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Charis points to the same couple I met last week, standing near Meadow. “My parents bribed Meadow, more or less. So here I am, taking part in the same hell as you.”
It’s been several days since I’ve seen Charis and the teach. It’s easier to be alone with Teach, but during this very sensitive time, I’ve been treading lightly.
“I’ve missed you, love.” I’m not shy and I’ll always tell her how I feel.
She slides in next to me. “I miss you, too. Both you and Gibs.”
My eyes land on her dad, who is both pointing to us and whispering to Charis’s mom.
“Your dad seems curious.” And hell, do I want to bring her into an embrace. But I’d not stop at a hug.
“Yeah, my mom knows about us, but I’m not sure if she’s told my dad yet.”
My eyes widen. I’m direct, but I didn’t know how her very traditional mom would take this, let alone her dad.
“Yeah, my mom tried to be what she calls progressive.”
This has me choking on my minerals that I’ve just taken a sip of. “Progressive, I see.”
“Yeah, I think she doesn’t care at this point. Jimmy was their number one choice for me, and honestly, they feel guilty. Though early on, nothing would certainly stop Jimmy and me from being together. We loved each other deeply. But…well, as you know what happened between us. My parents don’t know about Jimmy’s physical abuse.”
“Yeah, I can’t say that if he lays a hand on you again, that Gibson and I won’t take matters into our own hands.”
She gives me a little nod, not arguing with me. Just as I look up for Jett, he’s with Meadow, both of them riding on a Paw Patrol ride.
“She loves Jett so much! She talks about him all the time. Jett this and Jett that. It’s cute.”
“Well, do you want to do a picnic on Friday? This time, we can include Teach. And Saturday, Jett is going to his grandad’s. So, can I interest you in an overnight at my house?”
She pulls for my minerals. “Do you mind?” Care asks.
“Sure, believe me, I want to share more than just my minerals with you, love.”
She gives me a playful slug. “You’re a cornball, you know that, right?”
I’m more than just a cornball. I need to have her back in my embrace, with Gibson.
“Minerals? I guess you mean pop? But, I’ve never heard Simon say this?” she asks, and it’s a common question, why us Brits don’t use the same exact words.
“My grandmum called it that, probably a regional thing. Just stuck. It’s like the war many have over using pop or soda, though in the UK, you almost never hear it called soda.” As she stews on the different words used for minerals, I continue with a question concerning Teach.
“Hey, will you be able to convince Gibson to hang out with Jett being there? I’m not sure he’ll be comfortable with that.”
I sit on her words for a beat longer, and she’s right. “Yeah, but I’ll talk to him. It’s worth a try.”
“I miss you.” Her words are a small whisper.
“Back at you, love.”
And this is how we spend the rest of our evening together, with her parents, Meadow, Jett, Pizza Palace Hell and stolen glances between Charis and me. It was only missing one thing. And that was our Teach.
