Secret
Chapter 7
-Chapter 7-
There was a knock at the door and My Love began to bark. “I’ve got it,“ I called. I looked through the peephole and saw Ryan standing there. I opened the door. “Hey hun.”
“Hello, my dear.” He held my hips and kissed my cheek. His smile was to die for.
“Mom! Ryan’s here!”
My mother entered the room with a scornful look on her face. She held out her palm and they shook hands. “So this is this infamous Ryan. My daughter talks so much about you.”
He laughed nervously. “I’m pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
“I’m sure.” She looked him up and down. “How old are you?”
Holy crap! I hadn’t even thought to ask him that question. “Sixteen, ma’am.”
“Stop calling me that.” She paused. “You old enough to drive?”
“Yes.”
“You drink?”
“No.”
“You smoke?”
“No.”
“When’d you get that piercing?”
“A year ago.”
“You’re parents let you?”
“Yes.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Mom, he’s Mauricio’s cousin,” I added hoping she’d let up.
“Oh, really? Mauricio is a good boy. Are you anything like him?”
“We share some similarities, I guess.”
She looked him over once more. “Okay. You kids have fun. Make sure to call me when you get there and when you leave, Jess. And as for you…” She looked at Ryan. “Don’t try anything slick on my daughter and have her home on time.”
“Okay,” Ryan said. I gave her a kiss goodbye and Ryan and I left. We got in the car and he didn’t say anything. I could tell he was still tense from the encounter with my mom and I wanted to laugh so badly. Finally, I couldn’t hold in the hilarity of the situation anymore and I laughed loud and long. “What is so funny?” Ryan sounded angry but I knew he was just scared shitless.
“You… and my mom… You were just… so scared… and you looked… so helpless… and so pitiful.” I regained my composure and caught my breath. Ryan had this blank expression on his face which made me want to laugh even more but I held it in. “You actually took it better than most people and better than what I thought you would. My mom is an intimidating woman. You thought I was joking.”
Ryan’s lips bunched up and I could tell that he was holding back a smile. “Whatever.”
“But you’re so cute when you’re scared.”
He looked at me. “I was not scared.”
“Sure.”
“I wasn’t!”
“Okay! I believe you!” I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair as he drove. We arrived at the party and as soon as the door opened we were hit with the odor of cigarette smoke. We walked in coughing and spotted Mauricio across the room.
Ryan waved him over. “Hey what’s up?”
“Nothin’. When’d you guys get here?”
“Just now. What’s with all the smoke?”
“Cigarettes?”
“You know what I meant but whatever.”
“Well, make yourselves at home. Drinks and snacks are in the dining room and pool is in the garage.”
We then parted and went our separate ways. The entire living room had been turned into a dance floor. The music was loud and it vibrated my body. Ryan pulled me to the middle of the crowd and held me close. Our bodies moved to the rhythm of the music which was fast and upbeat. I didn’t think he’d be one to dance but he shocked me right out of my socks. After awhile I leaned in and whispered, “We need to slow down. I’m out of breath.”
He laughed softly in my ear and I could feel his warm breath. “Okay.” We left the crowd and sat on the sofa. We were both panting. His chest heaved up and down trying to regain stability. “You up for a game of pool?” he said after his breathing was regular again.
“You want to get beat?”
“HA! I laugh at your confidence. I’ll beat you any day.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll go get something for us to drink and you go save the pool table.”
“Cool.”
I headed to the dining room to get drinks. One Sprite and one Coke. But before I did that I needed to call my mom. I gave her a ring and she answered almost immediately. She kept me on the phone for a good seven minutes and I knew Ryan was wondering where I was. I grabbed the sodas and on my way to the garage I bumped into someone. “I’m so sor-.” I couldn’t believe who I was looking at.
“Jess?” he said in disbelief. My mouth opened but no words came out. “I didn’t know you knew Mauricio.” My thoughts were racing. How could he talk to me like we were just old buddies? “Great party, huh?” I couldn’t say anything. Had my heart simply stopped? Noticing I wasn’t going to answer he said, “Well, I’ll see ya around.”
He turned and left and that’s when I said, “See ya?” I couldn’t feel my feet and now my heart was pounding like it wanted to break free from my chest. I just stood there, dumbfounded. As soon as I began to salvage the sensation in my legs I dropped the drinks and ran. I found Ryan in the garage.
There was a knock at the door and My Love began to bark. “I’ve got it,“ I called. I looked through the peephole and saw Ryan standing there. I opened the door. “Hey hun.”
“Hello, my dear.” He held my hips and kissed my cheek. His smile was to die for.
“Mom! Ryan’s here!”
My mother entered the room with a scornful look on her face. She held out her palm and they shook hands. “So this is this infamous Ryan. My daughter talks so much about you.”
He laughed nervously. “I’m pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
“I’m sure.” She looked him up and down. “How old are you?”
Holy crap! I hadn’t even thought to ask him that question. “Sixteen, ma’am.”
“Stop calling me that.” She paused. “You old enough to drive?”
“Yes.”
“You drink?”
“No.”
“You smoke?”
“No.”
“When’d you get that piercing?”
“A year ago.”
“You’re parents let you?”
“Yes.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Mom, he’s Mauricio’s cousin,” I added hoping she’d let up.
“Oh, really? Mauricio is a good boy. Are you anything like him?”
“We share some similarities, I guess.”
She looked him over once more. “Okay. You kids have fun. Make sure to call me when you get there and when you leave, Jess. And as for you…” She looked at Ryan. “Don’t try anything slick on my daughter and have her home on time.”
“Okay,” Ryan said. I gave her a kiss goodbye and Ryan and I left. We got in the car and he didn’t say anything. I could tell he was still tense from the encounter with my mom and I wanted to laugh so badly. Finally, I couldn’t hold in the hilarity of the situation anymore and I laughed loud and long. “What is so funny?” Ryan sounded angry but I knew he was just scared shitless.
“You… and my mom… You were just… so scared… and you looked… so helpless… and so pitiful.” I regained my composure and caught my breath. Ryan had this blank expression on his face which made me want to laugh even more but I held it in. “You actually took it better than most people and better than what I thought you would. My mom is an intimidating woman. You thought I was joking.”
Ryan’s lips bunched up and I could tell that he was holding back a smile. “Whatever.”
“But you’re so cute when you’re scared.”
He looked at me. “I was not scared.”
“Sure.”
“I wasn’t!”
“Okay! I believe you!” I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair as he drove. We arrived at the party and as soon as the door opened we were hit with the odor of cigarette smoke. We walked in coughing and spotted Mauricio across the room.
Ryan waved him over. “Hey what’s up?”
“Nothin’. When’d you guys get here?”
“Just now. What’s with all the smoke?”
“Cigarettes?”
“You know what I meant but whatever.”
“Well, make yourselves at home. Drinks and snacks are in the dining room and pool is in the garage.”
We then parted and went our separate ways. The entire living room had been turned into a dance floor. The music was loud and it vibrated my body. Ryan pulled me to the middle of the crowd and held me close. Our bodies moved to the rhythm of the music which was fast and upbeat. I didn’t think he’d be one to dance but he shocked me right out of my socks. After awhile I leaned in and whispered, “We need to slow down. I’m out of breath.”
He laughed softly in my ear and I could feel his warm breath. “Okay.” We left the crowd and sat on the sofa. We were both panting. His chest heaved up and down trying to regain stability. “You up for a game of pool?” he said after his breathing was regular again.
“You want to get beat?”
“HA! I laugh at your confidence. I’ll beat you any day.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll go get something for us to drink and you go save the pool table.”
“Cool.”
I headed to the dining room to get drinks. One Sprite and one Coke. But before I did that I needed to call my mom. I gave her a ring and she answered almost immediately. She kept me on the phone for a good seven minutes and I knew Ryan was wondering where I was. I grabbed the sodas and on my way to the garage I bumped into someone. “I’m so sor-.” I couldn’t believe who I was looking at.
“Jess?” he said in disbelief. My mouth opened but no words came out. “I didn’t know you knew Mauricio.” My thoughts were racing. How could he talk to me like we were just old buddies? “Great party, huh?” I couldn’t say anything. Had my heart simply stopped? Noticing I wasn’t going to answer he said, “Well, I’ll see ya around.”
He turned and left and that’s when I said, “See ya?” I couldn’t feel my feet and now my heart was pounding like it wanted to break free from my chest. I just stood there, dumbfounded. As soon as I began to salvage the sensation in my legs I dropped the drinks and ran. I found Ryan in the garage.