Dandelions and Wishes

Laughter is coming from the other room as Amanda hears her parents chatting with an old friend of her dad's. She carries her last case downstairs and pops in to say hi. She hasn't seen Ethan since she was about 15 years old. "Hey darling, did you get the rest of your stuff packed?" "Yeah, mom, I did." She wrapped her arms around her mom. They were unusual in that she and her mom have a good relationship. It might be because she's an only child but whatever it is, she has a good relationship with both of her parents. "Amanda, do you remember Ethan? It's been awhile." Her dad says. She looks up into the greenest eyes she’s only seen one other time in her life and she feels her face flush. She turns away quickly not wanting him to see it as she pulls the case toward the door. “Yeah, hey, how’s it going? I’ve got to get this case in my car.” Suddenly he is right behind her, towering over her and takes the case. “Here, let me get that for you.” He lifts it up like it is empty. “No, that’s okay, I’ve got it.” But he is already out the door and at her car slipping it into the back seat. She is seeing him in her mind the way she imagined him every night for the last three years, and is looking everywhere but him as her face heats up to the temperature of Hades. “You’ve sure grown.” She looks up at him with his short dark hair and his wide shoulders and blurts out, “You’re still just as handsome.” Her hand flies to her mouth. Amanda can’t believe she just said that. He chuckles, “Well, it’s nice to know I made an impression.” Impression, she’d imagined taking off all his clothes and climbing into his lap and him spearing her heat for years now. Impression, he is burned into her memory, into her retinas. It had gotten to a point she couldn’t go to sleep if she didn’t let herself go through it step by step until she came. “I’m sorry my mouth needs a filter, or at least that’s what my mother usually says.” She turns to go back inside. He rushes to say, "Your parents have been telling me all about your plans and how excited they are for you." She chuckles, "More like how they are doing their best to be supportive because they love me and want me to succeed but think I'm really too young to make the decision not to go to college but they are supporting me anyway." Her parents walk out and hear her. "Aww honey, you know we're behind you all the way." She went into her Dad's arms. "I know, daddy, but I also know you're both worried." "We're parents, it came with the package we got when you were born." He said over the top of her head and then kissed her hair. "Ethan here has kindly offered to keep an eye on you in the big city." "DAD! You promised no interference beyond letting you pay for my rent. That's it." Ethan in her flat? That thought made her insides cold and hot at the same time. "Honey, it doesn't hurt knowing there’s someone you can trust in an emergency that is close by." Ethan is grinning at her. "Right, all you have to do is call and at minimum I'll send a car around to fetch you to get you home safe."  She doesn’t want her parents to know that if she had her wish he would be in her flat not to rescue her, but to be in her bed. She had to pretend it was an imposition. "Alright," Ethan hands her his card. "No worries, and I promise I won't call your parents if you call me." He winks at her and her face heats up again. Her dad harrumphs a little but finally says, "Oh alright, if it means you will call him for help knowing he isn't reporting back to us, then I promise I won't ask him if he's heard from you. You can decide if you want to tell us or not." She smiles. "Thanks, daddy, that means a lot." She hugs him tight to her. The next morning her parents see her out to the car they bought her as a graduation present, a white, ten year old Volvo XC60. They wanted to make sure she was safe on the road and it had been thoroughly checked out and worked on to her dad's specifications. She hugs them fiercely and then gets in the car and heads out in her over stuffed car.  It only takes her a couple of hours before she walks into her fully furnished loft and smiles. She would have never been able to afford this if it wasn't for her parents willingness to pay her first year’s rent. After that, if she can’t afford it on her own she promised she'd go back to school. The loft was open with lots of windows but the best part of all was the wall of mirrors and the ballet bar with a large open space and wood floor for dance practice. Her bed was on the other side of the loft in the corner with windows on two sides. She is normally an early riser so she doesn’t think the morning light will bother her. She moved all her stuff in and unpacked within a couple of hours since she didn't have that much stuff. The other nice thing about this place is the parking space in the parking garage. She probably wouldn't be using her car much here and it will be nice to know it is safe. The buzzer rings for her door. She runs to it and looks through the peep hole and sees flowers. She squeals thinking her parents sent her a house warming gift and opens the door. It is a huge bouquet of all white roses. "Come in and set them on the counter. Oh they are beautiful, Is there a card, my parents are the best." She is rambling and her mouth snaps shut when the flowers lower and Ethan's face is revealed. "Congratulations on your new place, Amanda." His voice is sexy, warm and deep from his chest. She steps back and then frowns saying, "Did my parents send you to spy on me already?" He smiles. "No Amanda, I only promised that I would check in on you from time to time and they wouldn't hear from me about those visits unless you were in serious trouble and needed them. Otherwise, no news is good news. It just gives them piece of mind knowing I'm peeking in on you now and then. You won't begrudge them their piece of mind now, would you?" He smiles at her and her belly clenches. He really was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. "Are you married." Her hand flies to her mouth. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business, there goes my unfiltered mouth again."  She is walking around the kitchen island feeling the need to put some space between them. She heard him mutter something, but she couldn't hear what and then he says, "No, Amanda, I'm not married." "Why not, I mean you're a handsome guy and I bet lots of women would love to be with you. Are you gay?" Her hand flies up to her mouth again. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that." He chuckles, "I'm not gay, Amanda, the woman I wanted wasn’t ready for me yet." He is looking at her like she is a box of Girl Scout cookies that he wants to devour in one sitting. The door buzzes again and both their heads swing toward the door. "Well who could that be, you're the only person I know here and I doubt my parents would be coming to check on me this soon.” She opens the door and a man with a large paper bag that smells divine is standing there. He hands her the bag and leaves. "Oh my God this smells good, but he must have the wrong apartment. Wait, sir!" "It is the right apartment, Amanda, I thought after moving in you might be hungry, but too tired to cook and since you don't know the best places to eat yet..." She turns to him. "You bought me dinner? And flowers? If I didn't know any better, Ethan, I'd think you were hitting on me." She giggles nervously. Like that would ever happen. She sits the bag down on the counter and pulls out two plates, napkins and forks. She places them out on the edge of the Island where two barstools sit and starts pulling food cartons out of the bag. "So what are we having for dinner?" She’s avoiding looking at him. "Your parents gave me a list of foods you like so I could show you around to the best restaurants in the area. This is from Thai Divine down the street." He says watching her. "This is a lot of food, Mr. Harrington, were you thinking we'd be feeding an army?" "I just wanted to make sure you had choices, it's always good to have choices." A shiver runs up her body and the top of her head tingles as his voice rumbles through her. "I appreciate the flowers and the food, Mr. Harrington, you really didn't have to do this." "Oh, but I wanted to and will you please stop calling me Mr. Harrington, it makes me feel old." He says, running his hand through his hair. "Why?" She looked up and realizes he is still watching her. "Why did I want to or why does it make me feel old?" She blinks getting lost in his eyes and then shakes herself and looks down at her food. "Um, why did you want to?" "Since you are being so honest, Amanda, because you've caught my interest." Her mouth gapes and then snaps shut. "And please call me Ethan." She looks like she is frozen as she isn’t moving at all and maybe not even breathing. "I didn't break you already did I, is there a button to reboot you?" He says playfully and then says, “Breathe, Amanda.” She takes a breath and squeaks. "You’re interested in me? But I'm only 19 and your, how old are you anyway?” Her stomach feels like boulders are being swung around within it and she thinks she’s lost her appetite. "I'm thirty-two if you must know, but age has nothing to do with it. It has been a long time since I looked at someone and felt an immediate pull and I feel that with you. You feel it too if you'd be willing to admit it.” "I..." She put her chopsticks down because there was no way she was eating any of it now. Maybe later. She looks back up at him. Yes, she’d had a crush on him since she was fifteen years old, but he didn’t need to know that. "Okay, well yes I do feel something, but you're my dad's friend and that usually means off limits." "Yes, I am your dad's friend, that doesn’t make me a bad guy or anything. I am only human, Amanda." He looks at her with longing. She’s staring at him. "You're really tall, what are you six foot, four or so?" He smiles at her; she really doesn't have a filter. "I'm six, five." "I'm only five, three and that's quite a bit of difference." "Does that bother you, Amanda?" He is staring at her mouth and goose bumps race across her arms. "No... Do you like music, I haven't checked out the sound in here yet.” She rushes over to the speakers she had just set up before he got here. She flips through her phone and then turns on her Pandora to pipe through the speakers. It came on too loud at first and she turns it down. It sounds great. She closes her eyes as the music moves through her and she feels herself sway to the beat. He is suddenly behind her, looking at her reflection in the window. Even in the muted reflection, she can feel his eyes penetrating her. "Dance for me, Amanda." He whispers and then he moves to sit on the couch that faces the dance floor.  She swallows hard as she tries to block him out, but then the music is sliding under her skin and she forgets about everything else, she moves, sways, stretches, turns, twirls, kicks, leaps, rolls, and becomes the music. She lands in a heap, stretched out on the floor, back arched when the music stops. She is breathing heavily and feeling the aftershocks of the energy that thrills her while she dances when she hears clapping. She jumps to a sitting position. She had forgotten he was here as the music had carried her away. She feels heat flushing her face. "That was... lovely, Amanda. More than lovely, you are an inspiration, a Goddess." He says quietly. She walks over to him, flushed and slightly out of breath. He reaches for her, taking a hold of her hand and pulls her to him and into his lap. She chokes as it is suddenly hard to breathe.  "You have an unconventional beauty that becomes ethereal when you dance. I've told you I'm interested, are you interested Amanda, or should I give up hope that you could ever be interested in me?" His voice is so quiet and intense as he brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. She swallows hard and lets out a shaky breath. "I..." "Would it help if I kissed you, would that open your mind to the possibilities?" She looks at his lips, his full kissable lips. She doesn't understand what he sees in her. She is young, not sophisticated at all. "What does sophistication have to do with anything?" He says frowning. "Did I say that out loud, I really need to learn to filter my mouth.” “I’d rather do something else with your mouth.” And he lowers his head and lightly brushes his lips with hers and she opens her mouth in a gasp and he deepens the kiss, kissing her hard and then pulling back, out of breath and runs his hand through his hair. "Do you want me to stop, Amanda, all you have to do is tell me to go, and I will go. Do you want me to go, Amanda?” "No..." She chokes out. "Then tell me, Amanda, are you interested, may I take you out, spend time with you so we can get to know each other?” His fingers trace over her swollen lips. He can’t resist and he leans in again, this time he forces himself to go slow. Hovering over her mouth, breathing her in, his hand moves up and curls around her neck and pulls her to him. He licks across her lips and they part. He tugs at her bottom lip with his teeth and she lets out a little moan and he can't hold back anymore, he takes her mouth, hard, plunging into her depths and their tongues swirl and dance. When he finally pulls back they are both breathless.  She is stunned. "Why are you interested in me? I mean look at me? You are so beautiful and I'm plain Jane." "Oh Amanda, there is nothing plain about you and the wild energy within you is bursting to come out." She rolls her eyes. "I am interested in you because I feel... more, when I'm around you and I want to explore that and see where it takes us. Are you willing to explore with me, Amanda?" "What do you mean, explore?" "Everything, Amanda, I want to explore everything with you from taking you to museums, to the opera, to the movies, hiking, shopping and making slow sweet love to you." She chokes and starts coughing as she thinks she has inhaled saliva. "Breathe Amanda." And he pats her on the back. She clears her throat. "I'm, I haven't, um, that is to say..." "What is it Amanda?" "I've never..." "You've never what Amanda?" "I've never had s*x before." She blurts out. "Oh...Well..." He grins. "That only makes me want you more." "But I'm not experienced, I have no idea how to do anything, I won't know how to... or... And you said you like older experienced women!” He pulls her to lean against him and strokes her arm, her head on his shoulder. "At this moment I am only interested in you. You don't need to know any of those things. I will show you what I like and we will discover together what you like. But that is for another time. He kisses her nose. Right now, I want to finish eating and I'd really like to hear your answer." "My answer?" He took a long, slow breath. "Do you want to explore with me?" Did she? If she went on how she feels, the answer would be yes. By how he looks, God yes, but she really doesn't know anything about him. Hence he wants to explore with her. "Okay." His eyes light up. "Okay?" "Yes, I would like to explore with you." He leans forward and kisses her gently this time and then carefully lifts her up and sets her on her feet on the floor. “When does your new job start?" "Not for a week. I wanted time to get settled in and explore the city a bit before my schedule became too hectic." "That's perfect, be ready tomorrow by ten a.m. Wear a short dress and sandals. He kissed her nose and leaves. She is so confused.