Thomas, I Love You

Chapter Ten

     "Hey, Steven. Is your dad here?" I ask him quietly. "I saw his car in the garage."

     "Oh, yeah, he is," he replies, grinning.

      Steven finally found his birth father at the age of fourteen. His dad had been living in Utah but moved to California soon after Steven contacting him, which, by the way, took him a while. Their relationship is goals. It's the perfect father-son relationship where the dad is like a best friend to the son. Steven really loves him, despite giving him up for adoption as a baby. John really loves Steven, too.

     "I'm spending the night at his place," Steven informs me.

     "Okay." I nod. "Have fun."

     He wiggles his eyebrows mischievously at me. I slap him, then his expression becomes serious.

     "Who's that guy you were flirting with at the party?" He asks, his instant change in mood taking me off guard.

     "What?"

     "Who was that guy you were chatting up?" He says a bit slower as if I'm dumb.

     I feel my heart spin and leap and sing and jump as I think of Thomas. I can feel his lips on mine again, as I have been lately, ever since I left his apartment. His hand caresses me and holds me so gently yet so passionately...

     "Him?" I act as if I have to think about him. "Just some guy."

     Steven raises an eyebrow. I can lie to mom, I can even lie to Paula. But if there's one person in my life I can't lie to, it's Steven.

     "Is he really?" He pushes on.

     "Yeah, geez." I cross my arms. "I didn't even remember him right away."

     "Loni, I just don't want you getting involved in something-"

     "Yeah, I know. And I'm not. We didn't even exchange numbers at the party." Not a total lie...

     "Is Loni home?" I hear John asking my dad from downstairs in the kitchen.

     Steven and I continue our descent downstairs but he realizes he forgot his suitcase and back pack and runs back up once I've hit the last step.

     I shake my head at him as I emerge into sight.

     "Hey, Loni!" John smiles brightly when his eyes land on my face. John is a handsome man, and even though he doesn't like to admit it, I think my dad is a tad bit jealous. John and Steven's resemblance is shocking sometimes. They both have the same eyes that sparkle, the same slick hair, and right now, they're pretty much the same height. John looks pretty good for a forty something year old man, passing as thirty five. If a stranger were to look at the two of them together, they'd probably think they're brothers. It's that cool.

     "Hey, John." I call him John because he and I have agreed that me calling him "uncle John" is just awkward. I tried it. It didn't sound right for some reason...

     "I didn't know you were here." He messes up my hair I took so long and put so much effort into fixing.

     "Yeah, I was upstairs with Steven."

     As if rehearsed, Steven strides into the living room and to the kitchen. He sets his back pack and suit case down on the wood floor and embraces his dad like best friends that've been through everything together.