Page 44 of Eight Weeks
All this time I thought I missed Sofia like crazy, but fuck, I suppose I missed her parents too.
I always liked them, they were nice to me, took me to their picknick dates every Saturday morning so Sofia wouldn’t be all that alone. But there was always another aspect I liked about them; their admiration for Lily.
I hated it when someone couldn’t stand my sister, but Sofia’s parents invited Lilyandme over to sleepovers after our parents split up, even though they knew Sofia and I would spend half the time arguing and Lily would babble for hours on end.
But I can suck it up. I’m a grown man now, I can approach old acquaintances without smiling and going nuts.
It seems Sofia spotted her parents as well because her hand interlocks with mine without any hesitation. My heart skips a couple of beats at the contact, so many, I have to tell myself—yet again—to keep it down. I’m here to help Sofia, not to fall in love with my once childhood crush.
Not that I was planning on falling in love just right now.
“Sofia!” Karin waves at us, her smile wider than anyone’s I’ve ever seen. Before we even get to approach Sofia’s parents, about a million different emotions run over Karin’s face. She goes from happy to confused, to surprised and God knows how many more.
Peter, however, he just looks me up and down and nods like he couldn’t care any more if he had to. He then whispers something to Karin only to have his eyes back on me a second later.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were talking about AaronMarshon the phone!” Karin says the second we’re standing right across from Sofia’s parents.
Does this mean I can get visibly excited now? I think it does.
The corners of my mouth tip up into a subtle smile.Still got to keep it casual, don’t want to come off as strange.
“Look at you all grown up.” Peter slaps me on the back as he chuckles. “Cleaned up nicely.”
“Peter!” Karin glares at him with a warning.
Sofia sighs, banging her forehead against my shoulder as if she’s regretting all her life decisions. Too fucking bad, she’s stuck with me now. At least for the next two and a half weeks.
“It’s nice seeing you again, Mr. and Mrs. Carlsen.”
Just like that, I earn myself another slap on my back but this time a less greeting one. “Don’t tell me you forgot our names, son.”
I have not. How could I? Ever.
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you what I thought was going to happen if I ever met Sofia or her parents ever again, but it wasn’t anything like this.
I gave up on expecting Sofia and I ever meeting again, but we did. We don’t get along the way I thought we would, and we certainly don’t have the relationship I dreamed of having with her years ago. But at least she’s back in my life.
And her family? Well, I didn’t think they’d welcome me with open arms.
???
After giving me a tourof their house, we stand in a pretty blank guest room. All white walls, a well-made bed, sort of empty room. I suppose guest rooms don’t have to have character or signs of someone living there, but that doesn’t keep me from wondering why they didn’t addsomecolor.
The rest of the house isn’t all too colorful either, but it’s lived in. There are pictures of all the three kids everywhere, wedding photos from Karin and Peter, anything you could think of. So why is thereoneroom with nothing but white walls, a dresser, and a double bed?
“You can stay here,” Sofia says. “I know it’s not much but—”
“Here?” Peter’s eyebrows fall into a confused frown. “I thought Aaron is finally your boyfriend?”
Finally.So she did think about me a lot when we were apart? Or maybe not. There’s a chance Peter just always saw her with me, which, I know my father did.
Sofia doesn’t answer her father. She rolls her eyes and shrugs him off.
I look at Sofia, holding a hand to my heart when I say, “Yes, Icicle, I thought I am yourboyfriend. We slept in one bed many times before, why can’t we now?”
Sofia narrows her eyes at me until my blood stops rushing through my veins. I’m sure if she had a knife, said knife would have been stabbed me a million times by now.
I just bet she expects me to say I’m okay with staying in the guest room, which I would be… if Sofia and I weren’t supposed to act like we’re in love.
