Sequel: An Old Beginning ›
Status: Complete
Guilty Pleasures
Chapter 11
Naomi surprised herself when she made it home and no tears were shed. She refused to let herself be a victim in this scenario.
‘So we slept together…so what?’ Naomi thought to herself. ‘It’s not like either of us made a big thing about it.’
Unfortunately, the same time her ‘voice of reason’ was speaking, another voice was making itself known. The one that was screaming ‘LIAR!’
Naomi avoided her mother as she walked up to her room, collapsing on the bed and trying to keep her mind off the menace who was clouding her
thoughts. She listened as the phone rang, waiting for her mom to pick up. After the third ring, Naomi growled as she rolled onto her side, picking up
the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Nae, listen to me, I-“
Naomi slammed the phone down, not caring to listen to him. Her frown deepened when it began ringing again.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she nearly yelled into the phone.
“Please, sugar-“
* * * * *
Gerard nearly threw his cell phone against the wall of his classroom as she disconnected the call. Sitting through the meeting had been a nightmare.
All kinds of scenarios were running through Gerard's head. What if Naomi never made it home? What if she was sitting somewhere crying because he was acting like a pillock? What if she truly believed he didn’t want her?
The last thought was what propelled him to make the phone call, not caring at this point if her mother had answered.
An idea formed as Gerard nearly leapt from his chair, searching his room.
* * * * *
Naomi stirred the spaghetti as her mother prepared the French bread for their dinner. Both looked at each other when the doorbell rang and made a silent agreement that Donna had the easiest task to abandon.
Naomi poured the spaghetti into a colander, hearing quiet voices coming from the foyer.
“Naomi,” her mother called a moment later. “You have a visitor.”
Naomi frowned, wiping her hands on a towel as she walked through the dining room and froze in her tracks when she saw Gerard standing next to her mother with a smile on his face.
“Yes, Mr. Way?” she asked with an edge of coldness to her tone that did not go unnoticed by Gerard.
“Mr. Way just stopped by to drop off the notes you needed for a paper that’s due,” Donna said with a smile. “Wasn’t that nice of him to go out of his way? He said you left them during your tutoring session today.”
Naomi frowned as she looked into Gerard's hazel eyes. So many emotions were conveyed in those hazel depths, but the only one she could see clearly
was remorse. It made her feel a little better, but she didn’t know what he was trying to accomplish with her mom standing there.
“It really wasn’t necessary,” Naomi said softly as she took a hesitant step forward, holding out her hand for the fictitious notes. “I could have finished the ‘paper’ without them.”
“Oh, Naomi, be polite,” Donna chastised her daughter before turning to Gerard. “We’re just about to have dinner, would you care to join us?”
Naomi gave her mother a desperate look that was unnoticed by Donna as she waited for his answer.
A slow smirk spread on Gerard face as he looked at Naomi. “If you’re sure I won’t be an imposition.”
“Nonsense,” Donna said with a smile. “Nae, set an extra place for Mr. Way.”
“It’s Gerard,” Mr. Waycorrected. “Or Gee, if you prefer.”
Gerard and Donna shared a laugh as Naomi rolled her eyes, disappearing into the kitchen.
“Anything I can do to help?” Gerard asked, following Naomi's mother into the kitchen.
Naomi sidestepped him as she walked back to the dining room, setting the table.
“Sure, you can go ahead and take the salad and put it on the table.”
Gerard nodded, grabbing the bowl as he walked into the other room. “We need to talk, sugar,” he whispered to Naomi.
She was about to respond when Donna walked in with the bread. “Naomi, can you get the spaghetti and sauce?”
“I’ll help you,” Gerard volunteered as Donna went to sit down.
Naomi stayed quiet as she poured the sauce into a bowl, tensing when she felt Gerard's fingers ghost over her lower back. As his lips brushed over her neck, Naomi took a step away, turning and handing Gerard the bowl without making eye contact with him.
“Nae-“
“Mom’s waiting,” she said softly, turning to get the noodles.
Gerard sighed as he left the room.
‘So we slept together…so what?’ Naomi thought to herself. ‘It’s not like either of us made a big thing about it.’
Unfortunately, the same time her ‘voice of reason’ was speaking, another voice was making itself known. The one that was screaming ‘LIAR!’
Naomi avoided her mother as she walked up to her room, collapsing on the bed and trying to keep her mind off the menace who was clouding her
thoughts. She listened as the phone rang, waiting for her mom to pick up. After the third ring, Naomi growled as she rolled onto her side, picking up
the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Nae, listen to me, I-“
Naomi slammed the phone down, not caring to listen to him. Her frown deepened when it began ringing again.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she nearly yelled into the phone.
“Please, sugar-“
* * * * *
Gerard nearly threw his cell phone against the wall of his classroom as she disconnected the call. Sitting through the meeting had been a nightmare.
All kinds of scenarios were running through Gerard's head. What if Naomi never made it home? What if she was sitting somewhere crying because he was acting like a pillock? What if she truly believed he didn’t want her?
The last thought was what propelled him to make the phone call, not caring at this point if her mother had answered.
An idea formed as Gerard nearly leapt from his chair, searching his room.
* * * * *
Naomi stirred the spaghetti as her mother prepared the French bread for their dinner. Both looked at each other when the doorbell rang and made a silent agreement that Donna had the easiest task to abandon.
Naomi poured the spaghetti into a colander, hearing quiet voices coming from the foyer.
“Naomi,” her mother called a moment later. “You have a visitor.”
Naomi frowned, wiping her hands on a towel as she walked through the dining room and froze in her tracks when she saw Gerard standing next to her mother with a smile on his face.
“Yes, Mr. Way?” she asked with an edge of coldness to her tone that did not go unnoticed by Gerard.
“Mr. Way just stopped by to drop off the notes you needed for a paper that’s due,” Donna said with a smile. “Wasn’t that nice of him to go out of his way? He said you left them during your tutoring session today.”
Naomi frowned as she looked into Gerard's hazel eyes. So many emotions were conveyed in those hazel depths, but the only one she could see clearly
was remorse. It made her feel a little better, but she didn’t know what he was trying to accomplish with her mom standing there.
“It really wasn’t necessary,” Naomi said softly as she took a hesitant step forward, holding out her hand for the fictitious notes. “I could have finished the ‘paper’ without them.”
“Oh, Naomi, be polite,” Donna chastised her daughter before turning to Gerard. “We’re just about to have dinner, would you care to join us?”
Naomi gave her mother a desperate look that was unnoticed by Donna as she waited for his answer.
A slow smirk spread on Gerard face as he looked at Naomi. “If you’re sure I won’t be an imposition.”
“Nonsense,” Donna said with a smile. “Nae, set an extra place for Mr. Way.”
“It’s Gerard,” Mr. Waycorrected. “Or Gee, if you prefer.”
Gerard and Donna shared a laugh as Naomi rolled her eyes, disappearing into the kitchen.
“Anything I can do to help?” Gerard asked, following Naomi's mother into the kitchen.
Naomi sidestepped him as she walked back to the dining room, setting the table.
“Sure, you can go ahead and take the salad and put it on the table.”
Gerard nodded, grabbing the bowl as he walked into the other room. “We need to talk, sugar,” he whispered to Naomi.
She was about to respond when Donna walked in with the bread. “Naomi, can you get the spaghetti and sauce?”
“I’ll help you,” Gerard volunteered as Donna went to sit down.
Naomi stayed quiet as she poured the sauce into a bowl, tensing when she felt Gerard's fingers ghost over her lower back. As his lips brushed over her neck, Naomi took a step away, turning and handing Gerard the bowl without making eye contact with him.
“Nae-“
“Mom’s waiting,” she said softly, turning to get the noodles.
Gerard sighed as he left the room.