Chapter 15 of 16

Chapter 15 of 16: Hanna and Erin travel to the national championship to see Trevon’s team win. At the post-game celebration event, Hanna and Erin congratulate Ryan, then Trevon and Karina. The semester ends and Erin goes home to her parents for the summer. Erin tells her parents she’s in a relationship with Hanna. Erin’s parents invite Hanna to come and meet them.

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We awakened early, took the car to the plane and landed in the city where the national championship would be played that evening. Trevon and the team were in preparation for the game, so I had no contact with him. I texted him *good luck, I love you.* He replied, *thank you, I love you too.*

Erin and I checked into the hotel, had an early dinner, then went to the stadium that was filled with spectators, activities, pregame events, and excitement. I was wearing Trevon’s jersey. Erin didn’t want to wear Ryan’s and I understood that.

The team won the national championship! Trevon was named most valuable player. Because of the crowds and security, we were not allowed to enter the field, or the players area. We would see them at the celebration event later that evening.

When we entered the post-game event, it was mobbed with people and the atmosphere was electric. The large hall for the celebration was beautifully decorated, with lots of food and drink. A DJ was playing dance music.

We saw many people from the event last week that we said hello to. Then we saw Ryan with Julia. He left Julia behind while he came over to greet us. I kissed, hugged, and congratulated him. Erin did the same, which I thought was very classy for the way Ryan treated her. I complemented her on doing so. She grabbed and held my hand, kissed my cheek, and said, “I’m happy for the way it turned out. I’m with you only now.” “Erin,” I said, “This is the reason why I love you so much.” We looked at each other and smiled.

I looked over and saw Trevon, holding hands with Karina. Trevon looked so handsome and attractive wearing a custom-tailored suit. Karina was gorgeous – stunningly beautiful. Her hair and make-up were professionally done, and she was wearing a flowing designer dress. She looked as if she just walked off the runway at a Paris fashion show. They were obviously being cared for by his talent agent - that was going to make millions by placing him with a professional team.

We struggled to make our way through the throng of admirers. They saw us and we hugged, kissed and congratulated them. It was hard to have a conversation with all the commotion. We spoke briefly, said goodbye, to talk soon. As we turned to leave, Karina reached out to grab my hand, she wrapped her arm around my back and whispered in my ear. “Thank you for sharing your man with me,” she said. I looked at her, then whispered back, “He’s your man now.” I smiled and walked away.

The school year ended and Erin was going home to live with her parents for the summer. I was unsure about the future of our relationship. She knew exactly where I wanted it to go. I was unsure if what I wanted was what she wanted. I took her to the airport, we kissed and hugged at security, and we started to cry. I was relieved to know that she would miss me as much as I would miss her. We would have to rely on FaceTime to keep our love going.

The first week was tough being without her. FaceTime helped, but not like her being with me. Instead of renting a storage locker, she kept all her dorm room belongings with me. Her clothes were in my closet, her bedding was in my storage room, her make-up and toiletries in the bathroom were now ours. Her furnishings were in my garage. A picture of us in a loving embrace looking at the camera was my iPhone wallpaper. Everywhere I looked, she was constantly on my mind.

The weeks after that were bearable, but I missed her so much. She would say the same which made me happy. She returned to her summer job as a beach lifeguard, and she arranged to have four days off so she could come to see me. I was absolutely thrilled.

I waited near airport security for her to appear and was excited - but nervous. I was still madly in love with her – but was she still the same with me? I wanted to have a future with her. She was 12 years younger. She needed to graduate, get her first real job, and have all those professional and personal experiences before settling down with someone. I started to fear I would deprive her of that.

Erin appeared and she ran to me. We held each other tight and kissed passionately. It was the sort of behavior that was more appropriate in private, but I didn’t care. As a result of her lifeguard job, she was tan, leaner, and more fit. She looked more beautiful than the last time we were together. I didn’t think that could be possible. I was so happy to be with the woman I love. We went to get something to eat, then went back home to make love that afternoon, evening, and into the night.

As we were ready to sleep for the night, she cuddled with me, gave me kiss, and looked into my eyes. I could feel her love flooding me and it made me so happy. “Hanna,” she said, “I have something to tell you. I wanted to wait until this moment.” I was eager - but also concerned about what she was going to say. “I told my parents about you. I told them that we’re in love and are in a committed relationship,” she said. I didn’t know if this was good or bad. I said, “how did you parents take the news?” “They were shocked,” she said, “unsure of how to respond. They became more uncomfortable when I told them you were the stepmother of my ex-boyfriend.” “Oh,” I replied. “That’s a lot for your parents to process.” “It is,” she said. “They asked me if I was a lesbian. I responded that I’m bisexual, but I don’t know if I’m a lesbian.” I was concerned that her parents didn’t approve but thrilled to know that Erin is coming out to others about our relationship. I was starting to think there may be a future for us.

I said, “How did you find the courage to do this?” “Well,” Erin replied, “They instigated it. When I was in high school, I was dating Tyler. We fell in love and it became pretty serious. My parents knew his family, loved Tyler, and wanted me to marry him some day. My parents knew that I broke it off with Ryan, and Tyler had been out of a relationship for a while, so the families conspired to get us together, hoping we would rekindle something lost.”

“Oh,” I said. “How did that go? Did you go out with him?” “Yes,” she said, “we went out on a few dates, which thrilled my parents, and we had a nice time. I was no longer into him, and he felt that when we were together, so he didn’t try to kiss me or anything like that.” I wasn’t sure how to take the news. Was she no longer attracted to Tyler, not attracted to men, or still in love with me?

“When my parents kept asking me about Tyler and pressing me to continue to go out with him, that’s when I told them about you and our relationship.” “Hanna,” Erin continued, “I realized that I love you so much, think about you all the time, and want to be with you as much as possible.” Her words were so wonderful. A warmth of love came over my body as I kissed her again and cuddled more closely.

“Now comes the good part,” Erin continued. “They were very unsettled for a few days after I told them about us. But they’ve come around. They want to meet you and asked me to invite you to our home before the end of the summer.” I was so thrilled with the news. “Oh Erin,” I said, “that so wonderful darling. I’m so looking forward to meeting your parents.”

“Oh, and by the way,” she added, “I have one more thing to tell you. I stopped taking birth control when I was no longer with Ryan.” Her words brought tears to my eyes. I smiled while I continued to hug and kiss her.

The days went by quickly and soon she was heading back home for the remainder of the summer. Once again, I was missing her terribly.

The day came when I arrived at the airport to be greeted by Erin. It was so great to be with her again. I couldn’t hold back the tears of joy while holding her, kissing her, and telling her how much I loved her.

When I met her parents, they were warm and welcoming as they gave me hugs and kisses. As we spent more time together, I wasn’t sure what they thought of our relationship. Clearly, they would have preferred Erin be dating a man, similar in age. Perhaps they were comforted by knowing me as an older, wiser, and more responsible companion to their daughter, that wouldn’t accidentally get her pregnant.

One day, I met her at the beach while she was working. I was delighted to meet her coworkers that were her friends. I was more delighted that she introduced me as her lover. Erin had opened up our relationship and that just made me love her more.

I said goodbye to her parents as Erin was ready to take me to the airport to return home. Her dad gave me a hug and a kiss and asked me to come to see them soon. I said I would. Her mom also gave me a hug, a little tighter, that lasted a little longer. She let go of me, looked into my eyes and said, “I’m so happy for you both. I’m glad you’re together.” I was overcome by her heartfelt comment, and tears started to well in my eyes. “Thank you,” I said to her, “I’m so pleased to hear that. It means so much to me.”