Sweet Dreams-19..So Snow White; Are you going to order the apple? Part 3

Chapter 19 part 3

I guess if it hadn’t been such a special thing I might have been a lot more embarrassed than I was. But as we were dancing there was this little ripple of smiles and looks of isn’t that romantic that are buzzing through some of the other patrons and two other couples get up and start dancing too.

It was a very cool moment, probably one of the coolest moments in my life. When the song ended Alex looks over at the couple that let him set his I-phone down on their table and says. “Thank you.”

The guy shakes his hand in that way that you see guys do that are really showing respect to each other? I never could quite get that the way they’re doing it. But it’s like you can feel the respect for each other there like a tangible guy kind of thing.

He say’s. “Our pleasure I’m Bill this is Stacy.” Then it’s my turn and Stacy and I sort of do the little light girl shake of hands but we do that girl hug even if they just me kind of thing. She whisper’s in my ear. “He’s a good one, hang on to him.”

I whisper back. “Yeah, I will. Alex is better than he knows really.”

“They always are honey.”

We head back to our table and I look at the twins first because well they’re staring at me and at Alex and there’s this WTF…I can’t believe it thing written all over their faces their jaws sort of hanging open. I slip past them and softly say to them.

“You two must have had a good time in Italy but you really should watch yourselves, it’s a little…uhm obvious that your mouths are used to that shape.” I smile, bat my lashes and smooth my dress under me as Alex seats me.

I take a long slow sip of my water and smile at them all as Adam signals for the next course to be brought. You can see the light bulb go off in their heads at what I just said well implied. I take another sip before speaking up saying. “I’m sorry everyone, I didn’t mean to hold everyone up.”

April says as she’s sitting down. “It’s nothing Hunter we both had the use the ladies room.”

Deborah is staring at me and she looks angry. I stare right back at her and then ignore her like she’s not there and ask Alex. “So honey how are you coming along with The sound and the Fury, I noticed you started that a couple of days ago.”

He and I start talking about Faulkner and April jumps in as well as Anna the young girlfriend of Mr. Scanta and even Mr. Panichi himself getting involved. As we all start talking about all these classic authors. Alex is taking advanced English and me, well libraries are cheap and I didn’t own anything at home really so I read, I read a lot. Beside like a lot of the bums and homeless it was safe and it was warm and it was cheap to free.

There wasn’t a lot of difference between me and them. The thing is, some of those homeless people regardless of their problems that got them there…A lot of them were really smart people.

Alex looks surprised at April and the amount of stuff that she knows. I can’t help but smile when she says.

“I’ve always been impressed at how good the academic department is at your school Alex; we were just given state minimum syllabus fluff when I was in high school. I never really read a book that actually seemed to say something until my second year at Penn.”

Even Adam get’s the stick out of his butt and starts to join in the conversation talking well actually asking about the university and her time there like it was a new topic for them and it kind of gets into a topic about books and schools and education and stuff that I can actually follow. And even their college days and what we and Alex might very well expect.

It almost starts to be…a good time?

And it has the great bonus of leaving Deborah and the two Panichi twins and more than likely the others not involved in the big conversation completely lost and kind of left to scramble and make up their own conversation to compete with ours…about clothes.

April and I share this kind of a look and a smile at some of their conversation and yeah I like talking about clothes and all that but really? Really?

Huh? I guess this is what it feels like to sit at the big kids table then?

Oh and now that things seemed to be chilling out the food. There was this few dishes of things before the main I ordered the bruchetta which I kind of knew what it was with the toasted bread and the tomatoes and stuff but we all started to share with each other when I offer some of mine to Alex and April offered me some of hers and then it started this whole sharing thing and even the bitches chilled and got into this whole family style if eating. The wines went from bottles to house wines in these really cool pitcher, decanter things and there’s no carding but it’s not about getting bombed.

It was a totally new experience for me to go from people having wine as their meal to wine with the meal. I don’t drink much but I try all of it and even the twins seem to let stuff go as they talk about Italy and the food they had in Naples? And what this stuff is like.

It turns out I like fish more than I though I would, or rather Sea scallops are rather tasty but very rich, and shrimp are okay too but I really liked Aprils fried calamari even after I found out they were squid and that out of these little starters my favorite was actually Alex’s this Caprese salad thing with these really good tomatoes and basil leaves and the best bit of cheese I’ve ever had.

We even all do the communal girls all heading to the ladies room before the main course arrive and use the facilities and then touch up our make up and I don’t say anything but April quietly points out for the ladies to use… “That stall.” In a voice that says do it in a very queen bitch kind of way. I get some stares from them for a few minute when they come out after they seen what I did.

There’s me staring at them and them staring at me and they actually say “Sorry Hunter…” pretty sheepishly and very nervously sort of touch up they’re make up. I take a few minutes fixing my hair and then let out a long sigh.

“It’s okay; it was just some stupid bullshit kind of hazing thing right? Rattle the new girl?”

I know it’s more than that, they know it’s more than that but I really don’t need the enemies, I don’t need the drama and just letting it slide after they’ve gotten a taste of things with them feeling out of the loop squares things. I know, the conversation at the table wasn’t as deliberate as what they were doing but like the saying goes…an eye for an eye eventually leaves everyone blind.

Mina which is one of the twins look at me and she almost doesn’t get it. But her sister Nina nods. “Yeah…I mean we just were joking and we’re sorry it went too far and got like y’know all un-funny and stuff.”

“Hey, it’s cool let’s just pretend the whole thing never happened and just be good with each other. Too many girls get too caught up in the whole mean girl thing. Let’s just have fun for the rest of tonight and leave the dick measuring stuff to the guys okay?”

“Okay!” they both smile and giggle. They’re mother and Anna are smiling and April gives me a hug.

“Proud of you.” She whispers in my ear…and having someone say that to me just…I get this big lump in my throat and I’m getting watery eyed and have to fan at my eyes with my hand. As soon as April moves though I’m being hugged by the rest of the girls/women.

We all leave and are smiling and talking and stuff as we get back to our table and the guys stand for us and help us with our chairs. I notice and so do the other girls that Deborah didn’t join us. She stayed out here with the men and she has this look of being majorly unhappy and she’s quiet barely talking to anyone including her husband Mr. Zane. He’s looking really uncomfortable and I notice he doesn’t look at Alex at all really or Adam either. He’s sitting with her like a guy might from back home who got his ass schooled and she’s not happy because of that and because it’s pretty apparent that she thought she was the shit but just had that reality check tonight that told her hey bitch you ain’t.

I fucking Love karma sometimes.

The main course comes and it’s a bit of the same thing with the other food. The guys get these really nicely cooked but really big hunks of steaks for the most part and chicken seems to be the thing for us girls. I ordered the lamb chops and I’m impressed by the plate and so not at the same time.

It looks beautiful and everything but well…lamb chops are really kind of small say compared to like a pork chop and they only give you like three of them and the plate I ordered was like somewhere close to thirty five dollars.

Yeah yikes! I know families that don’t and can’t spend that much on food for an entire week. Worse even, it turns out I think I don’t like lamb. I’ve never had it before and it tastes funny, or it does to me. I liked the brocolini? That came with it and the potatoes…they were okay. There was just too much gunk added to something that’s just fine just simply done.

Adam has the same look on his face too. We kind of have this moment of staring at each other only he’s not looking at me like he’s going to get me but more like I’m a puzzle he doesn’t get. I reach over and take his plate and slide his potatoes onto my plate and then set my plate in front of Alex who looks at me and him then shrugs and tucks into them like a seventeen year old guy usually would.

I say to Adam. “Bring on dessert?”

He smiles and it’s just like Alex’s, that I’m only going to let so much out kind of smile, not even quite a half a smile but just this really good one third of one.

“You and Alex have the same smile.”

Wow, the look of …constrained shock on Adam’s face was well kind of shocking to me too. He honestly looks at a loss of what to say and even think from me saying that. Alex stopped eating at the boys are staring at each other like too surprised dogs that are studying each other.

I laugh just because of that image but turn to Alex. “That’s not a bad thing Alex, I love your smile.” Then I wipe his lips off from his food with the napkin and give him a kiss. I hear April and see out of the corner of my eye her leaning over and kissing Adam too but saying. “I agree, it’s a very nice smile, and it’s something I just don’t see enough.”

There’s just a little bit of that and the guys look actually embarrassed not so much by the whole PDA thing but the whole PDA in front of each other thing. We do cut it out so as not to make the others too uncomfortable.

The guys are saved by dessert.

Again it turns into this sharing thing and the cakes and stuff are good and Alex has this sticky toffee pudding thing that I didn’t really like but April and I killed her chocolate moose…no mousse. And Adam gave us both half of his Tira Misu?

I’m not sure what I like better. I Love chocolate, good chocolate too not like the discount bars I’m used to getting from back home. But I love coffee; coffee and I have been close friends for a long, long time.

Him sharing his dessert with me and April get’s him another short but on the lips kiss from her and another one and this…

Alex gives him this nod and not quite a smile but a really short nod of approval after Adam motions for the waiter who was bringing Bill and Stacy their chique and waved the off and told them to have a good night. He was taking care of their bill for them. It might have been just for appearances sake but it might not have too.

The rest of the night is kind of a blur of just talking and travel and the twins have mellowed out enough that we’re all just having a real conversation and dropping people off except for the Zane’s.

Aubrey and Deborah seemed to want to take a cab home from the restaurant. She was in a hurry to go I think as she stormed out of the place after getting her things from the coat check.

Things seem to have settled down even once we’re all dropped off at home. Alex and I both hug April and she looks stunned, floored when Alex hugged her. It was a small one and a peck on a cheek and I think he thanked her. Mine was bigger for her and I look at her. “Coffee tomorrow?” she’s trying really hard not to dry and she’s starting to fail as I give her another hug and say. “Thank you…God thank you so much April, you were…You were awesome…” There’s so much more I could have added or said and part of me really wanted to…but it’s just so…soon.

We’re almost going our separate ways when Adam asks me. “Hunter, can I have a few minutes of your time?”

He doesn’t wait for me to answer and he just walks outside to the driveway and I hear the flick of his lighter.

Alex looks at me. I rub his chest through his shirt. “I’ll be okay. I want to talk to him too.”

“Just be careful, he’s…” I put my fingers to his lips. “I’ll be fine.” He moves my fingers and purses his lips in a sort of pouty frown. “It’s getting chilly, here.” He takes off his suit jacket and he wraps it over my shoulders. I’m swimming in it and it almost reaches down to the bottom hem of my dress.

I walk outside and over to where he’s at. I love the feeling of the jacket. It’s warm, it smells like him and the gesture was. There’s this part of me that sings a little bit at the whole thing. Yeah, oh Yeah I’m such a girl

I look at him. “Spare me one?”

“I thought you quit.”

“I did but I think I need one tonight.”

Adam passes me a cigarette and he lights it for me too. “Hunter I was really surprised tonight.”

“By?”

“You, you hung in there and hung onto being there with Alex and you came back after you lost it.”

“Oh well that’s easy I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“That can be arranged.”

“Meaning?”

“I am willing to pay for you to leave, to get your own place out of state and will foot your bills until you’re on your feet.”

“Sorry, won’t.”

“Why, you barely know my son? And I’m not sure that I want you involved with him.”

“I know that, but you know what Adam. Tough shit.”

“What?” He sounds like he’s getting pissed off.

“Did I stutter?” Like I said before…he can bring it.

“Look, I don’t like you being with my son. I want you out of his life. I’m being nic…”

I cut him off by poking him in the chest hard.

“Oh, don’t you fucking think that I don’t know that you don’t want me around Alex. Look you stupid stubborn Mick, I never thought I’d ever be in a place where I’d have ever met someone like your son. He’s a good guy and honestly I think I’m falling for him and I can’t fucking help that. But what I can help is the stuff that I’m going to put up from you.

You think that you’re the shit and you think that you know what’s best for Alex, you got all these dreams about what you want for him and they’re not his.”

“Listen Hunter…. My son is messed up. He’s been so fucked over by women before and hurt nearly killed even so it’s not like he knows what the real world is like so I’m making sure that he does know. I’m Making sure that he makes the right choices and not fall in love with someone like you!”

“You Asshole!, look shit happened, Alex’s mom was just like mine a fucking druggie, I get him more than anyone else would or could. And you want to know something else?! I’m not her!, April isn’t her! She killed herself, she’s fucking dead Adam just let it the fuck go! Let her stay the fuck dead!”

“I can’t fucking let it go!”

“Why?!”

“Because I can see it! He’s fucking falling in love with you!”

“I’m in love with him too!”

“You’ll break his fucking heart!”

“I do that it’ll break mine too!”

“You’re lying!”

“I am not!”

“Bullshit!”

“It’s not fucking bullshit! I get where you’re coming from Adam, I fucking do. You’re this kid from the wrong side of the tracks just like me. And when you were told that you were good enough to marry Alex’s mom you told them the same fucking thing that I’m telling you because you think I’m not good enough and that’s fuck you.

I might not have been some fifth child cop’s kid Adam but I grew up in a lot worse shitholes than you can imagine bucko. You think you were pulled down into some lower middle class pit by your family? Hell, I lived in those fucking horror stories you grew up hearing about from your dad and your brothers!”

I stop yelling but right now we’re face to face and breathing hard and staring right at each other. I take a breath and stare right into his eyes as hard as I can.

“My mom was a whore and a drug addict and my stepfather was a fucking skinhead abusive son of a bitch and I fucking survived them.”

I put my hand on his chest over his heart. And I can feel the hammering beat but the tremble of him being scared run through his flesh. Like touching a feral animal.

“I survived Adam, I survived and instead of you dreading that there’s something that’s going to drag me down like it did her……trust me it won’t, Alex is the first person in my life that’s shown me that life can be more that just a fucking nightmare….”

“I don’t want you’re money, I don’t want anything but…”

“But what?” His voice is harsh, thick, emotional and me I’m actually crying now and I don’t know why it’s coming loose here like it is right now.

“I just want to be safe…I just want someone to actually just…just…Love me….”

I can’t keep the fight up anymore there’s something crumbling down in me and the tears turn to crying then these sobs and once it’s there it’s like a dam coming undone and I try and turn away, try to even run…to where I don’t know just to get out of there away from these feelings…

Adam grabs my wrist and pulls me into him and scoops me into his arms and I have my face into his shoulder and he’s carrying me inside the garage and up the steps to my and Alex’s place.

“You fight fucking dirty Hunter, fucking dirty…You get one fucking chance and you hurt my son and it’ll be fucking on. You got that?”

I nod. Like a bobblehead because I’m still crying too much to talk. He bangs on our door with his foot and Alex opens the door and his Dad passes me to him.

I missed something…?

(Adam mouths to Alex silently. “Don’t you fuck this up.)

I just hear Alex very quietly but really intensely just say. “I won’t.”

Then it’s the sound of the door shutting and Alex caring me to our couch and pulls me even tighter into his arms and he let’s me cry myself to sleep.

*(End of Chapter 19.)