“Wow.” I lean against the kitchen counter and watch as Dylan divides the remainder of the food into various containers. “You’re a good son,” I say.
“I may not be a good son, but I’m definitely not an asshole.” He divvies it all up, places the lids on, and places them in his (crazily organized) freezer. I catch him yawning, which instantly makes me yawn too. “I have dessert, and a movie,” he says.
“Hmm, I think I’m going to have to go.”
“But it’s only…” He takes his phone out of his pocket and looks at the time. “Crap, it’s eleven. Have you really been here for hours?”
“Oh, sorry?” I question skeptically.
“Oh my God! I didn’t mean like that. I meant, I love having you here, and time goes by so fast when I’m with you.”
“Nice save. But I’m still going to go. Thank you for dinner.”
“I’m thinking I’ll make pizzas Saturday night.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“An open invitation. I’d really like it if you come for dinner Saturday night.”
“Okay.”
He moves in close to me. His body heat rolls off him, and onto me. He towers over me, and I love how his body is like a blanket over mine. He makes me feel safe. Tilting my head up, I watch as he closes the gap between us. He brings his hand up, and gently trails his fingers up and down my neck. “Can I kiss you?”
I don’t have the courage to say yes. Instead, I nod.
He lowers his head, and kisses me softly on the cheek. My heartbeat goes into crazy mode. He lightly brushes his warm lips from my cheek, to my ear, then down my neck. Jesus, it’s getting hot in here.
I push my body into his, wanting more.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers between delicate kisses to my lips.
Our kiss is sensual. He breaks away, leaving me breathless and wanting. I look down at the kitchen counter, trying to focus on anything but his mouth. I take several deep breaths, straighten my back, and hold my head high. “Thank you for dinner,” my voice cracks. Stepping away, I gather my bag, and take my keys out.
“I’ll walk you out,” he says. Taking my hand, he walks me to my car. Every moment together makes my head spin. I can’t help but love how I feel around Dylan.
“This boy, Dylan, you’ve been hanging out with him quite a bit. You also have a stupid smile whenever you talk about him. Serious, huh?” Mom asks as I prepare salads for us for lunch. I can’t help but smile when she speaks his name. “Like that.” She points to my goofy smile.
“Yeah, I like him. I think I like him a lot.”
Mom moves so she’s leaning against the counter. “Your father and I think it would be a good idea to invite him to dinner.”
“Yeah?” I turn to look at her. “You want to meet him?” I’m so excited.
“We want to make sure there are no red flags.” I crinkle my brows together, thinking about Preston. “What’s wrong?” Mom asks.
“Tina’s boyfriend.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got a bad feeling about him. I don’t think much of him.”
“Has Tina said something?”
“No, no. Nothing like that. But have you noticed she’s a bit more distant lately? She’s not talking to me. It’s been over a week. We’ve never gone this long without talking.”
“Hmm,” Mom huffs. “Maybe we can have Dylan and Preston over for dinner.” She purses her lips tightly together. “Do you think Dylan would like to come to dinner tonight?”
“What? Tonight? Um, I don’t know.” I’m not going to lie, a bit of panic courses through me.
“Can you ask? I’ll have Preston come too. I want to meet this boy, and see what kind of vibes I get from him.”
“Preston or Dylan?”
“Both. But more so Preston. Tina doesn’t always make the best decisions when it comes to the opposite sex.”
“I suppose I can ask Dylan, see what he has to say.”
“Good. Do that for me, Molly.” Mom walks away, heading out of the kitchen.
I reach for my phone sitting on the counter, and send Dylan a message. I’ve got a bit of a favor to ask. I go back to chopping the vegetables. Dylan doesn’t reply, instead he calls. I answer, “Hey. You didn’t have to call. I know you’d be busy at work.”
“Any chance to talk to you is good. Anyway, I’m having a shit day at work, and I need the distraction. What is it?”
Now I feel bad. Putting the pressure on him to come to dinner tonight. “It’s okay, don’t worry,” I say. My voice deceives me though, it breaks with disappointment.
“Come on, what is it?”
“Ugh. I’m sorry to ask this, but do you mind coming for dinner tonight? My parents want to meet you. Actually, it’ll be you and Preston too.”
“Um,” there’s a slight pause. “Sure. What time?”
“Are you sure? I can tell my parents you can’t make it.”
“Of course, I’m sure. I’d love to meet them.”
I smile like a fool. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
“I know. You wouldn’t have asked if it didn’t. Speaking of meeting parents. Dad’s coming to pizza night, is that cool?”
“Yes! I’d love to officially meet him.”
“Great. I’m sorry, Molly, I have to go. I’ve got this problem I’m dealing with and I have to get back to it.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“You already have. You’ve made my day better just by hearing from you.”
Stupid smile. “Alright, I’ll text you my address and time.”
“Bye.”
I hang up, staring at my phone like a goofball. I finish the salads, and set the table for Mom and me.
It doesn’t take Mom long before she heads back into the kitchen. “Did you speak with Tina?” I ask.
“Yep. She and Preston are coming to dinner.” Mom doesn’t sound happy. She’s chewing on the inside of her cheek as she stares out the back door.
“You okay?” My gut tightens with worry. Zhen gets up from where he was sleeping, and rubs up against my leg. Zorro lifts his head, then lowers it again.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She forces a smile. I know she’s not, but she’s hanging onto whatever’s bothering her. “Thank you for setting the table, I did have intentions of doing it.”
“It’ll be okay, Mom.”
She nods and takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m sure it will.”
“I’ve missed you,” Dylan says the moment I open the door. He’s holding flowers in his right hand. “I’d give you a hug, but I know I’d crush these. And no, they’re not for you, they’re for your mom.” The bouquet is fairly large, consisting of a range of white flowers, with some pops of yellow and green.
“They’re beautiful. She’ll love them.”
He steps inside, leans down and gives me a soft peck on the cheek. He takes a deep breath in through his nose, closing his eyes to savior the aroma. “I could smell that from outside. What is it?”