SIXTEEN
Elijah
“She’s awesome, man,”Patrick says as soon as I get back from dropping Hartley off at home.
“I know,” I tell him as I help my mom clean up the dishes from dinner.
“She is! I’m so glad that you two met. You make such a cute couple too. And did you see the way that she was with little Brennan?” my mom asks as she gazes over to where Brennan is fast asleep on the couch.
“We’re not having kids, Mom,” I interject before she can go too far down that road.
“Well, not right now, of course, but I’m sure you two will have some one day. Oh, I can just imagine how cute they’ll be. Can you picture it, Frank? Our grandbabies?” she asks, holding her hands to her chest.
“Sure can,” my dad says, shooting a smirk my way.
“You two are getting way ahead of yourselves,” I say as Patrick chuckles from where he’s standing, leaning against the kitchen table.
“We just like her, dear. You two are so cute together and she’s such a sweetheart. She’s a phenomenal cook too! That bakery of hers is going to be huge. You don’t want to come home and eat that food every day?” my mom asks and I instantly know that answer.
“Yeah, I do,” I whisper to myself but my mom hears.
“Have you thought about getting her a ring?”
“MOM!”
“I’m just saying. When you know, you know. Look at your father and me,” she says, aiming a loving look over her shoulder at my dad. “You two were pretty hot and heavy in your truck. I didn’t think you two were ever going to come in.”
“Mom, I’m begging you. Please stop,” I plead.
How come the floor never opens up and swallows you whole when you want it to?
“I think it’s a great idea,” Patrick pipes in and I shoot him a warning look.
“I knew that I liked you,” my mom whispers to him, but I pretend not to have heard.
“You can’t tell me that you don’t care for Hartley, dear. I’m your mother and I can see that way you look at her. Your father noticed too,” she says and my dad nods obediently as he pokes his head in the fridge, looking for the last of the chocolate cream pie that Hartley brought over for dessert.
“I don’t like her that much,” I say, but there’s no force behind the words.
“Not yet,” my mom says quietly.
I don’t think I like her. Not like that, I mean. I’ve only known her like two weeks and people don’t fall in like that fast. Definitely not two people who don’t even want a relationship. I just… like her. Like a friend. There is a huge difference between like as a friend and liking a girlfriend.
Then why did you kiss her? Three times.
I do my best to ignore that annoying voice in the back of my head.
It wasn’t for your fake relationship. There wasn’t anyone around to see. So that means that you did it because you wanted to. Because you liked kissing her and holding her hand.
I need a distraction.
I help Patrick get Brennan strapped into his seat in the car. The kid never even wakes up and I smile as I gently close the door.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Patrick asks, leaning against the driver’s door.
“Talk about what?”
“You know what. What’s going on with you and Hartley?”