Love and Skate (17 page)

             
I slipped on the green and white polka dot bikini and made sure that everything was covered.
I
t
wasn’t.
I grabbed my sunglasses, sunscreen and a book out of my bag and made my way to the roof where Owen said he was going.  While climbing the ladder to the roof I got a
good look at him shirtless in the sunlight. 
I got all the way on top and he didn’t see me yet.  He turned around with a chair in his hand and then dropped it.

             
“Holy shit Nellie.  Quit sneaking up on me, especially when you’
re wearing a half
of a bikini.”

             
I looked down at myself and adjusted the top but it didn’t help.  So I stuck my bottom lip out and said, “I guess I’ll go change then, since you don’t like it.”
I
turned and went for the ladder before he grabbed me around my waist and put his mouth to my ear.

             
“Oh no you don’t.  But I swear if you wear that in front of anyone else I’ll hunt them down just for looking at you. 

             
“Then you’ll just have to bring me back here so I can wear it again.”

             
“Are you kidding me? I’m thinking about never leaving.” He laughed.

             
The next day and a half went by way too quickly.  It was the best forty eight hours of my life.  We came out of it stronger and more in love than ever. 

             
Halfway home Owen groaned and looked at me.

             
“Let’s just go back.  Let’s quit school and just live on the boat.  I can fish.”

             
I laughed but went along with it.

             
“Oh yeah, I can swim with the alligators all day, turn around now!”

             
We made up silly scenarios of swamp life all the way back to his mom’s restaurant where we ate and exchanged cars with his dad.  I assured Sylvia that I would be at her house for Thanksgiving knowing that Owen wanted me to go and meet his brothers and spend time with his family.  By the time we got back to my apartment I was exhausted.  He brought all of my things into my room and then
hesitated to leave.

             
“So this is the part where I go back to my dorm and make you miss me.” He joked.

             
“Oh? I thought this was the part where you left and thought about me in this big bed all alone.  That and the green and white bikini.” 

             
“I think I should confiscate that suit just to make sure it doesn’t get worn while I’m not around.”  He got closer to me and was using that low sultry voice.

             
“That’s a shame.  I was gonna wear it to class in the morning.” I shrugged my shoulders as if I would really wear that to class.

             
“
Oh, now I have that image to fight with during class—you win.
  Ok, tomorrow is the day where I never see you
,
which sucks.  So you gotta kiss me enough to last until Tuesday.”

             
By the time we ended that kiss he could barely walk out of the room.  I had to push the big galoot out of the apartment and shut the door behind him. 
Yeah, I’m that good.

             
On my way back to the dorms
I thought about the weekend.  She didn’t treat me any differently after I told her everything.  She didn’t even bat an eye. 
I guess I would react the same if she told me the same thing about her.  It wouldn’t change how I felt about her.  I thought once I told her about Amy being pregnant that she would bail.  But she didn’t.

             
I think my parents loved her as much as I did.  She agreed to come to our house for Thanksgiving, which was two weeks away.  I couldn’t wait for her to meet Falcon and Maddox. 
They were seventeen
and fourteen and cocky little suckers through and through. 

             
It was all I co
uld do to leave her apartment especially since the weekdays sucked in terms of
getting to see her.  I parked at the dorms and went to my room.  Dylan wasn’t home so I flounced into my single dorm size bed and just laid ther
e for several minutes before I fell asleep.

             
The next two weeks went by slower than usual.  I was anxious for Nellie to meet my brothers and
spending more time with my parents.  Not nervous, because she was so comfortable around my parents and they adored her
, just anxious
. 
I just couldn’t wait to see her at my family’s house like she belonged there.  But she did.  She belonged with me as a part of my family, as my family.

             
The night before she was a mess.  She and Amber were having a ‘girl night’ and she decided to dye her hair a different color.  I couldn’t wait to see what crazy color that girl came up with. 
Dylan and I had gone out to play pool and get some food.  My phone vibrated in my back pocket.

             
N: I’m so nervous. Your parents are going to decide they hate me and your brothers are going to convince you to dump me and go get some girl who wears v neck sweaters and big bows in her hair.  Ok, just had to get that out.  See you tomorrow.  Love you,
xoxoxo

             
O: How long did you leave the hair dye in?

             
N: Ha
ha
ha
. So funny.

             
O: Love you. 
Tmrw
@ 10.

             
N: yup

             
I showed up at her apartment about thirty minutes early.  These past months I found out that Nellie is especially adorable when she’s frazzled.  She cusses and runs into things and calls me names.  And I just stand there and laugh.  Then she comes out fully dressed, beautiful as ever, sighs loud and long and it’s all over. 
I wanted to video it. 

             
I walked in, I had a key now.  She came out of the bedroom with her towel dress.  That’s what I called it.  It was a cross between a dress and a towel and it was weird.  She had her h
air wrapped up in a towel so I
couldn’t see what color it was
but she was already pissed because I was early.  So I took a seat and settled in for the show. 

             
“Owen Black, why do you do this to me? You tell me ten o’clock and then you show up at nine
freakin
’ twenty eight,” She checked my phone for the exact time, “looking like God’s gift to women everywhere and I look like I just rolled out of hell.  Damn it!”

             
See what I mean?

             
She stomped back into the bedroom and slammed the door.  I heard all kinds of noises and a blow dryer
humming
and slamming of drawers.  Then she came out and she was still in the towel dress but her hair was done and it was purple, Grimace purple and it suited her.  She ran to a bag by the front door and grabbed a shoe box and said, “Don’t just sit there, help me.” 

             
“What do you want me to do—take that towel thing off for you?” I waggled my eyebrows and smiled but she growled at me and slammed the door again.

             
Almost exactly at ten she came out and it was
so
worth the wait.  She wore a black shirt with lace on the top and a black and purple skirt.  And then I looked down at her shoes.  They were the tallest shoes I had ever seen her wear and when she turned around I could see that her legs looks ten times as good in those shoes.  She finally face
d
me again and sighed and threw her hands in the air in a ‘this is as good as it gets’ gesture.  I practically heard the curtains close on her dramatics. 

             
“I’ve never seen you look more beautiful and the purple is killer.”

             
“Thank you.  I’m such an ass when I’m getting dressed and you show up early.”

             
“I’m used to it.  It’s like our thing.”

             
“Sorry Owen, are you ready to go?”  She picked up her purse and keys but I could tell she was nervous.

             
“Nellie, they love you already.  And even if they don’t I will always. Got it?”  I rubbed her arms as I tried to reassure her.

             
“Yeah, I do.  Thanks for that.”  She leaned up to kiss me quickly and then we left.

             
We drove the short distance to my parent’s house and went inside.  Falcon and Maddox played the X-Box screaming at each other and moving their bodies along w
ith their character on the TV.  I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled as loudly as I could.  With these boys it was the only way to get their attention.

             
One of them paused the game and they both looked while Falcon yelled.

             
“Owen, what the f…”  Both pairs of my brothers’ eyes landed on Nellie at the same time and all talking ceased. 

             
They
both stared and slow growing smiles broke out on their faces.  I caught the exact moment their gaze began to travel south and I caught them before they could proceed.

             
“Nellie this is Falcon with the
fauxhawk
and Maddox with the
buzzcut
.  Guys, this is Nellie.  Close your mouths and quit drooling.”

             
They both straightened up and then went back to killing each other on the TV screen.  We made our way through the living room to the kitchen where Mom and Dad were cooking side by side.  I cleared my throat
and the both turned around.  They hugged and doted on Nellie like she was the daughter they never had. 

             
Mom and Dad cooked everything under the sun and Nellie kept my parents and brothers in stitches with her derby stories.  We all pitched in to clean up. Falcon and Maddox went back to the X box, my mom and Nellie went to look at some of my mother’s artwork.  She had painted since she was a teenager.  And Dad requested an audience with me outside on the back porch. 

             
We sat and my father of few words cleared his throat.

             
“How serious are you and Nellie?”
Wow, right to the point Dad.

             
“I love her Dad, and she loves me.  I’ve told
her all about Amy and my tirade.  I would
marry her if she would have me one day.
  I just don’t know if I deserve her.
”

             
“I already knew that son.  I can see the way you two look at each other.  Your mother does too.  She’s a great girl Owen, and pretty as all get out.”

             
“
Yeah, she is.  We’re going to her parents’ house for Christmas.  That should be all kinds of fun.”
             

             
“Just be polite and leave as soon as possible.” My dad chuckled as he doled out advice.

             
Mom and Nellie came out while we were still laughing and when Mom asked him what he was laughing at he just said “In-laws.”  She got all offended thinking that he was talking about her Mom.  But Nellie just cocked her head to one side and gave me a look that meant she knew the truth. 
She sat next to me and spent the next
few hours talking and just relaxing.  At the end of t
he afternoon when we made
our w
ay out, my mom pulled out
a lemon cheesecake and insisted that it was only for Nellie.
  She
goaded my brothers telling them they couldn’t have any. 

             
I brought her home and we ate almost half of the cheesecake ourselves.  Well, I ate most of it.  It was getting harder and harder to leave.  I didn’t ask if she wanted me to stay.  I always left it up to her.  I kept clothes in her dresser for the times that I did but all we did was sleep. 

             
             
She brought me out of my own thoughts. “You’ve got that look again.”

             
I chuckled at her. “What look? I don’t have a look.”

             
“Oh yeah you do.  It’s the
leavin
’ look.”  She pointed her finger in my chest.

             
“And?”

             
“And—we don’t have classes tomorrow, so are you gonna make me beg
you to stay
or just stand there with that look on your face?”  She put her hands on her hips and I wanted my hands there instead.