Epilogue
“You look da… dang sexy. Stop freakin’ out.”
Hayles fixes her hair one more time in the sideview mirror before standin’ up. “You sure? I’ve never done somethin’ like this.”
I step back to study her outfit. She hates it when I do this. When I let my eyes rake over every curve, every part of her, and yeah, I check out her boobs way longer than she likes, but can you blame me?
“Knock it off, you perv!” She punches my arm and I grab her hand, pullin’ her toward me.
“Don’t ask me to check you out if you don’t mean it.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’ll do it anyway.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
Another punch. I laugh and kiss her, stoppin’ her from answerin’ me with another wiseass comment. She’s good at it. The kissin’ and the comments.
“Okay, I think I’m ready.”
“You sure you don’t want to just, stay in?”
She shakes her head. “You’re supposed to be showing me off!”
“I know, I know.”
I wrap my hand around her waist, and pull her to the restaurant. Mom and Dad are in there, probably talkin’ about why I asked them to meet me and Hayles here. Mom goin’ into all these cheesy romantic things while Dad’s pretendin’ to listen, but really wantin’ a drink.
“Hayley!”
Mom has adopted Hayles. It’s good for them, I know. Mom wantin’ that daughter, and Hayley needin’ a mom who doesn’t care what size pants she wears. Still, I wish she wouldn’t hog my girlfriend so much.
They hug, and I pull Hayley’s chair out for her. She still blushes whenever I do stuff guys are supposed to do. Wonder if she’ll ever get used to it.
“Okay, okay, tell us! Are you two getting married?” Mom’s enthusiasm and assumption makes me spit the water I just put in my mouth all over Dad.
“Thanks a lot.” He grabs a napkin and wipes his face off, chucklin’ behind it.
“No, Mom. We’re not getting married. We just graduated.”
“Some people do that you know.” She smiles and winks at Hayles, whose blush has not disappeared.
“Not us. We do the whole marriage thing without the rings first.”
Oh no. She’s not tellin’ my parents about our sex life.
“You know, fight and threaten to throw clothes out on the lawn.” She smiles. “And if he doesn’t put the seat down next time, I’m nailing it to the toilet.”
They all laugh, includin’ me.
“All right, so no marriage. But tell me what it is! I’m dying!” Mom bounces up and down in her seat, and so does Hayles, matchin’ her excitement. Dad laughs behind his glass.
“Well, I got into U of O,” I stutter.
Mom grabs Hayley—not me—into a big hug and Dad claps a hand on my back.
“That’s great, kid.”
“Thanks.”
Mom lets go of Hayles, whose face has permanently turned the color of those tomatoes Mom threatens me with, and says, “Congratulations! And that’s close too so we can still visit you and Hayley.”
Whoa, wait a second. Do they think…?
“We’re not going to live together.” Hayles giggles, savin’ me from that conversation. “Just going to be in the same school. You know, so I can help him pass his classes.” She nudges me, and I keep her hand. Don’t know why she gets so nervous about every date. I guess I’d be nervous if I went out with her and her parents, but she’s so good at everythin’.
The rest of dinner goes pretty much how it goes at home. Mom and Dad embarrassin’ me while Hayles joins in occasionally, but her hand stays on my knee, lettin’ me know she does it all ‘cause she loves me.
I tell Mom and Dad I’ll be out late, and they give me those stupid looks like, ‘we know, we know’ and then hugs, then they take off. I help Hayles into the Dodge—my Dodge—and her feet are on the dash before I even get in.
The drive isn’t silent, since she sings the whole time. I don’t mind that there’s no conversation. This is our thing.
I pull up to the apartments just around the corner from U of O. Hayles got a roommate as soon as she found out she was goin’ there and moved out about two seconds after that.
She still hasn’t met Daniel, but she doesn’t seem to care.
“Will you come inside?” She unbuckles. “I have something for you.”
I’m always up for the invitation to go in with her, but from her expression I know I’m not gettin’ lucky tonight.
“Sure.”
The apartment is small, but big enough for her and her roommate. Hayles doesn’t have a lot of stuff. And she’s just startin’ work to pay for it all. She does have a bed though. That’s important.
“Where’s Callie?” Roommate.
She shrugs. “Not here, I guess.”
Hmm… maybe I will get lucky. She’s draggin’ me to her room.
I go for her mouth when she closes the door, but she puts a hand over it, makin’ me make out with the back of her hand.
“Not yet, impatient boy.”
She said yet…
She slips under my arm and goes for her nightstand. She takes out a piece of paper that looks like the list I gave her months ago. Smilin’ her Hayley smile, she puts it in my hand.
“These are my reasons.”
“You made a list?”
She nods, smile still glued on her face.
“Gosh darn it, Brody. I love the heck out of you. You should know why too.”
I don’t read it. Not yet. I tuck it in my back pocket and kiss her. She growls and pushes me off.
“You don’t like it?” She fake pouts.
I shake my head. “You want me to read it right now?” I kiss her neck, watchin’ her skin pop up with goose bumps.
She moans. “You’re such a cheater.”
I trace her jaw line with my lips, wrappin’ my arms around her middle and layin’ her flat on the bed.
“Right now, right now? Or can it wait for—”
“Two minutes?” She giggles, and I grunt at her. “Kidding! Kidding!” She laughs again.
Her hand dips into my back pocket while mine goes up her shirt. I know what will distract her.
The paper gets shoved over my eyes, and my arm gets pulled out from her shirt. I’m not goin’ to win this one.
“All right, all right, stubborn girl. I’ll read it now.” I sit up, adjustin’ myself so I’m comfortable. She snuggles into the crook of my neck, readin’ over my shoulder.
There’s one thing on the list. And it’s in big letters, and I bark out my laughter.
You’re good in the sack.
“You dork.” I toss the paper over my shoulder, and she laughs against my lips.
“Thought that would be the only one you cared about.”
I shake my head, wigglin’ my nose against hers. It still amazes me that she’s my girl.
“Hayles?”
“Sup?”
I chuckle, tuckin’ her hair back. How did I get here? How did I end up being the guy she lets in? I don’t know what I did, but I’m glad I get to do it. Every time I catch her looking at her reflection. She’s pulling skin, pinchin’ and proddin’ areas on her body with such a defeated look on her face, and she lets me whip her around, tell her how beautiful she is and kiss her until she’s smilin’ again. I get to do that for her, and in exchange I got the sexiest girl, the funniest girl, the smartest girl…
Damn, I’m lucky.
I give her one more kiss before I ask, “Did you have enough dairy today?”
The End