The Boy Next Door > jariana (ON HOLD)

eighteen

Justin

Ariana hung over the back passenger's seat, her arms wrapped around me. I kissed her hands and fingers tenderly, over and over again. I wished I'd gotten a room somewhere instead of thinking I'd stay with my mom at the house. All I could think about was being alone with her in a king-sized bed. One of her hands slipped down into the neck of my shirt, and her fingers lightly brushed my skin, giving me the chills. I could have jumped into the backseat then and there.

Soon enough, we were pulling into Ariana's driveway. I stared at my childhood home, where it all began: everything. I tensed up, knowing I'd be face-to-face with my mother. Strange, I thought. We'd actually been getting along really well since her trip to London – we'd still yet to talk about anything life-changing. Not sure what my mood was all about. My mom had only joined me on the road twice in Europe, and Notting made sure to take charge, keeping her at arms' length. There wasn't really anything that she could control now that I was grown and on my own.

I sighed loudly, gripping the door handle. "Okay, here we go," I announced. I opened the door, swinging my legs out and walking to Ariana's side of the car.

"What's wrong?" she said, shutting the car door. "Aren't you excited to be home?"

"Of course I am, come here." I reached out for her, pulling her tight to my body. "It's just weird. The last time we were here together, it was...crazy."

Ariana nodded her head, stepping back away from me. She held my hand, swinging it back and forth, staring at it. "I don't wanna talk about it."

A jolt went through me. Was she trying being cute?

A smile peaked at the corners of her mouth. "Wow, no pun intended, but now that it's out there, nice song," she said dryly.

We never did talk about the song I'd written and recorded after we officially broke up. The song that got mass airplay all over the country, the song – Talk About It. I guessed now, maybe, we'd talk about it.

I smiled weakly at her. "I'm sorry how that all went down."

"Yeah, a pretty sucky time. When I heard it for the first time on the radio, it made me hate you more."

What was I gonna say to that? We stood staring at each other for a long moment. The song said it all. "That's all behind us now. Let's go say hello to Pattie."

I began walking away, but Ariana didn't follow. "Um, I think maybe you should go alone, text me in a bit, and I'll come over."

I totally understood where she was coming from. I didn't look forward to my face to face with her father, either.

I shook my head, walking back to her. "Okay. It's probably better, seeing she has no idea I'm here." I chuckled. "I'll text when the excitement fades. Then you and I are gonna do cartwheels." I winked at her, leaned down, and kissed her goodbye.

***

I stood staring at my front door. Nothing about its off-white surface had changed. The same potted, neatly trimmed succulents lined the steps. I bent down, picking up two tree-trimming leaflets someone left in hopes of new business. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. I counted all the way to ten before I heard commotion come from behind the door, and then it swung open.

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm home!" I said, raising my arms. My mother beamed and gave me a radiant smile. I felt a tinge of burn in my nose and my eyes tingled. When I went in to hug her, I got misty-eyed.

She held me firmly, all the while whispering, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, my baby's home." She'd never used the words my baby before. I held her snugly in return.