Aiden had put them.
“Sure, Mrs. Adler,” Aiden says. “Unless you want me to go and
---”
“Nope, it’s just down the road. Carly make up the sofa bed while I dash out, will you?”
“Maybe I’ll take the sofa bed. It’s kind of…lumpy.”
“Is it?” Mom looks horrified. “I didn’t intend for Aiden to sleep on a lumpy bed. I---”
“It’s totally fine, Mrs. Adler. I can sleep anywhere. Not to worry.”
“Call me Charlene, Aiden.”
He smiles at her and she looks at him like he’s a celebrity.
She grabs her handbag, flashes me a smile, slips on her shoes, and slips out.
I sit down at the table and blow out a breath.
He’s got a huge smile on his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Sorry, peaches. Know you’ve had a heavy day, but now that the scary part’s over, this part? It’s fuckin’ funny.”
I roll my eyes.
“Your mother is the shit. She’s great.”
I shake my head. “This is all so embarrassing. I can call you a cab, get you out of here before she comes back, tell her you had to get back, and…”
He waves his hand. “Naw, I’ll head back in the morning. This is fine.”
“I’m so embarrassed. That whole shoe thing and the minivan, and McDonalds, ugh..”
“Shoe thing?”
“Yeah, rich people usually leave their shoes on, because they have a maid cleaning their house. Not so in my parents’ house. If someone left their shoes on, my mother wouldn’t say a word, but she’d carry the insult around for the rest of the time she knew you.”
He laughs. “Glad I took my shoes off.”
I smile.
“Don’t be embarrassed, Carly,” he says, then his expression goes serious. “Unless you want me to go…”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t.” I’ve said that too softly. What did I even mean?
There’s loaded silence. I jump up.
“Want some coffee? A Coke? Bottle of water?”
“Got any beer?” he asks.
“Yeah, my Dad always has beer.” I open the fridge, grab one, and twist the cap off, then pass it to him.
“You doin’ all right?” he asks.
I twist a cap off a bottle of water.
“It was rough seeing my dad in a bed with all those machines, looking small and weak. He’s grouchy. Complaining about having to wear a hospital gown. He seems okay, though. He’s not talkin’ about it, but, he’s worried about my sister.” I shake my head. “Fucking Cait.”
“What’s gonna happen?” He asks, his face sober.
“She’s gonna hopefully dry out in jail. Finally get the help she needs. Hopefully court-mandated rehab or something.” I shrug. “She’s already been disowned by all of us to stop her from using us, stop her from using us to hurt herself. Before I left for San Diego she not only sold my Grams’ jewelry, she racked up $5K on my credit card, too. Tapped me out, screwing me over for my relocation. I cut her off. I had to, so she would have to make a decision to change her life, so she could have us back. And yet look what sort of domino affect her actions had. Now Dad’s in the hospital.”
Aiden gives me a tight smile. “I can relate.”
I roll my eyes. “No offense, but I doubt it.”
He shakes his head. “Not exactly, but my mother’s an alcoholic. She couldn’t be there for Adele the other night because she was too wasted to wake up and go to the hospital.”
My mouth drops open.
“We found out on the weekend that my Dad has prostate cancer. You’d think that’d make her pull up. “
I blink. “Prostate Cancer?”
“Yeah. Dad says it’s early stage. Treatable. But, it’s…” He looks lost for a second.
“Scary,” I say.
He nods.
“She cheats on him. She… isn’t a good person. She and I are in the middle of a war. It’s not fun to be at war with your own mother, but it’s always kinda been that way with her. And there’s other family bullshit happening, too, so, yeah, I get it, Carly. Family shit made me move to New York to escape it all. But, it’s my family. A few things’ve happened recently letting me know I need to man up and stop trying to hide from it.”
I reach across the table and squeeze his hand.
He squeezes mine, too, and stares at our hands for a second, looking deep in thought. His phone makes noise and lets go of me so he can fetch it from his leather jacket, which is on the back of the chair.
I get up and put my empty water bottle in the recycling bin.
“This is Jude. Got your tiara. Your panties, too.” He smirks. “It’s right now held up in evidence, but…”
I whirl around and kind of throw myself into his arms and start to cry, which means I’m sort of on his lap as he’s sitting at the table, still.
He puts his phone down, then stands, holding onto me, squeezes and then rubs his hands up and down my back.
“Gosh, what a drama queen I am. Sorry.” I wipe my eyes. “That tiara just meant a lot. It… I can’t even describe. Thank you.”
I’m still in his arms. I wipe my eyes with my fingers.
His eyes drop to my mouth and his head lowers and then he’s kissing me. He moves us so that my back is against the wall and I’m kissing him, too. I’m kissing him with everything I’ve got.
His hands are on my face, in my hair, and then around my waist again. His lips are strong. And soft. And he tastes incredible. He’s kissing me with hunger. My lips are tingling. My tummy is dipping. I break away, breathless.
What am I doing?
My eyes are on him. He’s still got his arms around me.
I try to pull away. He resists at first, but then sees what’s probably a panicked look on my face and he lets go.
“I should go make up your bed. Can you, uh, help me? It might take two of us to pull that bed out. It’s a bit stubborn.”
He cocks an eyebrow.
“And it may take all your strength to put it back in, in the morning. It’s kind of a, uh… beast.”
I’m trying for nonchalance. Pretending that didn’t just happen. But, wow. My heart is about to beat straight out of my chest.
He chuckles. “A beast?”
“Don’t fire me if you wake up with a sore back in the morning. You know what a sofa bed is like.” I continue trying to make light of things because it all feels so heavy in here right now. I wave at him to follow me.
His look changes to one of confusion. “Nope. Can’t say that I do.”
Of course. He’s probably never slept in anything but high-end mattresses with bazillion thread count sheets.
“The bar across the middle. It digs in your back.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Oh God, I’m going to have to pay your chiropractor bill for the next three months.”
He laughs as we move through the dining room, then the family room, and I hear him snicker as he eyeballs framed photos on the walls.
“All sorts of stages of Carly. Many, many awkward ones,” I joke. We’re at the basement stairs so I flick the light on and he follows me down.
“So, we are now entering the 1979 museum of the average household in Buffalo, New York. They considered using our basement for the That 70’s Show set, but Dad said no as it’d interfere with Monday night football.”
Aiden laughs as he takes in the space. “Great TV show.”
“It’s one of my favorites,” I inform him.
He stops at the sofa. “Mine, too. How do we open this thing?”
I lift the cushions off a
nd see the metal cage with the handle, the floral mattress underneath. I pry the handle up and tug. It doesn’t move. Not a bit.
“Uh oh,” I say, yanking on it.
“Here.” Aiden says.
I step aside, and he pulls, and it starts to budge, but makes a horrible, creaking, protesting sound.
I’m laughing. I can’t help it. He looks totally horrified. But it opens, finally.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, and I zip upstairs to the linen closet where I find sheets, pillows, and a blanket.
I come back down and start to make the bed. He watches me, smiling.
I’m smiling too, until I realize his eyes are on my butt as I’m bending over, trying to stretch the sheet over one corner.
“Grab that other corner, will you?” I ask.
“Hm?”
“My eyes are up here,” I tease.
His eyes move to mine and they sparkle. He moves to the other side of the sofa bed and helps me get the sheet on.
I hear noise upstairs.
“I’m back!” It’s Mom calling from the top of the stairs.
We go up and the three of us sit and eat our Big Mac meals and drink our Cokes while Mom quizzes Aiden about his family.
I’ve told her the tiara has been found and she beams for me. She knows how much it means to me. She squeezes my hand and turns her attention back to Aiden.
He tells her he has a brother and sister and a nephew and a brand-new niece. He shows Mom two pictures on his phone of baby Lilly and a handful of Braeden. Mom oohs and awes and then says, “So, you like kids?” And then she pops a French fry in her mouth and waits, looking like she’s on the edge of her seat.
My God, Mom.
I roll my eyes. Aiden sees it and gives her a glorious smile. “Love ‘em. I’m a big one myself, so I’m on their level. Just ask your daughter.”
“Truth,” I agree, earning me a belly laugh from my Mom.
“And… are your parents still together?” Mom asks.
Aiden’s mouth opens.
“Mom. Not our business,” I answer for him.
My Mom makes an oops face and starts talking fast to cover up the awkwardness. “I bought you hot apple pie, Carly. You, too, Aiden. These are Carly’s favorite. I always buy her one. Sometimes she saves it for later, and her father takes it. If anyone eats hers, she has an absolute fit.” Mom spreads them out on the table.
“Carly doesn’t like people stealing her food, does she?” Aiden muses, taking a one, opening it, and biting the end.
I grin.
“Oh no. She has quite a temper. Well… actually it takes a lot for her to lose it. I mean, a lot. If Carly loses her temper with you, it’s because you deserve it.” Mom starts clearing up the mess, missing the look on Aiden’s face. His eyes are on me and they’re… apologetic?
Yep, I think that’s exactly what they’re trying to convey.
My grin fades. My ears burn hot and I stare at my nails.
“Well, folks, I must hit the hay. I need to call Aunt Susan back and cousin Louise while I’m at it as well as Dad’s brothers. I’ll do that and then I’ll retire for the night. I won’t see you both until tomorrow morning. I’ll make pancakes.” She smiles and leans over and kisses my forehead. “Thank you for coming home so quickly.”
I get choked up, so Mom taps my cheek affectionately.
“The doctor said Dad’s good. Now maybe he’ll listen about all that salt and red meat and as for Caitlin, well… something this bad was bound to happen. At least she’s alive. And maybe it will wake her up, right?” Mom’s trying to be strong, but I can see past it. I know it’s killing her that my sister has let it come to this.
I nod. “Yep. Love you, Mom. Night…”
“Love you more. Night, sweetie. Aiden, I hope that bed isn’t terrible. Thank you again for getting our Carly home so quickly. Pleasant dreams.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Adler. Thanks for your hospitality.”
“Charlene. And my pleasure.” She grabs her cell phone and heads out of the kitchen and down the hall.
“Oh. I have nothing with me. Ugh.” I blow out a big breath. I don’t even have any luggage. I might have some old t-shirts and shorts in my old dresser that I never took. Maybe. I don’t want to borrow one of Mom’s nightgowns. I have my bag with some make-up and a hairbrush as well as my birth control pills and my multivitamins, and that’s it. I’ll have to sleep in my contacts. I did last night and now they’re kind of irritating me. At least Mom always has spare toothbrushes here.
“Joshua’s coming by noon tomorrow. He’ll bring your things.” He’s doing something on his phone.
“Pardon?”
“I’ll ask Jada to pack you up and pack me an overnight bag. Joshua’s gonna bring it down when he picks me up in the morning.”
“When he… oh?”
Aiden shrugs. “Yeah, he’ll leave at five, should be here by noonish and then I’ll work all the way back in the limo. It’ll be productive. And then, you’ve got your stuff here.”
“That’s… that’s awesome.” It is awesome. He could just fly home faster, but he’s doing this to get my stuff to me quickly. I’m touched.
He smiles and takes a sip of his McDonald’s Coke.
“Want another beer?” I ask.
“You’re probably tired,” he says.
“Are you?” I ask.
He shrugs.
“Um, actually, I’m not.” I say. “I’d like to wind down and watch TV or something before I go to bed. Do you want to watch TV with me?”
“Got Netflix?”
I nod. “My Dad does downstairs.”
“That 70’s Show?” he suggests.
I give him a big smile. I grab two beers and we head downstairs.
Aiden drops his leather jacket on the floor beside the bed. We climb onto it and lean back on top of the covers.
I get the TV on while Aiden looks around. He doesn’t look like he’s being judgmental, though, about my parents’ crummy wood-paneled basement with the old dartboard, my Dad’s comical man cave signs about beer and sports and lists of Man Cave rules.
I start the show, season one, episode one, and get comfy.
***
This is weird. This is so weird. In my parents’ basement with Aiden Carmichael. On a sofa bed that’s older than I am, maybe close to as old as our ages combined.
Aiden Carmichael that I just --- one hour ago --- kissed in my kitchen, against the wall with the calendar on it from our local pizza joint.
He has been absolutely amazing today. And I’ve seen this different side of him today. He also opened up about his family a little. And some of his mood swings lately are now kind of understandable. I’m not giving him a pass on all the alphahole behavior, but some of it… I can kind of get.
We finish an episode and another one is about to start.
“Do you want anything?” I turn to ask.
He’s right there. Right there. He’s on his side, facing me. I don’t even know when he was last looking at the TV.
“Yeah, I do.” He reaches up and tucks a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
I suck on my bottom lip and stare into his eyes.
Episode two is starting.
And my eyes are on him.
His eyes drop to my mouth. “Can I kiss you again? I really wanna kiss you.”
I’m barely nodding before he’s moved in and has his lips on mine. He touches them softly with his and then his hand sifts deep into my hair and he’s pulling me closer. I tumble down onto my side, facing him.
My hands go to his rock-hard chest. He’s warm. My hands drift up to his shoulders, his neck, his jaw, then into his hair.
I’m the one that deepens the kiss. I’m the one that slips my tongue in. But, when I do, he must see flashing green lights, because then it’s go, go, go.
I’m suddenly on my back and he’s on top of me, using his knee to part my legs. He’s getting hard against me and his hands are exploring my upper body. Up my arm, to
my jaw, touching my hair, then stroking my throat. And then his hand grazes the side of my boob and I let out a needy little sound.
He lets go and looks down at me. And he grinds into me a little.
I rise a few inches and nip his bottom lip and he groans and then he grinds his pelvis into me harder, deeper.
Oh my God.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “Wanted this from you for so long.”
I can’t help but giggle. He looks down at me questioningly.
“We’ve known each other… ten or eleven days.”
He laughs. “Sounds kinda silly when you do the math.”
“Kind of…” I agree.
“But, Carly,” he says. “It doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. I… I’ve pulled some shit on you and I’ve been a dick. But…”
“You have? No!” I fail at keeping a straight face.
He doesn’t crack a smile this time. If anything, he goes more serious. “This thing with us, I…”
“Shhh. Don’t screw this up by saying the wrong thing,” I warn. I don’t want him to throw cold water on my libido right now. “I don’t wanna overthink it. I just… if this goes no place, I just don’t want it to affect my job.”
“It will.”
I jerk back.
He grabs the back of my head. “It will go someplace, I mean.”
I breathe deep, my stomach does somersaults three or four times. I’m about to tumble down a rabbit hole. Do I want to allow myself to freefall?
He’s suggesting this isn’t just fooling around, that it’s the start of something. “You’re not finding another way to fuck me over, are you, Hot Sauce?”
“No,” he answers firmly. “I can see why you might think that, but no. Honest.”
“This isn’t next level of screwing me after Lingo or Twitter, or my email?”
His eyes light up. “You’re a smart girl. Figured all that out. What do you think?”
“I think you’ve got a lot going on right now, and…”
He swallows. “And you’re real. You’re real and three dimensional and I really want this. You. You don’t want me to fuck you yet, okay. Let’s try things on, though. When we get home, come to dinner with me. Get to know me. I warn you, I can be a dick, but you already know that and for some reason, I’ve met this girl who makes me have more good moods than I’ve had in a while. Makes me laugh. Gives me this feeling in my belly.”
