When Duty Calls

“And can you also pass me two bottles of water please sweetie?” Andie asked Connor as he helped her pack a picnic hamper for their afternoon in the park.
Connor ran over to the refrigerator and took two bottles of water, passing them with a smile to Andie for her to place in the basket. “Anything else?” he asked smiling up at her.

“Um, no that’s all the food and stuff. It’s just yours and Ella’s bag now.” She replied turning to pick up the messenger bag that was on the table.

“Have you got her diapers?” he asked, climbing up onto the chair to give him more height.

“Yep, four of them, and wipes, her teething gel and pacifier. We’ve also got sun screen and her sun hat, have you got yours?” she said turning to Connor.

“It’s on my bed.” he replied simply.

“Well, what use is it there. We need it on your head.” She replied with a mocking eye-roll and her hands on her hips. Connor smiled back, rolling his own eyes before sliding off the chair and running towards the stairs. She giggled to herself as she heard him thundering up the stairs and continued to pack their bag. He reappeared moments later wearing an LA Lakers hat that was a size too big for him, even with the strap pulled across to the tightest setting.

“Ok, much better. Now are we all ready to go?” she asked as she placed the messenger bag over the handles of the pushchair.

“Don’t you need a sun hat?” Andie smiled at Connor’s words and nodded her head.

“I guess I should practice what I preach right? Watch your sister, I’ll be two seconds.” She replied as she turned and quickly ran up the stairs to fetch her hat.

“Ok, so are we ready now?” she asked as she picked up the hamper from the counter.
Connor nodded excitedly as they made their way out of the house. As they reached the sidewalk Connor took hold of the stroller handles, Andie helping him as she also carried the hamper.

“Andie, what did you mean when you said practice what you preach?” Connor asked a few moments later.

“Well, I meant that I shouldn’t tell you to do something, like wearing a sun hat if I’m not willing to do it myself.” She replied watching as he absorbed every word, processing it carefully.

“Like the way dad tells me to eat broccoli but never eats his?” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” She replied with a chuckle.

“So next time I should tell him to eat his broccoli if he wants me to eat mine?” he asked raising a questioning eyebrow.

“You know what, yeah I think you should.” She replied with a smirk as they approached the park.

They walked through the park, working their way to where they were meeting Rhian. As they walked around a bend Andie spotted her best friend sat on a bench a few yards ahead of them, busy with her phone.

“I’m going to take a guess and say that’s Jimmy judging by the smile on your face.” Andie called as she stopped next to the bench, Rhian not having noticed them approach.

“Shit girl you made me jump.” She replied holding a hand over her heart.

“Language Rhi!” Andie warned tilting her head towards Connor.

“Sorry, but maybe you shouldn’t sneak up on people.” She replied as she got up off the bench.

“Sorry, but you seemed off with the fairies somewhere.” Andie replied as they made their way onto the green to find a spot to set up their picnic. “So I was right then? It was Jimmy.” she added with a smile.

Rhian blushed as she diverted her eyes to the sky, a large smile on her face. “It might have been.”

“Well come on then, I know you, you’re dying to tell me all the details. How was the date?” She asked with a knowing smile as she lay down the blanket. “But keep it PG there are kids present.” She added.

Rhian smiled as she sat down next to Andie who was taking the food out of the hamper and began to tell her about her first date with Jimmy.

Never one to be late or keep people waiting, Rhian sat in her living room nervously waiting for Jimmy to arrive. She’d been ready for fifteen minutes, had checked her appearance seven times, her watch twenty times and her cell phone six times.

She noticed that she had started to pick at her nail varnish so had stuffed her hands underneath her legs and had taken to biting her lip instead. She almost jumped out of her skin when her doorbell sounded throughout the living room. She stood up, smoothing down her outfit and checking her makeup one last time before grabbing her purse and heading to the door.

“Hey.” She said quietly as she opened the door to Jimmy who was stood on the step.

“Hi.” He replied, his eyes roaming over her body, an appreciative smile on his lips. “Wow, you look amazing.” He added, his blue eyes meeting her green ones.

“Thanks.” She muttered her head bowing as she blushed at his words.

“So are you ready to go?” he asked. She looked up again and nodded her head, closing her front door behind her as she joined Jimmy on the steps. In a move that made a lump form in her throat, Jimmy reached across and placed her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as he guided her down the steps to the sidewalk. After helping her into his car, holding the door open for her, Jimmy drove them into the heart of Huntington, pulling up outside a seafood restaurant on Main Street.

Again Jimmy reached for her hand as they made their way into the restaurant, only letting go when they were seated at a table and were handed menus. Just like at Andie’s birthday party, the two found it easy to keep the conversation flowing throughout the meal.

“Would you like to take a walk along the pier?” Jimmy asked as they left the restaurant.

“Yeah, that’ll be nice, I always love the pier at night.” She replied with a smile as he again laced his fingers with hers.

They walked in a comfortable silence, Rhian glancing up at the clear night sky, the millions of stars and the large moon.

“Star gazer huh?” Jimmy asked with a smile as he too glanced up to the sky.

“Just looking for my home planet.” She replied dryly, a smile playing at her lips as she looked out of the corner of her eye to look at Jimmy as he stopped walking, pulling her to a gentle stop.

“You know, I knew there was something about you…so are you from this solar system or some parallel universe?” he replied as he started walking again.

“To be honest I can’t remember, I’ve been on earth so long now, and I think my memory was altered when I arrived…” she began as they reached the end of the pier and took a seat on one of the benches.

She tried hard to keep a straight face as he watched her with narrowed eyes. “Ok, you sound almost believable now…” he said quietly and slowly as she finally allowed the smile to appear.

Jimmy smiled back, turning his body so that he was half facing her, his eyes holding hers.

“I really like you Rhian.” He said quietly.

“But?” she replied nervously.

“How do you know there’s a but?” he asked. Rhian shrugged.

“Call it woman’s intuition.”

“Oh, ok…but…I’ve just come out of a long, serious relationship. I thought Leana was the one.” He began holding up his hand to show the tattoo he hand on his finger of her name. “But she hurt me pretty bad and I don’t want to rush into anything new.”

“Jimmy it’s ok, I totally understand. We can be friends though right?” She said trying not to show her disappointment in her face or voice.

“No, I mean, yes I want us to be friends, I want us to be more.” He began. “I just want to take things slow, not make the mistakes I made with Lea.” A large smile appeared on Rhian’s face as she took hold of his other hand.

“Jimmy, it’s okay. I really like you too and I can understand why you want to take things slow.” She said keeping her eyes fixed on his.

“You are so awesome. And so beautiful.” He replied, removing his hands from hers only to move them to cup her face gently as she blushed watching his face edge closer to hers. It was a gentle kiss, their lips barely touching at first before he leaned closer, adding pressure. Rhian’s hands ran up his long legs until they were on his hips; his hands slipping to the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. a soft moan left both their lips as Jimmy’s tongue traced her lower lip, slipping past hers as they parted.

“I thought you wanted to take things slow?” she said breathlessly as she pulled regrettably away from him.

“Mmm. Maybe more difficult than I first thought.” He replied as he rested his forehead against hers, his hands coming to rest on her hips. Slowly he manoeuvred her, pulling her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and allowing her head to fall against his chest.

“Rhian?” Jimmy asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over them as they had sat staring out to the darkened ocean.

“Yes?”

“Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked almost inaudibly.

“Yeah I will.” She replied quietly, a smile widening on her face as she continued to face the ocean, feeling Jimmy place a kiss on the top of her head.

They sat on the pier for a almost an hour after that before Jimmy suggested they should make their way back to the car. When they reached her house, Jimmy walked her up to the doorstep.

“Thanks for tonight Jimmy, I’ve had a lovely night.” She said as she opened her front door.

“It’s been my pleasure. I’ll call you tomorrow sometime?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She replied with a smile, watching as he leaned forward to kiss her lips.

“Good night.” He said quietly, taking a small step backwards.

“Yeah, good night Jim.” She replied, watching as he walked back to his car, closing the door once he’d pulled away from the curb.

“So when are you seeing him again?” Andie asked as she sat with Ella in her lap; Connor by her side with a note book and a set of crayons.

“Tomorrow night actually. That’s what I was doing when you scared me, arranging a time.” She replied with an uncontrollable smile on her face. “As long as this sore throat and headache doesn’t get any worse between now and then.”

“Oh Hun, I thought you’d sounded a bit croaky.” She replied.

“Yeah, my voice has been slipping all day, and now I’ve got a headache as well. It’s just my luck.” She replied with a pout.

“Well, why don’t you head home and rest up to make sure you’re ok for tomorrow?” Andie asked.

“Yeah, I might just do that.” She replied, standing up. “Bye guys.” She said waving to Connor and Ella who was waving enthusiastically back.

“Feel better Hun, talk to you soon. Come on Squirt, we’ll head home too, we can do some reading before your dad does dinner, and I think you’ll be able to make him practice what he preaches tonight.” She said with a smirk, enjoying the way Connor’s eyes lit up with her words.