After swallowing everything in her mouth, she laughs, and I get goosebumps at the sound of her musical voice.
Turning back to me, Christina says, “Thanks, Joe. Hey, can I have another berry?”
“Uhm…yeah…sure.”
I go to hand her a berry, but instead, she opens her mouth, so I feed it to her. I catch myself holding my breath, so I remind myself to breathe; I’m so nervous. She smiles and thanks me before turning around to talk with Denise.
Kendall stands up, and Christina takes his place next to Denise, so he comes over and sits next to me.
Kendall leans next to me and, in a low voice, says, “Joe, I need to tell you something, but you have to swear you didn’t hear it from me or that you heard it at all.”
“You know I don’t swear; what’s wrong with you, Kendall?”
“For crying out loud, Joe. It’s a figure of speech. You know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah, yeah…I’m just messing with you.”
“I’m serious, Joe. You can’t breathe a word of what I’m going to tell you.”
I’m getting hot, and my groin has calmed down, so I sit on the edge of the spa, and Kendall follows.
“Okay…sure. What’s the big secret?”
“Well, it’s like this…Christina was asking about you.”
“So? She’s curious about who I am. Big deal.”
“No! Joe. She was asking…about…you.”
“So what? I don’t get why this is such a big secret.”
“You know…sometimes you can be really dense.”
That’s when the light bulb comes on. She was asking about me? She’s interested in me? No way! I look at Kendall with disbelief.
“No way! Did you see those guys she was with at Bob’s last week? Why in the world would she be interested in me when she hangs out with guys like that? I’m a nobody compared to her.”
Kendall laughs, and I don’t get the joke. “Those guys? The tall ones?”
“Yeah, you know, the ones that could snap me in half without even trying?”
“Yeah…I know them. Those are her brothers.”
“Her brothers?”
“Yeah. And let me tell you, they are very protective of her.”
“So, what you’re saying is that I’m taking my life in my hands if I ask her out.”
Kendall laughs again. “Nah. They’re there to keep the creeps away. They won’t bother you.”
“How do you know so much about her family?”
“What’s to know? Our dads have done business together, and they’ve been to our house a few times.”
“Oh.” A gazillion possibilities scream through my head. “So, you think I have a shot with her?”
“Uhm…yeah. But you have to open your mouth and talk with her first…you know, break the ice, and then ask her out. I’ve seen you work the system…you know what to do.”
“I guess. I have no idea what ‘system’ you’re talking about, but I’ll ask her out if you think I have a shot.”
“Cool. Don’t let me down.”
Kendall slides back into the water, and I follow him. Then, he wades back over to Denise and sits on the other side of her.
Christina finishes her conversation with Denise and slides through the water toward me.
“Can I get another strawberry, please?”
“As many as you want.” Reaching back, I grab the berries and present them to her. She takes a couple and pops them into her mouth. “I’m Joe, by the way. We danced together last week.”
“Yeah! That’s right. I thought you looked familiar. We did that swing thing.”
“Right.”
“That was fun. I was hoping we’d dance again, but I didn’t see you the rest of the night. Oh…uhm, I’m Christina.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Christina,” I say as I reach out to shake her hand. She looks down, smiles, and takes my hand, lightly shaking it. Her grasp is like a delicate flower, so I’m careful not to squeeze too hard.
“I’m surprised we’ve never met,” she says.
“Me too. I thought I knew everyone around here.”
“So…who is Joe? Are you in college too?”
“Uhm, yeah. Community college. I couldn’t afford to go to a university, so I’m working to save up while taking night classes. What about you?” I desperately want to get the topic of conversation off me.
“Yeah. I’m at UCLA…kind of the family place to go. Both of my parents and grandfathers went there.”
“That’s cool,” I say, trying to be as calm as possible.
I hadn’t noticed Christina’s eyes before now. They are magnetic green. Not bright or anything like that, but I’m drawn to them. Her lips are perfect; in fact, everything about her is perfect. I can’t believe I’m sitting here talking with her. After a few minutes of conversation, I forget about being anxious and just enjoy her company.
“Hey, Joe!” Kendall says in a loud voice, shaking me from my focused attention on Christina.
Turning to answer him, I notice we’re the only ones with Kendall and Denise in the spa. “Yeah?”
Pointing to his wrist, he says, “It’s getting late, dude.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. Sorry about that.” Looking at Christina, I say, “So…I guess we have to go. Can I call you sometime?”
“I’d like that,” she answers. Then, standing up, she wades over to Aimee and has a quiet conversation with her.
Meanwhile, I help Kendall clean up. I’m about to go into the house and change when I’m stopped by Christina.