Dad's Best Friend

First Night (with Owen)

      I woke suddenly in bed. My lights were still on and I was laying sideways, my phone in hand. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and trying to focus on the phone screen to see the time. 12:01. I sighed, I was awake now and my mind was already racing. I got up, pulling my hair back into a not so messy bun and headed out of my bedroom and down the stairs. I quietly made my way for the kitchen, the house was dark in the dead of the night. I slowly opened the fridge and grabbed one of mom's pink wine coolers, heading out to the patio. The pool lights were on and the moon shone bright above me. I admired the beauty around me, hearing the waves wash over the shore as I laid back on a lounge chair.

I heard someone open the patio door. I looked over to find Owen heading my way, he hadn't noticed me yet. "Shit." he stopped a few inches away from me, clapping his hand to his chest. I giggled a little. "You scared me. I didn't know anyone was out here, sorry." he laughed a little and turned around to head back inside. "It's okay, I don't mind if you stay." I called after him, surprised at the words that fell out of my mouth. He turned back to me with a faint smile and took the lounger next to me, settling back. "Can't sleep?" he asked me, turning his head to look at me. "Guess not, you either?" I asked him and took a sip from the wine cooler. "Guess not." he smiled. I could feel myself trying to melt as he smiled at me. He was still in his tank top but he had switched to a pair of sweatpants that fitted him perfectly. His hair was a little messy but it was a sexy messy that made my toes tingle.

"So you're studying to be a teacher?" he asked me after we had been sitting in silence for awhile. "Yup." I sat up now, crossing my legs and sitting the glass bottle between them. "Why?" Owen laughed at me and I laughed too. "I like kids, don't want to have them just want to hang out with them all day then send them home to their parents." I laughed now, every time I said that it made less and less sense. "I get that." Owen nodded, shocking me. "You're the first, do you have kids Owen?" "No. Thank god. I'm the same way. Kids are cool but I'm not sure they're for me." I watched him talk, getting lost as I followed his lips. "You're still young though, you might change your mind." he said to me. "I'm not that young, and I doubt it. I've never wanted kids and I made a deal with myself that if I still don't want them by the time I'm twenty-six I'm getting a Vasectomy." "That's a serious decision." "Yeah but I've been thinking about it since I was like eighteen, and that's why I'm giving myself till twenty-six." "What if one day you wake up, after you get the Vasectomy and want kids?" he asked me now. I looked at him, talking to him was easy.But breathing, that was a different story.

"I'll adopt, there are millions of kids out there that need good homes." I took another sip of the wine cooler. Owen stared at me. "What?" I asked feeling a little nervous. He shook his head. "So what does a twenty-two year old studying to be a teacher do for fun? You go out with your friends a lot?" he asked me, smoothly changing the subject. "I used to." "Not anymore?" "Well I've found that most of the time people screw you over, or don't take the same things you do seriously. Like friendships. I don't really have any friends these days." "I can relate. That's why I'm so thankful for your dad. Dennis is a good man, he really is my best friend right now." Owen's eyes brightened a little as he spoke of my dad. I smiled at him, my dad was a good man. "I'm sorry you have to experience the cruelty of people so young." Owen said now, staring me down. "It's okay. The people who are meant to be in your life, the right people...they will find you and stay." I held my bottle up to him, taking a sip. He stared at me again, smirking. "What?" I laughed again. Why was he looking at me like that.

Owen moved in his seat now, putting his legs over the side of the lounger so he was fully facing me now. "For only being twenty-two you are extremely wise." he smiled at me and my breath caught. His eyes were burning into me. "Suzie? Owen?" mom called. She was standing at the door of the patio, wrapping a pink silk robe around her. Owen slowly looked away from me and over his shoulder. "Sorry mom! We didn't wake you did we?" I made an "uh-oh" face at Owen and he laughed, the two of us standing up. We were inches away from each other. "Guess the party's over." he winked at me and made his way over to my mom. "Sorry Helen." I heard him say patting her arm and slipping past her into the house. Mom stared at me as I walked towards her. "What were you two talking about?" she smiled at me, putting her arm around my shoulders and leading me inside. "We were just chatting." I shrugged, but if that were true why did I feel somewhat guilty. "I think it's so sweet you were keeping him company, you're a good girl Suzie." mom patted my shoulder, kissing my temple before letting me go and heading for her bedroom. "Yeah." I whispered to her, mostly to myself. I was a good girl, and I needed to keep it that way.