Untouchable.
"It's like a million little stars spelling out your name."
The argument I had with my mom about me going on the trip felt never ending but she relented. I had traveled in the past with the Marino's, and each time it was a fight. But I'm grateful that she has always given in, even though it comes with a list of stipulations. This time around she agreed as long as I call her every night, and leave my location on, both of which I do even if I go out just for a night which happens far and few between. She also said to not get drunk even though it's my 21st birthday. I told her I would not get drunk but I would have a drink or two. She didn't like that very much but she agreed she had to let me do certain things. All after repeating to preserve myself for marriage while I'm out there. I immediately texted Mallory the good news.
Auggie: "MAAAAALLLORRRYYY mom said yes!!"
Mals: "Thats gretaaaaaa shopning latre this week?"
I could tell she's drunk, from her messages. Lately it feels like any time she is with Mark she is drunk or on the verge of being drunk. She is older than me and has experienced life more so I try not to step in too much, but nevertheless I worry about her.
Auggie: "Have you been drinking?"
Mals: "Jst a lite bit, dani invitd me to a parrrtyyy wit ppl frm work"
Auggie: "Do you have a ride? Need me to pick you up later?"
Mals: "Yse pls mark left tme here me location is on"
I hate Mark. This is the third time he has left her somewhere while she is THIS drunk. I tried talking to her about him being toxic and most of the time she agrees but says he's a good fuck so she keeps him around. I don't think any man like that is worth keeping around just for a few minutes of fun. I digress. I didn't even know Dani and Mallory were friends.
Despite being married everyone knows Dani as the office hottie. She is tall and slim, has long boho braids with a bronzed cocoa complexion and a very charismatic personality. She is also one of the people who has always been very friendly towards me and defends me against Justin nine times out of ten. I try to find my footing with everyone at work and be friendly but I guess it shouldn't surprise me why I'm not invited. I see them as the seniors in our school and I'm just the mere freshman who's older sister is in the "in crowd" and our mom forces her to take me everywhere she goes cause otherwise she can't go.
I start getting dressed to go pick up Mallory. I chuckled to myself as I began to recall all the times I've had to save Mallory during high school. Sneaking her into her house late at night in fear of it being the final time, where her dad snaps and sends her to boarding school. I think of all those times she's snuck into my house because she knew her parents would know she's drunk. I've taken care of her at her worst and I know if the roles were reversed she would do the same. I finally picked an outfit I felt was appropriate to show up in, not too dressy but also not in sweats. I threw my hair in a high bun and started to head out before catching my mom sitting in the living room with the lights dimmed. I stared behind the hallway entrance and just watched as she flipped through an old magazine. She looks thinner than I remember, frail with very pale skin and patchy hair. I know she is sick but my heart twitches seeing her like this.
"Hey mom." I whispered as I walked out of the hallway.
"Hey kiddo, where are you going at this hour?" she responded, looking at me up and down.
"I'm gonna go pick up Mallory, she is-"
"drunk in a ditch" she interjected with an eyebrow raised.
I let out a quiet laugh, "yeah something like that".
"Okay don't be out too late, I have a chemo appointment in the morning, Maria is going to take me but I still need you to wake up to open the door for her" she said while still looking at her magazine.
"Yes mom, I'm probably just gonna grab her and go. She may spend the night here, but I love you." I said, she continued reading her magazine until she looked up at me again.
"Are you okay here or do you need help back up to your room?" I asked, looking ready to take her if she said yes.
"I'm feeling better today, I'll be okay getting there myself." she huffed. I walked over to her, gave her a kiss on the forehead and headed for the door.
"Night mom!" I shouted.
It took me about 15 minutes before I got to where Mallory's last location was. I pulled up to a big modern house with a driveway that stretches for what felt like 2 minutes. And as I went to park, I noticed a familiar car. Erik's black mustang was parked on the side of the driveway. My heart skipped a beat and I felt like I stopped breathing for a second. Suddenly I felt sloppy and underdressed. I let my hair down and tried to fix what I could, I then added a little bit of lipstick and sat there a few seconds longer. I didn't even realize he was friends with this crowd. He is true to his nature of being a complete mystery.
I finally gathered the courage to walk up to the door, after all I'm just there to pick her up and get her home safely. I could feel my hand trembling as I rang the doorbell. The music was loud enough to be heard outside so I worried I would have to enter without someone properly inviting me in. I felt awkward standing there but I hesitantly rang the bell again. After a few long seconds I heard a familiar voice say "I GOT IT". And just who I was hoping not to see.
"Oooohh it's DUUUCKY! Come on in, the party is just getting started." Justin shouted. He reeks of alcohol and cologne, though he's dressed like he just left the office which somehow doesn't surprise me.
"What can I get ya to drink? A beer? Hmm." He looked at me up and down and continued "Nah! You look like a vodka cran girl." he said loud enough for me to hear but also loud enough to catch some people's attention. A group of people from work turned to look at me and to my shock everyone in unison yelled "AUGUST!!!"
My heart fluttered a little bit, mainly because even though everyone has always been "nice" to me I always felt like they didn't like me, because of my association with the Marino's. They have to be friendly with Mals because her dad signs their checks but I'm still on the outskirts of it. But this makes me feel welcomed.
I snapped back to reality when I heard Justin say "So what's it gonna be kid? We even got a keg! Ever done a keg stand?" I looked at him puzzled, I've always felt like enemy number one to him and now we're standing here with his arm around my shoulders and he's offering me drinks.
"I'm okay, thanks, maybe water, oh and do you know where Mallory is?" I eventually responded. We walked past the foyer and through the open kitchen where he opened a very large fridge. I noticed the fridge had no food in it, just full to the brim with all sorts of drinks.
"Mallory is either puking in the garden or sleeping in the garden, I saw her there earlier so it's one of the two" he said while opening the water bottle for me.
"Oh you didn't have to open it but thank you." I said, taking a small sip. My curiosity peaked looking around at the oversized kitchen. I know Dani invited Mallory but Dani lives in a penthouse. I know this only because I may or may not have lurked on her instagram trying to learn more about my coworkers in a non creepy way.
Justin noticed me looking around. "It's my house if you were wondering," he said with a smug inflection in his tone.
I rolled my eyes and let out a laugh while whispering "of course".
The house was clean despite there being a lot of drunk people. It's kind of big for one person and very nicely decorated, I thought to myself. It made me wonder if all this time he was married, and had kids, but the lack of family pictures tells a different story.
"It's yours? It's nice, and uhm kinda really big," I responded.
"Yeah It is really big, amongst other things," he winked, letting out a laugh. "Make yourself at home ducky, just no drinking and driving" he said to me while walking away.
I look around seeing all the familiar faces, more friendly than before. It got me thinking, maybe the problem has been me being so closed off. Maybe I'm the unapproachable one since I've been so guarded. Then again Justin winking at me makes me want to immediately shower and remove the grime off of me. I walked around for a bit looking for Mallory, saying polite hellos to the people around me until I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
"I didn't take you for a party girl." Erik said while taking a swig from his beer.
I smiled and said, "I didn't take you for a party boy either but, here we are."
He let out a soft laugh. "Touche," he said as he raised his beer up slightly towards me.
"I'm joking, I am far from a party girl, I'm just here to pick Mallory up." I said
"Ah the designated driver?" he asked.
"Something like that," I rebutted.
I noticed he's dressed differently but somehow still the same as work. He was wearing a black band tee covered by a dark brown leather jacket, straight black jeans and a pair of Doc Marten boots. He noticed me observing him, he smiled and took another drink from his beer.
"You don't want anything else to drink besides water?" he asked.
"Nah I'm about to go look for Mallory right now before it gets too late, I have to be up early tomorrow so yeah that and you know I don't drink, at least not yet, I'm not 21 but i'll be 21 soon, it'll be right before we leave for Hawaii actually." I said trying to catch my breath and we both laughed at my word vomit.
"Stickler for the rules?" He asked.
"More like terrified of my mom," I laughed.
"You know I'm kinda shocked you're a stickler while wearing a Beastie Boys shirt, what? you're not gonna fight for your right to party?" He said. I looked down at my shirt and realized I threw on a random shirt I once thrifted.
"Oh god. Please don't judge me, I thrifted this a while back. I'm a fake fan and I have no idea what you're talking about" I said, taking a sip of my water trying to hide the grin on my face as he laughed. I feel so high school around him. Like a kid with a crush, we stared into each other's eyes for a second until I had to snap myself back to reality, because I know that will never happen. I promptly looked away and finally found my target.
"Oh I see Mallory, she's by the pool!" I shouted. I started rushing over when I noticed she was toppling more than usual. In an instant she began to climb a chair and started to get on the patio island.
"MALS! What are you-!"
"AUGGIE!! You MADE IT!! Look GUYS IT'S AUGUST!" She giggled, trying to balance herself as she became more and more unstable with every step she took. Everyone was staring at her, some people with their phones out filming, others just judging her. I frantically looked for someone to help me and thankfully Erik had caught up to me. He set his beer down and walked to the edge of the island closest to where Mallory was.
"Mallory, I'm gonna grab you now, okay?" Erik said in a firm voice.
"okeeeeeeeyyy" Mallory said as she let out a small giggle. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us, when Erik finally put her down on the ground. She grabbed my arm and laughed. She had a strong stench of tequila on her breath and her eyes were bloodshot like she had been crying.
"Auggie you're here I'm so happy!" she exclaimed.
"I'm gonna get you to my house now okay Mals and then maybe we can watch some tv or get some food. Is that okay?" I asked her gently. When she is drunk, if she senses anyone is mildly upset with her or what she is doing it turns into a full blown tantrum, I tread lightly each time. She supported half her weight on Erik and half her weight on me. Her hip bumped into mine and I felt her keys dig in my side. She drove here. Fuck. I wanted to get her away from everyone's gaze so we made our way back into the house and to a room off the kitchen. We laid her down on the couch and Erik brought her a water bottle.
"Mals, Erik brought you a water bottle, let's have some, yeah?" I asked softly. She nodded her head and began to sip slowly.
"Is everything okay over here?" Justin asked from the entrance of the door.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to sit her down, I just need her to drink some water and then we'll leave. I'm so sorry about-"
"Nah, it's cool, just make sure she doesn't drive. She uhm already knocked some plants over driving in. I'm assuming she was already drunk when she got here" Justin said.
"Yeeeah that's what I was worried about. Please just don't tell her dad. Send me the bill and I'll have her pay for the repairs of anything she ruined" I pleaded, he stood there quietly. I tried to gauge his response but he just stared at me.
"Don't worry about it. Hated them anyways. Stay here as long as you need. Erik can I talk to you really quick" he asked. He is weirdly human right now. Not the typical bro I know him to be and his reaction to everything is kinda relieving. But him asking to talk to Erik though, is making me sick to my stomach. What could he be saying to him? Is he telling him to leave? Is he actually upset with Mallory and I? Or am I overthinking it? He was gone for about 5 minutes. Erik walked in with his hands in his pocket and a reassuring smile.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Lets chat out here." He said, nodding to the direction of the hallway. "He was just telling me to make sure you girls made it home safe and to make sure Mallory doesn't drive in her condition." He explained.
"Oh okay. I thought maybe he was upset but just didn't want to say it to me or something," I expressed.
"No, not at all. He's cool. So what's the game plan here? She has her car so do you want to just leave it and grab it in the morning? He said you could do that if you needed to. And I can give you a ride tomorrow." He replied.
"I can't leave her Porsche here; her dad would kill us if he found out she drove drunk." I stated, I can feel my chest tighten. I felt like I was back in high school again, during her really bad days where I was trying to do everything in my power to avoid her getting in trouble for the 30th time.
"Hmm what if I drive one of the cars back to your place and then catch an uber back? I've had one beer and I've been babysitting it." He said.
My nerves went wild at the thought of him seeing where I live and the thought of him seeing my house made me even more anxious. I don't know why, it's not like I live in a bad area, it's one of the nicer neighborhoods in town. Maybe it's because he is going to assume I live my life like Mallory and her family and while we are okay financially we aren't rich like them. I pay for all the bills since my moms health deteriorated. But I relented because it was better than leaving her car here.
"Yeah okay, I'll drive her car. You can drive mine. But I'll bring you back once I get Mallory to my house safely." I said, as. I shook my head in disagreement.
"You really don't have to, I don't mind-"
"Please, if you are doing me this favor let me at least do one back." I said, stern and not backing down. I was grateful to his kindness and I wanted to return the kindness back.
He nodded in agreement and we began to try to sit Mallory up.
After a few failed attempts, we were able to get her standing. We made our way past a small group of people in the kitchen. A few people asked if we were okay, I just responded with a slight nod and a smile. I'm hoping they're just as drunk as her and won't remember this tomorrow. We made it to the foyer when I noticed Justin arguing with a blonde woman. I couldn't make out what they were saying but she looked upset. Him and I made eye contact for a brief moment before I put my head down and opened the front door while Mallory leaned on Erik.
The blonde woman pushed past us and out the door as she cursed Justin out. I recognized her, she works with us but in the billing department. Her name is Hailey, she is tall and very thin with spray tanned skin and a permanent scowl on her face. Or as some may say "resting bitch face".
She paused for a second to ask if we were okay, I nodded and she looked at me up and down and said "whatever you do stay away from him, he's just your typical fuck boy, except he CAN'T EVEN GET IT UP". She pointed to Justin who was standing behind us and immediately flipped him off as she ran to her car. Erik and I just looked at each other unsure of what to say.
"I'm sorry guys I don't know what her problem is!" Justin exclaimed. It was awkward but he played it off perfectly. He patted Erik on the back and thanked him for coming as well as helping us out. We started walking to Mallory's car and I noticed what plants Justin was talking about. She did a number on a big potted plant and a few flowers. Her car, though, looked perfectly fine. I pointed it out to Erik and he just shook his head. I took the keys out of her pockets and unlocked her car. She was aware enough to be able to sit herself down in the backseat and once she did she immediately laid down. I locked her seatbelt in and told her we were going home soon. I handed Erik my keys and pointed at my car.
"I'm sorry my car isn't as nice as hers. Oh and I'm sorry you won't have A/C" I said while laughing quietly.
He shrugged and said "eh I don't have A/C in my car either".
"Besides I would rather drive her car in case she pukes," I said and we both laughed. I texted him my address and I got into the driver's seat and put my seatbelt on before looking back at Mallory to make sure she was okay.
"We're going home now, Mals." I said quietly. She let out a grunt and I started to back out of the space we were parked in.
On the drive to my house I could hear Mallory talking to herself. But I couldn't make out what she was saying. "Everything okay back there?" I asked.
"August. Thank you for being my sister. I love you so much I couldn't do life without you" she slurred her words but I know she meant everything she said.
I pulled up to my driveway as Erik pulled up behind me. He helped me take her out of the car.
"Nice place you got." He said as he was grabbing her arm and putting it around his shoulder. I smiled and did the same to her other arm. We reached the door and I put my finger to my closed mouth insinuating we had to be quiet. My nerves were at an all time high. I'm terrified that we might wake up my mom but also because he is walking into my house. "Just this morning I gave him my number and now he is at my house," I thought to myself. We walked past the living room area and straight to the guest bedroom. She threw herself on the bed once she realized where she was and I turned her to her side because I knew she would immediately fall asleep.
"Yeah make sure her head is tilted in case she vomits in her sleep," he whispered.
"Sadly this isn't my first rodeo," I winced as I said that.
I shut the lights off and Erik and I walked out of the room and straight to the kitchen.
"Let me just grab something to snack on. I'm kind of hungry. Want anything?" I asked, quietly sifting through the pantry, trying not to make much noise.
"You down for pizza?" He whispered back.
"Pizza?" I glared at him.
"I have a spot." he said as a smile formed across his face.
I hesitated for a second, I was nervous to hang out with him one on one but I couldn't deny this is exactly what I wanted. "Okay" I nodded.
I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. And I know this doesn't mean anything but I couldn't help but to feel butterflies. We started making our way out of the door and I could feel his hand on the small of my back as we exited my house. If I blushed before I'm pretty sure I'm beaming colors right about now. We walked over to my car and he opened my door for me even though I was on the driver's side and my heart fluttered. We pulled out the driveway and he began to give me directions to his "spot". We made small talk on the way there. Nothing too serious or heavy but I could feel myself loosening up. I parked on the side of the road and we walked into a small "hole in the wall" pizza shop called "Antonella's". The smell of pepperoni permeated the air around us and I could feel my stomach growling. We made our way up to the counter, and all of the pizza made my mouth water.
"Now I usually get the D'Antis supreme but you can't go wrong with pepperoni or Giancarlo's special." He said, pointing at a menu in front of us.
"Mmm, I think I'll go with pepperoni," I responded.
"Okay, now do you want "cup and char" pep or flat pep?" He asked. I looked at him slightly confused because to my understanding there was only one type of pepperoni. He smiled. "So "cup and char" are the small pepperoni that curls up when they're cooked and flat pepperoni, well it's just the flat pepperoni you usually have on your pizzas," he explained.
"I guess I'll try the cup and char one," I said.
He pointed at a table and asked me to go sit down because he was going to order for us. I attempted to give him cash but he refused. This place is full despite it being late at night. I had never seen this place before, maybe because it's about a 30 minute drive from my house or maybe because besides Mallory I dont really hang out with other people. My mom is overbearing, and she will literally ask to meet their parents before she lets me go out with people. Not so much now because she is too weak ,but out of respect I try not to add to her stress so I avoid friendships altogether.
I watched Erik intently as he chatted it up with the cashier, they seemed friendly with each other. I started to wonder how often he actually comes here.
After a few minutes he walked back to the table I was sitting at and placed a pizza box in front of me.
"Are you allergic to anything?" Erik asked.
"Nothing that I'm aware of," I responded. He opened up the box and it was a variety of different pizzas.
"Now, normally they don't do this but I come here often so they made an exception and created a sampler box for you to try different types." He smiled as he handed me a plate. He gestured towards me to grab a slice. I reached for the slice with a lot of little pepperonis first, I'm not typically an adventurous eater so if i don't end up liking anything else i know i will have eaten enough. After grabbing my slice, he began to cut a piece of the pizza that had a green colored paste on top and a glop of ricotta. It had other toppings like shaved pieces of parmesan, sausages and nuts that looked like cashews.
"This one is Giancarlo's special, it's pretty much just a pizza with pesto sauce instead of red sauce, it's one of my favorites. Try it." He said as he took a bite of his piece. He cut a small piece for me and placed it on my plate and I took a bite. The flavors all paired well together and I was surprised with how much I actually liked it.
We continued eating and trying piece after piece of all the different flavors. And despite there being a lot of pizza, we were able to finish up most of it. I was shocked with how much I enjoyed trying everything. He wasn't bad company either, he was able to play off of my jokes and our conversations flow with ease. There's not a moment of awkward silence and I can feel myself not having to overthink everything. I've had relationships in the past, though most don't make it to month three. It usually ends around the time they realize I wasn't just playing hard to get and I am actually waiting for marriage. I began to wonder if maybe he would be different, if maybe he would feel the same way as me, if maybe he would be my one. I can't get ahead of myself though, maybe he is just friendly. Even so I'm enjoying spending time with him, and I know I would like to get to know him more. After finishing up we cleaned the table and made our way to my car. I didn't want the night to end but I knew I should be going home soon.
"It's getting kind of late, I should take you to your car now." I said hesitantly. "
Yeah you're right, the party is probably over by now." he said.
I looked at my watch and was stunned to see 2:38am. I completely lost track of time, I checked my phone to see if I had any missed calls or texts from my mom or Mallory, but nothing.
We got to Justin's house a little after 3. Even after spending all this time with him, he keeps a lot of things very undercover. The entire ride I tried to get him to tell me what department he works in and he refused because he said I should've already known. The driveway was practically empty besides Erik's car, and two others. We sat quietly for the first time tonight. I could sense the hesitation as he opened the door.
"August, thank you for the ride, I had a good time, probably better than if I would've stayed here." He said in a low tone. I noticed the inflection in his voice but I hesitated to ask, not wanting to make things uncomfortable.
"I had an unexpectedly good time." I smiled at him.
"Unexpectedly? What? You don't think I know a good time?" He asked, while holding his chest and acting fake offended.
"Well I thought I was just gonna pick up Mallory but here we are now." I stated.
He hesitated a little longer but eventually started to open the car door. "Alright, be careful driving home, and please text me when you get there." His smile always seems soft and genuine, and all I could think about is wanting to do this again. He gave me one last nod, got out and started heading to his car. I began to drive in reverse when I noticed his wallet was on the passenger seat. I immediately parked the car, grabbed the wallet and got out of my car yelling for him.
"Erik! Wait! Your wallet" I ran towards his direction, flashing his wallet to him.
"Oh! I didn't even realize it fell out of my pocket, thank you." He grabbed it from my hand holding it there for a second. I got lost in his eyes for a brief moment.
I had the feeling like we were the only two in the world and I don't know what came over me as I blurted out, "I'm starting to think you left it there on purpose to keep talking to me." I said as a smug smile formed on his lips.
"Maybe? Maybe not? Perhaps it's just another thing I'll never tell." He said as he leaned against the front of his car.
"If i didn't know any better I would think you're flirting with me, August." he said with a sly grin.
"Now that's one thing I'll never tell." I noticed he began to blush while his eyes gleamed under the moonlight, and I can feel the butterflies form in my stomach.
"You know August the more I get to know you the more you continue to surprise me." He said.
"I don't know, I think it's you who's full of surprises." I declared as I raised an eyebrow and walked closer to him.
"Me? Full of surprises? I'm practically an open book." He said as he clutched his fake pearls and gasped at the thought.
"No way! You're literally the opposite! There are like 10 passcodes before I can even get to the first page!" I exclaimed.
He crossed his arms then caressed his cheek and put his index finger over his lips and his thumb under his chin. Posing as if he's in deep thought. His eyes turned into a slight glare.
"Fine. What do you wanna know?"
"Hmm why don't YOU tell me something that will surprise ME!" I said, pointing at him then pointing at myself.
"This is a give and take situation. If I tell you something surprising then I think it's only fair if you tell me something that will surprise me." He said as the air filled with tension.
"Okay then, a secret or a dark secret?" I whispered trying to have a little bit of sultriness in my tone but instead it came out raspy which caused us both to laugh and broke the building tension.
"Let's start small. Nothing too crazy" he said, pinching two fingers together.
"Okay…something small…you know come to think of it. I don't think I have many secrets."
"Come on. There has to be one thing that you wouldn't want your everyday people to know" he squinted his eyes, almost as if he doesn't believe I don't have secrets.
"Well to be fair I did already tell you why Justin calls me ducky. I think that should count!" I exclaimed.
"No no no. That's cheating! It has to be something I haven't heard yet!" He said as he swatted in front of himself.
"Ugh, not fair! That should totally count–okay fine." I really don't have many secrets in reality, maybe a few silly stories I wouldn't want anyone to particularly know. So I settled on something that happened to me as a kid that I thought he would find funny. "
"When I was like 10 years old we were playing by the river up the street from our house. We found a frog and Mallory told me to kiss it so he can become my prince like in the story. And before you judge me I was 10, very impressionable and super into fairytales. But instead of it turning into a prince, he bit me, and he bit me hard!"
"You kissed a frog?!" He threw his head back laughing like a little kid.
"Yes! Okay! I was promised a prince and instead I got a swollen lip and the talking of a lifetime" I said as I crossed my arms and pouted my lips.
"That's gonna be hard to top Princess August."
"Oh no. Please I can't handle another nickname" I clasped my hands together and pleaded jokingly.
"Fine, fine. I will refrain from calling you princess. But okay. Let me keep it on a similar playing field." He stopped for a second, almost as if he was gathering his thoughts. "I had a hamster when I was 6 years old. His name was Charlie and he was mine and my siblings best friend. I mean we took him everywhere with us. One day I was cleaning his cage and I noticed that he wasn't moving like he normally does. So I do what kids do. I grabbed him, he didn't move. tried talking to him, not breathing. shook him a little and nothing. I knew he was dead. I didn't want my sisters to see him dead so I thought to myself. "It's my responsibility to take care of this." Man my dad would be proud that I didn't even let out one tear. I grabbed Charlie, put him in my pocket and went to a trash can down the street to throw him away."
"But that's sweet cause you didn't want your sisters to see him like that,"
"No well my sisters are a little older than me so when I came back from my hero walk they saw his cage open and asked where Charlie was and I started to tell them that he had passed away in his sleep and the look on their faces when I told them was pure shock and they became frantic asking where I took him."
"I mean I would've reacted the same way if I found out my pet died?" I looked at him confused.
"I was 6. I didn't know that hamsters hibernated. My sisters did. And I guess my eldest sister had told the younger two that he was hibernating because of the weather. So basically I threw away my hibernating hamster. And the cherry on top was we couldn't find him after that."
"Oh. My. God." My eyes grew wide and my jaw dropped.
"R.I.P Charlie," he dragged his finger from his eye and down his cheek, making a fake tear. I froze for a second unsure if I could laugh but I couldn't help it.
"I haven't had a pet since."
"That is traumatizing!" I said through my laughter.
We went silent for a minute letting the laughs die down. The air was a bit cold and the crickets were chirping loudly. "This feels natural," I thought to myself. I don't feel pressured to be something I'm not when I'm around him. My head was spinning at the thought of tonight. I know this moment I will cherish for days to come.
"Okay now something deeper," he said as he sat up a little from his car.
There's only so many things I can say to him that I would never imagine telling anyone else. But something deeper? In a moment the air left my lungs and suddenly it felt like I couldn't breathe. I know what deeper he's looking for but I don't know if I should say it. It has ruined good things in the past and this feels too soon to bring it up. But I guess what better time than the present it's going to be eventually brought up. Why not rip the bandaid now.
"So you know how I said I was pretty big on fairy tales growing up?"
"Yes."
I took a deep breath and started twiddling my thumbs. "Holding back now just isn't an option" I thought, trying to pep myself up. "I am waiting for my Prince Charming." I finally said.
"Okaaay?" He furrowed both his brows.
"No, like I am "waiting" for my Prince Charming. I've never…"
"Had sex?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah" I responded, looking down trying to avoid eye contact because I couldn't take it back now, I was at the point of no return. "You really do surprise me, August." He whispered loud enough for me to hear.
"At first it was for religious purposes. You know, premarital sex, bad. Abstinence, good. My mom drilled it in me that it was against God's will. But then it became about the fact that no one has been worth giving that part of me to. Because if we weren't having sex then we didn't have a future according to the guys I've dated. And I want more than that. I want a life partner, who is with me for me and all of life's challenges, not just because the sex is good. I…wanted to save myself for the one who could be truly committed to me for life and not just for 5 minutes of fun." I felt a weight fall off my shoulders and my chest no longer tingled from the tightness. I couldn't read his reaction because there wasn't one. He just stared at me with a blank expression and what relief I felt before completely vanished. I immediately started to regret it. "I'm sorry I know that's-"
"No, please don't apologize, I'm just…you're rare August. There's not many out there like you. So don't apologize for it. You should be proud that you can stand for something you believe in. Especially in the society we live in now. And you definitely hold the title still." I shied away because I had already envisioned our friendship crumbling but his reassurance of something so personal to me puts my every nerve at ease. I'm glad I trusted my gut and told him sooner rather than later.
"Okay so now it's your turn." I nodded at him.
"I don't know how to top that but I guess I'll tell you my last name"
"But I already know your last name. It's Diaz. How is that a secr-"
"No my actual last name. Diaz is my mothers maiden name that I use. My real last name is Montenegro." We stared at each other and the name sounded very familiar to me.
"Montenegro as in-"
"Joaquin Montenegro is my dad." He said. I started putting the puzzle pieces together.
"You mean your dad, as in the Co. part in Marino & Co.? Hold on but…"
"I go by Diaz on paper. I'm very different from my family. My dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps to be the face of the company alongside Mallory or her brother Noah eventually. But I wanted to work for it myself. I don't want people to think I got my position because of my dad. He finally agreed and he gave me a job in the mailroom and I worked my way up. He promised no one would find out he was my dad and I go by Diaz in the office." He looked slightly proud as he said that.
And I'm kinda baffled I didn't know he was THE ERIK MONTENEGRO. Mallory never mentioned anything to me about this Erik being that Erik. I knew he existed but I never thought they were the same person. He definitely doesn't fall into the stereotype of The Montenegros.
"Wait. Wait. So Mallory knows?" I asked him.
"Yes. When Mallory first started working at the company we ran into each other. We obviously have known each other since we were kids but we didn't run in the same crowds or were never close. Regardless, I asked her to keep it a secret for me. And it looks like so far she has."
I'm kind of shocked Mallory never said anything to me. We told each other everything or so I thought. "Wait but I've been to your dads house and a few of the company's events and I've never seen you there?"
"I tend to keep myself away from that aspect of my family. This is the first year I've even considered going on the company trip. And if you've been to my house before…well I'm a hermit. I was either in my room or left the house entirely to avoid everyone my parents associated with. My parents aren't happy with it but I've always been a little different from them."
"Oh my god so Frankie is your sister! I love her. She is one of my favorite people."
"She is pretty great." He said without a hint of sarcasm.
"Well as long as my secret is safe with you then your secret is safe with me," I whispered.
He extended his right hand and put his pinky up once again. Without hesitation I put my pinky in his and he said "pinky promise" and I repeated it back.
We held our pinky's up for a little while longer until my text tone went off. We let go as I unlocked my phone. It's my mom. Fuck.
Mom: "where the fuck are you?"
August: "A friend of ours helped me take Mallory home and I was just dropping him back off to his car. Mallory had her car and I didn't want to leave it here. I'm sorry, I just lost track of time."
Mom: "him?? Who is he?? Get your ass here now, August. We will talk about this when you get home. I can't believe you would put me under these levels of stress. And right before chemo. You're unbelievable and extremely selfish.
I could feel my tears starting to well up in my eyes but I tried my best to push them back.
"Is everything alright?" Erik asked.
"Yeah. My mom woke up and was just wondering where I was at. But regardless I better get going. I didn't even realize it's about 4:30 in the morning . You know we have to work in like 4 hours right?" I let out a soft laugh trying to hide my guilt.
"Woah I didn't realize we had been out here that long, but you're right we better get going"
"I had a really good time, Erik. Thank you for pizza and for helping me out with Mallory tonight." I said. He smiled as he stood up off of his car. I started walking to my car and I had made it halfway until he shouted my name. I stopped in my tracks with my back towards him
"August! I would like to take you out sometime. A proper date, maybe one not on someone else's front lawn?"
I stood still, facing the opposite way, in fear of him seeing my ear to ear grin. "Okay Erik" I responded. I turned to finally look at him and to my surprise he had walked up to me. We stood face to face or as close to face to face as our height difference let us. I could feel the tension building, and he leaned in like he was going to kiss me until…the sprinklers turned on. The tension immediately turned into amusement and we both ran into our own cars. I waved goodbye to him as I drove off and we finally went our separate ways.