I was so troubled by the thought I pushed it from my mind and called my dad to stop from thinkin about it.
“Hello,” he answered after a couple rings. I had to press my ear close to the speaker because my dad had a habit of getting distracted and not speaking directly into the microphone.
“Hey, Dad, it’s Liam.”
“Liam. Good to hear from you.”
I cleared my throat. “You too. Uh, listen, I’m being considered for a couple scholarships for veterinary school and I need your help with the financial information. They’re requesting copies of tax returns for the past couple years for verification.”
Dad grunted.
“Would you mind emailing me copies, please? I don’t have them and they need them in the next couple weeks before they announce finalists.”
I didn’t try to explain to him what the scholarships could mean for me. They were the difference between attending a top school in the country or settling for my second choice. The truth was, I wasn’t sure he’d care about the difference. As far as he was concerned, I was chasing a pipe dream.
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.”
“It’s that William?” came Grandma Dorothy’s voice.
“It’s Liam, Mom,” Dad corrected solemnly.
I felt like a dick. Dad was just trying to do what was best for his family. He probably couldn’t understand why I wanted to become a vet despite that I’d tried to explain it to him several times. He had to put his mother in a home rather than take care of her. Much as we butted heads, I needed to remind myself to cut him a break.
“Liam!” came Grandma’s familiar voice as she took the phone. “I miss you baby boy. When are you going to come see me again?”
I thought of upcoming exams, work, and the acceptances I needed to sort through and make a decision about. “I’m going to try to head over there as soon as I can, okay?” I hated telling her no, but there was so much I needed to do.
“Oh, alright. Well, I miss you and I love you!”
“I love you, too. Give mom a hug for me.”
“I will, baby. You take care of yourself.”
“You, too,” I answered, but she was already gone.
** *
After a long dayof classes and worrying about grandma, I was looking forward to going home, and if I was honest, seeing Charlie. We’d texted throughout the day, but I wanted to bury myself in her and forget everything else. I’d spent an hour at the gym after my last class, but it still didn’t erase the unease pulling at my stomach. The only thing in my life that seemed to be going right was her…and I didn’t want to lose her.
The scent of spices and grilling meat greeted me the second I opened the door and nearly brought me to my knees. I immediately made a mental note to give her the hardest orgasm of her life. It was like she knew I needed to come home to something like this today. I don’t know how she knew, but I was grateful.
“Something smells good,” I said as I dropped my stuff by the door and crossed the open living room to where she stood by the oven smiling at me.
“I hope you don’t mind. After work I was craving some red meat.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist as she stirred what looked like mashed potatoes in a pot. My mouth watered, but it wasn’t only for the food. “Mind? I think you’re an angel.”
“You better quit it,” she said when I started nibbling on her ear. “If you don’t I might burn the food.”
I backed away to sit at the island, but my eyes were on her. “Fine, but only because I’m starving. First I’ll eat dinner, then I’ll have you for dessert.”
Her cheeks grew rosy and I smiled, feeling the tension leaving my body. “Is it always like this?” she asked as she turned back to add butter, salt, and pepper to the mashed potatoes.
I take a sip from the beer she’d already had waiting on the counter while I considered my answer. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t turn to face me as she spoke. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I never let myself. But I already care so much about you, it’s like there’s no stopping it now.”
The beer washed away the knot in my throat. “Come here,” I told her and she did as I asked. I pulled her between my legs so I could look into her eyes. I could have told her it was normal, that every relationship feels as intense as the connection between us, but I couldn’t. “No, it isn’t always like this.”
