Were's the Love?

Chapter 10: Twenty to Go and No Big O

"Hey Allison," Jason pops his head out of the hallway, "I know this is short notice, but my parents' anniversary is tomorrow and they've decided to have dinner out with the family to celebrate. Do you want to come?"

I pause, trying to decide what the best answer would be. I've never really spent any time with either of his parents before. Honestly, since my day out with his sister and Bethany, I haven't really spent time with anyone and that was three weeks ago.

"It's okay if you don't want to come," he sighs, "I don't want to force you."

"No, it's fine. I'll come."

"Really?" he smiles brightly, "Great! I'll let my mom know! We're supposed to meet them at six o'clock tomorrow night at La Maria's. Mom asked that we dress up a little, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that's fine," I sigh. Like I'm going to show up to an anniversary dinner looking like shit. Sometimes, I can't help but wonder about Jason. He's almost too sweet for his own good.

Honestly, that's been a big problem for us lately. He's too sweet. Ever since our date a few weeks ago, he hasn't done a single thing that isn't sweet. Well, aside for those horrible things that he says while we're having sex. I'm not going to count his dirty talk. It's just bad. Granted, that's not the only thing that's bad, but let's not talk about that right now.

I settle in to start making dinner. I had been thinking about making pasta, but if we are going to La Maria's, then anything Italian is out.

If I take the steaks out of the freezer, there's no way that they'll thaw in time. Plus, there's always the chance that Jason might order steak at the restaurant. I could make salmon with rice. That doesn't sound bad. Chicken with mashed potatoes? That would definitely not be something that we'll have at dinner with his parents.

I feel Jason step up behind me, the scent of wet dog floating in the air with him. After four months, I've finally gotten used to the smell. In fact, since our date, I've actually grown to like it a little bit. I don't know, maybe seeing the gentleman in Jason made me like him a little more. Or maybe it was that kiss. Damn, it was a good one. I swear I felt sparks. But then, I haven't felt them since. I'm guessing it was just my imagination. After all, how could I feel sparks with someone who I am very clearly not compatible with in bed. Seriously, four months in and I still have to use my vibrator to finish. If this keeps up, I'm going to need to buy a few spares. There are still twenty months left of our obligatory pairing and I'm going to burn through more than one. I'm almost sure of it.

"What are you making?" he peers over my shoulder, "Do you want any help?"

"I was thinking about chicken with mashed potatoes," I force a smile, "If you want, you could peel the potatoes for me while I prep the chicken."

"Sure!" he walks around the kitchen, gathering what he needs, and starts peeling through a sack of potatoes. I grab a few spices from the cabinet and season up the chicken thighs. Dark meat, nothing better.

I will fight you on that, so don't argue about the health benefits of the breasts. I don't give two shits if it's better for me. I eat raw rats and squirrels, whole, when I'm in my owl form. I'm not really worried about the healthiness of chicken breasts over thighs. In this form, I'm all about flavor and thighs are better.

We finish preparing dinner, quietly talking about our day, as usual. There really isn't much to talk about. It's not like there's anything all that exciting happening at school that concerns us. Sure, there's a lot of teenage drama, but as a teacher, I do my best to stay out of that mess. It's not worth the headache.