“How’s it going, Son,” Daddy said, greeting AJ next.
AJ smiled politely and gave my father a firm handshake. “Pretty good, Sir. I can’t complain.”
My father nodded in AJ’s direction and it never got old seeing the look of genuine affection in his eyes.
I thought back to the conversation I had with my parents, explaining to them how AJ and I had come full-circle and somehow found one another again. My mother was perhaps the most shocked, wondering how and when Jason and I had broken up without her knowing it. My father, who never really cared for Jason in the first place, surprised me with how open he was to AJ and I being together again. I mean, before I ended things between us in college, my father had grown to accept that AJ was who I loved. He liked him well enough, and even respected him, but I never imagined that they’d be as close as they were this time around.
Every Sunday evening, like clockwork, either Daddy would call AJ or AJ would call Daddy, and they’d talk sports, business, and whatever else guys talk about for no less than twenty minutes. This was all without me and my mother’s interference. My eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, and I couldn’t hide the smile on my face.
“Well, come on and bring your bags upstairs,” my mother instructed, taking the lead as we climbed the steps. We came to my old bedroom first and she flipped the light on. My once pink walls were now a pale shade of yellow that complimented the white, linen valance over the windows. My bed was still in its usual place, but the comforter on it was new.
“You like it?” my mother asked. “Daddy and I made a few changes, but we tried to make it something you could live with when you came home to visit,” she said, sounding as if she knew that one day, I’d be strong enough to make it back here.
I nodded reassuringly. “I do, Mom. It’s perfect.”
Next her eyes shifted to AJ. “And as for you,” she said with a smile. “The guestroom’s all made up. I even put an extra blanket at the foot of the bed for you because that room gets a little drafty. Sorry about that, but we’re not replacing the windows on the second floor until the weather breaks again.”
I shook my head and looked away, embarrassed that my mother was treating us like kids.
AJ, on the other hand, chuckled openly and nodded at my mother, replying with a very polite, “Thank you. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
When Mom left us to head downstairs with my father, AJ and I unpacked our belongings…in our separate bedrooms. He came back just as I was tossing my empty suitcase into the back of the closet. I plopped down on the edge of the bed and sighed. The smile on his face let me know that he already knew what I was about to say.
“Sorry about –“
“It’s fine, Sam. I don’t mind the sleeping arrangements. Seriously.” He kissed my nose and then my forehead, causing me to crack a smile as I wedged myself beneath his arm.
“Are you happy you came?” he asked.
I looked around at my room, remembering how it used to look, taking in the familiar smells, and nodded. “I am. Feels nice to be here with my parents, and to have you here, too.”
I kissed his lips once, which turned into twice, but he stopped me when I came in for a third. “Slow down…separate beds, remember? We have three whole days to survive,” AJ promptly reminded me. Instantly, I put a few inches of distance between us and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Happy birthday to me,” I sighed.