"It feels like forever ago since we had girl time", Grace said happily.
"I don't recall ever doing something like this", Amy said.
"Really?!"
"I didn't have any friends."
"What? Why? I don't know you that well but to me you're awesome!"
Amy chuckled.
"Thanks Grace, you are too. I just had a shitty life. I'm happy it's over though. I don't miss my family in Korea, if I can actually call them that."
"That sucks, but you have us now. We are your true family", Grace said.
"Yes, so you have nothing to worry about. You will have lots of fun today Amy", I said.
"Thank you so much girls! Now, what should I wear? I have no idea, should I be more conservative, or casual, definitely not showy."
Grace bumped her with her shoulder.
"The only reason I can think of as to why you're stressing out about this is because you want to impress his mom."
Amy became flustered, her face quickly turning pink.
"What?! No! I-I just want her to see I mean respect. Josh is a great guy, I want her to know he hangs around nice people."
"So you don't like Josh", I investigated.
"I-I mean...yeah but you know him...he doesn't do relationships so..."
"I think you should ask him. Us girls need to make the first move too", Grace said.
"Well...I told him I'm off-limits when it comes to sex stuff. Just some bad stuff happened in my past and I don't feel comfortable doing that."
"Well that doesn't mean you can't have a relationship", I said.
"Yeah, that's true", Grace said.
"I know but, I can't deprive him of that...I would feel awful. Besides, he's done so much for me when he didn't have to. I just appreciate him letting me stay with him. I'm happy with that, I don't want to push it by telling him about my feelings. Maybe what I feel is just some hero thing, like he took me in and protected me so naturally, I started falling for him. As time passes by, my feelings for him will most likely go away."
"I understand. I had that same thought too."
We spotted a store that had fall-style clothes, so we went in to check it out.
"Really", Amy said.
"Yeah...you probably could guess that I sort of like Tyler."
"Sort of? Girl, you really like him, you passed up Javi."
"Javi", Amy asked.
"Yeah, he's our best friend but these two had a thing for a bit, right?"
"Yeah. Javi liked me and I never understood why since he's very handsome and I'm just...average. We then made an agreement to...well...mess around a bit."
Grace stopped looking at clothes.
"What do you mean, mess around a bit", she said as she raised her eyebrow, curious about all the details.
I glared at her.
"That's exactly why I didn't tell you anything Grace, you get way too excited."
"Now I'm curious too", Amy said with a giggle.
I let out a sigh.
"So we agree to like kissing, maybe making out a bit..."
"Yes...go on...", Grace said.
I gave her a look again.
"And...we...took things further, only once."
"You lost your v-card!"
"No Grace! Just like...touching and stuff..."
"What?! Girl!"
"Shush!"
"Even after all that, your feelings for him didn't change", Amy asked.
"No...I thought if I did that with him, I would like him more. After that, I told him the truth about Tyler. I thought it was a one-sided thing between us, like I was a kid with a crush."
"He doesn't seem like the type to be open", Grace said.
"He has a hard time opening up about his feelings but he finally did. He kissed me once and--"
"He kissed you!"
"Stop interrupting Grace! Yes he kissed me at the Halloween party but I thought it was because he was drunk. We were fighting before that, I was just caught off guard when he did that. Recently we brought it up and he admitted that he did have feelings for me."
"But why did he kiss you out of the blue", Grace asked.
I shrugged.
"I don't know. I didn't want to interrogate him."
"I think you should. He owes you after giving you the cold shoulder."
"No Grace, right now things are good, I don't want to mess it up."
"I get it. I fixed things between us too."
"Really", I said.
"Yeah, I apologized and all that stuff."
"I'm proud of you. I know that's not your thing", I said.
"Yeah but I figured it had to be done."
"Speaking of that, I know it's a tough subject but how have you been holding up now that you can't see Andy."
Grace let out a sigh.
"It's really hard. I wish I didn't have feelings for him but it just happened. He's the only guy who really likes me for me."
"Someone who sees you as a person and not an object", Amy said.
Grace looked at her.
"Yes!"
"I know the feeling, and that is why I have feelings for Josh. I never had a man really respect me like this. He even went after the man who hurt me."
"Wait! There was a really bad fight at the club you work at and they found a man almost beaten to death...that was Josh", I asked.
Amy nodded.
"Yeah."
"Serves him right. Bastards who hurt women shouldn't be alive", Grace said in an angry tone.
"I was surprised when he went after him. Of course I want to see that man gone for good but...I don't want Josh to have that on his conscience."
"Josh really is a gentleman. I think someday you should just sit with him and tell him how you feel. It's good to get it off your chest, you never know how it will go. If he says no, he won't kick you out. He's not that way", I said.
"True. I'll at least think about it", she said.
"Good."
Grace clapped her hands together.
"Now back to shopping girls. Amy, I think I saw the outfit for you. You will look totally hot!"
Amy laughed.
~
Thanksgiving day...
I arrived at Josh's mom's house after taking a taxi here. It looks like everyone's here, the driveway is full.
"Oh snap! I forgot to tell Tyler I could come", I said out loud after I knocked.
After I said that the door opened, Tyler stood before me.
"Oh...h-hi."
"Hi", he said, not looking pleased that I showed up without letting him know.
"I'm hoping you weren't waiting around for me...right?"
"Of course I wasn't", he said with his arms folded.
He definitely was.
"I'm so sorry, I was so happy my parents believed me that I forgot to tell you."
"What did you tell them?"
"That I uh...was volunteering to feed the homeless..."
He scoffed.
"What?! You should be proud of me."
"I have to say I am impressed."
I beamed with pride.
"Tyler! Don't stand there with my door wide open letting out the heat!"
"Yes, I'm sorry", he shouted back.
He moved to the side to let me in. I almost forgot, she's the only person I met to put Tyler in line so quickly.
Tyler followed behind me as I went to the kitchen where I saw her finishing some of the food.
"Oh Sarina, welcome back!"
She quickly put down what she was doing to rush over, giving me a tight motherly hug.
"How have you been sweetie?"
"Good. It smells really good in here, do you need any help?"
"If you don't mind. I have Amy and Grace helping as well."
I went into the kitchen to join the girls while Tyler went over to the guys who were watching T.V.
"It's so traditional, the girls in the kitchen and the guys all depressed because they were kicked out", Grace said with a laugh.
"That's how it was with my family when I was a girl", his mom said.
"It's definitely universal. They do the same thing in Korea", Amy said.
"Also it gives us time to talk about girl stuff", I said.
"Yes, I've been meaning to pry into your lives", his mom said with a smile. "Especially you two, Sarina and Amy"
"Y-Yes", we both said nervously.
"You know Amy, Josh never brought a girl over here before. This is the same house he grew up in so that tells you that you must be someone very special to him."
"O-Oh well he's special to me. He has helped me a lot recently."
"Really? That's my Josh, he is very sweet even though I wish he would change his mind and settle down someday."
"M-Maybe..."
"Where did you two meet?"
"Uh...at my work...I uh...I'm a dancer at the club...", Amy said as she looked down at the floor.
"Don't be ashamed young lady. You are doing what's best for you and I commend that."
She looked back up and smiled.
"Knowing my Josh, it seems like you are more than just a friend to him and I can see you really like him, is that right?"
"Yes ma'am...I-I mean---"
His mom laughed.
"You don't have to hide it."
Amy blushed.
"What about you Sarina? You came with Tyler again, correct?"
"Yes...well sort of..."
"Has he been treating you well", she asked with a serious expression.
"Yes!"
She gave me a look.
"W-Well..things have been tough...but we are really good friends."
She let out a sigh.
"I know things have been so hard. After that day I took him in. His family did so much for Josh and I, Tyler was already like a son to me just like Josh was a son to his parents. It was heartbreaking when I heard their lives were taken away and Andy was kidnapped. I did my best to be there for Tyler. Josh was always there for him. Even to this day, I worry about him. I was very surprised to see he had found himself a beautiful young lady. He hasn't had any serious interest in women since that incident. I think he was in one relationship when he was in his 20's and that was because her father was business partners with Tyler's dad. I don't know what happened between them but that's all in the past. I can see a change in him, he acts differently when he's around you. He tries to hide it but a mom knows when there are feelings in the air."
"Um miss..."
"You can call me Ms. Flores"
"Okay, so Ms. Flores, I was curious. Josh is half German right, meaning his dad is from Germany. Where is he", Grace asked.
"Grace!", I snapped.
Ms. Flores laughed.
"Don't worry Sarina, it's okay. He's still in Germany, he never came to the U.S. I raised Josh by myself and after I met Tyler's parents from when I was a cleaning lady back in the day, I got help from them and the two boys were inseparable. His dad is a touchy subject for him. He sees him as a terrible father but that's far from the truth. I never talk about his father to him. We met when I was in college. I got a chance to study abroad when I moved here in my early 20's. I thought he was the most handsome man I ever laid eyes on, I was young after all. Of course at that age, I had fun, a bit too much fun. When I returned to the U.S I found out I was pregnant. Luckily my parents were still in Puerto Rico so I didn't have to deal with drama. I got a cleaning job during my pregnancy and found out the CEO's wife was also pregnant with her first. We became close and the rest is history."
"So does Josh's dad know about him", Grace asked.
"Yes. We communicated through letters. I sent many pictures of Josh. Eventually though...the letters stopped. They had to", she said sadly.
"Why?"
"Let's just say, back then things there weren't the best and so we had to stop communicating. Every day I pray he is okay."
We all looked a bit sad. I'm not sure what she means but I hope he is okay too.
"Well, it looks like all the food is ready. You girls go place it on the table, I will finish cleaning up here. After you're done, call for everyone to sit", she said.
"Yes ma'am", we all said.
Once we finished setting up the table, everyone was called over to eat. Of course, we didn't dig in until after Ms. Flores said prayers first. Everyone was sitting next to the person they came with. Javi was here too, he came with Grace. I was glad he could make it.
The food was amazing, I can't believe Ms. Flores made all of this herself. She said she started cooking last night. She's like a one-woman machine. I hope to be as great as her someday as I love cooking too.
Time passed by, we enjoyed the food as well as the conversations. It was getting dark. Ms. Flores said we could stay over if we didn't want to go home right away. I knew I couldn't because feeding the homeless isn't an overnight job.
I was feeling a bit down about it but was quickly brought out when I heard dessert was being served. It was in the kitchen since the table was full. I looked them over all unsure of what to get.
"They all look so good!"
"Yeah, they are."
Tyler suddenly appeared behind me.
"When did you get here, I thought you didn't like sweets."
"A few seconds ago and I like some sweets. Not that processed crap."
"I forgot, you have high-class taste buds."
"Yes, I do."
"This isn't high class though."
"I prefer homemade things", he said.
Note made.
"I can see the pies that I recognize. Is that rice pudding?"
"She makes arroz con dulce."
"You speak Spanish", I said in a surprised tone.
"No. That's what it's called, it has coconut in it."
"For a moment I was impressed", I said with a pout.
He gave me a look.
"What? You were interesting for a moment", I said.
He held his tongue and started to walk away. I let out a laugh and quickly took his arm, pulling him back.
"I'm joking, geeze, calm down."
I looked at another dessert.
"What's that one", I pointed out.
"Flan."
"Flan? What's in it?"
"Milk and stuff."
"Oh. What does it taste like?"
"Sweet."
I let go of him.
"Ugh!"
He let out a light chuckle.
"I'll try both", I said and then happily turned to him with my plate in hand.
"I'm supposed to serve you?"
"You're a cop after all so yes."
"I'm not a cop right now."
"Well I'm your guest."
"I'm a guest too."
"You're my senior."
"That means you're supposed to feed me. Younger feeds older", he said.
I pouted again.
He let out a frustrated sigh and then picked up the spoon for the rice pudding, placing some on my plate. He then cut a piece of flan, placing that on my plate as well.
"Happy?"
"Very", I said.
I took a bite of the rice pudding to taste followed by the flan.
"This is so good! Oh my gosh, she needs to tell me how she makes it!"
"You can ask her, I'm sure she will tell you."
"Not right now though. You have to try too."
"I already had that before."
I picked up some rice pudding on my spoon and lifted it up to him.
"You just ate off that."
"And you kissed me."
He got quiet.
I pushed to spoon forward, giving him a look to take it.
He did.
"Good right?"
"Yes."
I did the same thing with the flan.
~
Sadly it was time for me to leave. Tyler offered me a ride home but I told him I was okay with taking a taxi. He wasn't happy about it and so we settled it with him paying for the fare.
"See you around Javi, don't work too hard and don't let that lady mess with you. Show her who's boss", I said in my best motivated voice.
"She pretty much is my boss", he said with a laugh. "Don't worry though, I'll be fine. I'll see you soon Maxine."
He gave me a long hug.
"I'll miss you airmen Hernandez."
He laughed again.
He and Grace were the first to leave. Tyler, Josh and Amy decided to stay the night.
I went outside to wait for my taxi, Tyler joined me of course.
We stood there in silence.
"Oh look, it's starting to snow again", I said.
"Yeah it is. Hopefully not too much."
"I heard we will get a lot."
"That sucks, I hate driving in it."
"Don't you guys have really good tires?"
"Yes but still, it's dangerous to drive fast in this."
"True."
Silence again.
I wish he would talk more but that's okay. He came out of his shell a bit more today so I don't want to push him.
I checked my phone.
"My taxi should be here shortly."
"Thanks for coming", he said.
I looked at him, he was looking ahead.
"Oh, well, thanks for inviting me, it was fun."
"I'm glad you had fun."
"I had fun with you."
He looked at me.
"Me?"
I nodded.
"I always like spending time with you, you know."
"Same."
I smiled.
"Us girls need to make the first move."
I bit down on my lip.
I took his hand into mine, he wasn't expecting that.
"Tyler I--"
We were interrupted by headlights, it was my taxi.
"O-Oh...looks like I have to go", I said as I let go of his hand.
"Yeah."
I walked over, Tyler opened the door for me. I rolled down my window.
"I'll see you around", I said with a smile.
He nodded.
I watched him give the driver money and tell him something, most likely my address. He came back over to my side.
"Text me when you get home", he said.
"I will."
No! I am not letting what I was going to do get ruined!
I quickly took his hand again, pulling him down and into the window. Before he could get upset, I placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Okay we can go now", I said, my face feeling on fire.
"No", Tyler said.
I turned my head to argue but was met with a kiss back...on my lips. He then backed away, allowing the driver to back out of the driveway. My eyes stayed on his. Even though it was dark and the snow was picking up, I could still make out a faint smile on his face.
I think I know what I'm thankful for this thanksgiving day.