Not Quite Enough

12.Nico

The Impression That I Get // The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Being nervous around April is now something that I'm used to. But being nervous about her reaction to meeting my mom is new. I couldn't handle waiting for mom to get home inside the house, so I dragged April out to the garage. Mom will know to look for us here when she gets home. Whenever that is.

"We don't have to do this, Nico. Just because you got a glimpse of my mom doesn't mean I have to meet yours." April is sitting on the couch, cool as a cucumber, eyeing me with understanding. I figured she'd be a nervous wreck to meet my mom, but she isn't showing any signs of that at all.

I cross the garage and take a seat on the couch next to her. "You aren't nervous?" I pull her hand into mine.

April shakes her head. "No, should I be? Is your mom a raging bitch that doesn't think any woman is good enough for her precious son? Will she throw insults at me veiled as suggestions?" She leans into me, whispering in my ear. "Will she offer me ten thousand dollars to never see you again?"

I lean back in shock. "Of course not. What the hell, April?"

She laughs. "Then what's the big deal? I'll say hi and answer a couple of questions about my plans for the future and then we'll have the awkward nice to meet you's and be on our way."

Huh. She's got a point. "Then why was me meeting your mom cause for you to freak out?"

"Ah," she glances at me with one finger raised. "That's because with my mom I knew I would have to endure the post-meeting interrogation. Two hours of questioning in a dark room under a spotlight where my story is picked apart and analyzed for accuracy."

"And that will be my fate as soon as you're gone." I nod my head in understanding. "Wow. I'm an idiot."

April leans her head on my shoulder and my arm automatically wraps around her. I could absolutely get used to this.

"Nah, not an idiot, just clueless. But don't worry. The right girl is always worth the hassle." She kisses my cheek. "Someday you won't mind all of it so much."

I turn to her and slam my lips against hers. Twisting our bodies so that April is laying under me, we stretch out on the couch. One arm is trapped under her while my free hand reaches up to brush the hair off of her face, my lips never leaving hers. I angle my head and tease her lips open, then dive in to taste her. My new favorite flavor: April.

I pull away to look down on my girl. "There is no hassle where you are concerned, sweetheart. I can't wait for you to meet my mom so she can see exactly where my future is headed." The look in April's eyes when I tell her what's in my heart is priceless. I lean down to kiss her again, but April only gives me a sample before pressing me back.

"Tell me about you." Her voice is heavy, laced with something I feel deep in my bones.

"What do you want to know?" We shift slightly so that both of us on are our sides, still facing each other. My fingers play with the delicate chain she's wearing around her neck.

"When did you start fixing up old cars?" Her fingers tease the hem of my t-shirt, brushing the skin just above my jeans.

"As soon as I was old enough to hold a wrench. It was my dad's thing and we would come out here and work on the Challenger together. He got it running when I was twelve. Then we'd work on other cars here and there. The first one we sold together was an old '40 Ford truck when I was sixteen." And then he died. I don't say that but by the look on April's face, she understands.

"I never met my dad. He took off the second my mom got pregnant. She decided if the guy didn't want me, she didn't want to deal with him for the rest of my life, so she never went after him and he never came back looking."