I laughed. “No offense taken. And no, she’s not, but I think her main objective is to get us to come down to the city.”
“I’m pretty sure I told her that I’d lived there when I was going to school.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did, but she’s probably assuming that if we go back down there and you let her show you around, then you’ll fall in love with the city all over again and just have to move back there.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Yeah, don’t worry. Me neither.”
“Your mom seems nice, though. Your stepdad didn’t really say much—he’s not much of a talker, is he?”
I stared off into the darkness, listening to the peepers somewhere in the distance. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get into that whole story about Bill. “We don’t always get along,” I finally said.
“I could tell. I think that can be kind of common with stepparents.”
“It’s not that,” I said. I didn’t want him to think this was some case of us not getting along simply because he wasn’t my father yet he was married to my mother. “He basically tried to sexually assault me when I was 15.”
“What?”
“We’d had an all right relationship before that, but then that happened, and things obviously haven’t been the same since.”
“Shit. And your mom stayed with him?”
“She doesn’t know it happened. It wouldn’t go over with her very well. And it’s not like anything happened anyway, so it’s better to just let these things go. I’m sure he’d just deny
it. And my mom wouldn’t be able to handle it anyway.”
Cole let out a deep breath. “I know how that is. But damn, Allie. That’s kind of messed up—we just had dinner with the guy. I should’ve fucking clocked him.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. He probably doesn’t even remember that it happened, which doesn’t make it better or anything, but—”
“Is that why you’re a virgin?” Cole asked suddenly.
“Excuse me?” I said, laughing. “Where did that even come from?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It just seems like that might have something to do with it. Even if nothing happened that night, you might still be harboring some of that trauma—”
“I’m not traumatized by it. Maybe I was a little then, but it was almost 10 years ago at this point.”
“People can carry that sort of shit with them their whole lives.”
“Please. I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me right now. I’m a virgin because I haven’t yet met any guy I was interested in sleeping with.”
“Until now?”
I stared at him. “Does it feel nice to be that full of yourself? I might not mind your company, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I want to sleep with you.” Which was completely untrue, of course, but he didn’t have to know that.
He gave me a chagrined look. “You’re right—it was presumptuous. Though that night we kissed—no one’s ever bitten me like that before. That’s gotta mean something, right?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t know.”
My eyes had been closed for maybe five seconds when my phone started to go off. I debated ignoring it, but then I reached over to the bedside table and picked it up, looking at the screen. It was my mother, and it was way later than my mother would normally ever call. I accepted the call, wondering if something was wrong.
“Mom?” I said.
“Oh good, I’m glad you’re still awake.”
“Sort of—I’m in bed. Is everything okay?”