I shrugged. “I don’t know. He might kill me a bear.”
She nodded. “Sounds about right. Well… have fun with that. I have to get to the diner. Don’t sleep with him yet.”
I almost fell over. “Uh. Okay?”
She sighed. “You want to, though.”
“Jesus Christ, Mom—”
“Do you need me to pick you up some condoms? I think I have a coupon.”
I banged my head on the kitchen table. “Please leave. Please.”
So she kissed me on the forehead and went to work.
WE WENT on a date.
It was awkward.
Not because of us.
Well. Not just because of us.
He knocked on the door.
I opened it even before he finished.
He said, “These are for you.” He handed me more mini muffins. And then he grumbled, “I couldn’t find any bears.”
I said, “That’s okay.” Because I didn’t honestly know what I would have done with a bear carcass.
He rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry.”
“So, mini muffins?”
He grinned brilliantly. “Mini muffins.”
“I am okay with that.”
“You look hot,” he blurted out. Then he frowned. “I mean, you look very nice. I am going to keep this classy. Mom told me to keep it classy.”
I glanced down. I was wearing jeans and a red button-up shirt. “Thanks?” I asked him. But I meant to tell him that, so I said, “Thanks.” And then, “You look very nice too.” Though my traitorous mouth almost said fuckable instead of nice. “I like your… pants.”
“My pants,” he said.
Gray slacks. Wool, maybe?
I stared at them.
And he said, “Really? Just what do you like about them? Maybe how they’d look on your floor?” His eyes widened. “Whoa. That sounded classier in my head.”
How had he moved that much closer without me noticing?
I could feel his breath on my cheek.
“We,” I said. “Uh. We should. Go?”
He said, “We could stay,” and his lips scraped against my cheek.