My Mother's Boyfriend

21- Fantasy

Maya

The next day, on campus, Soren, my lab partner asks me out. As in on a date. The others from our group have their mouths open. Except one guy who just slaps him on the back, playfully, as they all jeered and poked fun at us for the next minute while excitement and dread enter my system.

Excitement because I had actually been asked out at the very point in my life when I thought I wanted to but dread because I am married to the Don. And knowing my life did not turn out as I hoped it would add a bit of bitterness towards my depression.

“No?” he goes on with what he clearly thought was a conversation between us, a slight vertical frown appearing now. The others go back to their notes while my brain tries to gather itself.

Firstly, I tried to get my heated cheeks to cool. This is the one and only time I had ever been asked out. I mean, not that I am ugly, but before when guys tried to, I always turned and walked away- okay twice only.

And now that I think about it, I am uncertain if they were indeed asking me out back then. Honestly, I figured if I was not attracted to them, then I did not want to waste my time. I figured it was God’s way of making me concentrate on my studies.

Until now.

Since getting married to Alejandro, I have been wearing the slightest bit of make-up. So, I am a bit easy on the eyes now, I guess. And Soren is not bad-looking himself, with his brown curly hair.

“Uh, sorry, no,” I manage to get out. Well, I could not very well just allow the guy to die because my husband felt bad, could I? Under normal circumstances, I think I would have said yes. But nothing about my life is normal.

“Burn,” Oliver, another hunk but taller with dark hair jokes out and pushes his shoulder as he is nearest to him.

“How come? You have a boyfriend back home?” Soren goes on as if it was the most casual conversation he is having.

Meanwhile, I am a bit on edge. Flattered, nervous and deathly scared at the same time.

“No, no boyfriend,” I am quick to deny, my heart racing as adrenaline entered the show.

“Lesbo?” Meg is quick to chime in and my flushed cheeks grow more heated. It’s almost taboo for me to even entertain that thought.

Meg is the most outspoken in our group of seven. Freckles and red hair with the cutest nose. Pretty is an understatement when describing her but also, I think she is a bit too much. She has this way of speaking too freely and it makes me and sometimes others skirmish. She has the body and height of the next top model and even brags about being offered to do commercials that she has turned down.

Avyay, a dark-brown-skinned guy with the thickest hair and most beautiful nose I have ever seen, speaks next. “Why is everyone a l*sbian or something or the other with you? The real question should be, dear Meg, are you gay?”

When Meg opens her mouth to defend herself, he raises a hand and goes on while we all agree with him but never have the bravery to say it. “Because dear, don’t deny, you are. FYI, not because someone doesn’t a guy means she wants you, okay?”

With an exaggerated rolling of eyes, he gets up and fits his strapped bag over his shoulder and mutters, “Tomorrow guys. Peace.” Raising two fingers in the air to motion the peace sign, he leaves us under the shade of the thick trees.

“I gotta go to,” Mackenzie, the silent one of our group, hurriedly puts on her sneakers that she likes to take off when we are sitting on the grassy lawn, and chases after Avyay. It’s obvious to all- including the guy she is chasing behind that she is crushing on him hard. He does not encourage her, but he does not put her off either.

Ryan and Oliver, the two from our group that is here for the sake of football, also get up and makes their exit. Both are muscled everywhere and pretty smart considering what is usually said about sports-loving folks.

“Way to go, Meg,” Soren shakes his head and stands up, offering his hand down to me.

“It’s not my fault that they-”

“Nothing is ever your fault,” Oliver grates out and does not say anything else as he leaves.

In the past month we have all sort of casually formed a sort of friendship. What’s weird is that they were not really close until I came in, Soren had informed me and that warmed me up inside.

I think I have started to make roots here.

My joy ends when my alarm goes off, marking my wait for the Noimichael's residence.

Yet, once again, as I lie next to Alejandro, despite how much I loathe this man, who sleeps so comfortably every night after a world of evil during the day, I wish he would turn around and hug me while we sleep. Instead, his back and mine face each other as both turn to the edge of the massive bed.

His scent, just him, no cologne, invades my nostrils and I smile contently while I replay the night that I am unable to forget. My first kiss.

Him, pulling me intimately into his masculine chest. His warm breath fanning my cheeks as he whispered something to me that I could not translate, nor do I remember what he said to use a translator.

But my mind takes me back anyway to that toe curling moment when he parts his lips and places a finger beneath my chin, and he says whatever he said, to me.

Warmth spreads inside me again and I replay it over and over until the sweet bliss of sleep takes me.

Chin being brought upwards and my eyes meeting his. Somersaults in my belly when his eyes drop to my lips. My heart palpitating when his head lowers and his mouth moves closer to mine.

On that night, I had been so nervous and scared at the same time that I could have thrown up. But now that it has become my fantasy, I welcome him. And instead of my hands pressed against his hard chest between us, I now have them entwined in his hair.

And instead of the chaste kiss he gave me, my fantasy has us exchanging saliva. Although I had never done it before, I have watched enough kissing on-screen to know how to fantasize.

And so, knowing in my dreams I could make him whomever I want him to be and become whomever I could be, I do so. I alter our reality to my favourite book where we fall in love within our first meeting. I manipulate time and send us back to a simpler time where he was not rich, and neither was I.

There were no phones or even electricity. Magically, I knew how to bake bread from scratch. Of course, I also know it is not real, so I do not bother with the finer details of how, when or why.

I can feel myself smiling as I am between awake and sleep.

Our family was not our own and we never met any of them in our lifetime there on the farm except Anthony. But he was not related to me there and was the governor who took a shine to us farmers.

A content life, we lived.