Page 29 of Complete Me

Me: I have class til 5 but I’m free after that

I need to know if this is a date.

Me: Meet there or do you want to go together?

That’s fairly open-ended. It doesn’t look desperate, and it’s a valid question.

Kaino: I don’t drive

Kaino: I’ll take a ride share

Okay, that’s not the answer I wanted, and they might be trying to be polite. It doesn’t have to mean they aren’t interested. Holding my breath, I type out my response. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Me: Text me your address. What time I should pick you up

Kaino: You don’t even know where I live

Me: I enjoy driving. If you’re willing to uber it can’t be too far

My nerves are buzzing with excitement, and I fight down the giddy laughter that wants to bubble out of me.

“Xander? Are you still there? Did we get disconnected?”

Oh, shit. “I’m still here, Mom. Sorry. Got a text.”

“Mhmm. And who was it from? Bjorn or Kaino?”

I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at it like I’ll be able to tell how she knows. “What?”

“Your voice has an animated quality to it that you most certainly did not have prior to this text. So, which of them is it?”

I hate how she knows me so well. “Kaino. We’re going to dinner on Friday.”

“A date?”

Wouldn’t I like to know the answer to that, too. “Maybe? I think so?”

“Well, you’ll just have to call me on Saturday and tell me all about it.”

I stare at the phone again, wondering when she thinks we developed that kind of mother-son relationship. “We’ll see.”

“Okay, love. I have to go. Your father is giving me the tap the watch gesture. I assume that means he thinks I’ve taken up enough of your time.” I’ll have to send my father a box of Davidoff cigars as a thank you. “I love you, Xander. I wish you weren’t so far away from us. Come home and visit soon. Or we could come out there and meet your beaus.”

“Why don’t we wait to see if things get past the interest stage before we start planning family visits to meet. But I love you too, Mom. Tell Dad I love him. And I’ll talk to you soon.”

We hang up, and I switch back to my text with Kaino. They’ve sent me their address and asked me to pick them up at seven.

Me: Do I get to know the name of the restaurant?

Kaino: I think I’ll keep that as a surprise

Me: That’s not nice

Kaino: Don’t you like surprises?

Me: If they’re good surprises

Kaino: Well this one is

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