She’d almost weaponized that statement over the years because it always made me soften. I faltered as we rode down the elevator, then found my resolve again by the time we reached the ground floor.
“So some new guy you hardly know at our company is the best for me, but a friend I’ve reconnected with isn’t?” I would still keep Jasper’s secret about drinking too much, but I was right on the verge of losing my cool.
“No, of course not,” she replied as we stepped into the lobby. “Skylar has grown into a fine young adult.” She pursed her lips like she’d sucked on a lemon. I was sure the makeup he was wearing hadn’t helped. “When will his apartment be available again?”
“Why does it matter?” I countered. “And before you suggest something ridiculous like he’s taking advantage of me, he actually contributes his fair share. He’s an adult and has a job and everything.”
“Glad to hear it. What does he do for a living?”
I gritted my teeth, knowing that answer would become a bone of contention as well. Just as I got out the words, “He works at a bar,” Gretchen swung through the door with a giant smile on her face. She’d met my mother a few times before, and now knew enough about how overbearing she could be when it came to my love life.
After I reintroduced them and they chatted briefly about innocuous topics like the weather, Gretchen tapped my arm. “I was going to stop by your place and tell you that Zumba is unfortunately canceled tonight. Our instructor caught the flu.”
“Bummer. Thanks for the heads-up.”
She headed toward the bank of elevators, waving goodbye over her shoulder. “Catch you later.”
When I turned back to my mom, she was staring at me.
“What now, Mom?”
“Zumba? Really?”
“Okay, that is the exact reason I don’t tell you things. Yes, it’s an exercise class. Hold the elevator,” I called to Gretchen. “Drive safe, Mom. See you at the office.” And then I practically fled my mother and that entire conversation.
At least I had my say. Some might argue I wasn’t persuasive enough, but…baby steps.
“What was that about?” Gretchen asked as I stepped inside and the doors closed soundly—satisfyingly—in front of us. “Anyone would notice the tension.”
“Remember the story I told you about me and Skylar when we were kids?” She nodded, her eyes wide. “Let’s just say they had their first meeting since he moved in with me.”
“Ouch. Something tells me it didn’t go over well?”
I sighed as we stepped off the elevator. “She was being her usual pretentious, judgmental self.”
“You stand your ground, okay?” She squeezed my shoulder. She’d offered the same advice in the past, but this was the first time I’d felt completely rattled by my mother, which was hard to unpack. “Things still going well, having Skylar at your place?”
My face flushed hot as my mind flickered through the last couple of days. “We, uh, yeah, definitely. Speaking of which, I sort of left him hanging.”
“Uh-oh, there’s a story there.” She brandished the key to her apartment. “You better fill me in next time we hang out.”
“I will.” And maybe by then I’d have a better handle on what was actually going on between us. Nothing, remember? Just two friends reconnecting—and jerking off.
When I got back inside, I found Skylar at the sewing machine in his room. “You all right? I know she can be—”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize for your mother,” he said nonchalantly, but his eyes were edged with frustration. “She sees your life in a certain way, and I absolutely do not fit her vision; that much is evident.”
“Who cares what she thinks?” I said, and I’d never seen it more clearly than in that moment. All this time I chalked up Mom’s meddling to her being a mom with a strong personality. And since the guys I normally went for fitted her idea of who I should date, it hadn’t really bothered me. Until now.
Well, also when I was twelve, but I’d buried all those feelings. Deep.
Not that I was trying to date Skylar, but Mom obviously thought of him in an unflattering way—she’d admitted as much on two separate occasions.
I stepped closer to Skylar and glanced at the plaid material he had resting under the needle. It appeared he was sewing a hem. It wasn’t like Skylar to be uptight about stuff, but now he looked uneasy, as well as bummed, and I wanted to remedy it as soon as possible.
“You’re tense.” I placed my hands on his shoulders and squeezed. He paused his work briefly and shut his eyes, enjoying the light massage. “Tell me what you’re making.”
“Oh, it’s nothing; just a skirt.” I didn’t know why he discounted his creations. I sure as hell could never make something like that from scratch.
“Well, I think it’s awesome.” I watched him for a few minutes. “Hey, want to grab some food in a bit?”
“Sure, but don’t you have Zumba?” He threw me a cursory glance.
“It was canceled, and besides, I want to hang out with you.” I gave his neck one final squeeze before backing away. “I just have a couple of phone calls to return, so when you’re done here, let me know.” When I saw the beginnings of a smile, my chest felt lighter.
“Sounds good.”
So a bit later, we drove to a little Thai place in town and sat in a corner booth, ate good food, and laughed our heads off, sharing dumb stories from our youth. I felt on edge when the conversation turned to the Playground and how handsy customers could get, but I chalked it up to feeling protective of him rather than jealous, because he didn’t seem turned on by any of the salacious details. Who in the hell wanted the sweat licked off their legs by drunk dudes? At least not without consent. Gross.
Once home, I opened a bottle of wine, then settled on the couch beside Skylar while he clicked through TV channels. When he found a rerun of the most recent world championship gymnastics, we watched for a while and reminisced about our glory days.
There was something different about us tonight, and I was trying to put my finger on it as our shoulders pressed together in a comfortable way. I felt closer to him, and not only because of the kiss and the thing with my mom, but because I knew in my gut that I wanted him in my life. Just like this. Hopefully once he returned to his place, we could still hang out on a regular basis, though I knew our busy lives would likely get in the way.
I pushed the melancholy feeling away as we got ready for bed, slid under my sheets, and cut the lights. I was exhausted from the events of the last twenty-four hours, but sleep would not come easily.
“Skylar?” I whispered, hoping not to wake him in case he’d already zonked out.
“Yeah?” he whispered back, readjusting himself onto his side, facing me.
The room was dark, which made me feel braver somehow. I could only make out his profile and hear his steady breathing.
“How come you haven’t been hooking up lately? Is living here messing that up for you?”
“Not exactly.” There was a long pause, and I worried I’d asked the wrong thing, though I wasn’t even sure why I was questioning it in the first place. Maybe to reestablish boundaries? Or just being nosy. When he finally responded, I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Guess I haven’t been feeling it lately. Besides, a lot of the time, it’s just a handjob or blowie in the bathroom.”