“Fuck yeah, I’m up for that!” I lean in and kiss her forehead as she gets into her car.
“See you at school tomorrow.” I step back as she reverses out the drive and then watch her tail lights disappear down the road. All of a sudden I can’t wait for this weekend. I head back up to the house and walk into the kitchen to grab a soda. Mom’s doing the dishes and turns to look at my with an eyebrow raised.
“What?” I ask her, smiling because I already know what’s coming.
“Girlfriend, huh? She seems like a nice girl. I was a little surprised you haven’t mentioned her before now, though.”
I take a long pull on my soda before answering her.
“It's a new thing. We’ve only been together a week.”
“Pretty quick to be introducing her to us then, especially since you’ve never brought any of your other girlfriends to meet us,” Mom says still smiling at me.
“Yeah well, I’ve never had a girlfriend to introduce before.”
“So you really like this girl then?” she asks, cocking her head, the question clear in her voice.
My mind quickly answers, ‘no I don’t really like this girl, I’m pretty sure I love her’. I’m startled by my own thoughts and look back to Mom who’s watching me with a knowing grin spreading across her face.
“Yeah, you could say that,” is all I can respond before quickly making my way out of the kitchen to go sort my head out. A week isn’t long enough to be falling in love with someone, I tell myself. It can’t be love; it’s probably just lust. But even as I’m thinking it, I know I’m full of crap. I just don't dare admit it.
I’M A MASS of nerves and tension as Saturday afternoon finally arrives. I’m wringing my hands together and bouncing my knees nervously, sitting on the porch waiting for Ethan to pick me up. Mom headed into town to do some shopping about thirty minutes ago. She asked what I had planned today and I’d told her that Ethan and I were going to the beach.
Technically it’s true so I’m not lying to her, I’ve just chosen to omit the part about skinny dipping...Mom doesn’t know about Em’s list and truthfully, if she did, I don’t think she’d want me to carry out Emily’s requests. My mother is a firm believer that you should live your life as your own, and not be pulled into situations that you’re not completely happy with. I wish she could take her own advice sometimes.
I told her about Ethan and I dating on Thursday evening when I arrived home. She seemed really happy for me, but when I’d told her that Emily was practically in love with him and I felt guilty, she sat me down and we had a real mother daughter heart-to-heart. She told me that Em would most likely be happy that I ended up with him rather than someone else, and that I shouldn’t let the past dictate my future. Emily was gone and Ethan and I were not. I’d forgotten how good my mom was at the mother daughter talks. She has definitely helped to ease the feeling of guilt a little.
I’m busying myself with my e-reader when Ethan finally pulls on to the drive. He’s in a 4x4 with two bicycles hooked up on the back. He jumps out and flashes me a crooked grin, my insides immediately turn to lava. The boy is H.O.T.
“Ready for some swimming, Princess?” He smirks, making his way over to kiss me. He wraps his arms around my waist, cupping my ass with his hands.
“Hey, handsome. Nice ride.” I motion to the Range Rover he pulled up in and he laughs.
“Yeah, I couldn’t get the bikes on my Camaro, so Mom let me use her car.”
“Um…I thought we were going to the beach?” I grab the beach bag I packed and dangle it in front of him.
“Change of plan. I know a great trail we can take the bikes on. It just so happens there’s a great little secluded part of a lake at the end where we can swim.” His eyes roam down my body slowly and then return back to my face, looking like they want to eat me, and I narrow my eyes and give him a look.
“What?” he asks, his eyes wide and innocent looking. “You look hot; surely I’m allowed to appreciate the view.”
I laugh and nudge his shoulder with my own as I gather up my stuff to put in the car.
“Plus if you didn’t want me looking at you like that, you should have worn something different, Princess.”
I look down and assess what I’m wearing: a bright green tank and a pair of denim cut-off shorts over my plain black bikini and, of course, my Chucks. I look back at him, confused, and he lets out a deep throaty laugh.
“You have no idea how sexy you are, do you? I love it,” he says, before boosting me up into the seat of the Range Rover.
A flush takes over my body and I break out in goose bumps at the contact. I wonder if it’s normal to feel like this from such an innocent touch; I have a suspicion that I’m always going to react this way around him.