CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
M y heart is pounding, and my hands are shaking in excitement. I peel my jeans down around my ankles and toss them onto the nearby chair with the rest of my clothes. I’m left in a strapless bra and underwear. Callum is already in the hot tub. When he asked if I wanted to go in, I couldn’t think of a reason to say no.
I want this.
I want Callum. Maybe this is what I need to push the thoughts of Ben out of my mind for good. I turn my thoughts back to Callum.
He’s watching me with fire in his eyes. I can tell he feels what I’m feeling. There’s a mutual want. My feet tingle as I step into the steamy water. The air is cool on my skin, prompting me to move a little quicker. I can see him watching me, watching the effect that the air has on my skin as the tiny hairs on my arms stand. I sit across from him and give him a sexy smile.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
Okay, maybe I need to work on my sexy. He’s asked this a few times since I agreed to get into the hot tub. I tell him I’m perfect.
I can hear his phone vibrate from his pants on the nearby chair. My mind is quickly brought back to him as he moves closer to me. I can’t help but watch him as he stands, taking in all of him as he closes the gap between us. Once he’s sitting next to me, I turn towards him, my lips wanting his. He is only inches away, and I wait for them to touch mine when I close my eyes. I’m surprised when I feel them touch my neck, kissing me slowly at first. I press my hand against his chest, soft curls between my fingers, tilting my head toward him.
He stops, and his lips are on mine for a moment. I feel him scoop me up with little effort, and I’m back on top of him. I love this. We’re kissing, hands touching, sounds escaping when I hear a noise. Again, my attention is brought back to him, his arms wrapped tightly around me. Then I hear a voice nearby. I pull away quickly, startled.
“Did you hear that?” I ask, my breath hard and raspy.
He takes my mouth again, and between kisses, he tells me no.
“Callum!” I hear someone call his name and pull back, further this time. I can tell he heard it this time, too.
“What the fuck?” he asks no one in particular. I look into the darkness, and suddenly, I see a shape forming at a distance brought on by the overhead fairy lights.
“Oh my God,” I say in a start, and I’m off his lap in seconds, sitting low in the water, hiding. “Who is that?” I ask quietly, turning towards him.
I see him squint into the darkness. “Oh, that’s just my mom,” he says.
What in the actual cheese and crackers did he just say?
“Your mom?” I ask, confused.
“Callum.” the shape takes more of a form as it reaches the pool. I can see a woman. “Callum, I have been calling you. Why aren’t you answering?” she asks, walking right up to the hot tub, paying me no attention in particular.
“Mom, I’m on a date. I’ll see you inside later,” he replies.
I see his mom glance from me to my bare shoulders, to our clothes spread across two lounge chairs. I’m quiet, unsure where to go from here. I say nothing. His mom turns back to me, acknowledging me with a disapproving frown.
“When I call you, Callum, I expect you to answer, regardless of whether you have a date or not,” she says, and my eyes widen in shock. She says date as if she thinks I’m only here for a hook-up.
I sit up a little taller.
“Get rid of her and come clean up the mess you left in the kitchen.” She turns swiftly, and I watch her until she turns back into a shadow, and suddenly she is out of sight.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “But you gotta go. My mom’s pretty pissed.”
“What?”
He stands, getting out of the hot tub, then grabs a nearby towel.
Again, I say, “What?”
“Look, my mom doesn’t seem to like you, so this isn’t going to work.”
I’m in shock. All rational thinking has left my brain. I’m at a loss.
“Do you live with your parents?”
He nods, pulling on his pants. “Yeah, I don’t pay rent. I have access to this sick pool and hot tub anytime I want…” He goes on, but I stop listening.
“Maybe you should add that to your profile,” I say. “Mama’s boy who still lives at home.”
He throws me a towel, “Look, I’m sorry she doesn’t like you, but I can’t be with someone she doesn’t approve of.” I catch the towel as the ends dip into the water.
He turns away from me. “Get dressed and go, please.”
He walks away as I sit there, stunned. Utterly mortified that I have put myself in this situation. The nerve of her! The nerve of him!
I wait till his shadow is gone before I exit the hot tub. I dress quickly and turn on my phone, requesting a car.
I’m home and in bed within the hour.
Well, I think to myself, that was HOT until it wasn’t.
* * *
I’m still at a loss for words when I think about last night. I’m keeping busy re-arranging the books on the shelves in the shop. Ben’s been in to water the plants, and I’ve made sure not to make any comments about what happened on my date. I didn’t tell him I was going on another one. We both know I’m talking to guys and dating, and that’s all that needs to be said.
I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to write my next article.
I called Lucy after I got into bed and fell apart. I just started crying, and I know I did nothing wrong, but I felt horrible inside by the time I washed my face and pulled on clean PJs. Why is dating so hard?
Lucy listened as I spoke. I told her how I was really excited about Callum. He had so many pros and so few cons. Obviously, the fact that his mom was a B is one of them. The fact that his mom calls him every twenty minutes is kind of a bit much. And that he lives with his parents with no intention of moving out is a deal-breaker. I’m still upset. It was a great date till his mom showed up.
Lucy reassured me they wouldn’t all be like this, and by the end of the call, I was feeling better.
I’m just getting off the phone with a local author when Ben walks in. I love those calls. My heart has grown two sizes. Ben asks what’s up.
“I sold all our copies of a new book recently published by a local author, and I just got off the phone with her. We now have a wait list started and need more books. She was ecstatic. I’m so happy for her!” I clap my hands together and exclaim, feeling overjoyed.
Ben smiles and leans on the counter. “That’s amazing. That will be you one day.”
“I know,” I say, my smile diminishing. I’m not sure if I quite believe that. Not at the rate these dates are going.
Ben hangs out a bit more, and he tells me about this new hybrid plant he has been working on. I like seeing him excited and happy. He deserves to be happy, and that makes my heart sing a little.
When he leaves, I finish arranging books, dust a little, then settle on my stool. I’m working till close, and it’s always quiet after supper, so I take out my laptop and start thinking about my article. I open a new document and let the words fall through my fingertips and onto the keys.
So, I decided to date online…
by: Sofia Daria
So, I decided to date online… and I met his mom on the first date.
I opened my heart this time. A little, at least. Maybe I even let myself dream, imagining a second date, even a third, maybe even dating this guy long term.
Was I wrong to do so? Am I supposed to keep my walls up, have a guard, and not fall so easily in lust or attraction?
My friend Lucy would tell me, and she would tell you too, that yes, fall. Whether it be in lust, love, or just plain old attraction, do it.
You can’t live these joyful moments if you don’t let yourself be you. If you hold back and are only a small version of yourself, you’re only going to get to live a small version of lust, love, or attraction.
So, I did it. I let my guard down, and I had an amazing date, that is until his mom showed up.
After detailing the humiliating encounter, I ended with: I refuse to let this one leave a bitter taste in my mouth. This won’t be my only wonderful date. This was just another hiccup in the road, leading me to the person I am meant to grow into and the person I am meant to be with, eventually.