Mr. Johnson

Twenty-Four

Killian Johnson

SUNDAY

I park in the driveway of a beautiful brick house with perfect landscaping. I double check the text to make sure I am at the right address. I glance back at the front door to see Ali locking it behind her.

Holy shit.. this is the right house. Mental note to not go back to my shitty apartment.

She smiles as she walks to my car. Her dark hair is curled, and she has a stunning red dress on with black heels. Her dress reminds me of Grey's red hair.

Stop, Killian.

Ali opens the passenger door, sliding into the seat, "Hi."

"Hi," I scan her body over, "You look... wow."

Her cheeks blush, "Thank you."

I look at the house one last time before pulling away, "You have a beautiful house."

Ali shakes her head, "Another good thing that came out of my marriage."

Did she marry a billionaire?

We arrive at an Italian family owned diner close to the Elementary school Ali teaches at. I pull her chair out for her to take a seat.

"You are different from most men, Killian."

I laugh, "You barely know me."

"You are already better than any of the men I do know."

We order a bottle of wine and an appetizer.

"So, Killian, have you ever been married?"

I purse my lips as I flashback to looking for an engagement ring for Meredith, only weeks before I found her sleeping with Thomas, "No."

Ali takes a sip from her wine glass leaving a smudge on the rim from her red lipstick, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-Eight. You?"

She smiles, "Twenty-Five. Any siblings? You give me only child vibes."

I laugh, "I have a sister. What about you?"

"I actually am an only child," her fingers stroke the stem of her wine glass, "What do you teach?"

My head shakes, "Wasting no time, I see."

Her shoulders pull up into a shrug, "What can I say? I'm curious. I keep waiting to discover your red flags... there has to be a reason as to why you are single."

I have heard that before.

"I have had relationships, they just haven't worked out. Right person- Wrong time kind of thing, I guess."

Ali reaches across the table, placing her hand on mine, "Timing is everything, isn't it?"

"Tell me about your son."

Her eyes light up as she smiles, causing eye wrinkles out of pure joy, "He is my whole world. I honestly didn't realize the purpose of life until he was in mine. I hate that he looks just like Jay."

"Your ex-husband?"

She nods.

"How long were you married?"

She chews the inside of her lip, "I met Jay in High School. We dated for three years before we decided to get married. A few months after we were married, I found out I was pregnant with Ezra," she takes a deep breath, "We were nineteen and twenty, no where near ready for kids. While I was stuck at home with morning sickness and swelling, Jay was screwing every girl that he worked with. I tried to make it work for the sake of our child, but I filed for divorce around Ezra's first birthday."