“Are you saying you only like me for my sexual talents, Mr. Adams?”
“No, there’s so much more to you than that. But your lips are something, Arion. Something else.”
He readjusts himself and pulls back onto the main road. His phone rings on the drive and he answers it over the car’s hands-free.
“Hey, Bain, are you guys almost here?” his dad asks.
“Yup, Arion had to pee so I pulled over for a minute, but we’re back on the road.”
“Good, we’ll see you soon.”
I stare at Bain with a scowl on my face. “I really do need to pee.”
He glances at the water bottle between us and I pick it up, slapping him on the arm with it.
“Ouch, you know that’s abuse, right?”
I just shake my head, happy to see him smile. For the last week, he’s either sulked around about the news of Kinsey or been on the basketball court. I’m hoping getting him away from everything will keep him in a positive frame of mind.
“Fine,” he grumbles, pulling up to a gas station. I slide my flip-flops on and strut inside.
After exiting the restroom, Bain is waiting for me. We hurry to the car and make the quick five-minute drive. The facility is nice. It’s a huge ranch-style house with a ton of property surrounding it. As we walk inside, I take deep breaths, remembering what he said. She’s gonna love you.
I hope he’s right. We check in at the desk and get visitor’s passes, then we head outside where I immediately see Bain’s father, whom I recently met. He’s standing next to Bain’s mom and a smile beams across her face when she sees me. That’s a good sign.
“Hey, Mom,” Bain says, leaning down his large frame and hugging her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m better now. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course. Mom, this is Arion. Arion, this is my mom, Renee.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” I say extending my hand to her.
“That’s nonsense, dear. Give me a hug.”
I embrace her, closing my eyes, feeling all of my anxiety wash away. She likes me. I think my fear of rejection comes from my childhood. Since I lost my parents at such a young age, I never felt like I really belonged anywhere or that anyone truly loved me. It’s been so long since I’ve had parents like this to hug. I can barely remember how it felt to hold my grandma. I guess that’s why I always gravitated towards Barb and Jeff. Speaking of…I need to call them, or just stop by for a visit.
“It’s nice to meet you, Arion,” she says.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Renee.” She smiles and we all take our seats. There are lots of groups of other families all seated at the different tables. Bain said today was a standard visiting day; they get one per month. I couldn’t imagine, but for their recovery, it’s what’s best. “How was the drive?” she asks us.
“It was good. Arion slept the whole way, so I got to think a lot about things.”
“I’m going to run to the kitchen and get us some ice,” Jack, Bain’s dad, says.
“Bain, what do you know?” she asks. I know exactly what she’s referring to – the news about Kinsey.
Bain gets nervous and swallows hard. I take my hand and rest it on his, to let him know that I’m right here. “Dad probably knows more. He talked to the FBI after the arrest.”
“He’s told me everything and it just doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes more sense now that someone did this to her, than the BS that cop was feeding us since the beginning. I knew she didn’t do it. She wouldn’t have.”
“I know, baby, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before. I was so lost and such a mess. I can barely remember those times; it’s all such a blur.”
“That’s a good thing. I wish I could forget it all myself.”
“I’m sorry, Arion. I know this isn’t what you want to hear the first time that we all meet,” Renee says.
“It’s okay. This is very important. I’m here to talk about anything that you all want to.”
“She’s right,” Bain’s father says, setting down four cups of ice. “We should talk about your son, who’s about to join the NBA, and which team’s gonna draft him.”
“I can’t tell you how proud of you I am. I know Kinsey would be too.”
“Thank you, guys.”
“Is there anywhere that you want to go?”
Bain looks at me and smiles, enveloping his hand around mine and says, “Anywhere that this woman will follow me to, I’ll go.”
Holding his hand tightly, I replay his words in my mind.
As nice as it was to see my mom and see how well she’s doing, this is where I need to be, alone with my girl. Even if it’s only for a few days, both of us need it tremendously. As I mix us both a drink and watch her through the windows of the beach house, I can tell she’s relaxed and at peace. She’s got her feet rested up on the large, round ottoman and is just watching the waves crash against the shore. As I walk outside, she turns and looks at me and I ask her, “You like the water, don’t you?”