“Pffft, like I wouldn’t.” We get to the park, and I park the car. There’s few other cars here, and I have no idea which is Dylan’s. “Do you see Dylan?”
“I don’t know which is his car.”
“I can’t see Preston either. Man, what if we’ve been stood up? I’m so nervous.” Tina says as she opens the door.
“Then we’ve over catered.” I know Dylan won’t stand me up. Not after that amazing first kiss, or even the fact he texts me all the time. I open the back door, and put a leash on both dogs. They jump down, and stand beside me. “Come on, boys.” I encourage them to pee before we head down to the clearing to set up for lunch.
“Preston’s here,” Tina says in a low voice. I look around and see a guy walking toward us. He’s holding a picnic blanket, and has a giant smile for Tina. He’s cute, I suppose. He walks over to us, and gives Tina a scorching, hot kiss before he even says “hello.” That’s not exactly what I expected to see or happen before they even speak to each other. They’ve only been dating a few months, and it seems a little intimate.
“Okay then,” I mutter as I look away.
“Molly, this is Preston. Preston, this is Molly.”
“Hey,” he says in a casual, almost dismissive way, and slings his arm over Tina’s shoulder.
My gut is telling me something isn’t quite right with him. But I can’t make a decision based on first impressions. He may be nervous about meeting me.
“Hi,” I say, trying to call up a genuine smile.
He looks down at Zhen and Zorro, and steps back a small step. “I’m not a fan of animals. Sorry, but I don’t pet them.”
“You don’t like animals? Who doesn’t like animals?” I ask.
“Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t hurt an animal. I’m just not a fan. I know they serve their purpose and all but, you know. For me…meh.” He shrugs coolly. I think he looks like a pompous ass, but like I said, I can’t determine if he’s a good enough guy for Tina, not yet.
“Hey, there you are,” I hear Dylan calling from behind. Zhen turns, and with his tail wagging, steps toward him. “Hey, buddy.” Dylan squats, and gives Zhen a good scratch behind the ears, and Zorro trots over. “You’re not going to pee on me again, are you?” he asks Zorro.
“Dude, did he really piss on you?” Preston asks.
Preston is either a jerk, or he’s trying too hard. Dylan stands and steps forward. “Hi, you must be Preston.”
“Yeah, I am. Dylan, right?”
“Yeah.” Dylan holds his hand out to shake Preston’s. Preston extends his and they shake. “Hey you,” he says to me, leaning down and giving me a soft kiss on my forehead. “Tina, we meet again.” He moves forward, and gives Tina a quick kiss on the cheek.
I keep an eye on Preston, and can tell he doesn’t like Dylan’s familiar gesture. He puffs his chest out slightly, and hugs Tina closer to him.
Maybe my gut reaction isn’t off.
Tina seems oblivious to his behavior. But to me, something is certainly not right.
“Should we head down to the clearing?” I ask.
“Wait, I forgot.” Dylan holds a finger up, before running back to the car. Zhen watches him.
“I suppose we’re waiting,” I say.
I see Dylan jog up to his car, open the passenger side, grab a bunch of flowers, and what looks like a half-gallon plastic bottle. He jogs back, and Zhen starts wagging his tail. “These are for you,” he hands me the flowers. It’s a beautiful arrangement of lilies and roses with various shades of greenery. “And this is for us.” He holds up the bottle.
“What is it?” I ask as I place the flowers in the picnic basket.
Dylan puffs his chest out, all proud. “It’s homemade limeade.”
“You made this? For us?” I ask.
“I did.”
“Why?” Preston asks.
The smile on my face immediately disappears when I hear Preston ask that question. I’m trying really hard not to form a negative opinion about him, but his attitude isn’t helping. “Because I wanted to,” Dylan replies.
“Cool. Well, I brought a picnic blanket.” He holds it up, as if he’s earned praise.
“Thank you, Preston,” I say.
“Let’s go, guys. I’m hungry,” Tina says, as she slides her hand into Preston’s and they walk ahead of us.
Zhen and Zorro walk on my right, and Dylan walks on my left. “Let me,” he says as he reaches to take the picnic basket.
“Thank you.”
Tina and Preston are a good twenty feet away before Dylan says, “You look beautiful.”
“And you’ve won brownie points with me by bringing flowers and limeade. Did you really make it?”
“I’ll have you know I can cook. And I can cook well, too.”
“Can you? What can you make?”
“I can cook enough meals that you won’t go hungry for a month. And, if I might add, I like cooking too.” He’s pleased with himself.
“Well then, I think you should cook for me one night so I can judge these supposed cooking skills you claim you have for myself.”
“I would be happy to cook for you. Just name the day, and I’m all yours.” He quickly looks over at me, seeing if I caught what he said.
“All mine, huh?” I tease.
He clears his throat, and turns his head. “I…uh…you…um.”
I can’t help but giggle at how uncomfortable Dylan is. “It’s okay.” I place my hand on his arm, then slide it down so our fingers entwine. He looks down at our hands. “Is this okay?” I ask.
“I was about to ask you the same question. I don’t want to rush you, Molly. In anything. However long it takes you to be comfortable with me, I’ll wait.”
He makes my heart swell with happiness. There’s something comforting about him. He makes me feel grounded and safe whenever he’s close. He’s kind of like a security blanket.
“Is this spot good?” Preston calls.
It brings me back to the now, and I nod my head. There are four other groups of people picnicking at various places in the park. We’re far enough away from the others that we’re isolated, but can still see each other.
“Yeah, this is great,” I say again, confirming the spot is good.
Preston lays the blanket down, then sits before anyone else. “Tina.” He pats the blanket next to him.
“I’ll help Molly first,” Tina says.
“Molly and Dylan can do that.”
Man, I’m really struggling to find anything good about Preston. “Want to go for a walk?” I ask Dylan.
“Sure, let me put these down.” He places the plastic bottle, and the picnic basket down, and turns to me.
I take Zhen and Zorro off their leashes, then reach into the picnic basket to get a couple of plastic bags. “What’s with the bags? Preston asks.
“In case the dogs poop,” I reply.
“Just leave it, no one is going to know.”
“I wouldn’t want to step in dog shit, and I’m sure you wouldn’t either,” I snap a little too forcefully.