When the day ends I'm relieved. But I don't remember the bus number I'm supposed to be riding. Ugh this day is taking a turn for the worst.
I run to the parking lot to see if Nik's car is still here but sure enough it's gone.
"Lost?" Daniel asks.
"A little."
"Need a ride?" he laughs at my sheepish expression.
"Yes please." I tell him. "Thank you."
"No problem."
We're silent for a good 5 minutes before he breaks it.
"So where do you live?"
"2 house down from Nik."
"Oh how long have you lived there?"
"A week." I shrug my shoulders.
"What's the house number?" he asks me slowing to a red light. He's a nice driver; he stays within a good range of the speed limit.
"128."
"Oh." He doesn't look at me, and I feel as if I'm missing something here.
"Did you get the corner bed room? Mint green walls?" he asks.
"Um yes." I squint my eyes at him. How does he know this?
"My um, friend used to live there." He tells me. "I'm not like stalking you or anything."
"Okay." I end the conversation not wanting to pry.
He turns the radio on and an over played summer pop hit comes on. The singer belts out the chorus as he turns onto my road.
"Well here we are." I say.
"Can I come in?"
"My house?" my face pales. If he comes in my mother will have a hundred questions for him and me.
"No." I'm doing him a favor really.
"Why?" His face turns red, probably embarrassed for being rejected.
"Because I don't think you want to suffer through 20 questions with my Mom."
"I don't mind. I'm good with parents, Mom's in particular."
Oh.
"Fine c'mon." I open my door and wait for him to follow.
"Wait what's your last name?" he asks in a hushed tone as I push open my oak door.
"Fitzgerald." I tell him. "Come with me." I grab his hand and try to sneak him up the stairs as quietly as I can.
"Lace?" my mother's voice stops me at the top.
"Yes?"
"Who's with you?" she has her Mom voice in full force.
"My friend..." I turn to look over the rail down at her.
"Daniel this is my Mother. Mother this is Daniel." My face is so red I can feel the heat all the way down to my toes. I've never brought a boy home before. My first time and I'm already embarrassed.
"Hello Daniel. Will you be here long?" Oh my god.
"Mom!" I scold her.
"What? I was just wondering because your father is bringing home some colleagues for dinner. If your friend was staying I was just going to make sure to have enough food."
"Oh no Mrs. Fitzgerald I wasn't going to, but I wouldn't mind helping?"
"No Daniel you don't have to help." I squeeze his hand. Oh my gosh I'm still holding his hand. In front of my mother.
I let go quickly and they both give me a look.
"Actually that'd be nice Daniel." My mother says to him. "Lacey why don't you both change clothes, wash up, and meet me back down here."
"Yes ma'am." I turn the corner and follow the hallway down to my room.
"That wasn't so bad." Daniel says as I shut my door.
"Maybe for you, for me it was humiliating." I cover my face with both of my hands.
"Why?" he takes both my hands away from my face. He's really close.
"Because I've never brought home a boy." I stare into his blue eyes.
"Well I'm happy to be your first." He smiles. I admire how calm he is about everything. "Now c'mon and get me washed up." He smirks.
***
"Everything looks so delicious Mrs. Fitzgerald I'm sad to not get to be eating it." Daniel charms my Mother.
"Well you're welcome to stay." She smiles.
"You sure you don't care?" he asks. He really does have a way with Mom's.
"Not at all, what about you Lace?" she asks me.
"I don't care."
"Then it's settled. You're staying!" she pats his back.
"I'm going to clean up you all go get changed into something nice for dinner. Lace just give him one of your fathers shirts."
"Aye, aye captain." I walk up the stairs, Daniel close behind and turn to go down the opposite side of the hall leading to my parent's bedroom. He follows me into the bathroom to wash off the flour from our faces.
"Your Mom's nice." He tells me.
"I'm glad you like her." I grab a rag from the drawer below the sink.
"Here let me help you." He takes the wet rag from my hand and pats the counter behind me.
He wipes my neck gently and my cheeks. He cups my cheek and whispers. "Close your eyes." I do as I'm told and he runs the rag over them and my eyebrows.
"There all clean." He says.
"Thank you." I blush opening my eyes.
"My turn." He hands me the rag back.
"You want me to do it?"
"Yes please." He smirks. Once I'm finished with his face I walk him into my parent's closet which is connected to the bathroom. I grab a blue button down shirt for him hoping it will fit.
"Here." I hand him the shirt.
"Thank you."
"I'll be in my room changing. You can just change in here." I tell him not wanting to watch him undress.
"Suit yourself."
I walk down the hall into my room. I rummage through my closet and can't decide what to wear.
There's a knock on my door. "Come in." I tell him.
"I need your opinion."
"On?" Daniel asks.
"Which outfit to wear?"
"Do you like the maroon dress with long sleeves, or the red dress?"
"Definitely the red." He smirks.
"Okay good, me too." I smile.
"I'll be right back." I tell him and run to my bathroom to change.
When I walk back out he's lying flat on his back on my bed. His fingers are laced together behind his head and he's frowning.
"Something wrong?" I ask as I shut my door.
"Nope." He sits up once he hears me come in.
"Woah." His jaw drops open.
"You like it?" I ask him feeling shyer now that I've seen his reaction.
"Yes very much. You look beautiful."
"Thank you." I blush.
I take a seat beside him on the bed and he grabs my hand.
"You know its later right?" He asks me.
"Huh?" I'm confused.
"I told you this morning that you thinking Nik was gay was the best thing I'd heard all day. You said it was early and to give you another chance later. It's later."
Oh...
"You have a good memory." I smile.
"It's a Warren trait."
"Daniel Warren. Hmm I like it."
"Well I kind of have to." He laughs but I guess he's right.
*ring, ring, ring*
"Guess we better get the door." He says standing up.
We walk down the stairs and I open the door with Daniel behind me.
"Hello come in." I wave three mid-thirties men inside.
"Dinner will be fun." I whisper to Daniel and he rolls his eyes at my sarcastic tone.
We follow the sound of my Mother's high pitched cheery voice into the kitchen.
"Yes, yes, he'll be here soon." She says as we round the corner.
The sound of the garage door going up makes my mother laugh.
"Speak of the devil."
My father walks into the room and smiles at us all. He walks straight to my mother and plants a small peck on her cheek. Then he walks to me and does the same.
"Lacey would you care to introduce your friend?"
"Dad this is Daniel."
"Mr. Fitzgerald." Daniel nods and my dad laughs.
"Call me Harvey."
"Yes sir." Daniel shakes his hand.
"Come talk to me." My father drapes his arm over Daniel and walks him into the family room that still has about a million boxes in it.
"They'll be fine." My mother assures me.
There's a hard knock on the door and my mother motions for me to go get it. I walk into the foyer and pull the oak door back.
A tall young man stands before me holding the storm door open. He has dark wavy hair slicked up and back. His eyes are dark brown and smoldering. He's wearing all black: a black button down with a black suit coat over top of it, and black slacks on. He's staring at me probably waiting for an introduction. His face is oddly familiar but I can't place him.
"Lacey?" he asks.
"You know my name?"
"You don't remember me?" he seems offended. I shake my head and he pushes me to the side and walks in. "Your Dad here? Or am I late?" he asks.
"He's down the hall and to your right." I point in that direction and he nods his head leaving me alone in the foyer.
Who is he?