Skaydal - Hybrid's Omega

12

Amani

By the time Josiah pulled up outside of my house, I was convinced that our first date had been perfect. Not only had we gotten to know each other better, but spending time out on the boat had been a lot of fun. Dinner at Camilla’s had been fantastic and now that our date was coming to an end, I was sad.

“I had a lovely time,” I said as I shifted in my seat so that I could see him better.

“Same,”

“When is our next date?” I couldn’t help but question and Josiah chuckled.

“Isn’t it your turn to plan the next date?” he asked, and I blushed. I had no idea what the protocol was, but I suppose we could take it in turns, right?

“Sure, ok,” I said as I remained seated. I didn’t want the date to be over, but I also wanted to go to my bedroom and relive every moment. “Would you like to come in for some coffee?” Josiah hesitated as he gazed past me at my house. “Or not?”

“Today has been great…I’m just worried that…” his voice trailed off, but I already knew what he meant.

“I think they have gone to bed already,” I said as I looked over my shoulder. The house was dark and while that didn’t necessarily mean anything, I was still willing to take the risk. I got out of the car without waiting for Josiah to accept the invitation and when I heard him open and close his door, I smiled. I wasn’t surprised to find the front door was unlocked as I pushed it open. Everything was dark and as Josiah carefully closed the front door, a light suddenly came on. We both gasped as we stared at my father who had turned on the lamp. He was seated in my mother’s favorite armchair, and he didn’t look very happy.

“Is this the time to come home?” He questioned me and I was tempted to lead Josiah back outside and beg him to take me to his house instead.

“Is it late?” Josiah questioned from next to me as he pulled out his phone to check the time. It was barely ten o’clock and I smirked as he did his best to act casual.

“It’s late for Amani,” my father pointed out, and I groaned loudly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…right? This is not happening!” I stalked past my father as I headed for the kitchen, flipping on lights as I go by. I was almost expecting my mother to be waiting for me in the kitchen, but it was empty. I went about putting on the kettle as I listened to my father interrogate Josiah.

“Where did you take her?” my father questioned, and I spun around and headed straight back into the living room. Josiah was on his way to tell my father exactly what our date had entailed, but I wasn’t going to allow that.

“That is none of your business!” I exclaimed loudly. “Seriously Dad? My first date? With my mate! And you just ruined it!” I was breathing heavily as I glared at him, and he looked shocked and then guilty. “I just…I can’t believe you would stoop this low,”

“Amani-”

“No, Dad. There is nothing you could possibly say that would make me forgive you,” I informed him before I turned to Josiah. “I had a lovely time, but I think you should go home now,” Josiah hesitated, and I could see the concern in his eyes. “I’ll call you in the morning,” I hurriedly added. He relaxed slightly before he finally walked out of the house. I took a deep breath and faced my father. “Do you know what he said to me?”

“Amani-”

“He said that I should make sure that I spend time with my family!” My father’s eyes went wide, and he looked even more guilty than before. I huffed out before I headed straight for my bedroom. I slammed the door closed before I threw myself onto my bed. It had been a lovely date. Sure, it had a rocky start, no thanks to my parents, and it ended pretty badly – again thanks to my dad – but I couldn’t stop the smile even if I wanted to. I closed my eyes as I slowly replayed the date in my mind. The way Josiah looked, the things he spoke about. His interest in my life and his understanding and appreciation. Josiah may not be perfect, but for me, he was exactly right. I sighed softly as I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. I had to come up with a date and I had no idea where to even start. Josiah had set the bar pretty high, in my opinion. A few scenarios ran through my mind but none of them felt like it was the right thing for our second date. However, the more I thought about it, the more of an idea seemed to formulate in my mind.

“Amani?” my mother’s voice came softly through the other side of my door, and I sat upright. “Amani, did you have a good time?” The question caught me off guard, but I wasn’t just about to believe that she was truly interested.

“I had a good time with Josiah,” I informed her. “No thanks to you and Dad, the rest of it was utter s**t,” I didn’t even feel bad for blaming them. I had asked them to give him a chance and they ruined it. I wasn’t just going to be able to forget that, nor was I simply just going to forgive them. I leaned over and put on some music in the hopes that my mother would go away. Over the soft melody, I could hear her footsteps and I breathed out in relief. Why couldn’t they just accept that Josiah is my mate and allow me to be happy?