Teenage love

Chapter 7: Meeting

Chapter 7

Abbi

I have to pinch myself every morning to make sure that I'm not dreaming. All the kisses, Ethan, the kisses, Ethan. Right now I'm lying in bed, thinking of how one of our school's most popular boys wants to be my boyfriend, that he wants to be with me.

Brandon opens the door and comes running into my room. He jumps up on my bed. He sits on his knees and jumps up and down.

"So when can I meet him?" He asks excitedly. "When, when, when, when? You said I could meet him when you found out if it was serious, yesterday you said that it was serious, so when do I get to meet Ethan?"

"Bran", I shout laughing. "Calm down." He stops jumping and I spread out my arms. Bran crawls on all fours and sits in my lap. ”Maybe this weekend," I say.

"Maybe?"

"I have to talk to Ethan first, you know," I say.

"I know, I know", he says. "Talk to him today ... but wait a minute". He stands up in my bed and screaming. ”It's Friday today," he jumps down from the bed. "It is Friday, tomorrow is the weekend, I can't wait to meet Ethan!”

Brandon runs out of my room excitedly. I love him so much, he's always so excited about everything. He's always so happy and such a joy spreader.

Before I even have time to find a pair of clothes to put on me, my stepfather Buck enters my bedroom.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he says.

"Good morning stepfather," I say, grinning while I open my big walk-in closet and go into it. He doesn't like m calling him stepfather, he thinks it sounds like he’s evil.

Buck stands by the door and leans against the side of the wall.

"Bran seems pretty excited," he says and raises one eyebrow at me.

"He wants to meet Ethan," I say and take out a pair of shorts and put on the little sofa I have in my closet.

"When will he come by?" Buck asks.

"I don't know, I told Bran that I will talk to him and ask if he wants to have dinner here tomorrow," I say, and throw back a camisole I was going to take, but I changed my mind.

"Yes, I also want to meet the café boy," Buck says.

"Repeat after me, Eth-an," I say and clarifying his Ethan name. "His name is Ethan, not 'café boy'."

"Okay, I want to see Eth-an," Buck says in a mocking tone. I decide to ignore that.

"Why is it so important?" I ask ignoring the remark and I bring the shorts and camisole I chose and goes out of the closet past Buck.

"He dates my daughter and I shouldn't want to meet him?" Buck asks.

"Stepdaughter," I say. "Well I guess so, but you know, you don't get to if you're going to scold him as you did with Mark the first time you met him."

I put the clothes on the bed and starts brushing my long brown hair while I look at Haymitch.

"I never even liked Mark, Abbi, and he did what he did to you," Buck says and his eyes turn black. "I should have killed him while I had the chance."

"No, you shouldn't have," I say. "If you had, you would have gone to jail and he would have stayed out".

"But he stayed out anyways", Buck says.

"Yes, because his father is the town's most influential lawyer as if Mark would ever go to jail," I say hard at the thought of Mark.

"Promise me that Ethan is good," Buck pleads.

"He's very good," I say, smiling. "And you remembered his name this time".

"Okay that's good," Buck says and ignore my last sentence. He puts his hand on my head and strokes my hair. ”I just don't want anything to happen to my children," he and walks out of the room.

"Stepchildren," I shout after him.

"Whatever, same thing," he shouts back.

I smile at his answer. I know that a lot of step-parents don't see their stepchildren the way Buck sees me and Bran.

I get dressed and run down to the kitchen. I make a sandwich and run out to the hall to put on my sandals. I take my bag and open the door.

"I’m leaving now," I shout.

"Have a good day," mom and Buck shout coherent but from two completely different places in the house.

"Talk to Ethan!" It comes from Bran.

"I will," I shout, and shut the door.

No one in school knows about mine and Ethan’s relationship yet. I didn't want to tell anyone, and Ethan is okay with it, so, in school, we pretend we are just friends. Although Wendy, Sky, and Grace obviously know about it. They're our friends.

"Why keep it a secret?" Sky whispers in the school cafeteria.

He sits slumped in his chair and leaning his head on Grace’s shoulder.

"Because I don't want it to give life to a lot of rumors that are false," I say low.

"Isn't it hard?" Wendy asks. ”Not being able to, you know hold hands and kiss and stuff.

"So hard," Ethan says. "But there comes a time when we won't hide it anymore."

"Absolutely," I say. "By the way, do you want to eat dinner with me tomorrow."

"Wow, now things are really heating up here", Sky teases.

"Stop dreaming Skyward" I hiss and turn back to Ethan. "Bran really wants to meet you and he is mad at me because I haven't let him meet you before."

"Why haven't you?" Wendy asks.

"You know I don't want any guy to see Bran, not until I know it's serious and good," I say to her.

"So you think it is serious and good now?" A smiling Ethan asks.

I smile back at him. ”Of course”, I say. "So do you want to?"

"Of course I do," he says.

"Good," I say, and drink from my Coke.

*

I'm sitting in the living room. Mom is in the kitchen and makes the dinner ready while Buck is helping Bran with his costume. He insisted on wearing his costume today even though he really doesn't have to. He wants to show Ethan that he’s a big boy, almost a ma like him.

I try to tell myself that I don't care so much about what I chose to wear. But I'm lying to myself. I actually put much thought into what I was going to wear and for the first time in years I've fixed my hair in something other than the braid that always hangs down my back. I've made my makeup a little finer than I usually do before going to school. And now I'm sitting here on the couch and try to calm myself down.

It's the first time Ethan comes home to me. The first time he meets mom, Buck, and Bran. And for some reason I really want Buck to like him. Don't ask me why. Why I want Buck’s approval is still a mystery to me. So I really don't know.

The doorbell rings and I rush off the couch and into the hall. Where I stay a few seconds to catch my breath. When I have assured myself that I'm breathing normally again, I open the door.

I lose my breath when I see the person standing in front of me. Sure, Ethan is always hot. But now, he actually should be arrested. There should be a law against being so hot as he is. He is standing there in front of me with a black shirt that is a little unbuttoned, a pair of white perfect jeans, and a pair of white shiny converse. His hair, which I love to pull my fingers through is perfectly ruffled on his head and his eyes, oh those eyes, stare once again straight into my soul.

I notice that I start to stare at his smiling red lips.

"Hey Abbi," he says.

"You should be locked up," I say sour to him.

"Why?" He asks confused.

Ethan is still standing outside the house.

"Because it should be illegal to be as hot as you are," I say and sneak smiles.

Ethan now smiles. ”Your the one to say," he says. "May I come in?"

"Oh yeah of course," I say.

I put my hand on his shirt and pulls him into the house before I push my lips against his.

Everything I feel every time I kiss Ethan returns. But it's only a short kiss because I hear footsteps. I pull myself reluctantly away from Ethan and closes the door. The footsteps continue into the living room. Why won't they just get here? Oh well. I take Ethan’s hand and leads him into the living room where the other three sit and pretend to talk, they seem so pathetic that I'm ashamed, you notice that they haven't started a conversation, they just sit and babble. Why do they have to be so shallow?

I clear my throat. The others look at me, they expect me to say something but I don't, instead, Ethan does.

"Hey, I’m Ethan," he says and holds out his hand to Buck.

Buck’s eyes light up for something I don't know and he doesn't hesitate to shake Ethan’s hand. But then I remember. Buck is a man who values people who don't hide behind another person without presenting themselves. And Ethan had done that, but I didn't tell him to do that. He is very well mannered.

Mom holds out her hand towards Ethan.

"It's so nice to meet Ethan," she says heartily.

"You too, Abbi has told me a lot about all of you", Ethan says kindly.

Bran kneels on the couch with his face in Buck’s knee. He is shy now when Ethan is finally here. Ethan looks at me, unsure of what to say next when Bran is behaving like this.

"Bran what are you doing?" I ask questioningly. "You wanted so very much to meet Ethan and now he's here."

Bran says nothing. It's not like him to be this shy. Why is he behaving like this?

"Hi Brandon," Ethan says sweetly. "Abbi has told me a lot about you. You know I was nervous about meeting you tonight, you mean a lot to Abbi so I don't want you to think that I'm going to take your sister away from you." What is he saying? Take me away from Bran? Why would he do that? But I see that Bran starts moving. He is shy of Ethan. Yeah, that's it, I have very rarely seen him shy. The last time I saw him shy we were moving in with Buck, but now as he seeks protection from none other than Buck himself, it's not so easy to recognize. I say nothing and let Ethan handle this. ”I would very much like to paint you some time if you want me to," Ethan says sweetly. Oh, he's so sweet.

Bran gets up and sits on Buck's knee and looks at Ethan.

"Yes I would want that," he says shyly with a red face.

Ethan smiles at her and she smiles shyly at him. Anyone Ethan talks to ends up listening to him. He is simply amazing. Not just an amazing boyfriend, but an amazing man who cares about others. I resist the temptation to climb over him with difficulty.

"I must go and look after dinner," mom says and goes out to the kitchen.

"Can you do it now?" Bran asks shyly.

”Paint you?" Ethan asks.

Bran nods.

"Bran I'm sorry but I don't have paper or anything like that," Ethan says and sounds genuinely sorry.

Wow, he's good.

"But I do," Bran shouts and jumps down from Buck. "In my room, Ethan waits here, I'll go get some."

Bran is not waiting for an answer before he runs away.

" Okay," Ethan laughs after him.

"Well, I think I will help with dinner," Buck says.

When he disappears, I look at Ethan. I look incredulously at him.

"What?" he asks.

"I’m just thinking," I say thoughtfully.

"Of what?" Ethan asks heartily.

My heart skips a beat.

"Of how I can't understand, how often I ask myself, how I can be so lucky, I mean I'm just a quiet girl who you have classes with," I say. Then I chuckle. "Sometimes I used to look at you in the classroom from behind and daydream, but then I heard the giggling girls, that brought me back to reality, but even then I could never dream of this, have you in my living room and allow you to introduce you to my mother, stepfather, and brother.”

"Abigail Thompson," Ethan says seriously. "It's I who doesn't understand how I could be so lucky, you should know how many guys that like you, I didn't think I'd have a chance, especially when you went out with Mark”.

Mark. I feel the anger and the fear welling up inside me. Ethan notices it and is about to speak up.

"If you say so, but don't you know know how many girls actually like you, they would all break up with their boyfriends if they were able to have a chance with you", I say.

Ethan wants to say something, but just then Bran walks into the living room again.

I sit next to Ethan and watch as he paints of Bran. I see his hand leave perfect lines on the paper. I look at him and his face is full of concentration. His tongue sticks out a little bit from his mouth.

Eventually, he is finished.

"Done," he says and gives it to Bran.

He takes it and looks enchanted by what he sees.

"How beautiful you draw Ethan," he says in awe without taking his eyes from the paper.

"Thank you so much, Bran," Ethan says smiling.

"Dinner's ready", mom comes and says.

When we stand up, I can tell that Ethan hasn't forgotten about its the last conversation, he will surely want to talk about it later.