Page 18 of Don't Date Your Ex Best Friend
Andrew kept doodling as Ben went to stand beside him, talking to his friend.Other kids’ parents had already talked to me, but Ben had told me that his mother wanted to personally meet me.
I handed her Ben’s test papers and heat bloomed in my chest when I noticed her face light up.I could see it all.She was proud of her son for all the A’s he scored, way better than the C’s from last semester.She would kiss him on his cheek and maybe treat him with junk food on their way back home.Or their family would go out for dinner, or maybe she would make his favorite dish.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.My mother used to do that when she was alive.She would make delicious Indian sweets for me and Ethan when either of us scored good.Or not.It didn’t matter.She loved to spoil us with sugary goods, and my dad would banter playfully with her while he helped her make the sweets.
Snapping my mind out of the old memories, I focused on talking to Stacy about the next month’s meeting when Ben stood close to his mom and whispered in her ear.
“Mom, can we please hurry?Dad’s visiting us for dinner today and he promised he will play video games with me.”
I smiled at him and looked at Andrew.My heart felt heavy.He looked down at his doodles.I knew that he was longing for his father too, with whom he could play video games and talk about all the boy stuff.But how could I tell him that his father was a douchebag who left his mom as soon as she told him she was pregnant.
Stacy patted his hand and calmly said, “Of course, sweetheart.I am thanking your teacher for helping you with the essay.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.“Okay, I won’t hold you guys longer.Be sure to come to the meeting.The principal, Mr.Davis, is very strict about it as we will discuss the syllabus and chat with every parent.”
She promised she would, and I was surprised when she hugged me before walking out of the classroom with Ben as he waved at his friend and me.
Andrew didn’t want to talk, and I decided not to disturb him while he worked on his sketch.I asked him if he wanted me to call his mom, but he just shrugged.
It relieved me when she walked into the class, slipping off her sunglasses and nodding at me.She was in her I-am-a-lawyer-and-I-am-all-business dress code with a nice fitting suit for her slender frame, her sleek black hair in a perfect long bob.
Andrew rolled his eyes at his mom.“About time you got here.”
Anya Wu narrowed her eyes at her son, pinching his ear.“Watch it, you.”
I grinned at them when he whined, “Ow, Mom.Not in the school.”
She let go and turned to me, “So, what did he do this time?”
“Have faith in your son, Anya.He is doing really great at his studies, but Davis wanted to call in all the parents and make sure they are present at the meeting next month.Show how serious we all are.”
She nodded and helped pack up her son’s stationary.“I will be there,” she ruffled his hair and smiled at me, “Come on, let’s go home.”
I always let Andrew sit in the passenger seat as Anya drove the car back to the apartment we lived in.I had rented it two years ago when Anya, with her son and twin sister, shared the three-bedroom apartment.As Leni Wu was getting married, she had emptied her room and rented it to me.
But soon, I have to empty it too.
Smiling, I tried calling him, but his phone seemed switched off.Probably on a flight.He was coming back to San Diego from New York, and he had told me to get ready for a date.My stomach knotted with excitement.I would see him after two weeks.
I helped Anya and Andrew in making the dinner, cutting the tofu and watching her make a delicious curry while rice cooked in the rice cooker.I showered, applied lotion and changed into a navy-blue dress which hugged my body, accentuating my curves.My makeup was minimal, and my hair was down.Wearing black sandals, I waited for him.
Jake would be with me soon.
I smiled giddily, thinking back to the moment we had first met.Lina, Anya and I were traveling to Las Vegas for her bachelorette party and waiting for the gas to fill.
Why did I agree to come to Vegas for a bachelorette party with these crazy twins?Oh, yes, because I wanted to get laid.
“I hate my life!”Lina Wu wailed, and I resisted my urge to throw a sandal at her.Anya patted her sister’s shoulder.The weather was so dry and humid, it made me crankier than our car getting beaten up when we stopped for gas at a gas station in the middle of a highway.
I shook my head and looked at our beaten-up Mini Cooper and kicked the tire.It shook, making me stagger back, tripping on my sandals.I squeezed my eyes, ready to hit the pavement and start thewonderfulbachelorette party.
But the fall never came.
“Woah!”A deep husky male voice whispered, catching me in his arms.I held the fabric of his shirt for dear life, feeling his warm breath caressing my ear.
I opened my eyes and stared back at the most stunning pair of crystal blue eyes.They gazed back at me with dilated pupils, making them look almost black if you weren’t staring closely.My eyes traveled to his sharp cheekbones and sensuous lips.My breath hitched in my throat and I felt a shiver slither down my spine from his touch on my waist, traveling down to my core, making my toes curl in delightful pleasure.
Bedroom Eyes.That was the word for those beautiful eyes.The type of eyes that parents warned about and poets wrote about.
