Mend My Heart (Currently being edited)

Mend My Heart: Chapter 20

I laughed, staring at Adrian, yelling at the screen, watching a baseball game. He really was all manly, though he’d been raised by only his mother. Despite the female influence, he yelled at the screen, thinking the players could hear him, and was into cars, like his uncle, Tom. Adrian wanted to be like Tom. Tom owned an auto repair shop, which made pretty good money, while buying used motorcycles, fixing them up and selling them to rich folk who could afford it.

Adrian wanted a repair shop of his own. He had dreams, and they definitely included cars. He would go to college to become a mechanic and minor in business. I, on the other hand, finally decided I would get my Teaching Certificate. I would teach film history.

Rita laughed at her son also. “He’s always been into sports. Never played them, but he always enjoyed watching them.”

How was he so damn buff if he never played sports? He probably worked out in his room. Or maybe it was from lugging around all those car parts.

Rita sighed. “He’s a lot like his father. Gentle, kind, loving, very, very masculine.”

I laughed at that. I worded my next question carefully. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but what happened with his father? Adrian never talks about him, so I never asked. I just figured it was a touchy subject.”

Rita smiled. “I don’t mind. Well, I met him when I was 18 and I fell in love with him immediately. He was kind, compassionate, incredibly sexy.” We laughed. “We got together and a year later, here came Adrian. But Jason wasn’t ready to be a parent. He was there for the first few years, but then he stopped coming around and eventually, he just didn’t come back. We were  never married, but I still worried about him. To this day, I have no idea what happened to him, if he’s dead, living in Hawaii with a wife and three kids….I have no idea. But I will never forgive him for leaving Adrian.”

“Love is complicated,” I told Rita, putting an arm around her sweetly.

She smiled, laughed and hugged me back. “Speaking of love,” she winked wickedly. “Do you love Adrian?”

I shifted uncomfortably. I’d never said the “L” word to Adrian before. I’d never even said it about him. I’d loved Jake, that I knew for sure. But did I love Adrian? I thought.

“Yeah, I do,” I said honestly. “I know it’s only been a few months, but I think he’s the one. It feels right, somehow. I can’t really explain it. You know that feeling you get when you find something out or meet someone and you know your life will be considerably better? Well, that’s how I felt when I met Adrian. We’re good together.”

I thought about how I fit into his arms, a perfect match. How he kissed me tenderly and whispered softly into my ear. I thought about how he stroked my spine with his fingertips, making me shiver. I thought about our endless conversations over who would beat who in a fight, Batman or Superman. And I loved every second I was with him. Yeah, I’d definitely say I loved him.

But did he love me? That was the question.

Rita, sensing my aggravation, answered my question for me. “Don’t worry, he loves you too. I can tell,” she said.

“Really? How can you tell?”

“Well, he’s had girlfriends before. Most of them I never got to meet. But the ones that I did? He never looked at them the way he looks at you. I know my son, and I know when my son is in love. Trust me, he loves you too.”

I grinned, ear to ear. He loved me? I felt my heart flying with joy.

The doorbell rang. “That must be them,” Adrian called from the couch. He started to get up.

“That’s okay, I’ll get it,” I said to him.

I skipped to the front door, yanking it open.

“Hey!” Tessa said, hugging me and walking in.

“What’s up, Jamie?” Robbie asked, clapping me on the back.

Clyde stepped in after them, rolling his eyes. “Please, get me away from these two. I can’t get them to stop sucking face.”

Tessa and Robbie had just recently started dating. I knew it was coming. I’d known it since they first laid eyes on each other. Apparently Clyde was feeling a bit left out.

I smiled. “Is Clyde jealous that he doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

He pushed me playfully and walked in after, scowling.

We sat around, eating pizza and hanging out. I loved hanging with my friends. For years, I felt that Jake was my only true friend. And now, I had four amazing ones! And I felt happy, complete. I had amazing grades, I had my sweet boyfriend, I had loving parents, and amazing friends. What else did I need in life?

“Hey, Tessa, what are you wearing to Prom?” I asked. “And did you bring that dress?”

“Yeah, it’s by the front door, let me show you.”

“We’ll be back, boys,” I said, flirtatiously wrapping my arms around Adrian’s neck and kissing him. He kissed my neck in response, giving me shivers.

I followed Tessa, smiling. We walked to Adrian’s bedroom and locked ourselves in. It was a typical boy bedroom. Motorcycle and car posters, football and baseball teams. Dark blue bed spread. I liked it. It was so…Adrian.

“Wow, it’s really macho in here,” Tessa said. “Omg, we should check under the mattress for magazines.”

I laughed and agreed.

We checked, but nothing was there. “Well, isn’t he a good boy,” Tessa said, winking.

I flipped my hair over my shoulder. “He doesn’t need naked bimbos. He has me.”

Tessa giggled and began pulling a dress from one of the two dress holders. It was short and black, detailed with crimson red flowers on it. It was really beautiful. I knew right away it was Tessa’s dress. It would accent her blonde hair and white skin perfectly.

“Wow, it’s gorgeous!” I told her, feeling the silky fabric.

“Okay, now yours! My Aunt got me this as a gift, but it’s too small chest-wise. I don’t know if it will fit you or not, but it will look great!”

When Tessa pulled the dress out of its bag, I knew immediately it was the dress for me. I loved it. I gasped, my mouth dropping open. “This is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.”

It was long and red. Its silky fabric flowed through my hands like water. Its straps were thin, but not too thin. There were jewels going up the hems of each side and a slit to reveal the legs. Prom was only a few weeks away: May 17th.

I tried on the dress, and to my relief, it fit. When we joined the boys back downstairs, we hung out, talking and laughing. Eating pizza that Rita had ordered. It was a nice, relaxing time with my friends. I smiled.

When Tessa, Robbie and Clyde left, it was just me and Adrian.

He walked me back to my house. “What’s wrong? You have a weird look on your face,” Adrian said, worried.

“I don’t know,” I replied. I’d been feeling a bit weird for a while. “I just have this really bad feeling. That something is gonna happen. You know?”

“No, but that’s okay,” he joked.

I laughed and kissed him good bye. When I went back into the house, I went up to my room to try and relax.

But the feeling never went away.