The Dating Game

SEVEN

Chase's eyes wander up and down my body, analyzing the black of the jumpsuit against my skin. I take a quick glance down at it myself, making sure he's not trying to point out something that may be wrong with it.

Suddenly, he lifts himself off of the couch and pounces towards me, his hands grabbing at my waist. I lean the opposite way to avoid getting pushed too far into his vicinity, but his hands pull me closer to his chest. A mischievous glint shimmers in his toothy grin as he stares into my eyes, emitting his usual cocky energy.

"What are you doing?" I almost whisper, backing my face away from his as far as possible. My hands are pushing against his chest to set some distance between us.

"We should kiss." His eyes sparkle hungrily as the words escape his mouth so casually. As if that's something people just say out of nowhere. He must be crazy.

"Yeah, no," I say, pushing his face away with my hand.

"Michelle, don't play hard to get." He releases me from his grip and wipes his face off with his hand. "We still have to kiss some more, like you said."

"Yeah, but I just kissed you yesterday. I need a break from your lips." And a break from him in general would be nice too.

"Exactly! You did kiss me yesterday! So, there's nothing to worry about now!" He grabs an apple from the fruit bowl that sits on top of the island, and he bites into it, continuing to talk with his mouth full. Seriously, was he ever taught manners?

"Besides, it's not like you're a bad kisser," he reveals with a mouthful of apple, "I think you're pretty good for a first-timer."

"I am not-" I think about correcting him, but when I realize it's none of his business and I don't actually care enough to tell him, I forget about it.

"Whatever. Just give me some time, okay?"

"That's what you said last time and you kissed me in a matter of days."

I start to hear my parents' bedroom door open and that's when I realize I shouldn't say anything back to him. The entire time Chase and I had been talking, I almost forgot my parents had gotten home a few minutes before he arrived, keeping to themselves in their room for the past hour. And considering we were just talking about kissing, I'm grateful for the sudden feeling of my mouth being stitched shut.

Mom walks out of the room first, trying to push a large hoop through the hole in her ear while Dad follows after her, adjusting the tie on his suit. They're both dressed nicely, cocktail-party type of nice. Mom's form-fitting, royal blue dress compliments the dark tint of her skin beautifully—that color has always looked phenomenal on her. And Dad's suit is simple, just like him. Most of the time.

"Michelle, come help me with this?" Dad asks me, the frustration cutting through his voice as he fails his knot for the third time. I make my way over to him and fix his tie like he asked, deciding to omit the teasing I would usually throw at him. Lately, he hasn't been in the mood for jokes.

"Who's this, sweetheart?" I hear Mom ask from behind me as I finish up Dad's tie. I don't even have to look back to know who she's talking about.

"Mom, that's my boyfriend, Chase. I told you guys about him, remember?"

"Ah, the boyfriend," Dad says, crossing his arms the way he always does whenever I mention a boy around my age. I'm an adult, for God's sake. At this point, it's just sad.

Except now, I'm starting to realize this is the perfect opportunity to set my master plan in motion. First step, introduce Chase to my father face-to-face. Next, watch Dad say some crazy dad shit to him. Lastly, Chase gets uncomfortable and starts making excuses to see me less and less, and bam. I get to enjoy a life where I see Chase a maximum of once a week, and we still win this game. This stupid game that I'm playing just to prove a point at this rate.