AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I take her hand and stand, but wish more than anything I would have sex with her. I'm not going to do that though. She said herself she wanted to behave, and I should honor that for as long as possible. We step out of the tub, and I grab a towel off the rack, wrapping it around her shoulders. The corners of her mouth dip, her brows coming together in confusion.
“What are you doing?” She finally asks when I wrap one around my waist.
With a deep breath, I say, “You want to behave, remember?” Her frown deepens, and I swear she looks a bit disappointed. Then I add, “The next time I have sex with you, it won't be for the simple fact that I'm horny. There should be more than that, Ryan.”
I don't know how I'm expecting her to react, but for her to roll her eyes and shake her head like I'm being impossible and silly wasn't it. She doesn't say she doesn't think it's possible or that she thinks that's ridiculous. In fact, she doesn't fight me about it at all because she only says, “Fine.” Ryan doesn't budge when I go to walk past her, and I wish I could know what she's thinking. I kiss her temple before leaving her behind, going to her bedroom to get dressed.
The clock on her nightstand says I'll have enough time to go home, shower, and then go straight to my parents. I grab my almost dead phone from my stack of clothes, seeing a missed call from my mother. I'll call her once I leave here. As I'm walking out of the bedroom, the oldies music changes to rock, and the volume is louder than before. Is Ryan one of those people who listens to the music based on their mood, music that gives hints about them? Right now, “Bad Girlfriend” by Theory of a Deadman is playing.
Ryan has wrapped the towel around her chest and is leaning against the table where her sound system is. She lifts her head when she sees me, her face void of any emotions even with her small smile.
“Have fun with your family,” she says.
“Thanks. I'll text ya later.” I give her a kiss on the lips before I leave.
* * *
“Hey, Mom,” I say as I kiss her cheek.
“Hey, Gabriel. It's about time you came over for Sunday supper,” she teases.
“I know, I know.” I take a seat at the table because I ran late and they are already seated. “Hey, Dad, Owen.”
“Hey,” they reply.
Without a word, we fall into our routine. I grab hold of Owen's hand since he is next to me, and also my father's. Owen and Dad take Mom's hands. We bow our heads, and my father says prayer.
“Amen,” we say together when he finishes. Then we start piling food onto our plates.
“How's work been?” Dad asks.
“Good. I'm getting a partner apparently.”
Dad chuckles, but Mom speaks first. “We're not talking about work at the table. You two know that,” she chides.
My dad grins. “Is there anything other than work that you do, Gabriel?”
“He's dating someone,” Owen chirps in next to me.
I slap his leg under the table, but it's too late. It's not that my family doesn't ever know of who I'm dating, but my mother is always the last to meet her. That's not by mistake either. She's the hardest to please, but she is always
right with her opinion. After my last relationship and the apparent error of my ways, I don't want to make any more mistakes.
“Oh?” My mother's eyebrows shoot up.
“She's hot,” Owen adds again.
“You've met her?” Even though Mom knows I save her opinion for last, she doesn't like it.
“Yes, he has,” I say before Owen can say anything, but he still has to talk.
“How old is Ryan anyway?”
“Ryan?” My mother questions, confused by the name.
I sigh, glancing at my father who is smirking. He enjoys this too much. “That's her name, Mom.”
“Why on earth would someone name their daughter with a boy's name? It's strange.” She frowns, and I can already see her picking apart Ryan when she doesn't even know anything about her yet. With our family, our opinions matter. We try to be objective and look out for each other. Mom likes to take that to another level. She doesn't want any of us to get hurt and sometimes oversteps the boundaries. She means well, though.
