She isn't married to me

Chapter 9: Is she into me?

ANDREW

She left me wordless. 

Now I don't know what to say. Does she know something about me? Is that why she threw that bomb on me?

I see her walking away to say something to Sophie, damn those clothes are giving me a hard time to breath, I stand next to her when I see Sophie started to run.

"Is everything ok?" I must ask her what's going on.

"Yes, nothing to be worried about, what about you?" She says with that cute face.

"It's only because you sounded mad when you said that about Fred" I can't keep my eyes off of her. She looks everywhere but me. Now her eyes are on Sophie before she says "It's that I get mad when I talk about him, I love my daughter but I wish I hadn't met him at all."

"I wish I can say I understand you, but I've never been married to him" I tell her. She laughs, I'm glad I found the best way I can make her forget her problems, I wish I can be her clown forever.

"You always making me laugh Andrew, thank you, I'm glad I have met you" She tells me and this time she is looking straight to my eyes. I get closer to her, I'm about to take my right hand to her right cheek when I hear Emma screaming "Noooo, I hate spiders! Dad, take it away from me!" Thanks Emma.

This isn't over, I look her again and before something else happens I say "Adria, I'm glad I have met you. I want to ask you something but if I'm being rude just tell me, please and I promise I won't ask you something like this ever again."

I see a slight smile on her face, she tilts her head and tells me "I hope it's not something so personal, I'm not good giving personal information to paparazzi."

I laugh, she knows how to do it, too. I'm glad she is a fun woman and not a boring one. I smile before I say "Are you using my same cards, Adria? Because if that's so, can I invite you and Sophie for an ice cream after this crazy family reunion? it will be over really soon, and of course if it doesn't bother you" What a better moment to know her better than with an ice cream.

She follows Sophie with her eyes, she makes a straight line with her lips and tells me "Thanks for the invitation, we have nothing else to do today so yeah, why not?" Ladies and gentlemen, the home run goes for Andrew Parker!

It's 5pm and almost all my family has gone except for two of my cousins with their own families. Adria is telling Sophie it's time to go and asking her if she wants to go eat an ice cream, but Sophie has other plans, she has that sad puppy look on her face and she's is begging her mom something I can't tell. Then my mom appears out of nowhere and tells Adria something I can't tell either. Sophie starts jumping and screaming and says "thanks mom, I love you". 

Adria is coming back to the door where I am waiting for her, she's not mad, she's smiling, she's happy and she says "My little angel wants to stay, she says she wants to play with the kids and with Emma some more, your mom says it's ok if she stays, should I have to worry?"

"Not at all, my parents love kids and my sister too, don't worry, but... it doesn't matter if only you and I hang out outside this house?"

She doesn't see me, she looks outside and says "I suppose nothing bad can happen, we are only friends after all, right?". Did I see a smirk on her face? She walks away without letting me answer that.

15 minutes later here we are, the best ice cream in town. I'm glad we are finally here, those 15 minutes in my car were full of tension. I could tell she wanted to say something but she retracted, so I played some music, there was a Slipknot song on the radio I sing since I'm a kid, I wanted to turn the volume up so I can scream instead of singing but I didn't want her to see me so immature. To my surprise she was the one who did it, she was singing at the top of her lungs, and what a voice she has had. I don't know why I didn't guess she could sing so wonderfully.

We sit inside the ice cream shop, and I must say this to her "So, you have a wonderful voice, too. What you did in the car can't be done by most of the humans on earth."

"Is that another compliment Andrew? You should stop before I believe all of them" she smiles and continues "I like to sing, I sing since I'm a kid, but I've always been a bit shy, so I knew that wasn't going to be my career, besides being behind books its easier, writing stories is better than performing in front of people."

"You leave me speechless sometimes, you know?" I say without really thinking I was going to tell her that.

She has a thought on her mind, as well as a smile on her face, either she is going to be funny or she is going to ask me a private question "I thought you were a shy guy, too. But today your aunt, the one who called your name when Sophie and I arrived to your parents' house said something about you kind of intriguing."

I'm going to kill aunt Penelope.

Adria sees that idea on my mind, she laughs but says "She said it was time for you to bring a girl to meet the family, and stop drinking and sleeping with girls at bars, is that true?"

Why? Why did my aunt say that to her?

"In my defense I must admit I like girls, I haven't drunk alcohol in a couple of months, but yes I was kind of a womanizer." I release a sigh I didn't know I was holding.

She still has that honest look on her eyes when she says "I want to be honest to you, too. I knew you were like that. You hadn't noticed but I have been eating at Paco's for quite a while and before you notice me, I saw you first. It was funny to see how you melted girl's hearts so fast, and it was really interesting how they couldn't say no to you once you asked them for their phone number. Please don't think I was being a gossip, but I'm a writer and I tend to pay attention to my surroundings."

She noticed me first? What the heck happened to me that I didn't notice her before? "Oh, you saw that, well yes, if we are being honest, I admit I like girls, not as often as I used to, but when I knew they were interested in me, I had to make my move, but hold on a second, did I take your order back then? I don't remember if I did or not."

"No, it was always Ingrid or Robert, I know them for a long time, so every time they saw me coming at the restaurant, they took my order immediately, that's why you didn't see me" she says and her eyes invite me to continue with this conversation.

"How do you know them for years, have you always been eating at Paco's or what has brought you back lately?" Is this a stupid question? Am I asking immature questions to her? I need help.

She has the same look in her eyes, I guess I'm not being stupid after all because she says "Not always, but a year ago I used to be there almost every day, and as I told you, I don't like to eat alone in my house, I like company" by the look on her eyes I have the feeling there's something else she doesn't want to share with me. She has a different look on her eyes now, and I see a smirk again, she wants to know something about me, because she asks "And have you stopped being a womanizer? Do you have a girlfriend now?" Gosh I wasn't expecting that, think fast Andrew, fast!

"Yes, I'm done with the womanizer stuff. It's been more than a month since I haven't been with a woman sexually or emotionally speaking, but no, I don't have a girlfriend." Don't ask me why, please.

"Why?" She asks and I can see more questions running inside her head. If that's what you want to know, then I don't want to be a close box for you, my love.

"Because I am bored, I have never had a girlfriend before and I got bored of meaningless hook-ups" precisely because I met you, but you don't want to know that right now. "Besides, my mom has also been pushing me to find someone who can make me a better person." Does that make me a mom's boy?

"And have you found her, Andrew?" She asks but this time she sees outside the window like giving me the time to think.

Why, why is she asking me this? I'm kind of lost, is it something I don't understand here?

"Why do you want to know that, Adria? Are you like... jealous? and why do you still have that smirk on your face? Don't get me wrong, it suits you perfectly, but I can't tell what you're thinking or planning to say." She laughs, and covers her eyes with one hand, she is hiding something, if I wouldn't be so naive in relationships stuff, I would say she is into me.

"I know I'm being beyond curious; you are an interesting person and although you are young, you are mature for your age."

How do I understandthat? She's avoiding my questions, but if this is sort of a game for her, thenGAME ON "Do you like me, Adria? I'm sure by now you know I like you."