Sunday
Gina's parents were more vigilant than my Dad, or Dana's mom, for that matter, and grounded her for a week, except for the night of graduation. Of course, they weren't home during the day, so that wasn't going to really stop us, although we weren't able to see each other on Sunday. We texted, and spoke on the phone regularly, except when I was talking to Fred, who was very happy for us, and relieved that he wasn't going to be stuck between Gina and me anymore.
I told Gina that I wanted to tell Dana about us, and was going to see if she would meet me at the coffee shop.
"I'm torn about that, Jack," she said. "On one hand, I know what kind of power she seems to have over you, so I'm worried that she will try to lure you away from me. On the other hand, I love the idea that you are going to tell Dana Angelo to her face that you have chosen me over her."
I paused before responding. "We have always been honest with each other, right?" I asked.
"Yeah," she responded."
"And I see no reason not to keep being honest now," I started.
"Meaning?" Gina asked.
"Meaning that I am telling you not to worry about Dana. You are all I want, and she will have to respect that."
"O.K.," she said, "but there is more, right?"
"Yeah. Dana is my friend now, and I want you to stop bitching about her."
Gina was silent for a few seconds before responding, "I think I can do that. Don't expect that I will want to hang out with her, but I'll try not to be so pissed at her. Under the circumstances, I can be gracious, I guess."
"Thanks," I said. She responded, "But if I find out that you are messing around with her behind my back, I will kill both of you."
"You have nothing to worry about," I repeated.
Dana agreed to meet me at the coffee shop, and I got there before her, ordered a latte and sat down at a corner table. She breezed in a few minutes later. I was wondering how she was going to dress for this, whether she would use her substantial assets to try to manipulate me, and was happy to see that she dressed down, in a t-shirt and jeans, with dark sunglasses that made her look glamorous. She couldn't help but be gorgeous, but she wasn't trying to turn the heat up on me.
She ordered an iced coffee, kissed me on the cheek and sat down across from me, taking off the sunglasses so that I could see her brown eyes. I felt a slight tingle watching her put the straw between her soft, full lips, but I was certain that was no more than any heterosexual male would have felt.
Before I could say anything, she said, "I know about you and Gina, and I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," I said. She continued, "I called it, didn't I?"
"You did," I admitted. "You knew me better than I knew myself."
Dana said, "Some people are good at physics, others are good at observing people."
"I guess so," I responded.
She said, "I still want us to be friends, but I understand that you will be spending most of your time with Gina, and I am not going to get in your way. She does seem right for you."
"Can I ask you why you are being so nice about this? What about 'I always want you to choose me?'" I asked.
"Jack, I really like you, and I'm really attracted to you, I think you know that," she started, "and I think that our relationship has moved from just a sex for physics deal to a real friendship. I have had too many asshole boyfriends already and when I met you, I realized I really wanted a hot guy who was also nice to me, like you. I intend to keep looking until I find that guy. That's why I thought I made it clear that I wanted you to choose me over another girl who you just wanted to sleep with, but I expected that you would find someone that you had a special connection with. That is why I encouraged you to pursue Natalie, and told you I thought that Gina was a better choice for you. And why I continued to see other people. I figured, if one of us thought we found that special person, then we would know it, and I see that you have with Gina. I know that you are attracted to me but if you have feelings for Gina strong enough for you to actually tell me that you won't see me anymore, then I am getting out of your way, because you deserve to see if she really is that one for you. And you have shown incredible class telling me to my face. I respect and appreciate that. I'll always be there for you, if you need a friendly face to talk to, or someone to vent to."
With that, she finished her coffee, stood up, kissed me on the top of my head and walked out before I could respond. I, along with most of the male patrons of the coffee shop, watched her walk out. I was happy that it had gone so smoothly, but was a little sad that I probably never would see her naked again, never have sex with her again. But I had Gina, now, and that was a wonderful thing.
I went home and told Sarah what had happened, and she was encouraging. I went to my room and alternated between tweaking my graduation speech, screwing around on the computer and talking to Gina. I bounced some speech ideas off of her, and she helped me tighten my message, although we didn't agree on everything. But we never did.
Dad came home pretty late, and he looked relaxed and happy. He told us that he had a great time with Mrs. Angelo, and that he expected to be seeing more of her. We were encouraging.
I told him about what happened with Dana, and Gina.
"Really?" he said, "a few weeks ago, you hadn't gone out on any dates, and now you are bouncing from girl to girl. Just be careful," he said.