First Kiss

Chapter 13

The next day, we all hang out at Adam's house. Today is the day that we're going to share the news about our relationship. Adam bites into a pretzel from a small bag.
"So, you know how I went to the movies with Alec yesterday?" He asks.
We all nod.
"Well, it turns out that it wasn't meant to be a date after all."
"You're shitting me," Desiree says.
"What?" Heather asks.
"I know. It was awful," Adam says.
"What happened?" Keri asks.
"He gave me absolutely no signs that it was a date. I asked if it was and he said no. He just wanted to see this movie with me."
"So he friend zoned you," Desiree says.
"In a way, yes."
"I'm sorry. I know how much you liked him," I say.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, Adam," Keri says.
"Thanks. In a way, it's a good thing. Now, I know that nothing is going to happen between us."
"Yeah," Heather agrees.
I look at Keri. I feel bad about sharing our news when Adam's in a bad mood. He looks at us.
"Anyway, go ahead with your thing. You said that you have something to tell us," he adds.
"Are you sure? I feel bad sharing good news after that," I say.
"I'm sure. Especially if it's good news."
"Okay. Keri and I are officially together," I announce.
"Oh my god," he exclaims.
"That's really something," Desiree says.
"That's great," Heather says.
"I know that you probably thought this would happen anyway but we still wanted to tell you," Keri says.
"When did it happen?" Adam asks.
"Yesterday," I answer.
"You were already together when I called you?"
"Yes."
"I didn't interrupt your date, did I?"
"No. It wasn't a date. We really were hanging out."
"Yeah. We wanted to wait until you knew about it. Then we would've had to share both of those details at once," Keri says.
"Do your parents know?" Heather asks.
"Yeah. Amelia told her and Jaiden directly. I told my mom during the ride home last night."
"And they're cool with it?" Adam asks.
"Yeah. They're very supportive."
"I'm a little worried about my dad though," I say.
"Why? Your dad's cool," Keri tells me.
"He's cool. I don't know how he'll react when I tell him that I have a girlfriend."
She grins.
"Say that again," she says.
"Okay. I don't know how he'll react when I tell him that I have a girlfriend."
"I like how that sounds."
"What? Girlfriend?"
"Yeah."
"It suits you," Adam says.
"Thanks. You get to say it too, you know," I remind her.
"I know. It just sounds good coming from you."
"I want to hear you say it," Desiree says.
"I have a girlfriend," Keri says.
Desiree smiles.
"Can we get back to what we were talking about? What am I going to tell my dad?" I ask.
"Just tell him that you're dating Keri," Heather says.
"Just like that?"
"Maybe not just like that. You can add to it by telling him that you guys kissed at a party and go from there," Adam suggests.
"Yeah," Heather agrees.
"Okay."
"Why are you so worried? From what you've told me, your dad sounds chill," Desiree says.
"He is. I'm worried because I've never told him something like this. And I've always been closer to him than I am with my mom. I want it to go well."
"Do you want me to be there when you tell him?" Keri asks.
"I appreciate the offer but no. I want to handle it on my own."
"Okay. If you need anything, just let me know."
"I will."
"When are you going to do it?" Heather asks.
"I'll call him and ask if we can do it this evening. I want to get it over with."
"That's brave," Adam says.
"The sooner the better."
"You're right."
At around six, my mom drives to the McDonald's where my dad and I decide to meet up. She looks at me.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asks.
"Yes."
"Alright. I'm just making sure."
She pulls into an empty parking spot. I face her.
"If he does anything to upset you, call me and I'll come get you. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
"Okay. Good luck."
"Thanks."
I get out of the car and walk in. I see my dad sitting at a booth by the window. I wish that he had chosen a table. I take a deep breath and approach the booth.
"Hey, Amelia," he says.
"Hey, Dad."
"Did you already order?" I asks.
"Not yet. I wanted to wait until you got here."
"Okay. Let's go order then."
He nods and slides out of the booth. We place our order and fill up our cups. We sit back down at the booth.
"I was surprised to hear from you today," he says.
"Were you?"
"Yeah. I thought I wasn't going to see you until Tuesday."
I laugh awkwardly.
"I didn't want to put this off any more than I had to."
"What is it?"
"Do you remember Keri?"
"You mean your best friend since middle school? Yeah, I remember her," he says playfully.
"Well, yesterday, we decided to become more than friends."
"Oh. You mean like a relationship."
"Yes. We're together now and I'm really happy. It's only been a day but still."
"I'm glad. Your mom and I have always liked Keri."
"You mean, you're okay with it?"
"Of course I am. Did you think I'd get upset?"
"I didn't know how you would react. We've never had such a serious conversation."
"That's fair. But listen. You're my daughter and I'll always love you. I care more about your well-being than anything else."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
"Somehow, Keri knew that you would be chill about it. All my friends did actually."
"They were right. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I could never do that to you or Jaiden. I knew it was a possibility that we would be having this conversation and I didn't care."
"How did you know?"
"I think most parents do. They get asked if they would still love their kids if they were gay or had anything that made them 'different'. Your mom and I didn't care. We just wanted a healthy baby. We were lucky enough to have two."
"So, the answer was always going to be yes?"
"Absolutely. I'll be honest though. I'm not surprised that it was with Keri."
"You're not the first one to admit that. I know that we've been really close since we met. Adam joked about it."
"Yeah you have. But I'm only saying it because you have the long history. It isn't like you're talking about some random girl that you like. You know?"
"I know. In a way, I'm glad that I got to skip all of that. It was a little easier because I already trust her."
"Yeah, I'm comforted by that too."
I smile. He picks up our food and sets the tray down between us. We pour both of our fries into a huge pile so we can share them. I dip a fry into the small tub of ranch.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask.
"Sure."
"Please don't get mad but I never really understood why you and Mom got divorced."
"It's hard to explain."
"I'll try to keep up."
"No, it's hard to explain because you and Jaiden are still so young. You haven't experienced it yet but sometimes, couples realize that they have nothing in common anymore. The only thing that we had in common by that point was our love for you kids. We didn't talk to each other unless it was about you. We knew that it would've been wrong to stay married for your sake. So, we got divorced. I'm surprised that Anne has never explained it."
"You know Mom. She's had a tough time up until now."
"Actually, I had no idea until Jaiden told me. Naturally, I got concerned so I talked to her about it."
"You did?"
"Yes. I guess your mom dated someone recently and we both tried to help her with it."
"Oh. She told me that her ex helped her but she didn't mention you."
"Maybe she didn't want you to take it the wrong way. Anyway, we went to the house and talked to her."
"Like an intervention?"
"No. It was less intense than that. We just talked and tried to resolve it. So, we went to the store with her and bought some other drinks."
"Again, she told me that she did that."
"She did. We were just there for support and made suggestions about what she should get."
"She made it sound like she was alone."
"Well, either way, she did it. And it sounds like she's been doing well."
"She has. I haven't seen any sign of her drinking again."
"That's good."
I nod and take a bite out of my burger.
"Can you do something for me?"
"What?"
"Tell me if it ever starts up again."
"I will."
He nods and continues to eat. We finish our food and get out of the booth.
"I'm going to call my mom to come get me," I say.
"Okay. It was good to see you."
"Yeah you too."
He gives me a hug. I savor it before I pull away. I pull out my phone and go outside to call my mom. She arrives a few minutes later. I take a deep breath before I get into the car, planning to share everything that just happened.