“Ha ha, dickhead. You didn’t bring anyone home last night?”
Pulling his eyes away from me, he looks at the ceiling for a second before fixing his gaze back on me. “Nope. No one worth bringing home.” He sighs then pats my leg softly. “Go take a shower, and I’ll make us some breakfast.”
Even if I wanted to argue, I don’t have enough strength, but I know a shower and breakfast are just what I need. Letting the warm water pound down on me feels amazing. My body is sore from being sick and laying on the floor. I can’t help but smile thinking about Tenn taking care of me. He really is such a great guy. I wish he’d find someone he thought was worth more than one night. It surprised me when he started sleeping around like that. He never did until we moved into this house, but I guess maybe it’s because we no longer had parents around. Hell, we are both only twenty-three, there is plenty of time for settling down.
After I get dressed and pull my hair into a messy bun, I go to the kitchen to see if he needs my help. “You need me to do anything?”
Handing me a plate of eggs and pancakes, he turns off the stove. “Nah, all done. Want to eat in the living room?”
Once we are settled on the couch and he turns the TV on very low, we start to eat. “Mmm, damn this is so good,” I moan out, closing my eyes. I don’t know what he does, but whenever he cooks it just tastes better. It could just be because I didn’t need to make it, though. “Thanks, Tenn.”
“Yep, so I need to go into work for a few hours. You feeling better?” he asks, finishing off his food.
“I’m fine. The food and shower definitely helped,” I say, giving him a smile. “Thank you, for everything.”
For the first time ever, our eyes lock and we search the others. Of course, we’ve made eye contact before—Christ we’ve been friends forever— but this is different. This has meaning behind it. Watching his eyes bouncing back and forth searching mine, I can’t lie, it feels intimate.
He jumps up and clears his throat. “Okay, so good. I’m umm, going to get ready for work,” he says, looking everywhere but at me.
The whole exchange has me spiraling back in time to when I had to convince myself that I wasn’t falling for him. It was when I thought he might have feelings for me, but once I realized he didn’t I quickly talked myself back to reality and never breathed a word of it to anyone. Now here I am with butterflies in my stomach, and it has me wondering. I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees. Maybe I need to talk to him.
“Alright, I’m leaving. I’m going out with Robin tonight, or Wendy,” he says laughing. “Well, it’s one of them. I’ll see you later.”
I sigh, looking up at the ceiling. Wrong again.
**
My mom called after I was done cleaning and invited me over for dinner. I don’t exactly know why she asks because if I told her I couldn’t make it, she would guilt me into it anyway. I’ve learned it’s easier to just go and get it over with. I park my car in the driveway of my childhood home, still surrounded by pink rose bushes, and make my way inside.
“Hi, Mom,” I yell, putting my purse on the couch.
“In the kitchen,” she replies.
I make the short walk to the kitchen and stop short when I see Tenn’s parents are here, too. Great, this should be fun. Now I’ve got four parents who are going to be throwing questions at me.
I give my mom a quick hug before my dad hugs me, picking me up slightly. “Hi, Daddy. Thanks for warning me.”
He laughs as he puts me down. “I love you, baby girl, but if I don’t go along with your mother’s ideas, she’ll never get down on her knees…”
“Christ, Dad. Enough, please. There are some things I don’t need a menta
l picture of,” I yell, choking down the bile in my throat.
“Stop being such a prude. You should be happy that your father and I have such a great sex life. If and when you finally find someone, you know you have the sexual stamina to keep going late in life,” my mom says, squeezing my shoulder.
“Right, that makes it better, Mom. Thanks.”
“Oh Claire, leave your daughter alone,” Brenda, Tenn’s mom says, pulling me in for a hug. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m good,” I say, and my mom shoots me a knowing look. “Great, I’m great. Things couldn’t be better.”
My mom squeals and covers her mouth. “You met someone. Oh my God, finally. Tell us about him, what does he do? Where did you meet? Oh hell, we need to have him over for dinner,” she says, talking quickly as she moves around the kitchen opening and closing cabinets as if this non-existent man is on his way over.
“Mom.”
“That boy is lucky to have you. I told your mother as soon as you got out on your own you’d meet someone. So what does Tenn think of him?” Brenda asks as she and my mother share a quick hug.
“Leave her alone. The girl just walked in,” Fred, Tenn’s dad says. “Hi beautiful.”