Somebody to You

Ch. 13

Dee & I worked on our song for an entire week & it sounded amazing. I was really proud of it. During the time we worked together, we got really close, too. We had so much fun together, it was like we'd known each other forever. She made me laugh, a lot & we loved people watching together. I imagined hanging out like this as a couple. It was so easy with her. She could be silly with me or in the next moment, have a serious thought & turn that into a deep conversation.

We talked on the phone a lot, which I loved. I always hated talking on the phone, but with her, I loved hearing her voice, her laugh, her sighs. I lived for it. She was the last person I thought about before I fell asleep & the first person I thought about when I woke up. She was the only person I thought about during the day. I was falling hard & fast. I now understood what my brother felt all the times he fell hard & fast.

The week before Joe's party, I called Dee up on a Saturday. "What are you doing on this beautiful day?" I asked her.

"My son & I are spending the day together. Not sure what we'll do, but something fun."

"I don't suppose you'd let me tag along? I bet Damon would get a kick out of riding in my Jeep." I held my breath to wait for her answer. She hadn't let me meet Damon yet & I knew she had good reasons. I also knew he would love my Jeep. It was a blue, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited & it was bad ass. Any guy, no matter how old, would love my Jeep.

I heard the hesitation on her voice, but finally she said, "Why not? But..."

"I know...it's just as friends." I laughed. She gave me her address & I went to her house to pick them up. Damon was cute, with a head full of dark curls & big brown eyes. He looked like me or my brother when we were little. He smiled, showing no teeth, but he seemed confident. I guessed he was around 2 or 3. I found out later, he had turned two that April.

I squatted so I was eye level with Damon. "Hi. I'm Nick, your mommy's friend. It's nice to meet you." I held my hand out & he shook it, smiling. I looked up to see Dee, smiling down at us. "Where ya want to go first?" I asked.

"Your Jeep. You decide." Her eyebrows went up, playfully & I felt myself getting warm.

I decided to take Dee & Damon to lunch, first. Damon was very well behaved, which was impressive. I could tell Dee was a great mom. Damon was polite & listened to his mother, which from my experience was rare these days. I loved watching Dee with him. I could tell how much he was her world. Afterward, I took them to Peek-a-Boo Playland & Damon had never been there, so he was really excited. Dee & I watched him play, while we talked & laughed & then I decided he was having way too much fun, so I joined him in one of the play areas. I had a blast. This kid was really cool. Once Damon was pooped, we left & went for ice cream. When I took them home, Dee, surprised me.

"We had a lot of fun & you wouldn't let me pay for anything, so at least let me pay for a pizza. Want to come in for dinner & after he goes to bed, we can chill & watch a movie if ya want. As friends." She laughed. "I just don't get to enjoy adult company, too often, so I enjoy it when I can."

"I'd love to." I followed her inside. Damon showed me pretty much every toy he owned & I think I played with each one for a few minutes, to his delight. Dee just watched us with a smile on her face. After we had pizza, she put Damon to bed, while I waited in the living room, watching tv. Dee came in & sat down on the couch at the opposite end as me.

"What kind of movie ya want to watch?" She asked.

"Don't care. You pick." I chuckled.

Dee picked a romantic comedy, probably just to torture me, but it was a good one so it wasn't too bad. Sometime during the movie, I asked, "So, did you decide if you're gonna come to my brother's party or not?"