We head for the door while Diane’s already deep in conversation with the instructor about next week. Outside, the summer air is warm, humming against my skin. I step closer to Nora, lowering my voice. “So… same time next week?”
She lifts an eyebrow. “You’re coming back?”
I smile—soft, a little sheepish. “Yeah. Plus, I did some research. Apparently, yoga can help men with, um… performance. Erection and ejaculation control.”
She laughs, slow and delighted. “In that case, we should probably sign you up for an extra day or two.”
After dropping Diane off, we drive back to my place. I barely get the key out before Nora leans in, her lips brushing my ear. “I think we both need a shower.”
My pulse kicks. “Together?”
“Yes,” she murmurs. “Together.” Her finger trails down my chest.
“Whenever we end up naked together,” I start, voice already rough, “we always?—”
“Yep.”
“Okay.” I tilt my head, smirking. “So is this naked yoga?”
“You can call it whatever you want.” She smiles and loops her arms around my neck, drawing me in. The kiss is slow, but absolutely perfect. I push the door open without breaking contact, her lips still on mine.
“Hey, kids!”
I go still and pull back. With Nora’s arms still looped around my shoulders, we both turn our heads at the same time. My dad is sitting on the couch. In his underwear. Legs crossed. Completely relaxed.
“Dad,” I say faintly. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Mom were on a plane to Florida.”
“Plane got delayed until tomorrow. So we’re hanging out for one more day.”
“And you’re doing that in your underwear?”
“Yep.”
“Hi, Greg,” Nora says politely, shielding her eyes with one hand while waving with the other. “So good to see you again.”
He glances down at himself. “Well, isn’t this awkward. But, hey, now that you’ve seen me in my underwear, and I’ve seen you in yours, I guess we’re even.”
“That’s something I never wanted to be even in,” she mutters, then rises onto her toes and whispers in my ear, “I’ll meet you upstairs.”
As soon as the bedroom door closes, I turn slowly to my dad. “Okay. I need you and Mom out of the house.” I pull a fifty from my wallet and hand it to him. “Take her to lunch.” I pause, then add another fifty. “Actually, make it dinner too. On me.”
Dad rises from the couch and claps my shoulder. “Proud of you, son. Really embracing adulthood.”
“Please leave.”
He strolls to the basement door and yanks it open. “Honey, how do you feel about Mongolian BBQ?”
Next to-do project: install their own entrance.
When the water turns on upstairs, I don’t hesitate. I take the stairs two at a time, grinning like an idiot, because nothing is keeping me from naked yoga.
Epilogue
Two Months Later
Nora
OneDate officially went live an hour ago, and between the congratulations and the noise, I quietly wrote a check that means more than any other milestone. For my mom. For a significant portion of the medical bills that have been looming over us like a shadow I couldn’t outrun. I didn’t tell anyone. I just sat there for a moment, pen shaking in my hand, and let the reality settle in. This thing I built isn’t only real, it’s doing what I need it to do.
