Page 51 of Moonstruck at Midnight
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Not once did my father ever say such a thing to me. I was so upset by both his remark and the tone he used to express it. He didn’t mind short skirts as long as I only wore them with him?
Red fucking flag.
“I’m not changing. If you don’t like what I’m wearing, then you can go to the party on your own.” I wasn’t backing down. I wouldnotchange my outfit because hethoughtmy legs were showing too much.
It was completely absurd! Despite that, he didn’t reply. I took his silence as a response and turned around tochangeinto my pajamas.
He grabbed my arm and apologized, but I brushed his hand off. I was furious!
“Babe, come on.” He insisted and offered his hand to me, but I took a few seconds longer than usual to reach out for it.
He made me feel cheap, and I’ve never been the one to wear the shortest skirt or dressever. It just wasn’t my style. I was confident that the dress looked perfect on me.
He begged for a few minutes, and I agreed to go to the party, but I couldn’t shake off the frustration. Thomas seemed to notice that because he immediately placed his arms around me when we were on our way to the party and whispered in my ear, “I didn’t say I didn’t like the dress.” His finger slowly brushed down my arm—trying to distract me, but I couldn’t help but worry. His jealousy wasn’tcuteanymore.
David and Aaron were on duty that night, but Caleb did a last-minute switch on David, so we were going to have a classic Aaron–Caleb combo for the party.
Hurray.
Caleb had been true to his word.No way he would let me go to a party alone with Thomas.He wasn’t kidding. Caleb wanted to be there himself. And I would lie if I said it didn’t make me feel safer to know he was coming.
I kept quiet most of the time and even considered dropping off Thomas there and head back home afterward. I sensed my silence made him feel guilty and uncomfortable. “Babe, come on. You look beautiful. You know that’s not the problem. I knowI’mthe problem. Please, just say something.”
I could see Caleb’s reflection in the rearview mirror. He was undoubtedly listening to Thomas’s apologies, most likely wondering what had gone down.
I looked away—such a busybody.
“I’ve told you a million times before. There is nothing to worry about. Sometimes I feel like you don’t trust me or something,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, of course I trust you. I just hate the idea of someone else looking at you. There’s going to be a bunch of guys from school, and it drives me crazy. Please—let’s have a good time. I swear you look beautiful. I know I was a jerk before.”
It was safe to say that Caleb had overheard our conversation because Thomas hadnotwhispered his reply at all.
Thomas and I had a full week to ourselves before he left for three weeks, and I didn’t want to spend the night sulking. I had to attempt to have a good time. He seemed genuinely sorry.
Caleb parked the car, tossed the keys to Aaron, and followed us toward the building. We had previously agreed that they would wait for us outside as we attended the party. Clearly, he’d changed his mind at the very last minute. I asked Thomas if he could let me have a word with Caleb before going in.
“Caleb, what are you doing?” I muttered through my teeth.
“I’m coming inside. It’s Friday. I’m in the mood to join your party,” he said with an annoyed expression on his face—so festive.
“Stop. You promised you’d wait outside. Besides, you’re leaving Aaron out here alone? It’s going to be a few hours,” I kept whispering.
“I wouldn’t do that. David’s on his way. He’ll stay out here with Aaron, you know, to keep him company. It’s going to be fun. Come on, your boyfriend’s waiting.” He started herding me toward Thomas.
I balked and insisted on how coming inside with us wasn’t necessary.
“It is when I can see you’re clearly upset about something, and I can hear your boyfriend begging for forgiveness. I’m not letting you out of my sight. It’s in my job description, now let’s go.”
I knew I wasn’t going to win this argument, and Idefinitelydidn’t want to get into any more details with Caleb about my relationship with Thomas. “Just keep your distance, okay. I’m meeting his friends, and I don’t want it to be awkward.”
I was about to turn around to walk back to Thomas when Caleb whispered, “Ilike your dress, andhe’sinsane.” I bit on the inside of my cheek, trying to prevent my face from giving away any reaction to his comment.
“Everything okay, babe?” Thomas asked.
“Sure, just going through the logistics.” I looked over my shoulder, and Caleb smiled proudly, so I stuck my tongue out to him.
Michael’s parents’ apartment was amazing. A large black and white sculpture greeted us in the foyer, and the floor to ceiling windows overlooked the Hudson River. The walls were lined with artwork after artwork. It looked like an art gallery.
