“Do you need anything from your place? We’re leaving for California in a couple hours. I’d like you to meet my grandparents.” Erika would be the first person I’d ever taken to meet them. I was surprised by Erika’s reply, though.
“If we’re going to California, I’d like you to meet my parents, Con.” I had never met someone’s parents before; well, I had never been in love before, either. I was excited, though, excited to fall deeper in love with Erika as I learnt more and more about her.
“I’d love to, Erika.” She told me she didn’t need anything per se except clothes, which I told her she didn’t need to worry about. I’d have them brought to the house when we arrived. I asked Erika not to bring her work things. I wanted us to spend the week away from work or any other commitments. I didn’t work this hard to not be able to take a break.
Erika and I left for the airport; I was genuinely so happy. I didn’t know how to tell Erika that she was absolutely amazing for giving me a chance, so I said what I thought would articulate everything I felt best. “I love you, Erika.” We were in the car, and the chauffeur looked back as he heard me say it. I think it was the first time he heard me say it, in all the years he had worked for me.
“I love you, too, Con.” Just hearing those words come from Erika’s mouth made me giddy. I felt like I was in middle school again. I reached for Erika’s thigh, and I leaned toward her and kissed her. She kissed me back, but with more intent than just a peck. In just a few moments, Erika was sitting on top of me with our lips interlocked and our breathing heavy.
“Sir, we’ve arrived.” Erika hopped off me, embarrassed, as we both realized we’d reached the airport. I got out of the car and helped Erika out.
Just as I turned to the plane, I heard Katherine say, “Hey, Con!” I just realized how bad this could be when Erika mockingly asked me if I’d slept with her, too.
“Yes, I have, once. Before I met you.” I felt like Erika would turn back and head home, but she decided to keep walking. Though, she did put my arm around her. I guess she was okay with my past, as long as everyone knew she was my present and my future.
Just as we walked past Katherine to get into the plane, Erika teasingly said, “I love you, Conner.”
I knew at that point I had to reply. It was a test, one I didn’t expect, let alone appreciate, but after everything I had done, I owed it to her to comply. “I love you, too, Erika.”
Chapter 18
Erika
I couldn’t believe he was taking this so seriously. Why would he think his past would matter? We had worked through our issues, and I was genuinely excited to meet his grandparents. I knew he cared for me, though. It was clear, after he cut his brother off, cleared his schedule, and asked me to go away with him. As we sat in our seats, I noticed how comfortable they were.
I had never flown in a private plane before, I mean, who does this kind of stuff?
“Conner, you know I was joking, right?” In an attempt to clear out any doubt, to make sure there would never be any ambiguity in our relationship, I wanted to confront him about this whole Katherine thing.
“What do you mean, Erika?” I could tell he was confused, which meant he had taken my playfulness in the wrong way.
“When I told you I loved you in front of her, I was just being a tease. I didn’t mean anything ill by it.” Conner smiled as if all his worries had passed.
“Thank God. I was so confused, it didn’t seem like something you would do at all.” It really wasn’t, but I realized that Conner and I really didn’t know each other. After all, we’d only spent a couple weeks and a single night together at this point.
“Tell me about them, Conner, tell me everything.” I moved closer toward him and rested my head on his wide chest. “I want to know everything about you, Conner.” I glared at him, his emerald eyes shown majestically as he stared back at me. I could tell he had been looking down at my cleavage. After all, one button of my blouse was open. I had no time to change since I went to the office this morning and I needed to get comfortable.
Conner began to tell me about himself. He started right from the beginning, from when he decided he wanted to become a hedge fund manager. Conner told me that his grandfather and him had planned it out. He was always so good with mathematics that it seemed like the profession was made for him, which it turned out it was.
Conner stopped and looked into my eyes once more, turning his gaze from the aerial view of the East Coast to me. “I would do anything for my grandparents, and honestly, money has never been an issue. Pa and I had a plan and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I’m glad I can look after them now, though, it means the world to me. I remember when I was leaving for college, I hadn’t been the best student up until then. I was spoilt. My dad’s money made it feel like I didn’t have to work, not like the other students. Pa dropped me off at college, and just then as I hugged him and was about to start my four year journey, he told me that I had to leave my own mark on the world, just as he did, just as my father did. It’s then that he gave me this ring. His literature professor had given it to him to mark the success of Pa’s first novel.”
Conner kept going on and on about his family, his work, his personal life. How he had only fallen in love once before with his high school sweetheart but was too immature to appreciate what he had. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he regretted losing that relationship, but it wasn’t that he missed her or longed for her. He just regretted how immature he was. He was humiliated by who he used to be. I placed my hands around his neck and kissed him under his jaw.
“Thank you for telling me, Conner.” I tried to take it all in, in just three hours I knew everything there was to know about Conner Roland. He didn’t hide anything. I didn’t need to ask him about his previous sexual partners, partly because I was afraid of the answer, and partly because it didn’t bother me.
“What about you, Erika? It’s your turn.”
I laughed as I looked at Conner. "We’d need some wine for that.” He smiled from ear to ear as he held on to me even tighter.
“Katherine, could you please bring us some wine?” I don’t know how that wasn’t awkward for him, or for her for that matter, but she smiled and nodded. She returned shortly with a tray with an ice bucket with a bottle of wine in it. Katherine placed the glasses in front of us and proceeded to open the bottle when Conner stopped her.
“I’ll manage, thank you, Katherine.” She returned his kindness with a smile. I think he did it to minimize the time we’d all share together. Maybe it was a bit awkward for everyone involved. As Conner began to pour the wine into the glasses, he shook his head at me, as if to tell me to start. So, I did.
“Well you know I went to NYU, but you don’t know why I left California. I guess I’ll start there. Before I do, though, did you run a background check on me before we met for the first time?” I was curious because he knew what I looked like, when my birthday was, and where I studied before I told him.
“Yes, I did. I also bought SunLit because of you.”
I was completely flabbergasted by both his honesty and the extent of trouble he was willing to go through for his brother. He sipped his wine as he said, “I knew I wanted you when I saw your ID badge headshot.”