Chapter 55: : Chapter 55

‘Hello. Thank you so much for giving me a ride. I know you probably had better things to do right now,’ I say as I walk up to Kai. I stop a few feet away from him, not sure how to greet him. He smiles warm enough though so I don’t feel too awkward. Then he finishes the distance between us and hugs me.

‘Hey. No problem, my girlfriend was in the mood for pizza anyways so we were on the road,’ he tells me, pulling away. ‘You got everything?’

‘Yes, thanks,’ I tell him. Then we leave his home and walk towards his car. There are two people waiting already. One Asian woman, who I assume is Kai’s girlfriend, is in the passenger seat, and a short-looking dude in the back.

‘Hi, I’m Miyu. It’s nice to meet you,’ the girl says, turning her head to see me as I get in the car next to the guy. She’s so ridiculously beautiful I need to force my jaw not to drop. That long, straight hair with those striking, dark eyes. Agh! Chef’s kiss.

‘Florence. Pleasure is all mine,’ I finally say.

‘Easy, Florence. If you keep looking at my girl like that I’m going to feel threatened. I’ll totally tell on you to Elija,’ the guy exclaims humorously. Wait, his girl?

There must be a big question mark written all over my face since Kai laughs.

‘We’re poly, Flo. All three of us are in a relationship,’ Elija’s brother tells me.

‘Oh.’ I laugh. ‘Right, sorry. Okay, go on,’ I tell the other guy, who still hasn’t introduced himself.

‘I’m Alejandro and I’ll be seriously offended if you don’t gape at me like you did Miyu. Obviously, I’m the most beautiful in this relationship,’ he announces before laughing it off. ‘Just kidding.’

I decide Kai’s one lucky dude for scoring not one but two funny and attractive people. Not that I can complain, of course. No one comes even close to my boy.

As the ride goes on, I learn enough things to make my head swim. For one, I’m told Alejandro is Mexican and has only been in the US for about ten years. Miyu is from Japan though she was born and raised here.

I also get to know my boyfriend’s brother a bit better. He works halftime as a swimming coach at a college nearby, which explains the shape he’s in. On the days he’s not there, he works as a barista. It’s quite impressive.

Between Kai’s sweetness, Miyu’s sass, and Alejandro’s sarcastic jokes, I completely forget to worry about what awaits me at home. Only when we stop in front of my driveway does the laughter die on my lips.

The car goes silent the longer I stay frozen in my seat and although I can feel three sets of curious eyes on me, I can’t seem to muster up a smile.

‘Are you hungry? We’re going for pizza, if you feel like it,’ Alejandro finally breaks the silence as well as the spell I was under.

‘I should really get home but thanks for offering,’ I tell him before finally getting out. I’m not about to crash their date. Nope. Though I don’t doubt they could make it possible for me to stomach some pizza. They’re really awesome.

Now, back to my task. I force my feet to keep going forward until I reach my front door. Aware of the car that hasn’t gone away yet, I wave at them and enter my home.

The house feels cold and dead, more so than usual now that I’ve spent thirty minutes in a stuffy car with lively people.

‘Hello? I’m home,’ I announce, trying to keep my voice even.

I hear a sound from the kitchen and decide to follow it. Even as everything in me tells me not to. As expected, both my parents are sitting at the kitchen table. My mom seems to be cooking dinner while my dad’s on his phone. Both of them look up at me indifferently before returning their attention to their tasks as if I weren’t here at all.

‘I think we should talk,’ I finally say, gathering all my courage. My mom looks up, arching an eyebrow to tell me to go on. ‘About what happened the last time I saw you. I get that you must’ve been worried after not finding me at home and that combined with the long travel back wasn’t a good mix. Things were said and done that weren’t supposed to. Still, I think we’ve reached a point where we should talk about what happened.’

My mother sighs and her shoulders drop a tad. I can’t believe it. My mom actually looks human.

‘You’re right, Sweetie. I am so sorry about that night, there’s really no excuse. It won’t happen again, that I can promise. Can you forgive me?’ she asks. That’s not at all how I thought this conversation would go and it’s such a pleasant surprise I find myself nodding without questioning it.

We all make mistakes and if my mother says she’s sorry, that’s done. What good would it do for me to hold it against her?

‘Just one more thing. Has everything been alright at work? You two have seemed a bit off recently,’ I add, hoping I’m not crossing a line. Whatever this treaty is, it feels fragile.

‘We apologize for that. Work’s been stressful and you haven’t been around as much lately. I guess it’s hard for us to see our little girl grow up, isn’t it, Barb,’ my dad says.

‘Absolutely. Now, tell us about that boy, why don’t you? I hope it’s alright for me to assume you have a boyfriend,’ my mother replies. I beam at that.

‘I do. His name is Elija and he goes to school with me. You don’t have to worry, he treats me really well, he’s always respectful, not to mention insanely talented. He makes me happy,’ I tell them shily. Talking about my crushes or in this case partner to my parents? That’s a first. They don’t usually ask me about my life other than school.

‘That sounds lovely. Why don’t you invite him over for dinner soon? Seeing as you know his parents, it’s only fair,’ my mom says, her cheeks rosy as she smiles at me.

‘Really? I mean, of course. I’d love that. He just got injured though so it might take a few more days until we can do it. Is that alright?’ I ask excitedly.

‘Of course. How does Saturday sound? That way he has three more days to recover,’ my dad proposes.

‘I’ll ask him. Thank you two so much, you’re the best!’ I tell them before hurrying off into my room. I quickly call Elija to tell him the great news.

‘Hi. Did you do it already? How’d it go?’ he asks quickly.

‘I did it!’ I squeal before pulling myself together. ‘It went so much better than expected. They apologized for their behavior and that night specifically. Then they even asked about you and guess what. They’d like to meet you!’ I announce.

When he’s quiet for multiple beats, my excitement dies down a bit. ‘What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you not want to meet them? I can tell them you’re busy,’ I say slowly. Truth is, I’d hate that. For once, my parents want to be part of something I care about, and canceling that would hurt. Still, if Elija doesn’t feel up for it, I won’t force him.

‘No, it’s not that. Just,’ he trails off and I hear him sigh. ‘That’s it? They apologized and everything is fine again?’ he asks.

‘What do you mean? They said it won’t happen again, Elija. What do you want me to do, hold a grudge forever? Everyone makes mistakes.’

‘Not everyone hits their kids though, Florence. I just think you should be a bit more cautious. You put your heart into everything you do and it’s one of your best traits but this once, I think you should protect yourself. I’m not telling you to stay mad at them. If you believe their words were sincere, that’s great. But be careful before trusting them blindly,’ he tries to reason. Somehow, it makes me mad.

Why can’t he be happy for me? Share my enthusiasm instead of warning me from my own parents.

‘What you’re saying might make sense to you but I know my parents. They were different tonight, more sincere than I’ve seen them since my aunt passed away. Just tell me if you have time this Saturday evening. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. We don’t have to rush anything,’ I assure him.

‘If you say so. Yeah, Saturday is fine and of course, I’ll be there. I’ll always be there when you want me to. How long until you realize you have me wrapped around your finger, Florence?’ He chuckles.

‘I do?’ I ask, a slow smile spreading over my lips.

‘Fuck, you have no idea,’ he breathes out. Damn, that has no business being this hot.

‘For the records, so do you. Me,’ I stumble over my words. Agh, shoot me. Seriously, I get a little flustered and become a babbling idiot. Elija must find me very amusing since I can hear him laugh. One good thing to it, at least.

‘I do you?’ he teases me.

‘That’s not what I meant and you know it. But I mean, I wouldn’t say no to that either,’ I say, suddenly shy. Is it okay for me to say something like that?

‘Fuck,’ Elija groans. ‘Don’t say that when I’m so far away from you.’ Oh?

‘Why? Am I turning you on? Is your mind torturing you with memories of the last time? Memories of how good I felt stretched around you?’ I ask him even as my cheeks burn up. This is way out of my comfort zone and I’m not sure this is a good idea. Especially since I’m only calling those memories up myself.

‘Florence, I swear to god I’ll-‘ I cut him off, fueled by the heat in his voice.

‘You’ll what? Come over here and fuck me until I can’t walk straight for a week? Please do,’ I tell him though I’m not sure I’m playing anymore. The words sound too natural on my lips.

My boyfriend groans again, making me smile. ‘Are you hard?’ I ask.

‘Yes,’ he replies honestly. ‘But only because I know you’re wet. The things you said turned you on just as much as they did me. You like teasing me.’

Oh damn. Yeah, he’s not wrong.