Between Octobers Bk 1, Savor The Days Series (9 page)

The image in my large mirror showed the face
of a stranger. Her eyes were too bright, her cheeks too pink. The
trace of an eager smile played at the edges of her lips. My hand
touched her flushed face. It felt so warm.

I threw on the first dressy top I found and
paired it with comfy, faded jeans and black flats. Casual. Then, I
brushed my hair and set it in a loose bun to keep it off my neck.
Next, I applied mascara. The chances of ruining my makeup were
small, but I still opted for the waterproof, to be safe. I even
splurged on eyeliner and a light shadow.

Caleb bounded into my line of sight as I
entered the long hallway. He stood, leaning his little head back to
stare. I made a silly face and he giggled.

“Please tell my guest I will be ready to
leave in a few minutes.” He agreed and took off.

Noah was on my mind. I knocked on the door
and opened it after a brief pause—my usual entrance. He was so used
to the intrusion that he rarely ascended to greet anyone on the
other side. That worked exactly the way I designed it. By knocking,
I gave the respect for his personal space; yet by opening the door
myself, I silently asserted my position of authority. At least,
that was how I like to think of it. In any case, he didn’t seem to
mind. I rested against the wall near his closet and looked around
at the clutter on the floor and in the corners. He was sitting on
his bed, studiously playing online video games.

“You need to vacuum this room, Noah.”

He turned and his eyes perked up. “You look
pretty, Mom.” And back to the television.

I looked myself over, checking to make sure
he was not being sarcastic, as there was always that chance and I
wasn’t catching on. Nothing was amiss. I decided he was serious.
“Thank you. I want to ask you something.”

“Shoot.” He paused his game, giving me his
full attention. Good kid.

“Are you . . .” I almost used the word
‘okay’ but that didn’t fit. “Are you alright with me seeing a movie
tonight?” At the last second, I decided to exclude the name of my
company. It wasn’t a date and I didn’t want Noah to think it was.
But if I explained that, he may have thought I was being too
defensive.

“You mean am I alright with you dating? It’s
kind of a weird day to start, but no, I don’t mind.” A satirical
smirk bent one corner of his mouth.

“This is not a date. It’s two adults, who
happen to be the opposite sex, enjoying each other’s company and
agreeing to go to the same place at the same time. There’s nothing
romantic about it.”

“Then why are you asking me?”

“You’ve been worried about me. I want
you to know that I’m okay. I won’t get like
that
ever again, Noah.”

The corners of his eyes turned down as my
words reminded him of those first six months. “I know, Mom, and I’m
glad you got Dad’s phone back. It was nice of him to bring it to
you.”

“And that’s the only reason I agreed to go
to the movies with him.”

“Is he taking you to see one of his movies?”
He whispered, “If he is, you should take a book.”

“I don’t know what we’re seeing.” My voice
dropped to a whisper. “Are his films really that bad?”

He groaned. “Ugh, so stupid and
predictable.”

“But he’s a nice person.”

“
Yeah,” he shrugged, “he made you
laugh; that’s got to count for something.”

“You’re a sweet boy, Noah.” I grabbed his
chin and quickly kissed his forehead.

“Great. Pink lip gloss.” He rubbed the
splotch away with the back of his hand.

On my way to the living room, the distinct
sound of muffled chuckles carried down the hall. Ever the
Nosey-Nellie, I stopped just shy of the living room entry.

“Let me see if I understand this. You’re
telling me that your mother told you to tell me to go pee?” Evan’s
accent was unmistakable. “It seems unlikely that she would direct
me—a grown up adult who has successfully coordinated his own
bathroom breaks for the past two decades—to tinkle.”

I stifled a giggle and stepped closer to the
mouth of the hallway.

“
We always go pee before we leave.
It’s the rules.” Caleb commanded.

There was a pause before Evan spoke again.
“Cleaning house, eh? Oh, that cannot taste good.”

I leaned through the archway into the living
room, curious at his sudden change in tone. Evan was in the same
spot I left him. The corner of the couch monster. Beside him sat
Caleb, grinning. He held a large, green, gooey mass atop one
extended finger.

Evan’s hand went to his stomach. “I already
ate.” There was no trace of amusement in his pasty complexion.
However, Caleb’s sneaky grin told me he thought it was
hilarious.

“Caleb,” I gasped, “go wash your hands!” He
jumped from the couch and ran towards me with his foul finger
flying high like a patriot’s flag.

“I am so sorry.”

Evan chuckled, raising his palms to indicate
no apology was needed and it made me feel worse. I grabbed the
biohazard-bearing hand and led the attached boy to the restroom.
Once he was properly chastised, cleaned and dried, I helped him
blow his nose. The mucus was plentiful but clear. Probably
allergies.

After one last look in the mirror and a
quick talk with Lily—she had fed Evan some leftover enchiladas and
was struggling with having to wash the fork—we set off for the
theater on our non-date.

The house lights went down just as we
entered.

“
Perfect timing,” I
whispered.

Evan was carrying the largest bucket of
popcorn they had as he led the way up the dark steps to the top of
the highest section. I insisted on buying the snacks, since he
sneakily purchased the movie tickets online before we left my
house. I couldn’t see anything except the lighted strips at the end
of each step, so I held onto his elbow until we reached our seats
in the center of the last row.

“I hope you like scary movies. This one is
supposed to be really disturbing.”

He settled into his seat and offered me the
popcorn. I nodded and accepted though my hopes sank. Fear had never
held much entertainment value for me. Not even as a kid. Anything
remotely spooky sent me into my dad’s lap.

The movie started after a solid fifteen
minutes of previews, and that was the best thing I could say about
it. There were a lot of previews.

In the beginning, things seemed alright
until I felt something buzzing near my ear. I swatted and Evan
flinched as my fingers caught the tip of his nose. I apologized and
asked what he wanted to say, but he just shook his head and I was
too embarrassed to pursue the topic.

For the next ten minutes, my eyes were glued
to my lap as it opened with a gratuitous sex scene. As the film
went on, it seemed that sex and violence dominated the plot, which
was difficult to figure out. The only correlation seemed that
everyone being killed was either naked or getting there. At some
point I sensed I was being surveilled and turned to find I was
right.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, why?” he whispered.

“You’re staring.”

He grinned awkwardly. “I was wondering what
your natural hair color is.”

“Dirty blonde.” I knew the red locks were
too bright to pass for natural, which was part of the appeal, but
it seemed like a weird question, considering we were supposed to be
watching a movie. He misunderstood my expression and discreetly
popped a piece of gum in his mouth.

Determined not to waste thirty bucks, I
really tried to watch the movie, but every few minutes there was
something I found revolting.

An hour in, Evan offered an out. “Do you
want to go?” His minty breath made goose bumps on my neck.

“Do you mind?” I asked, lifting my hand to
rub them away.

He didn’t hesitate to rise and lead us
out.

In the parking lot, the night air had become
unexpectedly cold. I walked straight to the car. Evan followed,
blowing into his fists to stave off the chill. I opened the back
hatch of the Jeep and tossed him one of Noah’s jackets. He was
apprehensive at first but could not argue with my rhyming
reason.

“It’s better to borrow than be sick
tomorrow.”

He chuckled and slipped on the fluffy down
jacket. “Sorry you didn’t like the movie. Next time, you can
pick.”

A lump rose in my throat, seeing him in
Sol’s old jacket; one he gave Noah because it was too tight across
his shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine,” I nodded, swallowing the lump in my
throat.

“Do you want to watch something else or go
somewhere? There’s a great club not far from here.”

I sat in the Jeep’s open hatch.

“What would you like to do?”

“Don’t you ever feel like sitting down and
doing nothing?” It had been a long day. I was mentally and
emotionally exhausted.

“
Nothing is one of my favorite things
to do.” His eyes locked on me as he leaned closer, bending to
flatten the blanket we were sitting on. “What shall we talk
about?”

Despite the awful significance and
craziness, my terrible day had turned out alright. Actually, it was
the best one I’d had in a long time. “Today was fun. Thank
you.”

“Yeah, um, all I did was buy you lunch you
couldn’t finish, get you trapped in the bathroom, and take you to a
movie you didn’t like. I should be thanking you for putting up with
me.”

“That’s not true. I chose the bathroom.”

We both laughed heartily.

“Truthfully, Evan, I’ve had more fun today
than in the past year, so thank you.” I placed my hand on his
shoulder, leaning in. I was planning a playful nudge, but, that’s
not what happened.

My whole life, I could never see what was
coming until it was too late. That night was no different. The
empty parking lot and emotion, it created an intimacy I wasn’t
aware of. And combined with Evan’s proximity, his prowess, and good
looks, it’s no small wonder things advanced, but his reaction still
came as a complete surprise.

He turned, his hands felt so warm, moving
silkily and with lightning speed through my hair and down my neck.
He drew one hand around my back and pulled me closer. I raised my
own hands automatically, spinning as the feel of his full, soft
lips prevented any use of the good sense God gave me. It was the
awareness of his touch, the tingling response it provoked that
jolted me back from the brink.

It was wrong. All wrong. My hands were
touching a stranger. How could they, and so deliberately?

“Stop.” It was just a whisper, but his grip
on me relaxed.

He slowly leaned away. “That was . . . not a
good idea.”

I felt myself flinch at his admission and
shook my head. “It’s my fault. I send mixed signals.” I covered my
tingling lips with my hand.

“No, you’re fine. Better than fine.” He
smiled, “I was the one. You were simply being nice and I took
advantage, so I am, truly, very sorry.”

We took turns offering apologies for the
next few minutes before deciding it might be best to forget the
whole thing. Evan thought the fault was his, but I knew it was
really mine.

“In order to avoid the predictable, awkward
silence . . .” he skipped over the unnecessary explanation with an
ironic pause that made me giggle. “ . . . I think you should tell
me more about yourself.” He grinned, expectant. And I smiled
back

He had a talent for inflicting me with joy.
There was no other way to explain it. I mean, here it was, the
one-year anniversary of the sudden death of my beloved husband and
high school sweetheart, and I had just been kissed for the first
time, by someone that I was not Solomon. And we both agreed it
never should have happened. But I needed to be sure that he
understood.

“I need to explain something.”

“Go on.” He cleared his throat and took out
a pack of cigarettes, presenting me with a look that asked for
permission, which I granted, before he lit up.

“That—” I had no words for what just
happened, so I gestured into the great beyond, “can’t happen
again.”

“What exactly does ‘that’ mean?”

“I can’t think about—I mean . . . jeez, this
is going to sound bad no matter how I say it.” I sighed, “I think
you are really nice. You’re super funny and handsome, and I like
talking to you. We would probably be great friends, but—”

“You don’t want to be friends?” His eyes
seemed black under his furrowed brow.

“No. I mean, yes. Of course I do!” My
objection came a little louder than I intended. I sounded like a
petulant child. “But I—I can’t offer anything beyond that.”

“Understandable . . . and somewhat
agreeable. You are a bit of a mess.” He grinned ruefully, giving me
a sidelong glance.

The look was so soft and sweet, it made my
chest expand. And I laughed. “Okay, so we agree.”

“Now, you were on the verge of divulging
your deepest, darkest secrets?”

“Hey, you’ve been inside my house, you met
my whole family. I say it’s your turn.”

His brow furrowed again, drawing lines
across his forehead. “Where would you like me to start?”

“Where are you from?”

“Essex.”

A world away. “I thought everyone around
London spoke cockney. How come you have such a smooth accent?”

“I was told to work on it so Americans would
understand me. Do you like my accent?” He smiled, raising one
eyebrow in a way that made me want to relax every muscle in my
body.

“It’s very charming. Why did you leave
Essex?”

“My mother passed, as I told you, and I came
here with my good friend Marcus to try my hand at acting.”

“Why acting?”

He shrugged. “She always told me I could do
anything. She being my mother, Sylvia, encouraged me to try. I
guess I wanted to prove to myself she was right.” His eyes became
wistful. “She thought very highly of me.”