Full Strength

Scottie

I had spent the entire dinner trying to ignore Mr. Gould’s disapproving glances and comments. I wasn’t hurt by how he was acting, but I was annoyed. It didn’t hurt me in any way because the rest of Dean’s family took to me like their own. So, to make the night better, I pushed Dean up against the building wall and kissed him. I pulled away and smiled up at Dean.

                  “Well,” Dean laughed, “that was unexpected. Nice, though.” Dean kissed me again.

                  “Let’s go get ice cream. Let’s try to finish the night out fun. I love your mom by the way.” We walked hand in hand down the sidewalk.

                  “My mom loves you, too. You know, I am sorry about my dad. He’s never been satisfied with my life choices.” Dean was rubbing his thumb over my hand.

                  “Yeah, I could tell. But it’s okay. My feelings aren’t hurt.” I flashed Dean a grin as he held the door open to the ice cream shop.

                  We ordered our ice cream. Dean got a chocolate ice cream cone, and I got a bowl of mint chocolate chip. We sat outside at a table with chairs. For a while, we sat in comfortable silence. Neither of us felt like we had to fill the air with conversation. That’s what I loved about us. We never felt obligated to do anything for each other.

                  “Are you coming to Pittsburg with the team on Monday?” Dean asked me as he was finishing his ice cream.

                  “Dean, I have school on Monday.” I looked at him sarcastically.

                  “Oh, yeah. I kind of forgot about that for a minute.” Dean laughed.

                  “What did your dad say to you after dinner?” I asked shyly.

                  Dean looked at me seriously, “It doesn’t matter, Scottie. He just can’t stand that I’m not following in his footsteps.”

                  “I know it technically doesn’t matter, but I just wanna know what he said to you about me. You know I say I don’t care what other people think about me, and I really don’t, but I still want to know.”

                  “He thinks we aren’t right for each other. He said you have more important things to worry about, like school, than have a boyfriend. And then I have hockey and shit. He just said that we are going down different paths right now and blah blah.”

                  I let all that sink in for a minute before responding. Dean’s dad had a point in what he was saying. Dean and I may not on the same wavelengths right now, with me working on college and lacrosse, but somehow, we’ve made it work this past month and a half. In reality it hasn’t been long, but it feels like we have been together forever. There is just something about the way Dean and I are together that is perfect. We never feel pressured to do anything for each other, but we know what the other is thinking, or wants, or anything really. We know each other so well, yet we have only known each other for a little over a month. It’s so strange, but I think we both know that it would take a whole lot of something for us to ever break up.

                  “You know I love you, Scottie. It would take all the forces on Earth to make me stop loving you.” Dean grabbed my hand that was resting on the table, and started stroking it with his thumb. It was the first time either of us said those words. My eyes shot up to Dean’s, both of us unsure what to say next.

                  “Shit. Okay, you don’t have to feel obligated to say it back.” Dean got flustered, which I thought was adorable, “I do love you though, a whole freaking lot. Like, I fell in love with you so quickly, and I know it’s early in our relationship, and I know you don’t like to rush things, or get into that entire lovey dovey shit. But, man, I love you, Scottie.” Dean took, what seemed like, his first breath since starting is speech, but I couldn’t help but smile throughout the whole thing.