“What do you say we get going?” Rob piped up. “It’s going to be a long drive home.”
“Just let me get my bag,” Ryan said, letting me go almost as if he was reluctant to do so.
We all followed him to baggage claim, where it seemed like everyone in the world had gathered to collect their luggage. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to locate Ryan’s bag.
On the way out a very pretty blonde girl gave Ryan a long appreciative look. I stared daggers at her until Ryan took me by the wrist and said, “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
He held my hand as we followed Rob on the walk back to the car. When we got there Rob suggested that Ryan get up front with him and I could sit in the back.
He talked most of the way, since Rob had said he wanted to hear everything about Ryan’s time away. Most of what he said was similar to what he’d told me in his email, about how the country was beautiful and the people were great and all that.
Believe it or not, I was sort of bored, and even a little miffed with Rob for taking all of Ryan’s attention. When we got back to the house we ate a buffet lunch that I had prepared the night before, then came a long afternoon of sitting in the living room and talking. Again,
Rob hogged Ryan, but I got to sit next to him on the sofa and occasionally catch his eye and smile sweetly at him, or take one of his hands and give it a quick squeeze. And once I told him, “I’m just so glad you’re home,” and I nearly started crying again.
Finally, Ryan said he wanted to go check in with some friends of his, and he asked me if I could drop him off, as his driver’s license had lapsed.
“Sure,” I said, forcing myself not to shout. Ryan went upstairs to his old room to change out of his travel clothes. When he came back down he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that was totally tight on him.
I smiled when I saw him, and I knew that the way I was looking at him was not very motherly…
Ryan didn’t seem to mind, and even gave me a kind of flirty smile in return, which made me blush.”Come on, mom,” he said. He headed out the front door and I followed obediently.
Once we were on our way I asked Ryan if he was going to visit some of his old high school friends.
“Nah,” he said, watching the road through very dark sunglasses, “I don’t hear from any of them anymore. I just wanted some alone time with you…”
My heart skipped a beat at Ryan’s bluntness.
Ryan stared through the windshield silently for awhile, apparently seriously considering something.
“So where are we going?” I asked after a short time.
Finally, he shrugged again and said, “Can we just drive around?” He paused again. At the next stop sign, Ryan announced, “some place downtown, where we can get something to drink.
As we got underway again Ryan asked me, “So, what did you think of my friends thinking you were my girlfriend?”
I felt myself blush deeply. “Did they really believe that?” I replied with a note of disbelief.
“Well…” Ryan began.
I looked over at Ryan. He was trying to watch me at the same time avoiding my looking at him. “Did you ever tell them I was your mother?” For some reason, the idea popped into my mind that he might not have explained it to them.