Daddy Issues

74 - Here with me now

'So how was it? Do you think medical engineering is going to be it?'

I've got my hands dug deep into the pockets of my coat. I just picked up Mel at the bookshop and now we're on our way to a lunchroom to have lunch together before I start my shift at the cofeeshop. There didn't fall as much snow here as it did where Dan and I got stuck, but it's still freezing.

'It was awesome!' I tell her excitedly. 'I'd love to go. It's just, I'll have a lot to figure out about how I could actually make it happen.'

Mel was so excited to hear about my Open Day that I couldn't turn her down for lunch. I felt like a dick for even wanting to. But I know we'll get to the topic of Dan at some point and I just hope that I'll get away with lying to her.

Mom wasn't too much of a problem. When I got home yesterday, she didn't seem to have noticed that I'd been gone almost a full two days. Of course I've done it before, so I guess she assumed I'd gone out or something. Still, I made sure to keep my contact with her minimal because I couldn't really look at her without my face turning red as I thought about what Dan and I had done.

'You think you can make it work?' Mel asks.

'Maybe,' I sigh. 'I hope so. You should have seen the campus, it was so cool. And the classes sounded so interesting. And I met this really nice girl that showed me around, she said I could call her anytime if I had any questions.'

Mel chuckles a little.

'I don't think I've ever seen you this excited about school before.'

I let out an appreciative groan when we finally reach the lunchroom and step into the warmth. My fingers are numb even though I was wearing the thickest gloves I own.

'I don't mind school,' I shrug. 'When I don't have to see any blood or organs.'

'You always acted like you didn't like school back in high school,' Mel says while we sit down at one of the tables.

'Well, that's because I was part of the cool crowd,' I say, making a very uncool peace sign.

Mel snickers and picks up a menu.

'So,' she says, hiding her face behind the menu to ask her next question. 'How was the road trip with Dan?'

I swallow and pick up a menu too. This is much easier if I can avoid eye contact.

'Yeah, it was nice,' I say as casually as I can. 'It was very nice of him to drive me.'

I can't think back to our "road trip" without my neck heating up. That night at the motel might have been the best night of my life. He loves me. My heart jumps a little every time the thought hits me again.

The drive back was certainly different than the way up. We couldn't stop touching each other. I'd kiss him every time he had to stop for a red light and it felt so good to have his hand on my leg practically the whole drive. It also felt good when I made him drive into a secluded bit of forest so we could do it in the car.

'Yes, it was,' Mel says, keeping her voice unnaturally cool too. I shake myself a little to rid myself of thoughts of what we did in that car. I can't be thinking about that now.

'Especially since it turned into an overnight trip,' Mel adds in a slightly accusatory tone.

I had to tell her that we stayed at the motel. Because, sweetheart that she is, she texted me to ask me if I made it home okay when she heard about the snowstorm on our route. She was so worried, I couldn't just say that we were braving the storm. I did lie and say we got separate rooms, though.