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“When are you going on a date?” I asked Allison with a smile on my face.
Her immediate look of horror filled me with satisfaction and turned my grin into a smile. Allison opened her mouth and closed it several times, and I regretted the fact that I was witnessing this behind a screen.
It looked like the type of event that would thrill you if you were to witness it up, close and personal. I picked up the phone from the kitchen counter where I had it leaning on the salt and pepper shakers and made my way back to my bedroom with a glass of water in my hand.
I had no idea how long the phone calls had lasted, but I didn’t exactly mind. Talking with Allison has taken my mind off a lot of things like it always did. I was beyond grateful for her and hoped she understood how much.
But that didn’t stop me from teasing her about her dating life. With my crush on Christian finally blooming into something other than a distant affection displayed by longing eyes and slightly opened jaw - Allison’s description of the events (I disagreed, of course) - I figured it was high time we got her back into the dating scene.
“What are you talking about?” Allison said finally, pretending not to have heard or understood me.
“Think about it, I’m in a relationship now, and it would be even better if you were in one too,” I explained to her, the smile on my face hidden this time when I took a sip of my water.
Allison scoffed at this declaration. “I think it’s a pity that you’re an only child. If you had a brother, he would have made a move long ago.”
“I apologize for being an only child and hogging all of my mother’s attention.”
“As you should.”
We both fell into fits of giggles. It was a new joke that had settled between us since Christian and I got together. The more I brought up the prospects of her dating someone, the more she reminded me of my lack of a sibling, and how her having one had made sure I didn’t waste time looking for love.
Which was ideal if your boyfriend’s mother didn’t spend the majority of her time looking at you like you stole something from her. I thought it was pretty impressive how consistently she made me feel unwelcome.
“How are things with my mother? Are there any improvements?” Allison asked when we’d both come down from our laughter-induced high.
I let out a sigh and shook my head. “It’s like she hates me more with each passing day. I would have walked away a long time ago if I hadn’t been in love with Christian. I mean, I knew she didn’t like me, but it’s like she has amped it up a whole lot.”
“Has she done anything crazy?”
“I mean, she keeps inviting us to these dinners where she spends all the time between first hello, and last bite telling Christian she has all these women lined up if he ever decides to come to his senses.”
“And you both keep going to these dinners because?”
I rolled my eyes at Allison. “You know why. She’s his mother, and I’d hate to be the reason why they don’t see each other.”
“Come on, Fiona. We’re talking about my mother here. She won’t just back away if she thinks she has the upper hand. You have to put your foot down eventually.”
***
I didn’t put my foot down immediately because I had a date with Christian. What I did instead was get ready for it in hopes that when he picked me up, his jaw would be on the floor. Every girl’s dream, really.
The instructions for the date were to dress formally, and I took that to mean sexy.
I decided on a midi cream dress with thin straps. The waist of the gown has a corset-like shape that has been achieved with zippers, which means I didn’t need anyone pulling at any ropes to get me into it. I did that all by myself.
To accessorize, I wore gold threader earrings and gold rings. I let my hair fall freely. For makeup, I decided on something light not to take all the attention away from my gorgeous dress.
Everything had to look like it was working together instead of fighting each other for dominance.
And I knew it worked the second I opened the door, and Christian stumbled over his hello. I stood in front of the door, watching him take me in, opening his mouth to say something, only to let out a couple of babbles.
And if I wasn’t enjoying his attention, I would have been in the same mess he was in.
Christian was wearing a three-piece suit, and even though I saw him in a suit every single day - not counting the weekends - I thought this particular outfit was what all the others were trying to live up to.
It was black, a safe color that went with my dress. The suit made sure to highlight the fact that Christian worked out religiously by putting on show his broad shoulders. His shoes had some shine to them, and his hair was slicked back.
Like every woman my age would act in that moment, I took my time fighting the urge to gawk at him. The looks were not subtle in any way, but Christian was looking at me in the same way he didn’t have the chance to notice how I looked at him.
