Page 17 of Knocked Up by Mr. Grump Lawyer

“Come on, let’s just look around,” I said, excitedly starting to explore the garden. I touched the leaves and flowers and was surprised to discover they were real. They weren’t made of plastic. “They actually brought real plants in here! These might wilt and die in just a few days, especially with the hot studio lights.”

“Well, maybe they replace them every few days,” Robert replied. “They just don’t care if the plants die because they were bought for this purpose.”

“Yes, I guess,” I agreed. “But it’s just so cozy and relaxing here.”

He nodded, taking a seat on the blanket spread out on the grass, which turned out to be the only fake one.

“Come on, why don’t you join me for dinner under the stars?” he joked, motioning to the empty picnic basket and wine bottle in front of him.

I laughed. “But it’s daytime. Can’t you see?”

He frowned. “Well, dinner under the stars sounded more appropriate for a romantic setup.”

I blushed, wondering why he had that in mind. Then silently, I reprimanded myself for jumping to conclusions. Of course, he was just referring to the setup, which indicated a romantic date or scene.

Suddenly I had an idea. “Oh, you know what? Raven’s been telling me about these sets. She said some controls can change the mood of the scene…”

I was already checking out what looked like complicated light switches and dimming knobs on the wall. I turned one of the knobs, making the lights dim gradually. Then I tried flicking on some of the switches. To our delight, the pretend sky above turned dark, and lights that looked like stars in the night turned on.

“Now I’ve made your dream come true,” I teased him.

He laughed. Then to my surprise, he stood up and took my hand, leading me toward the picnic blanket.

“Since we’re already here, why don’t we continue the conversation we had in the car?” he said. “You were going to tell me about your life.”

I smiled anxiously and realized I had never opened up to any man. I’ve never been in a close relationship with a guy because they never seemed to understand why I always studied and worked hard to achieve my goals.

“Well… I’ve always been sort of a nerd when I was a kid,” I started, which widened his eyes. “Yeah, it’s true. I got bullied a lot by the other girls. I guess that’s why I learned to come out of my shell in high school and became quite vain, always dressing myself up like a movie star. I guess it was silly and stupid, but it made me feel good. So I eventually became popular and well-loved. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted to prove that I’m not just some pretty dumb redhead. I wanted to show everyone that I had exemplary intelligence, so I did my best in law school…”

“Wow, at least you had the drive,” Robert noted. “That’s kinda rare for young people nowadays.”

“Dad never pressured me, but I liked making him happy and proud. He said I reminded him of my mom — driven, smart, focused, eager to prove her worth.” Mentioning my mother made me feel sad. “She died when I was about your son’s age… It was very painful, and took me a long time to recover. Dad was so worried then.”

He nodded in understanding, his eyes registering concern. “I think that’s much harder than my situation because you got to be with her and then it was suddenly taken away. How’d you cope afterward?”

“I mostly escaped through books,” I said. “Just keep reading and reading. And I had Raven then too. She was already my best friend. She’s like a sister.”

He took my hand instinctually, stroking my skin to comfort me. My heart jumped to my throat at the gentle, soothing touch.

“Anyway, that was a long time ago already,” I said, trying to ignore how his touch made me feel. “I’ve moved on. I just use the memory of my mom to inspire me.”

He then moved closer to me, looking intently into my eyes. We paused for a few seconds, feeling like our souls were communicating. It was both exciting and nerve-racking to connect deeply with someone. I didn’t even know him well yet, but I could no longer deny the physical attraction.

As our lips collided, a rush of hunger and desperation consumed us. It was even more passionate than the one we shared before. His strong arms pulled me close in a tight embrace as our lips nibbled and caressed and our tongues twisted and rubbed against each other.

I could feel the desire spreading across my body like wildfire, consuming me completely, melting away all logic.

But then, a loud buzz made us jump apart. I seemed to have awoken from a sensual dream. I stood up immediately.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “Maybe we’re going too fast. I don’t even know if this is right. I mean, we’re partners…”

He took my hand and squeezed it, smiling at me. “It’s okay, Kayla. I understand. We don’t need to rush it. But just to assure you, we’re not doing anything wrong, alright? It’s just two single people enjoying each other’s company with no strings attached.”

“Right,” I agreed. Even that last part didn’t sound right.

“You don’t have to analyze everything,” he added as if he’d read my mind.

“Okay, yes,” I said. I turned on the lights again and made my way toward the exit. “I think it’s getting late. Didn’t you promise your son you’ll come home earlier today?”

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