“What are you talking about? We were never together.” I shake my head. “We hung out. I had considered you a friend; then we got drunk, fooled around, and you showed me that I was nothing but just another woman, just like all the others.” I blow a piece of hair out of my face, feeling myself turn red from embarrassment. “Now if you would just leave and not talk to me any more like you did before, that would be great,” I say, turning around to finish what I was doing.
“Why’s this Bill sending you flowers?” I look over and see him standing in front of the flowers, looking at the card.
“What’s with you?” I walk over and snatch the card out of his hand.
“You’re coming with me to go see July Saturday when you get off.” I look at him like he has lost his damn mind. He shrugs. “I already told Asher that you would be there.”
“Well, then, I guess you have to call and tell him that you were confused,” I snap, just as the shop door opens and my mom walks in.
“Oh! Trevor, honey, so nice to see you,” she greets, and he bends low to kiss her cheek.
“You too, Mrs. Hayes. I was just coming to remind Liz about our plans for the weekend.”
“Plans?” my mom asks.
“We’re going to see July, then to dinner afterwards,” Trevor tells my mother. Her face lights up like a Christmas tree, and she looks over at me smiling.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” she claps—yes, claps—and I want to grab Trevor’s ear and haul him out of the store.
“Thanks for the reminder. I’ll text you if something comes up and I can’t make it.” I say, walking to the door and opening it.
“If you can’t make it, then I’ll just pick you up after,” he says, running his fingers through my hair. “Just don’t forget your overnight bag,” he says, leaning closer. I know my jaw hit the floor. I look over at my mom and she’s beaming. I can see the sun shining from inside her. I look back at Trevor, ready to kick his ass for making my mom think that there is something between us that isn’t there. Then I feel his mouth on mine. I try to pull away, but his hand is in my hair at the back of my neck, holding me in place. He licks my bottom lip, then bites it softly. My hands had gone to his chest to shove him away, when I feel his other hand at the underside of my breast; my mouth opens, his tongue touches mine, and his taste fills my mouth. My brain is no longer in control. I kiss him back, one hand fisting his shirt, the other at the back of his head, his hair scraping against my palm. His mouth leaves mine; pulling me deeper into him, I feel his lips near my ear. “I forgot how much I love your mouth baby,” he groans, and I feel heat hit my face. Not only did I just do that in front of my mom, but he has the power; all he has to do is touch me and I’m his. “I’ll see you Saturday,” he says, pulling away. My brain is total mush; all I can do is nod. He says goodbye to my mom and leaves the store, with me standing right where he left me.
“I’m surprised that this place didn’t catch fire when he kissed you,” my mom says, beaming at me. I bite my lip, asking myself, not for the first time, what just happened.
“Um…”
“I mean, I’m your mom, but it looked like that boy knew how to kiss.”
“I ugh…”
“I know that he’s got a reputation with the ladies, but seeing him work, well, now I know they’re not just rumors,” she says, fanning herself.
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. “Mom, please don’t get all excited, okay? Trust me when I tell you that nothing is going to come from this.”
“If you say so, honey,” she mumbles, going behind the counter. I walk to the back room of the shop, close the door, and scream at the top of my lungs, trying to get all the frustration I was feeling at that moment out. Once I’m done, I go back to stocking the shelves, trying to keep myself busy enough to forget about Trevor and his kiss. This doesn’t work, so I call Bambi, hoping that she can make me forget about Trevor. Unfortunately, she wants to talk about him, why he was there, and what happened when I left the club. I explain the best I can without telling her too much. Then I call November, and she also wants to talk about Trevor, and how he called Asher and told him that we would be there Saturday to spend some time with July. It was like the world is against me. Nothing helped me forget about him; even after I get home, I can still feel his mouth and hands on me.
“Do you want a beer?” Bill asks, coming to stand next to me. He called me this morning and asked if I wanted to go to a bonfire with him. Normally, I would avoid things like this because the women I went to school with act like they are still in high school. Being twenty–five, I think that it’s a little crazy to still whisper and talk crap about people behind their backs, then play best friends when they are standing in front of you. In school, I was a nerd…a big one. I had braces, my hair was short, and I dressed like a boy. When my dad passed away, my mom checked out; I know she tried, but it was hard enough for her to get out of bed most days. I think she figured that we didn’t need her, and that we were old enough to get up and go to school; and let’s not forget: cook for ourselves, do our laundry, or clean up after ourselves. Things weren’t easy, but I never wanted to be the one to rattle our fragile existence; so instead of telling my mom that I needed clothes, I would borrow my brother’s; instead of saying I needed a haircut, I would just take the scissors, and cut my hair short enough that I didn’t have to think about it.