Turning Tables ✔

Part 10

And as fun as it was to get the chills just from kissing someone, I was glad to not have that anymore. I was already in that stage of our relationship where I was simply comfortable to be around her.

The spark wasn't as intense as it first was, but there was an intimate calm between us that I loved.

"We can fit sex into that schedule too though, right?" She gave a cheesy grin.

"We'll see," I said cheekily.

She stared at me for a moment after that. It was weird stare; I didn't think I'd ever had anyone look at me like this before.

"Uh, is something wrong?" I asked.

"No," she said in an odd voice. "Nothing is wrong. Literally nothing; there isn't a wrong thing in my life right now. Because of you, everything is perfect."

She did this every now and then—looked at me oddly and then say something completely unexpected. Each and every time, I felt myself blushing in response.

These little comments helped with my desire for commitment quite a bit. I mean, if she wasn't interested in me seriously, she wouldn't say things like this. She wouldn't seem absolutely enthralled with me. Which she totally did.

And then something happened to make me doubt that commitment all over again.

"Why don't you go ahead and call Chinese food?" I asked her. "I'll grab us a glass of wine."

"Sure, what do you want?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. "Orange chicken and white rice?"

"Sounds good." I watched her pull out her phone and then her entire facial expression changed.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"I've... got to go," she said suddenly.

"Wait, what?" I asked. "You're just leaving?"

"Yeah, I'm so sorry. Something has happened and..." Her sentence started to trail off as she grabbed her keys and stood up.

"Something has happened?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is that really all you're going to say before you run out the door? You need to give me more than that?"

"It's complicated," she said coolly. "I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

I shook my head. "Uh, no, this is not going down like this. I don't care if you leave, I really don't, but you can't act all secretive with me. I thought in this new relationship we were doing all honesty all the time?"

She sighed. "Lisa, please..."

"Jennie, seriously, tell me what's going on."

She looked down. "It's my mom, okay?"

"Your... Mom? What about her?"

Since we'd been dating again, I'd asked multiple times if I could visit her parents. I used to know them really well obviously, and I very much wanted to see them again. But she always brushed me off, told me we'd visit soon. It wasn't a good time.

I felt like she was being a little off about it but I didn't push her.

"She's sick, Lisa. She has cancer, that's why I moved back here." My jaw dropped.

"She has... cancer?"

"Yes."

"But why didn't you tell me?"

I had tried over and over to get out of her the reason she was moving back. But she never gave me a straight answer. She played it off like she just missed this place.