Don't Turn Back (Coming Home Book 1) (12 page)

“Why don’t you see what you can find to watch on television?” I suggest.  “I’ve got some homework I need to do, and when I’m done, maybe we can go grab a bite to eat. Then you can accompany me to the grocery store.” I feel exactly like a little girl, wanting to cross my fingers and hoping he’s going to say yes.

“Sure, if you don’t mind the company. I’ve got the weekend off and don’t have anything planned.”

And with that, I head down the hallway towards my bedroom. I pull out my Biology Lab book and study guide, spreading everything across my desk. I can hear the TV tuned to a sports channel. Each time a commercial comes on, Brian changes the channels from one game to another.
Typical male characteristic, for sure
.

I have been stuck on the same question in my study guide for the last ten minutes. I have flipped through the chapter repeatedly, looking for the answer, but my concentration is completely shot. My mind keeps bringing up images of Brian standing in my hallway, wearing nothing but his towel. I hear the bathroom door shut and figure he must be changing in to his clean clothes. I swear, I don’t think I could have sat in the same room with him, towel and all.

My parents have often dropped hints to me about finding someone to date. I’ve had guy friends, but nothing ever serious. Besides, I enjoy hanging out with Rebecca while Greg is away. I figure when the right guy comes along, I will know it’s right. I think about Brian and wonder if I could see myself dating him. One thing is for certain, since being around him, I’ve definitely noticed some different emotions being stirred up inside me.

I finally give up on studying. I change into different clothes myself, putting on a pair of tight jeans and a nice top, and slip on a pair of flip-flops. Here in the South, you can just about get away with wearing them year round. We both end up in the hallway at the same time.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. How about I treat us to lunch to celebrate your finding a new job? Then, we can head over to the grocery store. I seriously need to restock my refrigerator.”

“Sure, just let me grab my shoes.”

I say a silent prayer of thanks to myself. He said yes!

I gather my grocery list from the kitchen table and put it in my purse. I grab my phone, and we walk outside to the sidewalk together. It’s such a beautiful day. I unlock the car doors and we both get in. As I start the car, a Blake Shelton hit blares from the radio. “Sorry about that!” I say as I reach over and turn the music down.

“Not a problem. I actually love listening to Blake. He’s one of my favorite country music artists.”

I pull out of the apartment complex and ask Brian for suggestions of what he would like for lunch.

“I’m open for pretty much anything. What would you recommend?” 

“I know of a really good pizza place if you are in the mood for that.” I suggest.

“Sounds pretty good to me.” He looks over to me, and smiles. “Thanks for inviting me to lunch.”

The remainder of the drive to the restaurant is spent in silence. I park the car, and as we walk to the entrance of the pizza place, Brian places his hand at the small of my back. I’m not expecting this, and am not sure how to respond. Walking in, we see there is a lunchtime crowd.
Desi’s
is one of my favorites. He is known for his special sauce and garlic bread, and all the locals come here regularly. I notice a booth in the back corner and point in that direction. I slide in the booth, and it seems that Brian plans to sit on the same side with me. I am shocked, but no less giddy with happiness
. Isn’t this what couples do?
I’m not trying to read more into this, but I certainly like the feel of things right now. I’m really curious to know more about this guy.

We both order sweat teas, and he passes me a menu. The waitress tells us the day’s special, but we agree on a hand tossed pepperoni pizza with an order of garlic bread.  

Brian glances towards one of the big screen televisions that is mounted on the ceiling. A football game is on, and we both find ourselves pulling for the same team. A few minutes later, our pizza arrives and the waitress refills our drinks. We both reach for the same piece of garlic bread, and I feel an electric current as my hand lightly grazes his. 

“Here, it’s hot.” He says and hands me a slice of bread that I place on the side of my plate. 

We continue to talk about our likes and dislikes, realizing we have even more things in common than we first discovered the other night at the hotel. Time passes by, and we realize there is no way we are going to finish off the pizza. I look over at him and notice he has a little bit of cheese stuck to his chin.

“Here, let me wipe this for you. I hope you have enjoyed lunch.” I say to him as I take my napkin and lightly wipe the cheese from his chin. I really would like to use something
else
to remove the cheese, unsure what exactly has taken over me so suddenly. I’ve never been the straightforward type before, not until Brian came along. Maybe he’s got me under a spell?

“This is the best pizza I think I have ever had.” He is quick to add. “Thanks for suggesting it.”

I don’t want our lunch date to end, but the waitress brings our ticket. I reach over to grab it, and Brian attempts to take it, insisting on buying. But I won’t allow it. “No, I invited you here to celebrate your job. It’s my treat to you.” I look over to him and smile. I leave enough money on the table to satisfy our bill and tip, then excuse myself to the bathroom before leaving. Brian is waiting for me outside the door, leaned up against a pole with his foot propped.
Damn, I can’t believe anyone in her right mind would kick this guy out
. There is something mesmerizing about his eyes, and I quickly look away.

We climb back in the car, and I pull across the street to the grocery store. Brian grabs a cart and takes off like a little kid, pushing it through the parking lot, then jumping on the back of it. I yell out to him, “You’re going to flip that thing and bust your butt!” We both burst out laughing as I catch up with him and we head inside the store.

I scan through my list and make a mental note of things I need to get. Brian casually points out things he likes, and I am not surprised we like many of the same foods. I toss a few of these items into the buggy, wondering if he notices. We browse the meat counter at the back of the store and I see Brian looking through some packages of rib-eye steaks.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice, juicy steak. Maybe when I get my own place, I will invite you over to grill a couple of these outside.”  He says this so casually, it’s as though he already knows he’ll see me again. 

“I’ve got the grill at home.” I quickly offer. “Why don’t you pick out a few steaks for us, and I’ll let you show me your cooking talent on the grill tonight.” As I say this to him, I realize this may sound like I’m being a bit pushy.

“Mmm, sounds good. Are you sure you haven’t had enough of me already?”

“I’ve actually enjoyed spending the day with you.” And I really have.

“It’s a deal then, but I’m buying these.” He says and picks out two of the best steaks and places them in the cart.

I nod my head and reply, “Ok, if you insist. But everything else is on me.”

I grab a couple more items for our meal tonight, including a twelve pack of beer. 

We finish up my shopping list and walk to the front to pay. Brian bags everything and together, we tote it all out to the car. We stop at a Redbox machine and pick out a few movies for tonight as well. I swear, if you didn’t know any better, you would think we’ve been a couple for some time now.
Maybe it’s a sign for what’s to come, for us
.

Arriving back at the apartment, I help Jennifer unload the groceries from the car. I’m not sure where she likes the items arranged in her cabinets, so I stick with putting away the cold stuff. I figure I can’t go wrong there. She saves the empty bags and shoves them inside a larger bag in the bottom of the pantry, something I remember my mother used to do.

She turns towards me and asks if I would like a beer. While at the grocery store we had both agreed beer would be great with our steak tonight, but who am I to argue if she wants to start drinking a little early? I grab us both one and walk over to sit beside her on the couch as she turns on the television.

She shared with me earlier that although she never played any sports while in school, she has always been a big football and baseball fan. I played football while in high school, but was forced to quit the team before starting my senior year. Things started getting much worse at home, my grades started slipping, and football became a thing of my past. I was probably good enough to receive a scholarship for college, but I had absolutely no family support. It got so bad, there were many nights I stopped coming home. I would crash at a friend’s house or over at my brother’s. My parents either never noticed, or never bothered to bring it up. By the time I finished school, with just barely passing grades, I was out of the house completely. I would stop by and visit my mom, often staying a couple of nights, but then my dad would start in on me. My visits back home became less and less. I probably stayed at my brother Jake’s house the longest. He was always busy with work, working long hours and coming home late. He never noticed my coming home in the middle of the night or the next morning. I’m not saying I’m proud of this lifestyle, but I was getting by without anyone telling me how to live my life.

By that point, the piece of junk car I had had since high school was nothing but an eye sore. I had a few too many drinks one night while hanging out with a buddy, and I somehow ran it off in a ditch. Nothing about the car was worth saving, and I often wondered why my life was spared following the accident. I realized then that I needed to get my shit together if I was ever going to make something of myself. Jake bought himself a new truck he had been saving for, thus, I ended up with his silver Honda.

I was in and out of relationships, but nothing ever serious. No one wanted to date a loser with nothing to offer. Jake threatened to kick me out if I didn’t get my act together. We shared a few words, and I realized I needed to find another place to stay before we both said some things we would regret later.

Shortly after that, I met Macy and we all know
that
story.

I hadn’t realized I was lost in my own thoughts. Jennifer was waving her hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention. “Earth to Brian.” 

“Sorry, I was just thinking back to a few years ago.” I don’t want to divulge too much of my history, for fear she will want to read more into my past.

I retrieve another beer for us from the refrigerator. Then another. We are both enjoying the conversation we are having. It’s really easy to talk to her. I notice it’s starting to get dark outside, and Jennifer walks over to open the patio doors. I walk up behind her and touch my cold beer to her leg. She screams playfully, and runs around the room trying to chase me. It’s apparent that she is starting to get a buzz from the beer. She makes several attempts to tag me with her beer, but I am much too quick for her. She ends up setting her beer on the coffee table, and I let her tackle me on the couch. We take turns tickling each other like high school kids, and at one point, she is close enough to my face, I can feel her breathing. For a brief moment, I look her in the eyes and probably hold my gaze a few seconds longer than I should. I believe she feels it too, because she suddenly jumps up from my lap.

“Wait,” I reach for her hand before she can walk away. “Come here.”

I pull her towards me and she allows me to embrace her in a hug. No longer laughing and giggling, I look down into her eyes and place a gentle kiss on her lips. I taste the beer on her tongue and I make the kiss a little deeper. Just when I think she’s enjoying the moment, she pulls back again.

“Why don’t you go ahead and get the grill fired up. You’ll find the charcoal in the box on the porch. I’m going to go relieve myself of some of this beer before I have an accident.” She manages to say to me before she heads down the hallway towards the bathroom.