***Chapter Twenty***
The time felt like it was going by slowly as I wait for Keegan to arrive. At first I was sitting in my dorm but that got boring. The next best choice was to come sit out under the big oak tree to catch a breeze. I had an hour to spare as I took the time to call my mom back. She wanted to talk about the situation with my dad and since I’m alone, it’s the perfect time too. At least no one would see me crack this way.
I called her up, waiting for her to answer. Once she did, her smile filled the screen like she was happy I called back. If these were normal circumstances, I would have sooner. However, they were not and I’m dreading what she had to say to me. She’ll probably yell at me for acting like a brat. Given the situation, she couldn’t fault me too much.
“My beautiful daughter has a phone. I was thinking you lost it,” she eyed me.
I smirked. “Hello to you too, mother,” I say, not amused by her joke.
She smiled, the corners of her mouth indenting. “Hi Annie,” that’s what she called me. “Now, what’s this about ignoring your father’s calls?” She questioned.
It’s not my first choice, but I didn’t know what else to do. My father still meant a lot to me, and I loved him. Forgiving him was just hard to do. When you up and leave, it’s difficult to forget. The way things played out left a sour taste in my mouth. I’m surprised my mom wasn’t as upset as I was. Though I guess she could’ve seen it coming better than I could. She was the one in a relationship with him. I’m just their kid.
Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair, trying not to let my emotions flare. “I’m not ready to speak to him yet,” I say.
“You have to be ready at some point, Annie. With the holidays coming, you’re going to see him.” It killed me she was on his side about this.
Rolling my eyes, I took a breath before speaking again. “Yes, and by then I would have sorted out my issues. It’s just taking some time.”
My mom gave a sigh of her own. “Just promise me you’ll call before the semester ends,” she made me promise her.
It’s not one I think I’ll be able to keep, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. At some point I am going to talk to him and it wouldn’t be fun. Though I’m going to put it off for as long as I can. The man repulsed me at the moment for what he did. Hearing his voice, seeing his face, the sheer thought of him made me feel anguish. My mom was a lot better than I at handling things. I’m sure that it’s because she doesn’t want me seeing her as upset about it. It’ll piss me off even more.
Either way, I promised her I would talk to him before the semester ended. The only thing was figuring out when I would. He’d probably keep calling and calling until I answered. It would be much better if he waited for me to call him instead. At least then I’ll know I’m well enough to speak without losing my shit. He was still my father, who is still trying to have a relationship with me. The least I could do was reciprocate that feeling.
Luckily, there was no more time to think or talk about it, as I spotted Keegan walking in my direction. He didn’t see me and looked lost at first. It made me laugh at how he aimlessly walked, asking no one for direction. I’m thrilled he showed up this time. He kept to his words, and that’s a step in the right direction for us.
Quickly hanging up the phone with my mom, I stood up to wave at him frantically so he would see me. Almost immediately, a smile grew on his face as he jogged over to me. He wore the tightest shirt known to man and as he was jogging, I could see his pecs bouncing along with him. The guy was so hot it should be a crime. So much so, he was getting looks from a few of the ladies outside with us. Too bad he was here to see me.
Once he got in front of me, he didn’t waste anytime hugging me tight. I almost dropped with how amazing his body felt. My hands did not know where to go and had a mind of its own. The feel of his back was rock solid, followed by his arms, which were gigantic, but also rock solid. I even got to run my fingers across his pecs, and they were also immaculate. What kind of work out was he doing?
Noticing this, Keegan laughed, keeping his hands at my waist. “Someone liking what they’re feeling,” he winked at me.
My cheeks turn crimson as I look away. “Sorry. My hands have a mind of their own,” I apologize.
“Don’t even worry about it. I’m just glad I’m finally seeing you, Anna.” His smile grows brighter.
That gorgeous, pearly white teeth smile would always send me into a frenzy. It’s safe to say that I liked Keegan from what I can tell about him. He was sweet, gentle, and didn’t mind how much I admired his body. There was still lots to learn about him, but from the looks of it, it’ll be easy. We were already quite comfortable with each other. I mean, he was holding me pretty close right now. Is it bad that I loved every second?
I could have loved it more if it hadn’t been for a familiar face riding by. Drew was skating on his board once his eyes locked in on us. He looked shocked to see Keegan here, but even more shocked to see him holding me the way he was. I couldn’t tell if he was frowning or not, however, he did not look happy. He masked it pretty well, I must admit.
Hopping off his board, Drew walked over to us with this serious expression on his face. He looked at me and then at Keegan like he was trying to get a read on the situation. Personally, I thought he was acting strange. Then again, this is Drew. When wasn’t he acting strange? It’s like that was his middle name or something.
Keegan didn’t seem to notice, or he did, but ignored it. “Drew, what’s up?” He said, untangling from me.
Drew’s facial expression didn’t change. “Hi Keegan,” he says, dryly. His eyes avert over to me. “I was going to see if you wanted to go to the skate park, but I see you’re busy.”
I gulped. I’m not sure why I felt nervous. “Maybe we can go later?” I suggest.
He gave a tight-lipped smile before nodding. “Bye, Annabelle,” he skated off once more.
The energy between us felt different today. Something was off about his whole demeanor. I’m assuming it had to do with Keegan. He seemed to think he was up to no good, but I can’t judge based on his words alone. I needed to find out for myself if it was even true. He could just say that so I wouldn’t talk to him. Though that would be ludicrous on Drew’s part. It’s clear he was not happy with me. I’m sure he’ll get over it, though.
In the meantime, I could hear Keegan laugh as we watched Drew walk away. I couldn’t tell what was funny, but he laughed anyway.
“You know, I don’t think he’s ever liked me,” he remarked.
I shrug. “Hmm, Drew’s always like that,” it’s true. “He’s so…closed off.”
Keegan looked at me like he knew something I didn’t. “Closed off or into you.” Here we go again.
I’m so tired of everyone saying that Drew is into me. There’s no plausible explaination that’ll make sense for him to like me. It’s very unlikely that he’d have a crush on me while having a girlfriend. His behavior was worrisome, though it could be chalked up to several things. I wish everyone I meet would stop saying it. It’s getting quite ridiculous at this point.
I roll my eyes. “Anyway, you want to get some Gelato with me? It’s pretty good,” I switch conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Drew when we were supposed to be spending time together.
Keegan chuckled. “Sure, I could go for some of that.” He agreed.
We walked over to the spot I remember going to and the line was quite long this time around. Neither of us mind as we wait to place our order. Once we did, we picked a place to sit and chat while enjoying our sweet treat. I probably shouldn’t have taken him to a spot where I went with Drew, but it’s the only thing I could think of. On such short notice as well. We didn’t plan out our day very well. Though, I also was expecting him to ditch me again, so there’s that.
In short, we were having a wonderful time sitting together. Even though there were a plethora of eyes on him, he kept his attention focused on me. It gave me a sense of what it would be like to truly date Keegan. He couldn’t help that he was attractive, but it would get annoying having people constantly staring like they want to devour him. Obviously, as a bartender, he was used to this kind of thing. It peeved me a bit, however, I would not let it bother me too much.
Enjoying his gelato, Keegan looked around, amused. “So, you’re a college student? I should have guessed that when you asked my age.” He smiled.
I nod. “Does that bother you?” I wondered.
He shakes his head. “Not at all, though it makes me wonder how old you are.” I was hoping he wouldn’t ask.
I twirled my spoon in my cup. “19 but a very mature 19.” I tried to sweeten the load.
“Ah, so you’re fairly new to college then, I suppose.” He noticed.
I never considered how he would feel talking to me who’s 19 years old. Him being 21, there was obviously a difference. I didn’t mind him being older than me, but he could want someone who’s at least 20. Hell, I’m sure older women tried hitting on him while he was working the bar. All this to say, he could find someone more suitable for his taste. I mean, what exactly were we going to find that we had in common? Our lives were going in opposite directions.
Still, I hoped that wouldn’t be a deal breaker. I needed this to work by any means necessary.
Licking my lips, I got nervous, thinking it turned him off. “Is that too young for you?” I asked him.
He laughed again. “Anna, it’s like a 2 year difference. I think we’ll be ok.” It didn’t bother him.
I sigh with relief, smiling at him. “You never know, you might not know what to do with such an innocent girl like me,” I joke a bit.
“I’m thinking you’re not so innocent, though,” he joked back.
Again, my flirting was the absolute worst. I did not know what I was doing and made myself cringe every time. As long as he played along, I’m assuming it was ok. He had to know I’m a complete novice with anything regarding dating. I barely knew what to order off the alcohol menu. There’s no way I was going to know what to do with this stuff.
We still had a good time and needed to do this again. Somewhere better than being on my campus. He had a plan to take me out somewhere special, but being that he had to be a work, we stuck around so we’d be close by. It was a nice first step and now I’m hoping we could take it a little further.