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I took a deep breath and walked out the door. I didn’t look back, I couldn’t. I’d have run back to them if I had. I may have only spent two nights with them, but I’d texted with them for weeks before that. I’d spoken with them now, had seen who they really were, and it was fucking hard to leave them.
I stepped into the elevator, turned in my key when I reached that lobby, then walked down to the parking garage. I quickly found the car, and before I knew it, I was in the airport waiting for my plane. It all passed in a blur because all I could see was their faces, their smiles, the way they each sighed my name.
It was a struggle to pay attention to the announcements, I kept remembering moments with them or looking around the airport, half hoping they’d show up to bring me back to their hotel. Or come home with me.
That made me smile. The thought of the four of them trying to fit into our tiny house, with Mom in the other room. That wouldn’t go down well at all.
My flight was finally called, and I reluctantly boarded the plane. I had to stop in Houston again, but it was a shorter stop this time. I’d have enough time to run from one part of the airport to the next, and then I’d be boarding the new plane. I don’t know why they jammed flights together like that, but it was a cheap ticket so I wouldn’t complain.
I made it home a few hours later, around one in the afternoon. Mom was obviously at work as it was Tuesday afternoon, so I went home and unpacked my suitcase. I checked my phone and saw there was a new group chat. Each brother had sent me a message to tell me how glad they were I’d swiped Amanda’s phone when she dropped it and that they’d call me later.
I went out around four to get something to make for dinner, but Mom called me while I was out.
“Honey, I’m going to be out this evening, can you find yourself something to eat?”
We’d texted earlier about my trip and I’d responded with PG-13 details. It was fun, I had a good time, I was home now. Things like that. Now it was straight to the reason she’d called, could I feed myself?
“Sure, Mom, I’ll just swing by and pick something up then. Hot date?” I asked from my car. I had just stopped when she called and was about to head into the store.
“Yeah, something like that. Don’t forget how old I am. Hot doesn’t really enter into the equation anymore,” she sighed unhappily.
“Mom, you’re super-hot and don’t let anyone tell you any differently!” I said the words with authority and heard her laugh as a result. So much for authoritative.
“If you say so, honey.”
“Hey, listen, are you going somewhere special?” I had an idea.
“Yeah, he’s taking me to Alfredo’s, that new Italian place over by the mall.”
“Hm, what are you going to wear?”
“I thought I’d wear my green dress, the one with the cutouts up between my shoulders?” She didn’t sound convinced. “I brought it with me.”
“I tell you what, come home and change before you go. I have the perfect dress for you.” We were a similar size, so I knew she could get into the sleek red dress the guys had bought for me. “I have the right shoes too.”
“Honey, I couldn’t--” she started but I interrupted her.
“You can and you will. If nothing else, I’ll race them over to you.”
“That might be better. We’d agreed to meet at six PM and you know what traffic is like.”
“I do. I’ll zip home, get the dress and the shoes, and then I’ll be over. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay. And honey, don’t speed!”
“Bye, Mom.” I hung up, raced back to the house, then to the dental office where she worked. I walked in, smiled at Mom, and pointed to the closed office behind the reception desk. It was a general administration office, so I opened the black garment bag the dress was in and pulled out the dress and shoes.
“Oh, my God, I can’t wear that!” Mom looked at the dress in wonder. “Honey, where did you get this?”
“It was a gift, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll explain at some point when I’ve got my head around it all, but for now, just know that I had the most incredible weekend and this dress was part of it.”
She looked at me, glanced down at the faint bruise on my neck, quirked an eyebrow with pleased curiosity and then bit her lip. “Did you…”
We weren’t exactly close, but we were loving towards each other and Mom had always been open with me. I knew what she meant and nodded. “I did. And it was… beautiful!”
