"So, where are you going?" Thomas asked as he sat in his parents' kitchen with his cousin, Stella, while her kid and his parents were watching some kids' movie in the living room.
"It's a play; not sure what it is. Kyle asked me to go with him; some friend of his is involved in the production. Works behind the scenes. The reviews are pretty good, though some say it's too extreme or whatever. We'll see."
"Kyle? Isn't that your personal trainer?"
"Yup," she replied, then pouted her lips as she applied some lipstick. "Too much? No? Good. Yeah, anyway, we're friends too, so..." She stopped and shrugged her shoulders before looking into the small mirror she had put on the table and started fixing her shoulder-length blonde hair.
He waited for her to speak again. Sure, they had a good relationship but it'd never been the type of relationship where they'd talk about dates, sex, and the rest. Besides, he didn't really care to know about her sexual life and he was confident the feeling was mutual.
"Well, I'm done," she said as she put her makeup kit and the small mirror in her large, black purse. "How do I look?"
"Pretty good."
"There's a big difference between pretty good and
pretty
, or beautiful, you know."
"Fine," he rolled his eyes. "You look beautiful. Better?"
"Was that so hard?" She giggled and got up.
The high-heeled ankle boots, the skin-tight black leather pants, and the sleeveless white top that did not conceal the fact she was not wearing a bra betrayed her real intention behind the date.
She was almost eight years older than him. He was just a kid when she was in high school; he could still remember feeling envious whenever he learned she was dating someone but it was more the kind of envy boys feel when their mothers date someone.
Now, at thirty-three, he had gotten over it; probably. He lit a cigarette. Once he had smoked it, he'd go upstairs to his apartment, watch some football and, perhaps, have some coffee. He jumped when a ringtone he didn't recognize blared across the apartment.
"Yes?" She said as she walked past the open kitchen door and headed toward the bedrooms on the other side of the apartment. "What? Are you okay?" He heard her say but decided to remain seated.
He could still hear her voice but couldn't make out the words. Soon, she clambered back toward the kitchen and the living room, her high heels clicking on the floor.
"Is everything okay?" His mom asked her.
"Yes. It's just that something happened and Kyle won't be able to make it. And he has the tickets, so I can't even go to the play."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," she said and rushed to give her a hug.
"It's fine, it's fine," Stella said. "Guess I'll just go home, watch a movie or something."
"Well, if you want," he interjected, "you can come upstairs to my place. We can have some coffee, or wine, or whatever. I'd take you out but, to be honest, I'm a bit tired."
"Know what?" She bit the corner of her lips. "I could definitely use some wine."
"Great. Shall we, then?"
"Yup." After she kissed her son, uncle, and aunt goodnight, they both walked up to the fourth floor, where his apartment was.
"Well, sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone," he said as he opened the front door and beckoned her to enter.
"Right, because I've always been known to keep my home in pristine condition, huh? I think our moms' neat-freak gene skipped us. Maybe my son will get it."
"You really think so?" He chortled.
"Hasn't shown any signs of it, but, who knows?"
"Hell, maybe we actually have the gene and it'll just activate when we're old--well, old
er
."
"Fuck you," she scoffed.
"Have a seat," he pointed at the couch. "So, what do you want to drink? I've got white wine--no red wine, sorry--some bourbon, gin, I think tequila...beer, definitely."
"Are you running a speakeasy? Well, I wouldn't mind a whiskey on the rocks."
"Some Jim Beam rocks coming right up."
He grabbed a half-empty bottle standing in the bookcase, surrounded by various other bottles, and took it to the kitchen. As he tossed some ice cubes in two lowball glasses, he looked down at his black sweatpants--that sported several cigarette burns all over the crotch and upper thigh area--and stained t-shirt.
His attire was the exact opposite of what she was wearing. It's the beauty of hanging out with family; not having to give a damn about looking your best. He filled the glasses to the brim, put the bottle under his arm, and took everything back to the living room.
"Jesus," she chuckled, "that's your idea of a drink?"
"What do you mean?" He arched his eyebrow as he looked at her genuinely curious.
"Most people fill the glass up to here, at most," she said and put her index finger on the middle of the lowball glass. "Many bars would charge you for a double for it, actually."
"This is my apartment, so you don't have to worry about paying for a double. It's on the house, and I do like the sight of a full glass. Cheers," he said and they touched glasses.
They both had a sip and she leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs while steadying the glass on her thigh--a small wet spot instantly appeared on her pants.
"You might want to be careful," he said, pointing at the glass. "Leather pants look great but it looks like they are not very stain-friendly."
"Nah, it's fine," she shrugged and brought the rim of the glass to her lips, taking a good swig.
"You're really bummed about your date getting canceled, huh?"
"No, not really, I mean..." She stuttered, paused, and leaned forth to grab her pack of cigarettes out of her purse. She lit one and chased the first long drag with another good swig of her drink. "Okay, maybe a little, yes. I mean, he said something about a family emergency and while
I know