Alcoholics Anonymous

Twenty-Seven: Mrs. Knight

We finished off our ice cream cones and walked next door to the little boutique lit up along the street. A bell rang when Sara and I entered, and a woman with well-applied makeup and hair sent us a wide, excited expression.

"Baby doll!" She exclaimed, rushing around the counter to greet her daughter. Over Sara's shoulder she hugged her, Mrs. Knight asked in surprise, "Who's this?"

"Hayden Asher. He's a friend from Alcoholics Anonymous." Sara said, eyeing me.

I gave her a slightly torn look at the word 'friend', but shook Mrs. Knight's hand anyway. 

"It's lovely to meet you! My husband is very strict when it comes to Sara's dating habits, so it isn't often I get to meet her boyfriends. You are her boyfriend, aren't you honey?" Mrs. Knight looked at me with a dazed smile.

I cleared my throat and glanced at Sara before saying quickly, "Not yet, ma'm."

Mrs. Knight winked at me before turning to her daughter. "He's so handsome!" Like I wasn't standing right there. "Isn't he handsome, Sara?"

Sara blushed, and I smiled at her.

"Yeah," She muttered unhappily, pushing her mother away, "but unfortunately his attractiveness is offset by his annoying-ness."

I frowned, and Mrs. Knight clicked her tongue to defend me. "I'm sure Hayden is a very nice young man."

Sara rolled her eyes, and shot me a look. "He's twenty-six."

I glared at her for suggesting I was an old man, and Mrs. Knight laughed somewhat erratically. "Ooooh, an older man." She cooed, glancing back up at me, "He's a keeper, sweetie."

Sara coughed. "Yeah, well, he's also a drunk, so he's probably a bad influence on me, mom."

When I expressed my hurt from her words, Sara sent me an apologetic look that made me realize she was just trying to make her mom get off her back.

"You drink?" Mrs. Knight asked, not unkindly.

I swallowed. "I was clean for two months when I was your daughter's age, but otherwise, yeah."

A silence fell between the three of us as Mrs. Knight consumed this information.

"Well, as much as I like you, Hayden," Sara's mother started again, "I will never forgive you if you hurt my daughter."

I looked at her like she was crazy, which she might be. "I would never hurt her. You have my word."

Sara smiled at me before shoving me out of the shop and waving goodbye to her mother at the same time. When we managed to get back on the sidewalk, she let out a long sigh.

"Sorry about that. She's a bit weird when it comes to me and guys." The blush on her cheeks sent a tingle all the way from my throat to my groin.

I kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her light blonde hair. "It's alright, Sara."

"I should probably get home." She said abruptly.

My eyes darted to my apartment complex across the street. "Your apartment is so far, and it's getting late. You could just crash at my place."

Her green eyes snapped alert and she took a step back. "I thought you said-"

"Wait, Sara, that's not what I meant. I won't do any. We can just sleep." I told her truthfully, staring back at her with honesty.

Sara crossed her arms and let out a breath. "Promise?"

"Promise."