To you,it says. It confuses me until I look out my car window and see him raising a beer toward me, a grin plastered on his face. He found me.
So much for having the upper hand.I hit a pothole, I tap back.
If by pothole, you mean you slammed into my beautiful, chiseled body and had to stop and ogle, then I agree.
I gasp at his forward text but laugh. My gaze dips down to his rock-hard body, and my own body heats—a tingling of need ignites between my legs.
His head is still bowed over his phone, so I don’t text back yet. Another text from him chimes.So, this one is for you. And to the only relationship in the history of time that began with chicken wings.
I swallow down my pride and go with it. Because it’s easier than fighting against the riptide current of my sensibilities.To chicken,I text to him, raising my phone so he can view it.
He chugs his beer as the sun sets behind him. It’s the magnificent shade of red that I love, punctuated by the most sculpted, chiseled man I’ve ever seen in my life. A man that, at this moment in time, only has eyes for me.
My chest tightens with something akin to excitement, but it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt. This could be the start of something amazing. I let the swell of excitement take over before real life crushes it to bits.
Lunch tomorrow can’t come soon enough.
FIVE
Leif
I boughtevery flavor of chicken wings the diner made. On the off chance she was fucking with me, I also bought salads, burgers, and a fish and chips basket. Malena is sitting across from me at her glass kitchen table, her mother seated to her left rambling on about the bird she saw in the backyard this morning. We both respond to her at the same time and grin at each other when it happens.
“You really brought way too much food. What were you thinking? That you needed to feed an army?” Malena puffs out her cheeks and pulls a face. “Pass me the goblet of chicken wings, fine sir.” As I slide the platter, she removes a hair tie from her wrist and pulls her hair back against the nape of her neck. “Gets a little messy.” She shrugs as she digs into a wing, tilting her head to the side to get a better angle. When she pulls away, she has a smear of orange sauce on each corner of her mouth. She leaves it there.
My eyes light up when I realize she actually loves wings. They are my favorite cheat meal. Even though today isn’t that dayfor me, I know I’ll eat every single one she doesn’t to prove we have something in common. It’s an irrational need for Malena to understand I’m worth more than a one-night stand. It’s a fair assessment if she’s judging me against most of my friends, but it’s also a little irritating. I can’t control how I’m perceived regardless of my efforts to do things the right, normal way. I didn’t bring condoms like she asked, and that was also to drive that point home. When she opened the door wearing a pair of tiny board shorts and a bikini top, I realized I fucked up big time on the condom front. Instead of none, I’ll need seventeen boxes. For one day.
Ms. Winterset picks at the array of food in front of her, and Malena asks if she needs anything several times. It’s odd, as I know it’s her mother, but she is definitely more her patient. Malena is her caretaker. She reaches over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear so it doesn’t get into her mouth when she takes her next bite. “Mom, what do you think of Leif?” Malena coos, a sarcastic edge to her voice. She glances at me. “She always tells the truth. Even if she shouldn’t. It’s very entertaining.”
“Don’t ask her that,” I hiss. “I’m not ready for the truth.”
Malena quirks a knowing brow. “I’m ready for it, though. Consider me a truth-seeking missile.”
“Leif, you say?” Ms. Winterset interrupts, her tone high and unsure. “This is Dylan. Right, son?” she turns to me. “You got a fancy new hairdo, though.”
Grinning, I reply, “Yes, ma’am. Very fancy.”Tell me more about Dylan and what he has to do with Malena, please.“When was the last time we saw each other?” I edge, flicking my gaze to the side to see Malena’s reaction.
Malena places a hand on top of her mother’s, ignoring me completely. “Mom, this isn’t Dylan. He’s not around anymore, remember? This is Leif. He wants to take me out,” she explains. Ms. Winterset has clear dark eyes. I’d think her a shrewdwoman, the kind that knows a lot of things but never gives their hand away. That is if I didn’t know better. Her face is an older version of Malena’s, but her skin is pale in opposition to her daughter’s.
Lines between Ms. Winterset’s eyes appear, and her eyes turn down in the corner as she surveys Malena. “What happened to Dylan? Are you okay?” Motherly concern for her daughter’s welfare creeps in, and that must feel nice, that she still has traces of herself even if they’re misguided.
“I’m fine, Mom. It didn’t work out. Are you full?” Malena asks, nodding to her mother’s plate. “I can get you something else, or are you ready to lie down for a bit?”
Ms. Winterset looks at me, an all-consuming emptiness now evident. “I’m a bit tired. It was nice seeing you, Dylan. Tell your daddy I said hello.”
I swallow hard. All I can manage is a nod. This is a lot to take in—to deal with when I’m not really sure what I want. The wooden chair legs scrape the floor as they both stand and then make their way down a hallway to the bedrooms. I’m thinking about how quickly I can run and my chances of avoiding Malena for the rest of my life when she saunters back in, a weary expression on her face.
“You can go if you want. Thank you for lunch,” she says, forcing a smile and adjusting the string around her neck, then adds, “I’m sorry about that. I want to say it’s not usually that bad, but that wouldn’t be the truth.”
This is it. The moment I can politely excuse myself from getting entangled in her life. I can walk out of the door with a clear conscience and a new gratitude for my annoying, completely normal sisters and family.
Malena sits back down in the spot she was in and sets a baby monitor on the table. “In case she tries to run,” she explains. “Not hungry anymore?”
No, not at all. I stand and pace toward the front door but then spin around. The moment has passed, and my mind has been swayed. It’s because her hips are perfect, and her eyes scream,save me, save me, please save me. She’s invoked my weakness unknowingly. “Who is Dylan?” I fire out.
She smirks. “I thought you were leaving.” She chews a bite of a buffalo wing. “Just an ex. No one important.”
I take a step toward the dining area and run a hand through my hair. “How long ago was Dylan?”
