6. Indie
INDIE
SEPTEMBER
Two hours later, I practically drag myself into the apartment, Teddy following close behind.
“That wasn’t so bad, right?”
No, it wasn’t bad.
Teddy’s aunts, June and Robin, were nice.
His uncles, Jerry and Patrick, were nice.
The meal—all gluten-free to my surprise—was nice.
Everything was nice, which felt strange because it all seemed like a veneer.
When Ellie introduced me to the rest of the family, his uncles barely spared a glance, eyes seeming to look right through me.
The aunts were outwardly friendly, asking questions and oohing when they learned I was an oncologist, which I explained was how I met Ellie and Teddy.
“And you’re allowed to date a patient's family?” Dawn had asked during dessert.
Her voice seemed to have climbed a couple of octaves in the company of others. The tone was soft and saccharine. “I wouldn’t want this relationship to cause you trouble.”
The hour-long meeting I had with HR, while filling out a mountain of paperwork, ultimately said it was fine.
“My superiors at the hospital are all aware. Since Ellie has completed treatment and is in remission, we currently don’t have a patient/doctor relationship, so there are no ethical violations.”
“Now we’ve moved into an in-law relationship,” Ellie winked from beside me, making Teddy and me share an amused look.
When I glanced back over to Dawn, her eyes were already on me, sharp and assessing. That was pretty much the standard expression she wore while looking at me. It would melt the second Teddy even glanced in her direction, the serene smile back on her face.
His sisters were genuinely kind, and I found myself gravitating toward them all evening. They seemed to have mastered the minefield that is Dawn Williams, easily deflecting backhanded compliments and comments about their outfits or about living across the country and across the world.
A tension hung in the air, and I seemed to be the only one who noticed. Or, maybe being a newcomer made me more aware. Either way, I couldn’t relax all night.
One thing that kept me tense was the way Dawn and her sisters would say something to their husbands, who would respond dismissively or not at all.
Sometimes the men would start talking over the women, completely cutting off what they were saying and not thinking anything of it. I think the most concerning thing was that Teddy’s cousins were two boys close to eighteen who displayed the same behavior when their mothers spoke.
I caught Stephanie’s eye a couple of times, and she pantomimed slicing her neck open with her butter knife, which made me snort quietly.
But every time I would meet Teddy’s eyes, he would just smile and ask if I was okay.
When dinner was done, the men immediately got up and walked into the den to watch Football, while the women grabbed the dishes and went into the kitchen to clean.
“You’re my guest, Indie,” Ellie said, grabbing my arm and bringing me into a small sitting room. “We got cards to play.”
My eyes couldn’t help but drift over her shoulder, to the kitchen, where the women were talking, and how my stomach twisted as I played cards with Ellie when I heard the men cheering at the television screen.
Some family dynamics are different; there’s clearly a more traditional dynamic here. It wasn’t something I agreed with, but I couldn’t dictate how someone else ran their household.
But as I heard Teddy laughing with his father, uncles, and cousins in the den, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
It won’t be ours.
“Your family is nice,” I tell Teddy now, because that’s at least the truth.
Teddy looks relieved, and I can’t help but feel a little guilty. The thing is, I don’t even know what to tell him.
Your mother seems to favor you over your sisters in a way that’s concerning. He already told me he’s the baby and her only son.
The male members of your family are showing signs of sexism and an expectation of gender roles that I do not like. It wasn’t my family, so I didn’t really get a say in how they run things.
Your mother was nice to me in a way that makes me concerned that if I turn my back, I’ll find a knife in it. How could I even prove that? Ellie, maybe, or his sisters, but again, I’m an outsider commenting on one dinner, one night, one peek into the Williams family dynamics.
“My sisters really like you,” Teddy sighs, pulling me into his arms and pressing a kiss to my cheek. “They told me to hold onto you.”
I smile, and for a moment, happiness cuts through my uncertainty. Knowing I have at least three allies in his sisters and Nana helps steady me. I lean my cheek on his chest, letting his presence ground me, swaying gently as my nerves begin to settle.
“Everything went wrong today,” I murmur, letting out a shaky breath as my nerves unwind, especially being back in the safety of home.
I glance around my apartment. It’s small, but it’s been my home for the last three years, and it’s really all the space I’ve ever needed. A queen-sized bed, television on a thrift store trunk I found years ago, that now holds my old college books and notes I’m keeping—just in case.
In fact, pretty much every piece of furniture in my apartment is secondhand—besides my mattress. My old professor advised that, since we work on our feet, we should invest in a good mattress and comfortable shoes.
It’s peaceful and quiet when I get home, since the bakery downstairs closes early. Every morning, I wake to the scent of pastries.
Most importantly, the rent is cheap. The building's owner, an older woman with too much money, hasn’t realized how much rent has risen. I’m pretty sure she’s measuring prices by the 1994 market—not that I’d dream of complaining.
“I was so nervous,” I admit.
“You were wonderful,” Teddy assures me, brushing a hand down my head.
“Really?” I ask, skeptical. “Because I kind of think your mom… doesn’t like me?”
Teddy looks shocked.
“What? No, honey, my mom likes you—she told me so.”
My brows shoot up at that.
“Really,” it’s not a question, it’s a challenge.
“Yeah,” Teddy nods, grinning proudly. “She said I brought a nice girl home.”
Okay. Maybe I misread things? But maybe she’s just using the adjective nice in the same way that I am. I huff, feeling dizzy with these back-and-forth thoughts.
“She just said you were quiet,” Teddy shrugs. “She thought maybe you were unhappy with the food, or were expecting something better.”
My stomach drops.
Now I feel awful, suddenly convinced I’ve come off as cold again—my expression unreadable, thanks to my resting bitch face, and my anxiety making me seem distant.
“No! The meal was fine. I was just…” I sigh, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day.”
“No, honey. Don’t apologize. I get it,” Teddy soothes, shaking his head. “I told her you worked today, so you were just tired. No big deal. Next time will be better.”
I barely catch my grimace.
Next time.
“Why don’t you go get in the shower and relax?” Teddy kisses my cheek.
When he tries to step away, I wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“Come with me,” I purr, my exhaustion now shifting into something else.
Seeing sweaty Teddy today, and then freshly showered Teddy smelling like his soap was kind of torturous. He seemed to know it too, smirking at me through dinner when I would surreptitiously sniff the air around him.
I’m just glad it’s reciprocated, because Teddy momentarily looks like he was knocked over the head at the sound of my purr, eyes heavy and glazed, mouth slack.
“Yeah?” he rasps.
“Mhm,” I lean in, brushing my lips against his cheek, trailing to his ear. His whole body shudders. “I’ll let you wash my back… and other hard-to-reach places.”
Suddenly, I’m airborne, tossed over Teddy’s shoulder like he’s a caveman.
My surprised squeal dissolves into laughter as Teddy stomps us toward my tiny bathroom. He puts me down and turns to start the shower, adjusting the temperature. I quickly strip out my scrubs and toss them in my hamper.
When Teddy turns back and sees me completely naked—I realize for the first time—his eyes go wide, and he swallows. His eyes trail up and down. Up and down. Lingering on my breasts and neatly groomed, very wet pussy.
“Indie…” he breathes.
Another tip from a female professor: stay in shape.
This career demands it. Lifting patients and equipment or sprinting to help someone—all are realities in my field.
Even specializing doesn’t mean the physical part disappears, so I work out at the nearby gym and take a yoga class three times a week.
My body is strong, and it reflects in my core and legs. I’m proud of this body, and of this mind. I worked hard for it, so having Teddy—whose opinion I care about more than anyone else’s—appreciate it feels amazing.
I grin and reach up to tug the tie out of my hair, using my other hand to undo the braid. Teddy’s eyes glaze over at this as I step around him toward the shower.
Looking over my shoulder, I tease, “Coming?”
“Hopefully,” he mutters as he clumsily takes his own clothes off and joins me.
Unfortunately, my stall shower is too small for us to have any fun besides washing each other, but to be honest, that’s fun enough.
Teddy pays extra close, special attention to my breasts. He takes his time, making sure they are thoroughly clean, making me giggle. But he also cares for me in a way that makes tears sting my eyes.
He washes my hair tenderly, with his strong fingers massaging my tense scalp.
“That feels nice,” I sigh, feeling soft lips press against mine briefly. “Thank you, Teddy.”
“Of course, honey,” he rumbles, tilting my head back into the spray, using a hand to block my eyes.
He even washes my face, which is something no one has ever done before. No one has ever cared about me like this. I sniff and hope that the tears pouring down my cheeks blend into the warm spray.
“Keep those pretty eyes closed,” he whispers, gently brushing the soap from my face as he tilts my face back into the spray. “There you go.”
Then I do the same for him. And I feel in my element—caring for someone. Caring for him.