Will felt his heart begin to pound as he realized what Lynn had just placed in his lap. With her mother and father seated across the table from them, Will felt the unmistakable rubbery crinkle of a wrapped condom in his hand. Certain that everyone could hear the same unmistakable sound, he placed it awkwardly under his leg in a movement that he was certain everyone recognized until he could come up with a better plan to ensure his survival.
He spent the rest of the meal trying to exist in two different realities, one with Lynn and her parents, the other with Lynn's confusing message. Or at least a message that confused Will, even though most men would probably have had no difficulty understanding her meaning.
Feeling like a pathetic magician, Will palmed the condom and moved it to his front pocket as the four of them exited the booth. Will was certain that Lynn's parents could hear and see the evidence in his front pocket of what he wasn't even doing to their daughter. Since Lynn's father was going to kill him, it seemed unfair to Will that he hadn't even gotten to commit the crime.
Back in Will's car, Lynn gave Will a sideways look and a demure smile. Will's heart was pounding again, not from fear, but with a combination of love and lust that still felt somewhat like fear. Lynn's dress hugged her curves in a way that seemed more erotic than if she were completely nude, although Will had to let his imagination guess about Lynn's nude body.
"Are you OK?" Will asked.
"Yes, this has been such a nice birthday. I love my family, but it's so nice to have a life away from them as well. I suppose you're wondering about the condom, though," said Lynn, looking forward.
Will realized that he couldn't safely drive and have this conversation. He pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. "Lynn, is this really what you want to do? I don't want you to feel badly that you made a rash decision based on having a birthday, or anything like that," he whispered, since he was having trouble modulating his voice.
Lynn leaned over and began kissing Will passionately, holding him as tightly as she could across the distance between the two seats. She tongued him in a way that seemed to Will to be full of passion, but also innocence. "Can we at least go back to your place and talk about it?" asked Lynn.