A Father's Advice Goes Unheeded (Part Six)

It had been a month since Liana’s unexpected kicks, but to Jackson it was as if it had just happened yesterday. He found himself thinking about it quite a lot – to the point it even forced itself into his dreams on occasion (which were his best dreams even if he was afraid to admit it). He did find the fondness with which he remembered the scene surprising, like somehow his brain had buried the memory of the sickening, unbearable sensation that came with Liana’s initial contact to his jewels. All he was left with was the juxtaposition of the embarrassment and excitement that came with curling up at her feet. The part of him that got angry disappeared into the recesses of his mind while his libidinous side perked up and dominated his thoughts.

Though they’d had amazing sex twice that day, once before dinner and once after, their schedules had not aligned very well over the past four weeks. They’d gone on a few dates and hooked up once more but there had been no more serious talk about what had transpired, though Jackson couldn’t stop himself from picturing that smug look on Liana’s face after she’d smashed his balls, right up and through his orgasm. He was a little disappointed by her seeming lack of continued interest on the subject, considering how animated she’d been that night, but at the same time it relieved him a little as well. He was cautious by nature after all. Maybe she was, too, and the wine had just loosened their tongues.

At the time, Jackson felt they were on the verge of making a real connection, not that they weren’t in tune with other, but there was something deeper at play it seemed to him. Something more intimate. They’d been seeing each other for nearly a year but up until a month ago, he’d have never suspected Liana to capable of what she’d done. Of course, she’d probably never expected him to stick around afterward, either. But here he was, still around and even wishing he had the nerve to explore the subject more.

He was supposed to take Liana out this Saturday but his mom had emailed asking if he could come for a visit since his sister would be in town, too. He hated to put off their date since time together had been limited but he hadn’t seen his sister in a year, and considering she hadn’t even made Christmas last year, it might be another year before he saw her again.

As he spooned a mouthful of cereal, Jackson wrestled with what he should do. He was sure Liana would be bummed, not unlike himself, but she would probably understand. On the other hand, his mother, most likely, would not be so understanding. He didn’t visit a ton so setting aside a few days shouldn’t be a big deal, especially with his sister in town.

An idea popped into his mind, so seemingly ridiculous, that Jackson shook his head even though he was alone in his apartment. No way, he thought to himself. That’s too much to ask. But was it? Liana had met his parents a few times when they were in town but they’d not spent more than a few hours over dinner each time. Would an entire weekend with his family be too much? They’d been together almost a year and that was a long time in his book. You’re putting the cart before the horse, dummy, Jackson chided himself. It’s already Wednesday and you don’t know what Liana has going on this weekend besides your date. Setting his spoon down, Jackson stared into the pastel milk left from his Fruity Pebbles and scrubbed at his face. What to do, what to do.

All morning, as he dealt with the myriad of small fires that came with managing projects, Jackson pondered his options. The more he thought about it, the more he really wanted Liana to come with him. They could drive in late Friday and leave early Sunday, so it didn’t even need to be a lengthy stay. He sent Liana a text asking if she had time for a call at lunch. She did.

“Hi Jax. What’s up?” Liana asked over the crunch of a carrot stick.

“Not much,” Jackson answered, trying to sound nonchalant. “How about you?”

“Just trying to squeeze in some lunch between appointments. Are we still on for Saturday?”

“Well, about that,” Jackson said, his voice sounding uncertain. “Any chance you’d be up for a visit to my parents’ this weekend instead?” He asked, his voice rising hopefully as he spoke. There was a long pause where all Jackson heard was munching from the other end of the line.

“Well,” Liana said after audibly swallowing her bite, “I was supposed to do yoga with Tammy Saturday morning but if we don’t have to leave until after work Friday, I don’t think Tammy will care if I bail. So sure.”

“Um, okay,” Jackson stammered, shocked that she’d agreed. “It’s about a four hour drive, so we shouldn’t get there super late or anything. My parents will be thrilled. Oh,” he said, remembering about his sister. “My sister will be there, too. Will that be a problem?” He crossed his fingers.

“I didn’t know you had a sister!” Liana exclaimed. “How did I not know that?”

Jackson laughed. “Well, she’s a bit older than me and she live across the country. Because of our age difference we’ve never been super close. But I haven’t seen her in a year or so.”
“Huh,” Liana grunted. “I guess I can understand that. But, no, I don’t mind that at all.”

As Jackson hung up, he blinked several times, surprised at how easy it had gone. But he was certainly glad for the extra time with Liana that a road trip would provide.

All that evening and right up through when he picked her up, Jackson considered the various ways he could break the ice about what’s been on his mind. He could try to trap her into talking about it with a leading question but that felt too devious. He could hope that something came up between now and then that he could mention, like a little anecdote of sorts. He wondered if maybe she’d be wearing heels, since she usually wore them to work and he could make some quip about how they “looked dangerous”. He waved off this idea as sounding too lame. If he had a hundred ways to bring it up, he found a hundred reasons to keep it to himself. It was infuriating.

Finally, Friday afternoon rolled around and Jackson still hadn’t settled on a way to broach the subject, and he still hadn’t when he pulled up to Liana’s apartment. After texting he was out front, Jackson slammed the back of his head against the headrest. Think, Jax, think!

As Liana struggled out the heavy glass doors of her building, Jackson hopped out of the car and rushed up the walkway. “Let me take that for you,” he said, reaching for her small, wheeled suitcase.

After depositing it in the trunk, Jackson grabbed the passenger door and helped Liana into the car. As he did, he noticed Liana was indeed wearing a nice pair of high heels, silver in color with a two inch spike. He also noted the sharp point at the end of her toes.

Though his glance was quick, Liana couldn’t help but notice the flickering gleam in Jackson’s eye as he caught sight of her heels.

“I saw that,” she needled him as he buckled up and put the car in gear.

“Saw what?” Jackson shot back, looking past Liana into the side mirror.

“Don’t play dumb,” Liana said, rolling her eyes. “I saw you checking out my shoes. If I remember correctly, I haven’t worn heels around you for quite some time. In fact,” she paused, like she was trying to remember when, though she knew exactly when that last time was, “I think it was about a month ago.” Liana inclined her head and flashed Jackson a saucy grin.

“Maybe, I guess,” Jackson said, stealing a glance at her from the corner of his eye.

“Maybe, my ass,” Liana laughed. “You know damn well. It was the night I kicked you in the balls. Twice! I sure as hell couldn’t forget.”

Jackson cringed but it was merely a surface reaction. In truth he was delighted. All that time wasted, worrying about how to approach Liana and somehow he missed the obvious. Just cut to the chase. Suddenly, the four hour drive didn’t seem so daunting.