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My phone buzzed with a new message, and it was from Ryan.

How am I doing? She sent with a picture of herself sitting on the grass outside the house.

My god, she was so fucking hot.

Very good I responded.

“Sweetie?” Mama said, drawing my attention back.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Are you talking to your girlfriend?” she asked, so much hope in her eyes.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said for the hundredth time. I shared a look with Mom, who shrugged.

“But she could be,” Mama sang, doing a little twirl in the kitchen.

I should probably try to get through to her, but it felt like a losing battle. If Mama wanted to think of Ryan as my girlfriend, whatever. She was leaving in a few months anyway and that would be the end of that. I guess I’d have to make the most of the time I had with her.

I know I left you a few hours ago, but I think I might need some help relaxing tomorrow. Can you help me? She sent.

I couldn’t help but smile as I typed my response. I think I can help you I responded.

“Is that her?” Mama said, right next to my ear. I jumped, not realizing that she’d snuck over to me.

“Don’t do that. You almost gave me a heart attack,” I said, putting my hand on my chest.

“I looked her up online, you know. She looks tall,” Mama said.

“She is,” I said. “Very tall.”

Ryan randomly sent me messages for the rest of the evening and told me the next day that she’d pick me up at ten a.m. for our relaxing. This time I made sure my underwear set was cute and I’d meticulously shaved my legs and done a body scrub to make sure my skin was soft and smooth. Ryan had already seen me naked, obviously, but I hadn’t been able to make a really good impression on her, so now I wanted to make up for it. I even busted out my fancy hair tool that my parents had gotten me for Christmas a few years ago and curled my hair after I touched up my color. My roots were starting to come in and I needed to make an appointment to get them done again. Still, it was more effort than I’d put into my look in a while.

I even washed my glasses and swapped out a few of my earring hoops for new ones.

All in all, I was the most prepared I’d ever been for relaxing with an incredibly hot and tall woman.

“I made lemon rosemary hummus. And beer cheese,” Mama said as I came downstairs to wait for Ryan. She’d been early last time, so I’d made sure to leave enough time to be ready so I wasn’t running downstairs with my hair half done when she got here.

Mama held out the insulated carrying bag, one of many that she owned, with a hopeful look on her face.

“Mama, you don’t have to keep doing this stuff,” I said, but I took the bag from her.

“I know. I wanted to. Please tell her she’s welcome to come over for dinner or lunch or any meal, really. We’d love to meet her,” Mom said.

“I will,” I said, hearing someone pulling into the driveway. I peered out the curtain and saw her car.

“Bye, love you!” I called, yanking the door open, but Ryan was already coming toward me.

“Hi, let’s go,” I said, giving her a meaningful look.

“We will. Right after I say hello to your parents,” she said, as if this was a completely normal thing.

I held my hand up to stop her from coming closer. “You want to meet my parents?”

She nodded once. “Yes.”

I opened my mouth to argue and then slammed it shut. “Okay. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Mama made hummus and beer cheese.” I held up the bag.