True Love Waits

Chapter Three

     The next morning, Maleena found herself humming as she got ready for the day. Maleena was able to sleep in until almost nine o'clock which was much needed because of the long day that she had had yesterday, and because she went to bed really late since she was texting Dillion. Dillion...the thought of him brought a smile to Maleena's face. Just then, her phone vibrated with another text from Dillion. He had sent her one text every hour since he woke up at 5 to do his barn chores. When Maleena woke up, she had responded to all of his texts, but she hadn't heard from him for almost a half hour, until just now. 
     "Good morning, pretty girl. How are you this fine morning?" Dillion replied finally.
     Grabbing her toiletries and clothes, Maleena texted Dillion back as she headed into the bathroom. "I'm doing pretty well. The movers are coming over with the furniture today." Maleena sent back. Sometime last night, while texting, her and Dillion had really hit it off, and Maleena felt like she had already known him for years.
     "Sounds like another busy day. Gee, I really hope that you will still have time to text me. ;)" 
     "Well, of course I will still text you. I miss you." Maleena sent the text without really thinking about it...was it too early to say that she missed him? YES! No, she didn't think so, especially since it was true...she did miss him. Maleena set her clothes down on the bathroom counter so she could text Dillion back explaining that she meant that she will miss not being able to come to the restaurant tonight and such, but she stopped texting back her lame excuse when she saw that Dillion had already texted her back.
     "I miss you too, pretty girl." Dillion responded. Maleena's phone buzzed again, signaling another message from Dillion. "Would you like some help getting stuff moved around? I don't work tonight, so I could come over." 
     Maleena smiled at his offer. "I would love to have you come over, but I will have to ask my parents." 
     "I hope they say yes. I miss seeing your pretty face. ;)"
     "I miss seeing your handsome face. Be right back." Maleena set her phone down so that she could get ready to take a shower. She was thankful that the water was already turned on in the house so that she could take a shower. Usually, Maleena takes a shower at night, but last night she was exhausted from her long day, so she decided to wait until morning. 
     A few minutes later, Maleena was done with her shower. After she put on her clothes for the day, she picked up her phone, reading the text that Dillion had sent during her shower. "Hurry back. I like talking to you." 
     "I'm back now :)" Maleena texted. She wrapped a towel around her long brown hair, squeezing out as much excess water as she could before grabbing a comb. 
     "I'm glad. Did you ask your mom if I can come over yet?" Dillion asked. 
     Maleena picked up her phone to respond. "No, silly, I just took a shower. I will ask once I go downstairs." 
     "Hurry up ;)" 
     "You're pretty impatient. ;)" Maleena really liked teasing Dillion...she already liked everything about him...
     "Nope, I just really want to see you again. :)" 
      Maleena finished brushing out her hair and getting ready for the day before she responded to Dillion, telling him that she was going downstairs to ask her parents if he could come over. After putting on a pair of socks, Maleena walked downstairs where she was met by a great surprise. "Chandler!" Maleena squealed at the sight of seeing her older brother standing in the living room, talking to his parents. 
     Chandler chuckled, holding out his arms to engulf Maleena in one of his famous bear hugs. Lifting Maleena off the ground, Chandler spun her around a few times before setting her back on her feet. "Heya, squirt." Chandler smiled, letting go of his little sister to ruffle her hair.
     "Hey! I just combed my hair." Maleena playfully swat her brother's hand off of her head. "What are you doin' here so early? We weren't expecting to see you for another four days or so." 
     Chandler slipped his hands into his jeans pockets. "Yeah, I know, but I got everything all packed up and paperwork done early, so I decided to come out a couple days before what we originally planned." 
     "Well I'm glad. I missed you, Chan." Maleena stepped forward to give her big brother another huge hug. Because of his work schedule and college exams and whatnot, Maleena hadn't been able to see Chandler since Christmas, so she certainly missed him. 
      "Missed you too, squirt. I'm glad I was able to surprise you. I was hoping that my text last night would have thrown you off, and it looked like it certainly did." 
      "Yes you did." Maleena practically squealed and lunged forward, hugging her brother again. Pulling back, Maleena added, "Come on, I'll give you a tour." Maleena motioned for Chandler to follow her.
      Maleena first led Chandler into her parents bedroom since that was the first room to the right off of the living room. Next, Maleena led Chandler into the kitchen, the dining room, then down the hall to where there was an office and finally outside to the back porch.
     Once the tour was completed of the lower level, Maleena led Chandler upstairs, showing him all three bedrooms upstairs. Technically, there were four bedrooms upstairs, but the family decided to use the fourth as an entertainment room or something of the sort.
      Just as Maleena finished the tour of the house, her phone buzzed in her pocket. "If your parents let me come over tonight, I can bring y'all food. I'm actually about to head over to work now to pick up my paycheck, so I can bring y'all some food, if you wanted." The text was from Dillion.
     Maleena smiled at the sweet offer. "I still haven't asked my mama yet. I went downstairs to ask, but my older brother who wasn't supposed to arrive till the weekend surprised me and came here early. I'll go ask now though."
     "Alright, pretty girl. :)" Dillion texted back almost immediately.
     "It's really nice to see the house in person instead of just over Skype." Chandler said, but Maleena didn't hear because she was still smiling over Dillion's text.
     "Sorry, what was that?" Maleena asked, looking up at her brother.
     Chandler chuckled. "I just said that I like the house." Smiling, he nodded at Maleena's phone. "Who's makin' you smile? Who are you textin'? You got a boyfriend now?" Chandler teased; he said the last sentence funny, emphasizing the word "boyfriend."
     Maleena put her phone in her back pocket slowly. Feeling her cheeks heating up, Maleena denied Chandler's observation. "No. Just a friend." Now, Maleena was sure her cheeks were as red as a tomato. Was it too early to consider Dillion her boyfriend? Oh, for sure it was, but Maleena still liked the sound of it.
     "I need to go ask mom something. I'll be right back, okay?" Maleena said to Chandler. Practically running down the stairs, Maleena searched the house, trying to find her mom. "Mom? Mama?" She called out as she entered their bedroom.
      "In here, honey." Suellen called out from their ensuite bathroom.
     "Hey, mom, I was just wondering if maybe Dillion could come over tonight?" Maleena tucked her hands in the back pocket of her jeans, leaning against the door frame in her parents bathroom.
     "Dillion?" Suellen asked, her eyebrows pushed together in question.
     "Yeah, from the resturant last night?" Maleena was surprised her mom didn't remember because of how adamant she was about her and Dillion getting to know each other, or at least become friends.
      "No, yeah, I know who he is, but why does he want to come over?" Suellen stood, giving Maleena her full attention. She pressed her hand against her sweaty forehead, pushing away some hair.
     "I told him we were moving and he offered to come over and help us unpack." Maleena replied. "He also said he would bring us supper from work." Maleena said it with a smile, trying anything to increase her chances of seeing Dillion.
      Suellen mulled it over on her head for a second before giving her daughter a response. "I do not think that tonight would work out, sweetheart. I'd rather him come over once we get more settled in." Turning, she opened one of the drawers on the double sink vanity and began filling it with hand towels. "We will need help moving and organizing stuff once the horses get here in a week. He can help us then. But I think your father would agree with me that we've only met the boy once, so we would like to have a nice sit down with him...just to get to know him better."
     Maleena rolled her eyes, a grin on her lips. "You mean interrogate him."
     Now it was Suellen's turn to smile. "Oh, your father and I would never interrogate a guy who has an interest in our daughter." Suellen said teasingly. "You may thank him for his offer to help, but just tell him that we would love to have him over once we get settled."
      Maleena was disappointed her mom said Dillion couldn't come over, but she knew better than to argue with her. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Maleena texted Dillion the news. While waiting for a response, Maleena helped her mom organize the linen closet in the bathroom.
     After putting the last towel in the closet, Maleena's phone buzzed, signaling a new message. "That's a bummer, but I understand. I would still like to see you tonight. Would your mom allow me to take you out to a movie?" Dillion texted.
     A smiling Maleena turned to her mom. "Dillion is askin' if he can take me out to a movie tonight since he can't come over."
     "A movie? As a first date? No. No way." Suellen quickly vetoed. "Sorry, sweetheart."
      Sighing, Maleena asked, "What if we went somewhere else then? Say, a park or someplace like that?"
      Pausing putting away bathroom items, Suellen rested her hand on the vanity as she thought over what her response would be. "I guess a walk in a park would be okay... Are there even any around here?"
      Maleena texted Dillion and asked him. He responded saying there was one about ten minutes from his house. "There's one ten minutes from Dillion's place. Please, mama, can we go out tonight? Please?" Maleena begged, giving her mom the puppy dog face.
      "Do we need to drop you off, or is he fixin' to pick you up?"
      "He will pick me up here he said. Pretty please, can we, momma? We will be home by 11." Maleena bargained.
      "You will be home by 10:30. Not a minute later." Suellen countered, her motherly side coming out. 
      "Is that a yes?" Maleena beamed.
      Suellen sighed, then nodded. "It's fine by me, but you have to make sure it's okay with your father first." Pointing a finger at Maleena, she added, "And you make sure you tell your father that I said no later than 10:30, okay?"
     "Yes, ma'am." Maleena responded. She was already out the door before she could get the full sentence out. Smiling, Maleena knew the hard part was over. Usually, once she got her mom to say yes to something, getting her dad to say yes as well came much easier. She knew from experience that if she asked her dad first, and he said yes and her mom said no, then Maleena would be in a heap of trouble.
       Walking outside, Maleena heard voices in the garage. Walking into the garage, she saw her dad and brother staring at an empty wall. "Hey, daddy..." Maleena drew out, in a singsong voice.
     Turning, Maleena's dad faced Maleena. "Yes, sweetheart?"
     "I was just wondering if I could hang out with a friend tonight? We will be back by..." Maleena paused. She wanted to say 11, but she remembered what her mom said. "10:30." 
     Wayne put his hands on his hips. "Who is this 'friend'?" 
     Maleena picked at her fingernails as she answered her dad. "Dillion...he offered to come over and help us unpack, but mom said not today, but she already said that him and I could hang out." Maleena rambled.
     It was Chandler who turned around now. "Who is Dillion? Is he the boy you were texting earlier?"
     Maleena nodded her yes to Chandler, then turned back to her dad. "Please, daddy?"
     "Where does he want to take you?" Wayne asked, having to be a good father, making sure his daughter is safe.
     "Just to the park by his house, then I'm not sure where we will go after that."
     "That sounds fun. What time did your mom say you had to be back?" Wayne asked.
     "I suggested 11, but she said no later than 10:30." Maleena repeated. Her eyes glanced at Chandler who had a more fatherly stance than their father did.
     Resting his hands at his side, Maleena's dad said, "Yes, y'all can hang out. And tell your mom that I said that you're a young lady, and 17, and that I said to be back home no later than 11." 
     Maleena silently cheered in her head, but she kept that to herself. Smiling, she hugged her dad. "Thanks, daddy." Turning to Chandler, Maleena outstretched her hands to hug Chandler, too, but he had a stern look on his face. "Chan, chill. It's okay."
     "You never told me who Dillion is, so I will not allow you to go out with him until you tell me who he is." Chandler said in a stern voice. 
     Maleena rolled her eyes and chuckled at her brother. "For right now he is just a friend. He was our waiter at dinner last night, and we really hit it off, so he gave me his number and we've been textin' since. It seems like I've already known him for a long time." Maleena explained to her overly protective brother. 
     Chandler's stance did not relax at all. "For right now he's a friend? Squirt, what do mom and dad think about him? You've known him for less than 24 hours and he's already asked you on a date? Seems awful quick to me."
      Maleena groaned. "Dad, help me out here, please." 
     Wayne chuckled, looking at Chandler. "It's fine, Chandler. We wouldn't allow her to go on a date with a guy we don't like. Besides, if they keep talkin', we will get our chance to interrogate him." After his last comment, Wayne looked at Maleena and winked. 
     "Y'all are horrible. I'm goin' to go organize boxes." Maleena said, finishing her sentence with a chuckle. Turning on her heels, Maleena walked a couple steps forward, only to turn back around. Chandler and Wayne were back staring at the plain wall of the garage; both of them kept their arms folded as they stared. "What are y'all doin'?" 
     "We are thinkin' about building a work bench or something on this wall here." Wayne replied, turning his head sideways to answer his daughter. 
      "Alright, well I will leave y'all to your staring, then." Maleena replied, walking out of the garage. 
       Before Maleena was fully out of the garage, she heard her brother turn to their dad, asking, "Seriously, dad, what do you think of this Dillion kid?" 
     Maleena smiled, shaking her head. She certainly missed her overly protective brother.