“No.” She dug her fingers into her eyes, and I pulled her hands away and held onto them. “She just bought what he sold her. This all-American guy who was going to be my one true love. The perfect boyfriend. I guess she’s just having a hard time letting go of that.”
“But why? Why does she want that for you so much?” I rubbed my thumbs over the backs of her hands, trying to do anything I could to make this better for her.
“Because that’s what she and Dad were. High school sweethearts. Captain of the football team and the captain of the cheering squad. It sounds like a movie, but that’s how it happened for them. I know they fight a lot, but they really love each other. It’s not crazy that she would want that for me.” No, it wasn’t, I guess.
“But what about what you want?” I let go of one of her hands, pulled a pen out of my back pocket where I always kept one and started doodling on the back of her hand. She looked down for a second, but didn’t stop me. Her sleeves hid the place where I’d done the drawing before, but I was sure she’d probably already washed it off.
“That doesn’t factor in as much,” she said, holding still.
“That’s a shame.”
I could feel her watching me as I swept the tip of the pen across her skin.
“I shouldn’t be bitching about my parents, especially in front of you.”
I shook my head.
“It’s okay, Katie. I want you to tell me what you’re feeling. Whatever that is. Your feelings are important. Never forget that.” I looked up from my drawing and gave her a quick smile before going back to work.
“Adam seems nice,” I said, trying to shift the conversation onto less-volatile ground.
“I knew she was seeing some guy, but I had no idea it was this serious. Mom’s thrilled that he’s going to be a doctor, of course. But seriously, who does that? She’s only known him for a few months.” She shifted closer to me, using me as a shield to block some of the wind that was whipping leftover leaves around the yard.
“Maybe it’s real,” I said, moving the design up to her wrist.
“I should hope it’s real. She’s marrying him.”
Leaning her head down to see the design better, she breathed in my ear.
“You’re really talented, Stryker.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. You make a good canvas.” I tilted my head and found her mouth nearly touching mine. She smiled slowly and pressed her lips against mine tentatively. As if she’d never kissed me before. As if we were two teenagers coming home after a date and neither of us had the guts to kiss the other, but she decided to go for it anyway.
Instead of attacking her, I stayed perfectly still, letting her skin melt into mine. I kept my hands and tongue to themselves and just savored the sweetest and softest of kisses.
And then the door opened and I heard a gasp.
Katie pulled away and we both looked over our shoulders and I met the livid eyes of Mrs. Hallman.
“Mom,” Katie said, scrambling to her feet. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
“Really? Because what I saw was you kissing a guy you claimed was just a friend who needed a family to spend Thanksgiving with, who happens to look like he just got out of prison.”
“Mrs. Hallman—” I started to say, but a single glare from her shut me up. Mr. Hallman was right behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder and talking softly in her ear. That was my cue to make myself scarce.
“I’ll give you a minute,” I said, heading for my car.
Katie tried to stop me, but this wasn’t my place. She had some issues to work out, and my being there wasn’t going to help. I didn’t know if I should still get my stuff or not.
I couldn’t count the number of times I’d been kicked out of a house, but this one felt shittier than any time before.
Deciding I should give them a few minutes, I got in my backseat and stretched out, grabbing the violin I’d brought. It seemed like a better choice than the guitar or my uke.
I plucked a few strings and wondered how the conversation with Katie and her parents was going. I really shouldn’t have let Katie convince me to come. I also shouldn’t have kissed her, but what was done was done.
I’d had a lot of “shouldn’t haves” with Katie.
I pulled out my bow, swiped some rosin across it and started playing. I started with “Holding On and Letting Go”, by Ross Copperman and moved to “Hysteria”, by Muse and then to “I Want You”, by Andrew Allen.
Every song made me think of Katie. I poked my head up and glanced at the porch where they were still talking. It didn’t look good, because Katie was using her hands while she spoke. She only did that when she was especially pissed. She was also leaning heavily on one hip, which was another bad sign.
The thing that almost made me laugh was that her mother was doing the same thing. Guess the apple didn’t fall far from that tree. Mr. Hallman looked like a referee who was trying to let both sides win.
My phone chose that moment to chime with a call from Trish.
“Hey, how’s Thanksgiving with the Cleavers?” she said, sounding quite cheerful, for Trish.
“It’s been…interesting. How’s yours?”
“Well, I’ve been invited to move in, so that’s good, I guess. Lottie’s parents are pretty cool. They’re both seriously smart though. You’d fit right in.”
“Probably better than I do here,” I said under my breath.
“Her mom’s freaking out, isn’t she?”
“Just a bit, but she did catch us kissing on the porch after Katie told her I was just a friend.”
She snorted. “Dude, can’t you keep it in your pants for one day?”
“It wasn’t that kind of kiss.”
“What kind of kiss was it, lover boy?”
“Look, I’m not discussing this with you right now.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katie storm off the porch and march her way toward my car, her face as dark as a hurricane. “Gotta go. Say hi to everyone for me.”
“Will do. Bye.”
Katie wrenched open the car door and climbed in without further ado.
“How did it go?” I said. She pushed my violin out of the way and lay on top of me. That was unexpected, but it didn’t mean my dick didn’t respond accordingly.
“Will you take me somewhere so we can fuck?” Her hands started working on my shirt and it took every ounce of willpower I had to grab them and make them stop.
“Now? You want to f**k in the middle of your family’s Thanksgiving dinner?” Even for me, that was a little extreme.
“Not in the middle of it. I just…I need to get away for a little while. I need a physical distraction.”
She tried to wrench her hands away from my grip, but I wouldn’t let her, so she started grinding her h*ps against me. Damn, she knew how to push all the right buttons.
“Katie, stop. Seriously. We can’t f**k every time you have a problem and don’t want to deal with it. Not that I don’t enjoy every second of it, but it never solves anything.”
She looked down at me and I watched her face break and the tears start to fall on my shirt. I let her have her hands back so she could wipe them away.
“I’m being stupid,” she said, moving so I could get out from under her. “I’m sorry. That was impulsive and stupid.” She pulled her knees up on the seat and I sat beside her.
“Look, you may think that your mom is being crazy, but everything she’s doing is because she loves you. She loves you so much she’s trying to protect you from the scary pierced and tattooed guy. Most mothers would have the same reaction.”
“You’re not scary.”
“To a mother with a daughter, I am. To be fair, you didn’t give her a good warning about who was going to show up. You could have given her a heads up. Why didn’t you?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.” Refusing to look at me, she just stared at the half-finished drawing on her hand and wrist.
“Tell me the truth, Katie. Did you not tell her about me on purpose to make a point? To piss her off?”
Her head rose and her red eyes met mine.
“Is that what you think of me?” she whispered.
“Is it true?” It wouldn’t have surprised me if it was, even if she wasn’t aware that was what she’d been doing.
She shook her head and put her hands in the air.
“I don’t know, Stryker. Maybe a little. She just made me so mad about Zack. But it’s not just that. Not anymore.”
She traced one finger on the design I’d made.
“But I told you, I can’t do this. The relationship thing. Not with you. Yes, maybe I was using you, and I’m sorry. I guess I get the douche award today.”
I nodded, since I’d expected as much. So why did it bother me? I slid away from her and got out, pulling open the driver’s side door.
“Are you leaving?” she said, getting out of the backseat and standing behind me.
“I don’t belong here, Katie. I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family.” I should have turned around the second I walked in the door, but I’d thought maybe I could make it work, but I’d been fooling myself. For a few moments, I’d imagined what it would be like to be a member of her family, but it would never happen. Could never happen.
“Why did you come?” She put her hand on the door so I couldn’t move it.
“Because you invited me and I thought it would be nice to see what a Thanksgiving is supposed to look like. I’ve never had one before.”
She pulled in a quick breath, as if I’d said something that shocked her.
“Way to make me feel like shit, Stryker.” She stepped back and looked up at the sky. “Why do you put up with me?”
“I ask myself that question a lot. I still haven’t come up with an answer.”
She tipped her head to the side and squinted at me.
“Come on. Let’s go back inside. Dad’s probably got mom under control enough. Why don’t you bring your violin? You’ll seduce everyone with your musical genius. You don’t have to stay the night. Just for an hour.”
She gave me a smile and it was the kind that a girl could use to sweet talk her way out of a speeding ticket, or out of paying the cover at a club, or to get the codes for a top-secret government facility. Christ, she could make me do anything.
“Please?” Little did she know, if she asked me to cut off my right arm with a rusty saw, I would have done it for that smile and that little ‘please.’
I could do this. It didn’t have to be a big deal.
“Fine. But if your mom takes me out to the backyard and shoots me, it’s your fault.”
“She doesn’t even know how to use a gun. It’s my dad you have to worry about when it comes to using firearms.”
“Good to know,” I said as she pulled my violin out of the back and handed it to me.
Katie
Stryker stayed. Mom got herself together with the help of Dad, and everyone else warmed to him after he started interacting, and especially after he played a heartbreaking rendition of “Brown Eyed Girl”. Dad belted it out and danced her around the living room and she laughed as he dipped her. I rolled my brown eyes when I recognized the song, but Grampa Jack just laughed and joined Dad with his baritone voice.