AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you ready?” Aaron says, standing at my front door.
“Yep!” I grab my bag from the entry table. “Dad, I’m going out with Aaron,” I yell over my shoulder.
He comes around the corner. “Hold on. Where are you going?”
I pause, realizing he’s never cared as long as I was with Aaron. I turn, confused. “Not sure. But I’m with Aaron.” I point like it’s not obvious there’s a six-foot-tall guy standing in our doorway, who he’s seen a thousand times before.
My dad sighs. “Yes, I see that. But just like things have changed between you two, this means things will change with you two hanging out together too.”
I drop my shoulders. “Daddy, but it’s Aaron.”
He chuckles under his breath. “I’m well aware it’s Aaron, but he’s also a sixteen-year-old boy, and you’re my daughter.”
I look to Aaron, whose eyes open wide, and I can tell he’s about to die from embarrassment over what my dad is saying.
I mean, he’s not wrong, but still, it doesn’t need to be said so bluntly in front of us both.
When neither of us answers, he raises his eyebrows in question. “Well? Plans? What are you guys going to do?”
“There’s a group of us going to the park to toss around the ball. I promise there will be other people there.” Aaron holds up his hands in surrender, making me hold back a laugh.
I turn back to my father. “There. Can we leave now?”
Dad nods. “Fine. Don’t be gone too long. It’s getting dark much earlier now that the time has changed.”
I lean up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I know, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
We head out, and it takes all my power not to laugh at our little encounter with my dad. Even though it is just Aaron, he’s right. Things have changed between us.
As we walk to the park around the corner, he grabs my hand. Everything about him holding me this way feels like he’s done it a thousand times before. Being with him is so natural, so right.
“How’d that test go?” he asks, and I roll my eyes.
“Ridiculously hard. Heather promised she’d help me study, but when we got together, she didn’t bring her notes, so I was screwed. We spent most of the time trying to remember stuff from the book. I think I did just okay.” I pause, then remember. “Oh. So, um … since we didn’t have her notes, we might have watched90210instead.” I squint my features, hoping he won’t be upset with me.
For years, that’s been our show to watch together. I know he’s always been into it, but he still uses me as an excuse to watch it, saying I force him to do so. I know it’s a total lie, but I’ve always enjoyed watching it with him, so I let him get away with it.
Since it comes on Thursday nights when everyone is at my house, I record it on my VHS player in my room, and we watch it together the next time we’re hanging out. Heather missed last week’s episode so we went ahead and watched it.
“Seriously?” He acts wounded, but I know he’s just kidding around.
“I’m sorry. I’ll totally watch it with you and be absolutely surprised when Dylan—”
He covers my mouth. “Don’t give it away!”
I laugh and curl up into him. “Okay, I won’t. Maybe we can watch it tonight.”
He kisses the top of my forehead. “Yeah, we’ll watch it tonight.”
We get to the park, where a group of guys are already gathered. Aaron walks with me to where Heather, Megan, and a couple other girls are hanging out.
“What’s up, Thompson? You start dating Sadie and already gave up on football with the guys?” Gabe calls out.
“Let’s see. Cuddle up with my girl or get hot and sweaty with the guys?” He teeter-totters his hand from side to side with a cheesy grin on his face before running his arms around me and bringing me into him. “Yep. I choose her. Every day, I’ll still choose her.”
I laugh as I fall back against his chest, then look up to him. “My dad might have something to say against that. I think he wants you for at least one day a week.”
