Your Time

Chapter 24

"Mom?"

"Yeah bud?" Carrie asked, spinning around in her chair to face her son.

Before she made eye contact, Adam stepped around and sat down on the chair next to her. He took deep breath and didn't say anything for about 30 seconds.

"Adam? Everything all right?"

"I don't know how to tell you," he muttered, barely loud enough for his mom to hear.

The immediate mother questions popped right into Carrie's head. What did you do at school today? Did someone hurt you? Are you sick? But he didn't ask any of those.

Instead he asked, "what do girls like?"

Emma who just walked past into the kitchen stopped in her tracks, her socks sliding on the tile flooring. "What did he say?"

"Nothing Emma."

Hearing the motherly authority in Carrie's voice, Emma didn't question her brother any further.

"Mom, what do girls like?"

Carrie sat her coffee mug down on the kitchen table rather hard. The time that she and Harrison knew was coming, was coming right now. "Mom?"

She took a deep breath. "Well who are you talking to?"

Adam smiled and told his mom everything about his friend Rachel. Carrie remembered Rachel, for she and Adam worked on quite a few school projects together. "Somebody's got his first crush."

His face reddened. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Was dad your first crush?"

Carrie shook her head. "I didn't know your father at that time. But when I met him I certainly had a huge crush on him."

"You had a huge crush on who?" Harrison asked, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"You silly."

She leaned back and he began to massage her shoulders. "So what's going on?"

Adam gestured for his father to sit down. So he sat next to his wife of 15 years. "What's up buddy?"

"I-um... I."

His mom helped him out. "I think Adam's trying to say he has his first crush."

Harrison smiled. "What's her name?"

"Rachel," he answered. "But I was asking mom what girls like."

"Well," Carrie began. Truthfully, she didn't remember much of this kind of stuff. After all, Harrison had her heart for the last 20 years. "We like someone who is kind and not clingy or all over us. That meaning we aren't always focused on a boy. Trust me, my friend got into a relationship where her boyfriend wouldn't leave her alone. So in other words we like to have some space sometimes. We like boys that are honest, and we like boys that are caring and understanding."

Adam nodded as she continued. "Being understanding is a key part of a relationship. That way if you and your girlfriend get into an argument, no matter who's fault it was, or how it started, you guys are able to understand each other and work towards a solution."

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. "Go ahead Adam."

"Should I ask her out?" he asked quietly.

Both his parents nodded their heads. "Just be yourself."

"And if she says no its her loss okay?"

"Okay. And one more thing; what did your first kiss feel like? Mom?"

Carrie took a moment to recall her first kiss. Because it wasn't with Harrison. "I think I had mine when I was 16 with my first boyfriend. He turned out to be a jerk. But it was at homecoming my sophomore year of high school. We were dancing and it just kind of happened."

"What did he do to you to be a jerk?"

"He cheated on me."

Adam seemed surprised by that answer. "He did?"

She nodded. "It happens more often than you think. Anyway, after that, I met your dad and he made everything right again."

"What about your first kiss dad?"

"It was with your mom."

"It was!?"

Harrison nodded. "Our first kiss was mine as well."

"I brought your mom home from dinner and was in the process of asking her out when she kissed me."

Adam took a deep breath. "So should I ask her out tomorrow?"

"Ask her whenever you feel ready."

"And if you don't feel ready, take more time and get to know her," Carrie added.

"Okay. Thanks mom and dad."

"You're welcome Adam," they answered as he got up from the table.

After Adam made his way into the living room, Carrie asked, "I really was your first kiss?"

He nodded. "And what a magical first kiss it was."

She let that sink in. In her husband's entire life he'd never kissed another girl other than her. "Well hotshot, you're welcome to kiss me again."

Harrison took her up on her offer, leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. He felt Carrie smile mid kiss, before deepening it. "And we are not telling Adam about that kind of kiss until he gets older." He simply chuckled and kissed her again.

•••

The next day, Adam came home from school with a smile stretching across his face. His parents beat his siblings to asking, "did you ask her?"

He nodded. "I did."

"What'd she say?" they all demanded.

"She said yes!"

Smiles broke across Harrison and Carrie's faces. "Somebody has his first girlfriend. And you know what Adam? I think its time for that talk you asked about a few years ago. Isn't that right Carrie?"

"Definitely," she answered from the kitchen.

After bugging his parents all the time a few years ago for an answer to what that noise was that came from their bedroom at night, and would still come from their room every once in a while, Adam was going to get his answer.

"Dad I don't want to talk about that now. That's just gross."

"It's a fact of life," Harrison answered with a sly smile. "I guess you're going to miss out on some things you can do when you get older. And believe me, your mother loves it."

Carrie slapped her husband's chest. "Don't listen to your father. If you don't want to talk about it now, we don't have to."

"Thanks mom."

"But you can certainly tell me about Rachel."

"Okay mom."

Guys I have a new project in the works😏