Before long, my folks arrive, and Rora stumbles downstairs, surprised to see Derek and me here at her grandparents’ house when she wasn’t supposed to see me until right before boat time. She runs right to Derek, who, with ease, picks her up and asks her about her time with her grandparents.
I catch my mom’s eye and can tell what she’s thinking. Derek was good with her, and he was goodforme.
Last night had been the closest we’ve gotten to actually making a move with each other. I can still feel that thrum of anticipation within me at the thought of him kissing me. I dream about the man’s lips. I dream about him holding me close and telling me I was his, telling me he was mine.
There are not that many thoughts that pass through my mind that don’t involve the man looking at me.
We start to get ready for the boat day, and my dad offers to loan Derek another shirt. He respectfully declines and wears his jeans and undershirt from the club last night.
Men. They can go anywhere with two items.
I change into some older clothes I’ve left here and wear a swimsuit that’s probably too small for me, but I use a long-sleeved cover-up to conceal anything too revealing.
Before long we were all loaded up into my parents’ SUV and on our way to the lake. It’s an unusually warm day for early October, too cold for swimming but a perfect fishing day that my dad is more than willing to take advantage of.
Loading the boat is seamless with Derek’s help, and before long we’re cruising through the waters. Rora’s laughter carries through the wind, and I smile seeing her so carefree. Last night had me worried, and the guilt I felt for not being near when she needed me still clings to me like a second skin.
Mom takes the moment of Derek being distracted talking to my dad about fish to come and sit by me. Rora is in my dad’s lap “steering” the boat.
“Well, what an interesting turn of events,” Mom says, giving me one of those looks moms do, the one that says they’re not stupid and they know exactly what’s really going on.
“Definitely,” I say, getting ready to deflect like any daughter would. “Thanks for calling me. I’m glad I was here when she woke up.”
“Me too, honey.” She taps my leg gently, and I wait for the inevitable. “So, Derek’s a nice boy, huh?”
I try not to completely roll my eyes at her obvious pandering. “I’m surprised Hattie isn’t here, joining your investigation.”
Mom waves her hand. “She’s got a game today, she wasn’t available.”
“Of course you asked her.”
“Yes. But it’s her fault. I told her what happened, and she said, ‘Oh, Birdie was holding hands with him last night.’” Mom gives me a look. “So don’t pretend that it was all me, my dear.”
“You two are the biggest gossips in the world.”
“Yeah, well, what are you going to do? Keep it to yourself? You never ask for babysitting unless it’s work-related, and now you wanted a Friday night and didn’t think I would put it together when little missy over there’s been talking about that man for weeks.”
Aurora was halfway in love with Derek.
Just like you.
My inner voice, I swear. I shake my head and take a deep breath. I’m not in love with Derek, we haven’t even kissed! We haven’t gone on a real date without people we know around, we haven’t spoken the words, “will you go out with me?”
This is all… hypothetical love. Like Icouldlove him, I just haven’t had a chance to try yet.
I shake my utterly chaotic thoughts and turn back to my mom, keeping my voice low. “Okay, I get what you’re saying. But we’re not dating.”
I think back to the club last night and that moment when his lips touched my shoulder and it made me nearly come out of my skin. My shoulder. That is all it took for me.
Or it is quite possibly and very realistically the fact that it was Derek who did the touching that had my body acting as if it had been electrocuted?
When he turned me around, I was waiting, bracing for that moment for his mouth to touch mine and ready for it to turn my body inside out.
But he’d been the one who felt my phone and ended up saving the night.
I glance over at the three people at the end of the boat, his sandy brown hair was flying with the wind from us moving, and he catches my eye, sending me a smile to say he was happy to be here.
I gasp a little when I realize what him being here on a Saturday means.
