Walking up the driveway, I spotted Ramsey’s Jeep parked next to Steve’s car. He was here already? I quickened my step, as I couldn’t wait to see him.
He was seated at the kitchen table with Joanne and Steve, and Lauri was nowhere in sight. As soon as I appeared in the doorway, he stood up, walked over to me and picked me up. He placed a kiss on my lips and said, “I heard we got good news,” and then kissed me again.
He placed me on my feet and stood in front of me, holding both of my hands, smiling. It was obvious that he had showered and changed. He looked gorgeous in a grey tee shirt, cargo shorts and his green and grey Nikes. His hair was once again perfectly messy and the smell of his cologne was intoxicating. I was actually a little embarrassed and self conscious that I hadn’t taken a shower, nor had I brushed my teeth since the night before.
“Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” he asked.
“I am hungry, but I’d really love to take a quick shower if that’s ok. I’ll be ready in 20 minutes, tops,” I answered.
“Don’t rush. It’s been a while that I’ve seen these great people,” Ramsey said, pointing to Steve and Joanne. “I’d love to catch up with them.”
“Cool, thanks,” I said as I headed to the hall to grab my duffel. I got a towel from the hall closet and slipped into the bathroom. I threw my hair up into a bun because washing it would take way too much time, and I jumped in the shower. It was the quickest shower I’ve ever taken, and I brushed my teeth immediately when I got out. I dried my body off, put a minimal amount of make up on, threw some clothes on and made my way back into the kitchen.
“Ok, I’m all set,” I said, feeling and looking refreshed.
“Let’s go to the diner before we hit the road,” Ramsey suggested.
“Well then you’ll have to come back here to call Karen’s mother,” Joanne told him. “I promised that I’d have Karen call her right before you guys leave.”
“That’s fine. It’s only 1:30. We can go to the diner and come back here before we head to Queens. Is that ok with you, Joanne?”
“Yes, honey. You guys have fun. See you later,” Joanne said with a smile.
Ramsey went over and shook Steve’s hand and gave Joanne a kiss on her cheek. “Great to see you both,” he said.
“Great seeing you, David. Don’t be a stranger, ya hear,” Steve said.
Ramsey smiled before taking my hand and leading me out the door. He opened the passenger side door of his topless jeep and motioned for me to get in. I did and he closed the door for me. He hopped into the drivers seat and turned the key, making the engine roar to life. He looked at me and smiled as he drove away.
It only took about five minutes to get to the diner and when we arrived we were seated immediately. I couldn’t have been happier because I hadn’t eaten anything all day and I was absolutely starving. I was overjoyed being there with Ramsey and didn’t even get a chance to look at the menu by the time the waitress came.
“What can I get for you kids?” she asked.
“I’ll have a BLT with fries and gravy on the side. Oh and a ginger ale too, please. Thank you,” I answered, practically salivating thinking about the food I just ordered.
“And what can I get for you, handsome?” she asked Ramsey.
Smiling, he said, “I will have exactly the same thing. Thanks,” and he folded his menu, picked up mine and handed them both to the waitress before she walked away. “I can’t believe you just ordered my favorite diner dish,” he said, reaching for my hand across the table.
“Great minds think alike, right?” I said, smiling back at him, placing my hand in his.
“I know this sounds cheesy, Kid, but I think it’s more than that. I feel such an intense connection with you and it’s something I’ve never felt before. I thought about you the whole ride home from Jersey. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I didn’t even call Lauri’s house, I went there as soon as I dropped Billy off. I want to be around you, always,” he said.
I looked at him cockeyed and asked, “If you went straight to Lauri’s, when did you shower?”
“I showered at the motel. When I got back there this morning, there were people sleeping on the floor and I was so pissed. I hopped in the shower as quietly as I could and got dressed when I was done. When I was ready to leave, I stood in the middle of the room and shouted that everyone had to get the hell out. Billy was more than pissed, but I told him that if he wanted a ride home from me, he had to leave at that moment.” He paused for a second to laugh. “I barely gave him a chance to pee before we got on the road.” He paused for another second and said, “So, what do you think about what I said before? How do you feel about that?”
I smiled because what he said made me happy. However, the admission of his feelings brought up a different feeling for me. Yes, I did feel like I had an amazingly intense connection with this guy, but maybe Lauri’s analysis of us was spot on and I found myself regurgitating her words. “Ramsey, that is so sweet, really, but we’ve only known each other for 24 hours. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every second I’ve spent with you and I’m sure I’ll miss you when I go home tonight, but you have to remember that I don’t live here. I live over an hour away from here. You’re going to school in Pennsylvania in a few months and then we will be even further away from each other. And, I just got out of a relationship that destroyed me. I’m not really ready to be so serious with someone right now.” I felt bad saying what I did, but it was true. I tried to search his face for some kind of emotion, but I couldn’t read him at all in that moment.
My uneasiness with the words just spoken was interrupted by the waitress placing our food in front of us.
“Thank you,” we said simultaneously.
As I started to dig in, Ramsey said, “Karen, you don’t have to be uncomfortable with your feelings. Don’t feel bad. I totally get it. I didn’t expect you to say anything other than what you said. I’m not saying let’s move in together right now, I’m just saying that I feel good about myself when I’m around you, and I really like that feeling. I respect your wishes and I will take things as slow as you want. I just hope you want me to be there waiting when you’re ready. If you don’t, tell me so I can go find Nicole,” he said with a grin from ear to ear.
I threw a fry at him. “You’re a jerk.”
“But am I a jerk you’ll consider getting to know a little better?”
“Absolutely.”
We finished up our food recapping the weekends’ events. I never mentioned the car ride home or what Lauri had said to me, although it was on my mind. We left the diner and headed back to Lauri’s house so I could grab my things and call my parents.
When we walked in Lauri’s door, she was now seated at the kitchen table with her parents having a bite to eat. We all made cordial small talk as I dialed my phone number to let my mom know that we would be leaving in the next few minutes. After she gave me her best be safe speech, I hung up the phone. Everyone stood up to bid us farewell, except for Lauri. She simply sat there and said, “Bye. Have a great ride home,” in a tone that dripped with sarcasm. Lauri was my best friend, my sister, and I was so hurt by her behavior. I didn’t know what I did to deserve that treatment, but I was going to let it be for the time being and call her in a few days.
Ramsey took my duffel bag out of my hand and leaned down to whisper, “She’s probably on the rag,” in my ear. It made me laugh out loud, causing Lauri to roll her eyes at us.
“Bye guys. Thanks for everything,” I shouted as we made our way out the door.