"So, where are you going?" Thomas asked as he sat in his parents' kitchen with his cousin, Stella, while her kid and his parents were watching some kids' movie in the living room.
"It's a play; not sure what it is. Kyle asked me to go with him; some friend of his is involved in the production. Works behind the scenes. The reviews are pretty good, though some say it's too extreme or whatever. We'll see."
"Kyle? Isn't that your personal trainer?"
"Yup," she replied, then pouted her lips as she applied some lipstick. "Too much? No? Good. Yeah, anyway, we're friends too, so..." She stopped and shrugged her shoulders before looking into the small mirror she had put on the table and started fixing her shoulder-length blonde hair.
He waited for her to speak again. Sure, they had a good relationship but it'd never been the type of relationship where they'd talk about dates, sex, and the rest. Besides, he didn't really care to know about her sexual life and he was confident the feeling was mutual.
"Well, I'm done," she said as she put her makeup kit and the small mirror in her large, black purse. "How do I look?"
"Pretty good."
"There's a big difference between pretty good and
pretty
, or beautiful, you know."
"Fine," he rolled his eyes. "You look beautiful. Better?"
"Was that so hard?" She giggled and got up.
The high-heeled ankle boots, the skin-tight black leather pants, and the sleeveless white top that did not conceal the fact she was not wearing a bra betrayed her real intention behind the date.
She was almost eight years older than him. He was just a kid when she was in high school; he could still remember feeling envious whenever he learned she was dating someone but it was more the kind of envy boys feel when their mothers date someone.
Now, at thirty-three, he had gotten over it; probably. He lit a cigarette. Once he had smoked it, he'd go upstairs to his apartment, watch some football and, perhaps, have some coffee. He jumped when a ringtone he didn't recognize blared across the apartment.
"Yes?" She said as she walked past the open kitchen door and headed toward the bedrooms on the other side of the apartment. "What? Are you okay?" He heard her say but decided to remain seated.
He could still hear her voice but couldn't make out the words. Soon, she clambered back toward the kitchen and the living room, her high heels clicking on the floor.
"Is everything okay?" His mom asked her.
"Yes. It's just that something happened and Kyle won't be able to make it. And he has the tickets, so I can't even go to the play."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," she said and rushed to give her a hug.
"It's fine, it's fine," Stella said. "Guess I'll just go home, watch a movie or something."
"Well, if you want," he interjected, "you can come upstairs to my place. We can have some coffee, or wine, or whatever. I'd take you out but, to be honest, I'm a bit tired."
"Know what?" She bit the corner of her lips. "I could definitely use some wine."
"Great. Shall we, then?"
"Yup." After she kissed her son, uncle, and aunt goodnight, they both walked up to the fourth floor, where his apartment was.
"Well, sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone," he said as he opened the front door and beckoned her to enter.
"Right, because I've always been known to keep my home in pristine condition, huh? I think our moms' neat-freak gene skipped us. Maybe my son will get it."
"You really think so?" He chortled.
"Hasn't shown any signs of it, but, who knows?"
"Hell, maybe we actually have the gene and it'll just activate when we're old--well, old
er
."
"Fuck you," she scoffed.
"Have a seat," he pointed at the couch. "So, what do you want to drink? I've got white wine--no red wine, sorry--some bourbon, gin, I think tequila...beer, definitely."
"Are you running a speakeasy? Well, I wouldn't mind a whiskey on the rocks."
"Some Jim Beam rocks coming right up."
He grabbed a half-empty bottle standing in the bookcase, surrounded by various other bottles, and took it to the kitchen. As he tossed some ice cubes in two lowball glasses, he looked down at his black sweatpants--that sported several cigarette burns all over the crotch and upper thigh area--and stained t-shirt.
His attire was the exact opposite of what she was wearing. It's the beauty of hanging out with family; not having to give a damn about looking your best. He filled the glasses to the brim, put the bottle under his arm, and took everything back to the living room.
"Jesus," she chuckled, "that's your idea of a drink?"
"What do you mean?" He arched his eyebrow as he looked at her genuinely curious.
"Most people fill the glass up to here, at most," she said and put her index finger on the middle of the lowball glass. "Many bars would charge you for a double for it, actually."
"This is my apartment, so you don't have to worry about paying for a double. It's on the house, and I do like the sight of a full glass. Cheers," he said and they touched glasses.
They both had a sip and she leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs while steadying the glass on her thigh--a small wet spot instantly appeared on her pants.
"You might want to be careful," he said, pointing at the glass. "Leather pants look great but it looks like they are not very stain-friendly."
"Nah, it's fine," she shrugged and brought the rim of the glass to her lips, taking a good swig.
"You're really bummed about your date getting canceled, huh?"
"No, not really, I mean..." She stuttered, paused, and leaned forth to grab her pack of cigarettes out of her purse. She lit one and chased the first long drag with another good swig of her drink. "Okay, maybe a little, yes. I mean, he said something about a family emergency and while
I know
it sounds like an excuse, I can't think of why he'd cancel for no good reason."
"I mean, sure, it probably was a real emergency," he said, uncertain of how he could phrase it without further hurting her.
"It's not like we're dating, or even flirting, you know? We're just friends, and there's also the professional relationship, since he's training me. I mean, I do pay for the sessions but I get the friends' discount."
"Well, you do look too bothered," he noted after lighting a cigarette.
"It shows, huh?" She said with a dry chuckle. "I guess, it's because I probably hope we'll be more than friends, you know? He's a very nice guy, and super
hot
, and...well," she paused to have another sip, "it's been quite a long while since I last got laid. Being a single mother to a young kid doesn't do wonders to one's sex life."
"I can imagine it's harder, but you still look good for..." He snapped his mouth mid-sentence. He was about to say
for your age
but, this time, it didn't feel appropriate to make fun of her for being older than him. Age jokes would only make her feel worse.
"Thanks for not saying it," she giggled.
"I do mean the looking good part. And that guy--Kyle, right?--will ask you out again. Besides, it's not like he can ghost you, all things considered. And, at any rate, there are plenty of guys out there that would love to go out with you."
"Thanks, cuz," she said and bit the corner of her lips. "So, how about you? Seeing anyone?"
"Not right now, no. I may not have kids but I'm not going out very often. Don't really feel like it."
"Don't you miss it?"
"Not that much, to be frank. Neither going out to bars nor dating. I've got other things to worry about to add dating to the list."
"Just be careful. Right now, you have the luxury of thinking you can go out there at any given moment, go back to the dating game, have fun and all that. You'll eventually reach an age where you won't be able to. At my age, with a demanding job, and a kid, I just don't have the opportunities. You'll miss it once you can't have it anymore."
"Bourbon makes you philosophical, huh?" He chortled and clinked his glass on hers. They both had a swig and he topped off both glasses.
"You're not joking around when it comes to drinking, huh?"
"Not a word to your uncle and aunt, hear me?"
"Mum's the word," she shook her head and mimicked the act of closing a zip over her curled-up lips. "Although, I'm not sure I should drink much more. I do have to drive home, after all."
"If you want, you can sleep here. I've got a double bed in there."
"You sure?"
"It's not like I'm expecting a hot date, or have anything urgent to do. My plan was to watch a movie or two."
"Well," she let out a deep sigh, which she chased with a hefty gulp of bourbon, "I'm gonna take you up on your offer."