A Walk in the Rain

Chapter 5

While sitting in the living room watching James play with his blocks, my mom came and sat with me on the couch. "You seem on edge today, April. What is bothering you," Mom asked. I better tell her about the date. "Adam asked me on a date this evening, but I am nervous. I was looking forward to it, but I felt scared as time passed for us to leave. It's the first date I've been on since being with Trevor. I also still feel for Trevor but am worried about calling and telling him," I got off my chest. "You may want to be honest and tell Trevor how you feel, especially if this date with Adam goes any further. He is the father of James, after all. Why are you so nervous about the date? Adam seems like a sweet man," she said. He is also incredibly gorgeous. I thought to myself. "What if I forgot how to do dates? Dates with Trevor were so bland after a while. I am afraid I'll screw it all up. What if I am not attractive enough, or if I say the wrong things?" I fearfully questioned. "April, dear, you are beautiful and smart. Remember that Adam and Trevor are completely different men. You need to trust your heart," Mom replied genuinely.

As we were speaking, my phone began to ring. I realize it is Trevor. I tell my mom I have to take the call in another room and walk into my bedroom. Hey, Trevor, I have meant to call to tell you something." He interrupted, "Well, I was calling first to let you know I have been thinking. You and James to come back home. I think it is best that we try to work things out." I become upset because I'm not too fond of it when he tries to boss me around. "I have a date tonight, Trevor," I blurt out. Trevor is too stunned to speak to me. It takes him a second to respond in anger, "A date! With who? Does your mom know about it? This is probably just a temporary fling before you come crawling back to me." I try to remain calm so my family does hear me. "Excuse me? Trevor, we have been apart for a year now. You aren't allowed to say those things to me." I respond. I hang up on the phone with him and fight back angry tears. What is wrong with me is that I would still have feelings for a man who treats me this way.

I go into the bathroom to wash my face and try to get my composure. Trevor can be such a jerk sometimes. Take a deep breath, hold, and release. The argument with Trevor gives me the courage to go on a date with Adam. I put on my makeup and curled my hair. Then I put on my blue and white striped summer dress. I look good if I do say so myself. The confidence is radiating off me. I added a few spritzes of my favorite perfume, Perfect by Marc Jacobs.

I hear Adam pull up in his truck. I act as casually as possible even though most of my confidence begins to waver. This man makes me so nervous but so happy at the same time. I feel like a teenage girl all over again about to go to prom with the hottest guy in school.

Adam knocks on the door, and my mom invites him in. He is wearing a black polo shirt that tightens around his muscular chest, and the sleeves cuff perfectly to show his biceps. His dark denim jeans fit snuggly around his thighs. I must physically check to make sure my mouth is not gaping open. I can tell from the look in his stunning eyes that he must be as nervous as I am.

"Hey, April, you look beautiful. Are you ready to go," he asked politely. "Thank you," I replied with my heart leaping. "Let's head out." We go to the truck; he comes to my side and opens my door. As I get into the vehicle, my phone starts ringing. I can guess who that is, so I silence my phone. "Do you need to get that?" he asks. "No, it's nothing important," I replied.

In the truck, he turns his radio low to fill in as background music. I recognize the song. It's "Beautiful Crazy" by Luke Combs. I can't help but stare at his callous hands as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel. My mind starts to think about how those hands would feel on me. He looks over at me, and our eyes meet. He takes a deep breath inward, reaches over the center console, and grabs my hand. It was like he read my mind. Our hands fit perfectly together. I thought this would make me more nervous, but our hands holding feels like it's something we've done before. We hold hands while listening to country music in the background until we arrive at Gorgie's Bar and Grill.

Inside the bar, we take one of the tables in the far-left corner. He pulls out my chair for me and takes the seat across. Women across the bar stare at us. Some with smiles and some with jealousy. I recognize some jealous faces from girls I went to high school with. A lady approached us, and I recognized her as Georgie. "Adam and April, I never thought I'd see the day Adam would bring a girl in here. It's about time. I am going to serve ya'll for this special occasion. What is your order?" she said gleefully with a smoky, raspy voice. We then gave her our orders.

"If you don't mind me being so bold, what brings you back to Cherryville after all these years?" he asked. I don't want to discuss it, but I should get it out. "It was James' dad. He was a control freak. He also didn't spend time with us, so I took our son and moved back home. I felt it was the safest place to be," I replied. "I'm sorry," he said genuinely.

Georgie returns with our drink order and tells us that our food will arrive shortly. Before the food could even come, a commotion starts at the pool table. "Sam, take your drunk-self home!" I hear Georgie say to the man. I am about to call Charlie to take you out of here." Oh no! I don't want my dad to show up while I am out with Adam. Who knows what he will say or do, especially if he has to deal with Sam Becker.  

By this time, Georgie returned with our food. As soon as we begin to eat, my dad walks into the building wearing his uniform. My dad scans the room, and then we lock eyes. He then goes up to Sam, who is still acting a fool. "Sam, you know the drill. You can either come peacefully, and I will take you home, or resist, and I'll have to lock you up for the night. Your choice." Sam replied, "Come on now, Charlie, don't be like this. You know I don't mean no harm." "Come on. Get in the car." Dad said to the man. Surprisingly, Sam Becker decided to cooperate this time, and Dad walked him outside and placed him in the back of the police car.

Dad comes back in and walks over to my table. I begin to fear what he might say to Adam. "Adam, now I don't mind you taking out April, but know that if you ever hurt her, I will make you disappear," Dad said, trying to be intimidating. "Charlie, you know I won't do anything to her," Adam replied sincerely. "Have fun, April," Dad said with a grin. That went better than I expected.

"Sorry about that, Adam; my dad likes to try and embarrass me." It worked. "No worries at all. I would be the same way if I had a daughter." He said kindly.

"This food is good. I missed it so much when I was away," I said. "It is the best place to eat here," Adam responded. My foot accidentally bumped against his leg, and my heart started racing. I decided to leave it to him to see how he would react. He starts to look at me with his captivating eyes and gives me a sensual look.

As we get to the truck and he gets ready to open the door, he leans closer to me as I press my back against the car door. Adam takes his hand and lays it on the side of my head. We get closer together with our foreheads touching. We stay like that until he gently puts his right hand on the side of my face and pulls me in closer. My breath catches, and a burning sensation radiates off my body. I want to kiss him so bad. Again, he reads my thoughts and gently brushes his lips against mine in a sweet and gentle kiss. He backs away to read my facial response. I grab his shirt with my hands and pull him towards me. I kiss his lips again, but I deepen the kiss this time. I wanted him to know just how badly I needed him.