Page 23 of About Time

Just like that, my hackles go up. For some reason, totally uncharacteristic of my normal personality, I love when he tells me what to do. Not this time though. I spin on him, my hair flying around me. “I thought we were only sex? As long as I don’t let him touch me, I can do whatever I want.”

I start to walk away, prematurely patting myself on the back for managing to get in the last word. He grabs my hair, and holds me in place. I can feel the heat of his body as he moves behind me. There’s a creepy stillness surrounding us. I hear the snick of the door closing. Then the hand he has in my hair tugs to tip my head back until I’m looking at him somewhat upside down.

“Maybe we need to revise the rules,” he says, like he is mad at himself. For what, I don’t know. Maybe he’s mad he feels anything for me at all.

“About what?” I breathe out.

“The fact that you are mine. In the bedroom you can be my toy, but outside you are just mine.”

“Don’t play with me, Charlie,” my voice wavers.

I can see his mouth quirk up at my choice of words. “But I love to play with you, Doll. As much as I tried to fight it, I want more.”

“Do you mean it?” I ask, girlish hope in my voice.

“Lord help me, I do. I wish I didn’t. It would be so much better for you if I wanted nothing to do with you, but I’m a selfish asshole.”

I smile at him, and it must soothe the raging beast because he lets me go. “You behave when the jackass gets here,” he warns me. “What’s his name anyway?”

I roll my eyes. “Artie.”

“What is he eighty?” Charlie asks.

I can’t help but giggle. Once again we’re on the same wavelength.

Chapter Ten

Charlie Past- Age 29

Artie turnsout to be a jacked guy who most definitely doesn’t look like an old man. Being here is making me confront some facts I was actively ignoring. While I’m not ready to broadcast to everyone in our gossip-obsessed town that I’m dating my friend’s nineteen-year-old sister-in-law, I at least need her to know that we are more than I said six weeks ago.

I knew I was full of shit when I laid out the rules, but I had to at least try and stop myself from falling head-first in love for the first time with a woman who still has yet to set herself out on a path for her adult life. Fuck, she’s barely an adult. I should have known it was pointless by the way I couldn’t resist her, even while lying to myself that it was only sex.

Now here I am, sitting through the most awkward dinner I’ve ever attended. Part of me wonders if Martin and Elisa suspect there’s something going on between Hattie and me, because I keep getting these odd looks from them. Hattie is quietly pushing her food around her plate. I don’t think she’s actually eaten any of the food.

Martin and Artie keep trying to carry on the conversation since no one offers any topics, which devolves to them talking about different radiologists. Elisa hasn’t given up on her scheme to force Hattie into the dating world.

“Martin, I’m sure Artie didn’t come here to talk about work,” she says, and her eyes slide over to Hattie. She’s not even a little subtle, and Hattie is growing more embarrassed by the second.

Elisa turns to Artie and smiles. She is probably more attractive now than she was in high school, and I knew many guys who would have given their left nut to be Martin for a single day. Artie strikes me as a pretty nice young man, which means he has no defense against Elisa when she decides to dial up the charm.

“Artie, Martin tells me that you spent a summer in Hawaii with a local group to clean up beaches from trash.”

He is probably the only one at the table eating normally. He takes his time, chewing the bite he’d just stuck in his mouth, and washes it down with iced tea before he answers her.

“Yeah. It was right after I graduated from high school. I went out there with several members from my church and spent two months picking up trash. It was an incredible experience. One of the guys in our crew was local, and an avid surfer, so I got to learn to surf a little while I was there too.”

I can tell by Elisa’s grin she already knew this, and her entire reason for asking the question. My suspicion is proven correct when she turns to Hattie, and says, “That’s great to hear, isn’t Hattie?”

Looking back at Artie, Elisa continues to lay it on thick, despite the fact that Hattie has said little past, “Hello, nice to meet you.”

“Hattie was in Florida all of last school year and got into surfing. Quite a rare hobby to find in a person this far away from the ocean.”

Up to this point, Hattie has barely acknowledged Artie’s presence, but the mention of surfing had piqued her interest. She turns in her seat, her body language opens up, and they start a lively conversation about the type of board they prefer, swells, and the best time to hit the water.

“I’m so jealous,” she sighs. “I started surfing almost as soon as I got to Florida, but the waves in the gulf are pretty small. I’d love more of a challenge.”

Elisa’s smile brightens with her perceived victorious matchmaking efforts. I fight hard to hide my scowl, but I’m growing less and less interested in hiding my relationship with Hattie. I can’t tell how Hattie feels about it though, because she seems less concerned with watching my reaction to focusing completely on her conversation with Artie.