Page 45 of Unsupervised
“What do you like to do? Outside of teaching, piano, and crashing birthday parties?”
His palm slaps my ass lightly. “I was invited.”
“Yeah, my judgement isn’t great when I’m drunk.”
“Which is why we still had clothes on in the morning.” His words pierce my lower stomach with a feeling that’s not familiar but also not unpleasant.
The mischievous grin on his face shows he got the reaction from me he was hoping for. “I like camping and hiking. It’s good to get away like that sometimes.”
I know what he means. Even here in a park where I know there are other people just out of earshot, the way the trees seem to tuck close around us, cutting us off from the world, feels cozy and peaceful.
“What do you enjoy? Other than piano and kissing your unsuspecting teacher.”
“Unsuspecting,” I scoff. “Like you had no idea.”
Midnight tugs him off the path a little to explore, and I follow. “I was trying to be professional.”
“Glad that’s over.”
A bird is startled out of a nearby tree at the sound of his laughter. A sunbeam finds its way through the canopy and casts his face in a pattern of light and shadow. It’s like a painting. I swear, I could look at this man all day. “Me too.”
“Right now, I guess I like trying new things. Before, I spent most of my spare time at the mall, shopping, or going to the movies.”
“Before?”
We walk out of the woods, and head toward the pond. “Before I moved. The last few months have been a huge change for me. I moved out of my parents’ place and onto Violent Circle. My parents were…strict to say the least. They had expectations I wasn’t willing to follow.” I’d rather not get too much more into it and the fact I’m disowned. “What’s your family like?” He slings his arm around my neck as we sit down on a bench alongside the pond. Midnight curls up on the grass and falls asleep by his feet. “I’ve already been asked by my roommate if you have a brother.”
“No brothers or sisters,” he laughs. “My parents retired and moved to Ireland when I was in college.”
“Do you get to see them often?”
“I’ve visited a few times, but we keep in touch through video chat mostly. We were never close. I was always closer to my grandmother and spent weekends with her as a kid. It wasn’t a hardship on any of us when they moved. Ireland was their dream.” Eyes that match the deep blue sky almost perfectly land on mine. “What’s your dream, Kelly?”
Does anyone else find that question hard to answer?
“I guess I don’t know yet. My life was pretty planned out for me. It’s only recently that I realized I didn’t have to follow that path, the one my parents drew. I’m still trying to figure things out. I honestly have no idea what I want to do or be.”
That’s my main worry most days, that I have no plan, no list to follow, and the anxiety must be present in my voice.
He shifts in his seat, turning toward me. “You’re young. You have plenty of time to explore. A lot of people don’t settle on what they want to do, and you may have multiple careers in your life. You don’t have to have everything figured out at twenty.” There’s a pause before he adds, “Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
“I’m getting ready to change careers. This is my last semester teaching. I’ll still be using my economics degree, but in a different field.”
His words shock me. He seems so put together, competent…adult. “No shit?” I love the way he laughs, with so much abandon, his head thrown back.
“No shit.”
I move closer to him, until our bodies touch, and he pulls me against his side. “Well, if you’re still adjusting at your advanced age, I guess I’ll be all right.”
His fingertips press into my ribs, tickling me. “Watch it, young’un.”
“Young’un,” I giggle, squirming away from his hand. “Are you from the deep south?”
“No, I grew up here. It’s what my grandmother always called me. Any kid, really.” We watch for a few minutes as a group of ducks come ashore, shaking water off their backs. “What do your parents think of you choosing your own path?”
He confided in me. I suppose I shouldn’t be hesitant to do the same. “They don’t talk to me, or my brother. My father has tried everything he can to make things harder on me, hoping I’ll fail and come crawling back to them and Stanley—my ex. That’s why I don’t have a car. Dad kept it in his name so he could take it back when I crossed him.” My jaw hardens as anger at the thought spears through me. “But that’s not going to happen. I’m not going back.”