10 Things I hate About Her (10 Things #1)

27. Good Liar

The doorbell rang, and Naomi raced down the stairs, blindly slipping gold earrings into their slits. The skirt of her pink dress fanned behind her. At the bottom, her father was standing next to her mother, a great big smile on his face. His once red hair, now a healthy dark brown, was swept back. He looked at her with proud, somewhat watery eyes. When she reached the ground floor, they stood side by side, his rough hand on her waist while her mother took a photo, and Grandma Ursula watched them from her wheelchair with a grumpy demeanor.

Oblivious to the doorbell, Naomi's father took her hand in his and gave her a little spin. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he bowed and kissed her hand. Naomi curtsied, and memories of her youth flashed through her mind. She remembered how he had carried her on his back uphill whenever her legs had grown weak.

Naomi blushed as she thought of the times Val had carried her on her back. Those, then, seemingly innocent gestures were no longer what they had appeared to be. They were a thirst for contact, a thirst to feel the other's warmth and caress their skin. A thirst to eliminate the distance between them. Naomi cleared idle thoughts from her mind and focused on her dad, who was close to tears. He embraced her tightly, pressing her cheek against his wool jacket. "You're our one and only," he murmured next to her ear.

When he released her and held her at arms' length, she said, "I'll be careful, I promise."

Ursula sighed and said, "Hunter, she'll be in the backyard all night, there's no need to get all emotional. You'll probably be watching her from the window anyway."

With his back to her, Father rolled his eyes and said, "Mother, my daughter is eighteen, and has grown to be the most beautiful young woman I've ever seen." He glanced cautiously at Naomi's mother, then cleared his throat and corrected himself. "Second most beautiful woman I've seen."

Mother smiled.

The doorbell rang again, and the family turned to it. Her father straightened his tie and said, "That must be the horrid young gentleman you'll be spending the night with. Wait till I have a word with him."

Father went outside and gently locked the door behind him. Being the curious ladies that they were, Naomi and her mother pressed their ears against the door. Grandma Ursula made a small sound of disapproval and shook her head. "Tsk."

***

As I stood in front of Naomi's door, I wondered if my tuxedo looked alright. I had rented it for the night. It had a black ducktail jacket, a pale blue vest, and a matching ribbon-like belt. In my right hand, I held a red rose.

But I had encountered a small problem. Now that I was here, waiting for Naomi, I had forgotten how to speak, although I had asked her out a million times before.

I was sure that when I saw her again, the few words I possessed that enabled me to think would vanish altogether. I would become the epitome of an empty-headed fool. With that in mind, I pressed the doorbell once more. Her father opened the door, glaring and blowing hot air out his nostrils as he hurried outside and shut the door behind him.

He was a tall, handsome guy in his mid-forties, an inch or so shorter than me. He wore a black suit, though I wasn't sure why he was formally dressed for spending the night at home. It wasn't like he was going to prom with us. 'That was....' I froze. 'Please tell me he wasn't allowed to come with us.'

He said, "Come along." And started down the driveway.

I jogged over to him, heart in my throat. Judging from the tight expression he wore, I guessed bad news was coming my way.

We walked along the sidewalk, the rose hanging limply in my hand as if it wanted to cry. It was tired of me by then and wanted to be in Naomi's hand. A cool breeze fluttered the tail of my jacket and sent a ripple through the grass. The overhead streetlamps burned a warm amber. The sky was bluish back with little wisps of clouds.