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SEVEN
~ Aria ~
I knew that Samuel had been just as surprised as I was as we walked through that door. We were instantly enveloped by the older ladies, grabbing us this way and that to inspect us, as though we were children once more. I guess to them; we would always be kids. We had grown up with these people, surrounded by the church community and showered with affection. I knew they were probably almost as happy seeing us together as our own parents were.
“Gosh, Aria, I remember the days when I had a body like yours. Those were the good old days,” one of the ladies reminisced, dreamily looking off into the distance.
Another one laughed, “Doris, I’m pretty sure the last time you had a body like that was on your wedding day.”
All the other ladies seemed to find this incredibly funny and joined in the laughter. I was soon pulled into the conversation, and by the time dinner was served, I had all but lost track of time. Having gotten away from the bunch, Sam was looking over at me with a quiet smile on his face. When the announcement was made, he walked over and placed an arm around my waist, leading me to the buffet laid out on the large dining table. Everything looked so good, and I felt my mouth watering. There was so much that even after everyone had piled their plates high, we barely made a dent in the offerings. Everyone found seats around the room to enjoy the delicious food. Afterward, while we were still sitting, the questions started being thrown our way.
“So, how long have you two been together?”
We had yet to finetune the details of our fake relationship, so I decided to take the lead.
“A couple of months. We started talking when I liked one of his social media posts, and then one thing led to another. This is the first time we’ve been in the same city together since it started, though.”
The group murmured between themselves as though deciding what question to ask next. Samuel squeezed my hand and leaned in.
“You’re doing great.”
Boosted by his comment, I was soon ready for the next question.
“Any plans for marriage yet? Or grandbabies?”
My laugh was stunted, “It’s a bit early on for us to make any of those decisions.”
Doris wasn’t going to back down so easily, “But you’ve both known each other since you were in diapers, and neither of you are getting any younger. You know, the clock is ticking deary.”
I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. It wasn’t the first time I had heard that line, and I knew it would be far from the last. It seemed that even in this day and age, it was still expected that women should just settle down and have babies.
Maya chimed in, “Well, it’s no wonder the woman doesn’t want to marry you. You haven’t kissed her once since she got here. Don’t be shy because of us.”
I felt Sam go rigid beside me. They had us there. Despite our occasional hand-holding and gripping onto one another, we had avoided anything further than that. I knew that they were now expecting us to kiss, and I also knew that if we didn’t, it would raise alarms.
Sam looked over and whispered to me, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“They’ll know if we don’t, and it’s not like I haven’t kissed you before,” I whispered back.
Sam seemed surprised by my answer but, instead of waiting around, gently tilted my head up with his forefinger. I looked him in the eyes and felt the room fade around us. I knew the kiss meant nothing but, deep down, I felt myself excited at the thought. Slowly, he leaned in, and I met him halfway. Our lips only briefly brushed against one another, but that was enough to set off explosions in my stomach. It was like being a teenager all over again, kissed for the first time. When we sat back in our chairs, I could tell from the look in his eyes that it wasn’t just me feeling the effect.
“Well, if it weren’t for James and me, I would say I’d never seen two people more in love. You make a beautiful couple.”
All around us, the ladies agreed. Satisfied with our performance, they broke into their own conversations. Sam and I were left there, staring at one another, neither of us wanting to ruin the moment. However, it was him who looked away first.
“It’s getting late. I’m sure you must be tired, and I can bet I’m expected to drive at least half of these ladies home. We had better get you back next door.”
As we said our goodbyes, I couldn’t help but keep glancing over at him. The way he treated the older women, with such kindness, made me feel warm inside. I wasn’t quite sure what I was feeling, but I knew at that moment, it was far from fake. By the time we had walked up to my front door, I was practically buzzing with life. We stood there for a moment, bathed in the glow of the streetlight.
“Thank you for this evening.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” I smiled gently.
As we stood there, I could feel the air grow thick with tension. I was waiting for him to make a move. Give me a kiss that actually meant something. But just like that, it was gone. Turning, he walked away without another word, leaving me wanting and confused on the doorstep. As I went to sleep that night, I couldn’t help but keep replaying the kiss over and over in my head.
Only one thing for sure – I was in trouble.
