End of the Beginning

Mr. Webb and Lisa were confused about why we were sleeping separately. An easy lie fixed that one. We were fighting. Lisa looked amused, but Mr. Webb was concerned, especially when we refrained from going into it.

I was the first one up. Sleep came and went, but never stuck. Eventually, I gave up and took a shower. From there, I took a key and wandered off alone.

The place was dead with everyone still asleep. The fireplace was still going, so I simply huddled up by the fire and let my thoughts drift. My nerves pulled at me, but I refused to let them control me as my mind desperately tried to predict what would happen today. Was the original plan still a go, or was this a return to how it was before? I clung to the small orb of hope inside me, but I prepared myself for the worst.

A lot of the day was spent there by the fire. I watched the sunrise in the big windows and people begin to stir around the resort. My mind replayed old memories. The fun times with Kaylee. The not so fun times. Sitting here with some distance, I could see the destructive path we were on. I’m glad Kaylee was smart enough to see it because I sure as hell didn’t. Maybe that was why she was so worried. I would have followed her into the fires of hell without a word of complaint.

I eventually retreated to the room after women started to hit on me again. I felt a bit of dread not knowing what I would be walking into, but was relieved when the only one there was Mr. Webb.

“Hey, Scott. Missed you this morning.”

“Ah… Yeah. I needed some time to think.”

“Everything okay?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“I think so.”

“This about last night?”

“Kinda.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

He nodded and I glanced around. When I looked back, he was smiling. “Not here. They are having their mother-daughter bonding time in the spa.”

“Ah,” I said, remembering Kaylee said something about that earlier in the trip. I guess she couldn’t escape it after all.

“Give her some time, she’ll come around. Kaylee can have a temper on her, but she'll cool down soon enough.”

“Yeah…” I said. That was the hope. A glance at the clock showed time was slipping away. I didn’t know what would happen if she didn’t ask me out today. Was that permanently, or did she just need more time?

“Want anything to eat? I’m getting a bit hungry myself.”

It had been a long time since I ate, so I was starving. Together, we headed downstairs to one of the small restaurants. We made small talk before ordering our food. Once the waitress left, Mr. Webb sighed. “I’m not going to pry or get involved in your relationship with Kaylee, but as a man who went through the whole dating thing with a Webb, I can tell you it gets better.”

“Huh?”

“I love my daughter with all my heart, but she has a lot of her mother in her.” He gave me a small smile. “Don’t tell her I said that though.”

“Secret is safe with me.” Shit. Was this another, ‘Since you are dating my daughter…’ conversation? Oh man, this was going to be super awkward if this whole break-up thing stuck.

He nodded thankfully. “Listen, Scott, I don’t mean to pry or try to insert myself in your relationship, but I can’t help but notice certain things. Like how Kaylee still invites Sean over quite a bit.”

“That is—”

“None of my business, I know,” he said softly. “And I won’t sit here and bore you with advice or treat this like some job interview, so I’ll spare you all that. I do need to say one thing though, and maybe it is something you don’t want to hear, maybe it is. I’m sure by now you know Kaylee is rather experienced.” I nodded. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem like a boy who is on the opposite side of that spectrum.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Believe it or not, I was rather shy too for most of high school. It wasn’t until my friends got me into weight lifting that I broke out of my shell.” He waved it off. “That aside, I have seen Kaylee with a lot of guys over the years. There were several times where I thought things would go somewhere before Kaylee got bored and moved on.” He shook his head. “Just like her mother I guess. Anyways, I know how tough that can be. I guess what I want to say is that I have never seen Kaylee as happy as when she is with you. It may not seem like much to you, but for me… Thank you, Scott.”

I never expected him to thank me. It made me feel horrible considering Kaylee was technically my ex-girlfriend right now. I doubted he would be saying all this if he knew I had been a huge reason why his daughter had cried last night.

But being here alone with Mr. Webb made me realize the opportunity I had. I suppose I could have asked my dad questions like this, but we never talked about sex or relationship things. I’m sure he would, but there was always that distance there like he was always afraid of something. I suppose I could relate. I guess it ran in the family.

“Mr. Webb, how do you get used to it?”

“Hmm?” he asked, setting his water down.

“The other day, I uh… I walked in on Li—Mrs. Webb with one of the staff members here.”

He sighed. “Believe it or not, she used to be worse.” I believed it. “But you are asking the wrong question, Scott. It’s not a matter of getting used to it. I know sex education downplays us D and F ranks because we can’t ‘contribute’ like a fertile guy does, but that doesn’t mean we or our happiness is any less important. A relationship is something unique to you and your partner and is about balance. It’s not a competition of who can be happiest nor is it something where it's all about making one happy at the expense of another. I mean it can be, but those are never healthy. It’s about finding stuff to enjoy together and respecting your partner. There are a lot of things that Lisa does that I’m not into, but I’m okay with them because we talked and set boundaries. There are things she wants to do outside those boundaries, but she doesn’t do them because she loves me and respects me. It’s the same for me too.” He shifted in place. “Let me give you an example. I’m not sure if Kaylee has told you this or not, but Lisa and I host sex parties regularly.”

“She mentioned them,” I said, fighting off a blush when I remembered her talking about joining in one.

“Okay. Well, that is an example of that balance I’m talking about. It allows us to choose who we bring in and enjoy ourselves in a controlled environment. I understand that she will have sex with other guys, just like she knows I will have sex with other women. I know it sounds weird considering we are with other people the entire night, but it is something we do together as a couple.”

“Sometimes I just feel so overwhelmed.”

He laughed. “Well, yeah. You two are just starting and Lisa and I have nearly two decades together over you two. It takes a lot of work to find that balance. Constant work. Even after being married for over a decade, there are still things Lisa and I have to work on. People change and relationships have to change with them. It’s a never-ending process.” He smiled. “But when you find the right person? It’s the best thing in the world.”

Our food came and we ate. No more relationship talk after that thankfully. Instead, we discussed upcoming movies before going our separate ways.

I wondered, thinking about what Mr. Webb talked about. I wondered if things would have been different if I heard that advice earlier. Probably not, but it would be helpful in the next relationship. Hopefully, that was still with Kaylee.

That was looking less and less likely. Dawning my winter gear, I headed outside to watch the sun dip behind the neighboring mountains. Standing in the freezing cold, I held my hot chocolate to my lips. It was almost cold now, but I wasn’t in the mood to throw it away just yet. The sky looked like it was on fire as the fading light-colored the clouds. It was rather beautiful.

“There you are.” Turning, I found Kaylee coming towards me, boots crunching on the snow. I said nothing as I went back to looking out at the view. “You are a hard man to find, you know that?”

“Have to be or I’d be swarmed with horny women looking to score.”

“Poor you.”

I took a sip of my lukewarm hot chocolate. Kaylee leaned forward, resting her arms against the railing and looking out at the scenery. I knew why she had come out here. She had made her decision. Fear and excitement warred inside me. I wasn’t sure which I wanted more, for the silence to continue or for her to tell me.

“Didn’t peg you for a, ‘Brood into the sunset,’ type of guy.”

“I’m not, but today is a special day.”

“Oh?”

“Last night, my girlfriend broke up with me, so forgive me if I’m in a brooding mood.”

She was silent for a moment as she looked over at me. “I see,” she said, looking away.

The sky was darkening, and the minutes were ticking by. I wanted to ask her, but I remained silent. This was her choice to make. The longer the silence dragged on, the less optimistic I became. My hope was like the setting sun, the longer time marched on, the darker things became. Kaylee on the other hand kept glancing at her phone like she needed to be somewhere else.

“How was the spa?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Relaxing, though my mom kept hitting on this cute—” She stopped suddenly. “Anyways, it was something I didn’t know I needed. Mom was strangely less intense than usual. What about you? How was your day?”

Tiring. The lack of sleep was catching up with me. “Besides running around to protect my chastity? I had lunch with your dad.”

She snorted at the chastity part. “Oh? What did you two talk about?”

“Future superhero movies.”

“Of course you did. Fucking nerds, the both of you.”

“Well, I needed a full belly to brood properly. It’s quite energy-intensive.”

“I’m sure,” she said with a deep breath, standing up. “Scott,” she said softly. My back stiffened. This was it. I could tell by the shift in her demeanor. “You told me… we could go back to being friends. Does that offer still stand?”

My stomach dropped to my feet as I caught my emotions before they showed on my face. So that’s what she chose. Well, I didn’t blame her.

“Yeah.”

She nodded and glanced once more at her phone. Why did she keep looking at her phone?

It slid back into her coat pocket as she looked up at me again. “It would be best if we went back to being friends.” And there it was. Stone-faced, I opened my mouth to answer her when she continued. “But thinking about it last night, I don’t see how I could ever be happy with that. I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but falling in love with you was never one of them.” Kaylee looked me in the eye, a smile on her face. “I love you. I love you, and I want the chance to prove that to you. Scott Hoffman, will you go out with me?”

Stunned, I stood there saying nothing. A moment ago, I thought this was going in a different direction. Seconds ticked past and she began to shift nervously as her smile began to fade. “Am I allowed to say it now?” I asked softly.

“God damn it, Scott!”

I grinned. “I love you too, Kaylee Webb. I have for a long time now.”

Throwing her arms around me, I saw a brilliant smile before she kissed me. My arms were about to pull her against me when she pushed away suddenly. She had a frown on her face as she pulled out her phone again.

“Something wrong?” I asked, annoyed.

“Yeah. They’re late.”

“Huh?”

She huffed, shoving her phone in her pocket again. “The fireworks. They’re late.”

I stared at her as she glanced upwards with a pouty expression. “Did you… Did you just try to time your confession to fireworks?”

She gave me a sideways glance. “Maybe?”

“That is super corn—”

“Romantic! You mean romantic. And it would have been perfect if they started on time, but no!” Off in the distance I heard a pop and whistle. A boom sounded as the night sky lit up in red and green. “You have to be fucking kidd—”

Bending down, I kissed her. She didn’t pull away this time, melting into me. In the moment, the fireworks above were nothing compared to the ones happening in my arms.

Separating, she smiled up at me as I saw her face light up in the different colors flaring to life above us. We kissed again before linking arms and looking up at the fireworks.

Sneaking a peek over at Kaylee, I enjoyed the sight of her smiling face. This was a second chance to do this right.

I vowed right there that I wasn’t going to waste it.