The New American Dream

Part Three: After | Chapter Nineteen

Dan was back in time for New Years Eve. Usually I spent that night at Nate's house but I didn't want Dan to be alone. I told Nate I would not be spending this year with him. He seemed a little sad but agreed.

Sure, all three of us could have spend the night together but something deep inside of me was against it. I liked spending time with Dan alone, even if that was selfish of me. I was allowed to be selfish sometimes, everyone is. Ultimately this didn't hurt anyone... right?

Dan was happy when I asked him whether I could come over and spend the night. "I thought I had to spend the night alone with my mom and sister," he laughed over the phone.

"Not if I can help it. Would your mom be okay with me sleeping over?"

"I don't think she would have anything against it. What about your parents though?"

"They think I'm going over to Nate like usually and that they can deal with. I slept over at his house so often already, you know, we've been friends since kindergarten so they can't just suddenly say no."

"So you're lying to them then?" Dan asked amused.

"No, I'm just not telling the whole truth. What does it matter if I sleep at your house or Nate's? It's just that they know Nate while they don't really know you."

Later that day mom asked me if she should drop me off at Nate's but I told her I wanted to walk. It did confuse her a little but she accepted it, what proof did she have that I wasn't going to Nate's?

Dan gave me his address and it turned out his house wasn't that far away, about twenty-five minutes on foot. My heavy backpack didn't help but what was I supposed to do about it?

When I arrived in front of his house I was amazed. It was a huge house, three stories, and a seemingly huge garden. How were they able to pay for it if his mother was a photographer? I figured his dad must have lost a lot of money during the divorce if that was the house they were living in.

Going to people's houses that I had never been to always made me nervous. But I couldn't just stand in front of it and do nothing so I bravely walked up to Dan's house and rang the doorbell. It didn't take long then Dan opened the door for me with a bright smile and promptly pulled me into a hug. I breathed in his scent, he smelled fresh like he had just showered and that was mixed with his own scent which was already incredibly attractive.

"Welcome back to California," I joked with a blush when we separated and he closed the door behind me.

Dan laughed. "Thank you, I definitely missed the temperatures, it's fucking freezing up in Washington. You look like you walked here, you want a drink?"

I nodded. "Yeah I walked. A drink would be awesome."

"Alright, follow me then. Quick warning, you're about to meet my mom and sister."

Quickly I brushed through my hair with my fingers and wiped under my eyes in case my mascara had smeared.

"Don't worry, you look pretty," Dan told me with a smile and then turned around and led the way into the living room.

That comment only made my heart, which was already beating fast, beat even faster. I followed him, briefly looking at the family pictures hung up on the cream colored walls; they made me smile.

"Here she is!" was the first thing I heard from his mother. She walked over to me and shook my hand. "Hi, I'm Victoria," she introduced herself.

"Allie," I said and made an effort to smile back at her.

I took a closer look at Dan' mom. She must have been in her late 30's, early 40's but still a very beautiful woman, I could see where Dan had gotten it from. Her brown hair - the same brown as Dan's - was pulled into a low bun, not a single strand had fallen out. I wasn't sure what it was but she gave off an aura of gracefulness.