Page 6 of Hunt for the Roses
I playfully shove Dane.
Dane grins. “Okay, fine, truce.”
“It’s nine o’clock at night,” Kyle counters.
“Gym closes at ten, and I’m already behind, so I’m gonna get going,” Dane responds as he goes to give Kyle a handshake-hug.
“Night, Dane,” I say.
“Night, Ari,” Dane responds as he turns around to walk down the porch and to his car. His back is still to us as he shouts out some final words. “Enjoy the orgasms!”
Kyle and I both chuckle as we turn to face each other, and then Kyle cups the side of my face. “Dane’s got a point.”
“Mmm, yes he does,” I moan as I lean forward to kiss Kyle.
Saturday, June 19, 2021
I wake up to my phone buzzing, groaning as I roll over and lazily open my eyes to look over at my nightstand. I see “Mom” on the homescreen of my iPhone, and I clumsily pick up my phone as I sit up to lean my back against the headboard of my bed.
I run my fingers through my disheveled hair as I answer the call with a groggy voice. “Hey, Mom.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
I yawn as I start to respond. “I was sleeping, but I should probably get up anyway.”
“I haven’t heard from you. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. You know, see what’s new with my one and only son.”
I run my fingers through my hair, feeling like a real asshole for not texting or calling my mom in a while. My dad left us when I was just seven years old, and has been completely out of our lives ever since. Dad was caught cheating, Mom found out and kicked him out of the house, and then he went on to live a whole different life with his lover. Couldn’t tell you what he’s doing or where he is. Nor do I give a shit. So knowing the life my mom built for me on her own, I always feel I’m in debt to her, and I always want to make her as happy as I can.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve been caught up at work with a few aggressive clients this past week.”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry to hear that. Did everything turn out okay?”
“I was able to smooth over two clients, but the other is not budging. Flipped out over the pricing of building materials. The usual. Just one of the many perks of being a Project Manager,” I say sarcastically.
“You’re amazing at what you do, and your bosses appreciate you. That’s all you need to keep you going. Except maybe agirl…” My mom emphasizes the word “girl” at the end of her sentence.
Here we go.
My mom is just waiting for the day I tell her I’ve settled down. I’m twenty-six years old and the last time I had a relationship was when I was twenty-three. It was for about a year, and I cared for the girl, but she just wasn’t the one. So I broke it off, and here I am living my mighty single life. It’s not like I’m with a different girl every night, but I definitely have been racking up my head count the past few years.
“No girls in my field of vision yet. Sorry to disappoint,” I say.
“She’ll come sooner than you think. Don’t count out every girl you meet.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be the first to know when she comes into my life,” I assure her.
“I better be! But alright, I won’t push anymore. I’ll push for a mother-son date instead. What do you think?”
I smile. “Sounds great.”
I can hear her large smile as she responds. “Yaaayyy.”
I chuckle. “I’ll text or call you this week to set something up. Promise.”
“I’m holding you to that,” my mom states.
“Cross my heart,” I say as I make an “X” gesture across my bare chest.
