Chapter 20
My Dad got to the door before I could when Cary rang the bell. I could hear him talking as I approached. "Well, just so you know. If you and your kids ever need a place to hunker down, you can always come here," he was finishing.
Cary was dumbstruck. After a moment, she smiled timidly. "That's incredibly generous of you Mr. Baker. I really appreciate it."
"Ah. Here's His Royal Highness now," Dad joked as I came up behind him. "And please, call me Neil. Well, you kids have fun." So saying, he sauntered upstairs.
Cary followed me to my room, making light, normal conversation. I had already moved my Genesis in there so that we could run video game music while we talked. And maybe even actually play some games if we felt like it. Mostly, I just wanted a chance to sit and hold her hand and be close to her. As soon as the door closed, Cary fell into my arms, and we stood for several moments just embracing.
"How are you,
mon amour
?" I asked
Cary squirmed. "Oooh, French. I could get used to that." She turned and leaned her back into me, pulling my arms around her middle. "I feel like I've been walking on clouds all day. It doesn't seem real. I've never been this happy."
I turned her head towards me and kissed her. She twisted in place to face me and pressed herself against my chest, kissing back. Then, as if remembering something suddenly, she drew back. "Did you talk to Liss and Sascha?" she asked.
I nodded, then chuckled, sliding the on-switch for the Sega up. As the blue logo spun onto the screen, I sat down. "Sascha was ready to tear me a new asshole because she's friends with Carla, and had already heard that I showed up with 'a hot college chick.' You should know that she was fiercely indignant on your behalf because she thought I was leading you on and then fooling around with some foxy mystery girl."
Cary blushed. "You're making that up."
I raised my hand. "Cross my heart, hope to die," I swore. "She told me that if I broke your heart, she'd never hang out with me again. She's definitely in our corner."
And a good thing, too
, I thought to myself. "In fact, she said she'd go cast some spells for us. I mean, I don't actually believe that sort of stuff works, but it's nice to know that she'd do that."
Cary smiled. "Liss?"
"A harder sell." I switched
Streets of Rage II
to sound test mode so that music could play continuously while we talked. "She's worried about how Eric will try to hurt you. Or me, actually. She said she won't cover for us, but she won't tell my parents until we give the go-ahead."
"Hmmmm." Cary sat on my bed and leaned back. "I sort of expected that. She's pretty protective. And she's right to think that Eric is a jerk. Apparently my landlord Rio thinks he saw Eric's car waiting in the parking lot for an hour or so around 11pm. I'm thinking I'll need to ask for a restraining order if he keeps this up." She sighed. "I talked to my friends, too."
"Tell me about it," I said.
"I will. But did you hear what your dad said?" Cary's face was alight with wonder.
"Yeah, I did. Dad may be a little odd sometimes, but he really does mean well. They knew Eric showed up after they left, and were concerned for you." I found myself thinking of my parents more as individuals recently than as a familiar parental presence. Maybe hanging out with Cary had made me look at people older than me less as background characters and more the heroes of their own stories. After all, the gap between my parents and Cary's ages were nearly the same as between myself and her. They probably thought of her as sort of like a kid sister.
"Okay, so--my friends." Cary took a breath.
=====
"When I went home, I couldn't sleep. I was too excited--and I felt somehow that if I went to sleep, it would break the spell of our night together. But eventually I knew I needed to get some rest and tell my friends. So after I put my dress and the rest of my clothes away, I called Sami. I knew she would want to hear first, and I was sort of dreading telling Lori anyway.
Sami came over--it was her ex-husband's weekend with her kids, so she had time. You might not remember, but Patrick and her little daughter Melanie are in the same grade. She actually saw Jack when he came to do that pioneer presentation that led to me first meeting you. Oh, look at you smile!
Anyway, Sami came over. She took one look at my big grin, and guessed immediately. I told you last night that she had been taking me to bars since Eric and I separated, and suggested that I just sleep with you. What I didn't tell you is that part of the reason she's been so worried about me not... not "getting any" as she puts it, is that she takes home a different guy from a different bar every time she goes. So, I'm not used to her being jealous of me.
But when I told her about how you faced down Eric and chased him away--about how you made me your plus one and took me to that fancy, magical, excitingly naughty party, about how you
gave up a free car
for my sake... well, let's just say she spent more time calling me a "lucky bitch" than not. Anyway, she was thrilled for us. I'm not sure she understood that I intend for this to be more than a fling. She mostly concentrated on how fun it is to sleep with somebody younger who has so much energy.
Ha! You should see your face. But it's true. No need to be embarrassed.
Anyway, she wanted all sorts of details. Don't worry, I kept it R-rated, if not PG-13. I told her about the games at Ty's party, and the relative anonymity, and the fact that you had given me a pseudonym to protect my reputation. She was really impressed by your forethought, by the way. And of course, I told her I won the vacation to Mexico.
Oh, she wanted to know all about the night afterwards, too. I told her that you were everything I hoped for and more, and that you really knew how to treat a girl right. Ah, there's that smile again. But I didn't give her any details except to say that we didn't get a great deal of sleep, and that I was a little sore--but in a good way. And that yes, you... ahem, "got me there" more than once.