Furnished

After talking about college, boys, her 'ex' and life with her apartment mates, Megan told her mom she hadn't come home to judge.

"Thank you, honey, but I'll understand if you don't approve. I've been so caught up in feeling...happy again...that I never stopped to even think about how this might affect you."

Her daughter got up and sat down next to her mom then took her hands and said, "Did you just hear yourself, Mom? You said 'feeling happy again'. You haven't been happy since Dad died. So if this new guy of yours, however old he is—or isn't—makes you happy, then I'm happy for you."

Megan saw her mother tearing up and put her arms around her.

"I reserve the right not to like him, though. Especially if he's a loud, cocky, arrogant pri...guy."

Her mom laughed and assured her daughter that he was most definitely not like that before saying, "Oh. I almost forgot. His roommate, Tom, is coming over, too. Is that okay?"

Megan pulled away and gave her mom a look.

With a mixture of sarcasm and resignation she said, "Well, it's a little too late if it isn't, right?"

"He's very nice, too, honey, and I didn't feel right not inviting him."

Her daughter sighed loudly, shrugged, then said, "In that case, I promise to be nice, too. So no worries, okay?"

Rachelle wasn't sure Megan meant that, but took her at her word.

"I love you, honey!"

"I love you, too, Mom."

They hugged again before Rachelle said, "Okay. So I need your advice on what to wear."

Megan smiled then said, "This guy really matters to you, huh?"

Rachelle looked down for a moment, and as she looked back up, said, "He does."

"Okay. Then let's go take a look at what you've got!"

Not much had changed since the last time Megan looked.

"So...not sexy or sultry."

"No. Definitely not," her mom replied.

"But...pretty."

"Yes."

Megan stopped going through her closet then asked, "Do you still have that dark-blue skirt?"

"Sure."

"Lay it on the bed for me, okay?"

As her mom went to find it, Megan grabbed a top she thought was perfect for her mom. By the time she grabbed it, her mom had the skirt and laid it out.

As she laid it on top her mom said, "It's sleeveless."

"Mom? I'm half your age, but your arms look better than mine. If I had your arms, I'd wear sleeveless all the time. Trust me, this will look great on you!"

The stretchy, light-blue, ribbed top with a white border around the neckline looked very nice with the skirt which also had a thin black belt at the top.

"I'll need heels with that."

"Uh-huh. And your point is?" Megan teased.

"It's just...dinner."

"With a guy who means a lot to you."

Her mom hated when she turned her words around on her, but in this case she was right.

"Okay. If you're sure it's not too much."

"You have small, tight arms, your legs look killer, and your...ass is all that!" Megan told her as though it was common knowledge. "This is going to show them all off without being over the top."

"Are you going to wear jeans?" her mom asked before committing.

"I can change if it'll make you feel better."

"No. Wear what you feel comfortable in. I was just asking."

"I was going to, but I think I'll put on something a little nicer," Megan said, knowing this mattered to her mom.

The smile on her mom's face was worth the 'cost' although Megan wasn't sure what she was going to change into, but she went to her room and found something a little dressier than the comfy jeans she was wearing.

By the time she got downstairs, her mom was making dinner. When Megan saw her she said, "Dang, gurl!"

Rachelle turned her way then spun around and laughed while doing it.

"Oh, yeah! That's it!"

"You look nice, too, honey!" her mom said.

"Thank you, but I'm not trying to make an impression. At least not on this guy I don't know."

Her mom understood the cute top and pants were so she'd feel less self-conscious about being overdressed and thanked her.

"Mom? I haven't seen you this happy since...you know...so if putting on something nice makes you feel better, I'm happy to do it."

"Thank you, Megan. Now would like to really make me happy and help me with dinner?"

Megan hated cooking. She narrowed her eyes and told her mom to 'watch it' but pitched in and helped her get ready.

When the doorbell rang, Megan saw her mom freeze and tried not to smile.

"Would you like me to get it?"

"Why don't we both go? Together."

"Okay. Lead on!"

Rachelle opened the door as Megan stood there watching. The first thing she noticed was the face of the guy in front, and if this was Brad...holy smokes!

"Brad! Hi. Please come in," she said after hugging him then turning to Tom and doing the same thing.

"Brad? Tom? This is my daughter, Megan. Megan? This is Brad and his roommate Tom."

Everyone said 'hello' and as the guys walked in, Megan looked at her mom, used her hand to fan herself then mouthed, "He is SO hot!"

Her mom nearly laughed but kept it in as she told her guests dinner was almost ready.

"You have a very nice home, Rachelle," Tom told her as he looked around.

She thanked him then asked if she could get them anything to drink.

"Just water or iced tea for me," Tom said.

"Oh. Sorry. Yes, of course."

"Tea sounds fine," Brad also said.

"Marines that don't drink?" Megan said jokingly.

"I'm on a kind of health kick," Tom told her, a smile on his face that made Megan smile back.

This Tom was nowhere near as attractive as Brad, but he was still a very nice looking guy, and Megan found herself interested in getting to know him.

"Then iced tea for me, too, Mom," she said without looking away from Tom.

"Four iced teas coming up!"

Brad followed her to the kitchen where he quietly said, "You look...fantastic."

Happy she followed Megan's advice she thanked him and told him he did, too.

"I'm clearly underdressed," Brad replied with a smile. "I'm more ready for a barbecue while you're ready for a fancy, sit-down meal at nice restaurant."

As she poured, Brad stood right next to her and put his hand in her lower back.

"I wish I could kiss you," he whispered.

"I wish you could, too."

"Raincheck?"

"Definitely!"

They each carried two glasses to the table where Megan and Tom were already talking.

"You two seem to be getting along," Rachelle said as she set glasses down in front of them.

"Tom is a philosopher," Megan replied as she smiled at the older Marine pilot.

"I had no idea," her mother said.

"That's because he isn't," Brad quipped as he looked at his roommate.

"Megan is a pre-med student with a minor in philosophy," Tom explained.

"I guess perhaps I assumed...wrongly...that a Marine wouldn't be able to even spell philosophy let alone talk about it intelligently, but Tom immediately started rattling off concepts like epistemology and causality, and I must admit I'm more than a little embarrassed for stereotyping."

"My knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep," Tom said, being unusually modest.

"Something tells me that's not true," Megan replied, a big smile on her face as she got up to help her mom bring in the food.

"Tom is really smart. And he's cute!" Megan whispered once they were in the kitchen.

"Aren't you glad you changed?" her mom asked.

Megan rolled her eyes but laughed and so did her mom.

"And Brad. He's...freakin' gorgeous!"

Rachelle looked over her daughter and saw him then said, "He is very attractive, isn't he?"

Megan elbowed her mother and said, "Way to go, Mom!"

A second laugh caused Brad to say, "Should our ears be burning?"

"What?" Rachelle called back as though she had no idea what he meant.

He only smiled at her, and when he did, she got that warm feeling he often gave her and smiled back.

"We were just saying how much we appreciate our men and women in uniform," Megan said as she carried in the first dish even though she gave virtually no thought to the military. She wasn't anti-military, it just didn't affect her life. Or...it hadn't until now.

"I see," Brad replied, the look on Rachelle's face telling him the truth. "I guess we should have worn ours."

Megan looked at him, smiled, then said, "No. If my mom gets any more...enthused...she might swoon."

"Swoon! Ha!" her mom said, as she looked at Brad and smiled again.

"I'll tell you what. Your mom's got me right on the verge myself," he replied as he smiled back at the beautiful, older woman he couldn't stop staring at.

"Okay! Eat up!" Rachelle said as she set the last dish on the table.

Tom cut the meat on his plate, set the knife down, then took modest-sized bites and chewed slowly causing his roommate to notice and smile. He then saw the way Tom was looking at Megan and smiled again but didn't say anything.

They sat there for nearly two hours, the first eating and talking and most of the second just talking before Rachelle suggested they move to the living room. She refilled their glasses then sat next to Brad on the sofa while Tom sat in a recliner with Megan off to his side.

The spent another two hours talking non-stop about a wide variety of subjects that included flying, but neither of the pilots wanted to talk about themselves. Tom in particular was constantly turning the conversation back to Megan, and no matter what she said, he'd tell her that was 'fascinating' or 'very interesting'.

Megan didn't notice, but her mom did, and she knew that Brad noticed, too. It only took one quick glance at the other person to communicate that, and when it happened, Brad moved his right hand a little and touched her left. She raised her pinky and hooked his with it just for a second, but that was enough for Megan to notice.

"It's obvious you guy like each other, so there's no reason to be so formal," she told them as she looked at their hands, especially how quickly her mom's moved away when she looked.

"We're not being formal," her mom replied, a little defensively.

Megan gave her mom a 'yeah, sure' look then said, "You are allowed to hold hands. Or...whatever..."

Brad laughed then told Megan they could probably keep things under control.

Rachelle looked at him, smiled then said, "Well...maybe," just loud enough for him to hear as she offered him her hand.

"See? Much better, right?" Megan teased, a hint of smug satisfaction in her voice.

They talked for a few more minutes when Megan suggested they watch a movie which surprised her mom so much she let it show.

"What? What's wrong with that?" Megan asked, a little defensive herself.

"Nothing. I just..."

She looked at Brad who said, "I'm okay with that."

They all looked at Tom who said he agreed.

"Great! Let's see what we've got," Megan said as she got up and went over to the TV and DVD player.

"Are Marines allowed to watch anything romantic?"

Megan turned around with a DVD in her hand, and her mom smiled when, in her mind's eye, she saw her daughter as a younger girl with her first crush acting all sweet and coy.

"We can. We just can't let anyone know we did," Brad told her so seriously it took Megan a second to realize he was joking. "I'm not sure my buddy here has ever watched one, though."

"Hey! Easy over there. I've seen...Titanic," Tom announced, using the only title he could think of that was considered romantic and something he'd watched.

"Then Titanic it is!" Megan said, putting the one she'd chosen back and looking through the stack until she found it. She'd picked up Eat, Pray, Love, and after putting it back, realized it was probably a terrible choice.

She opened the case, popped it in, grabbed the remote, then took Tom's hand and pulled him over to the couch with her where she sat him next to Brad then squeezed in next to him.

She further surprised her mom when she handed Tom the remote control, because her daughter could be somewhat...controlling...at times. But evidently not with Tom who took it and skipped the advertisements as Megan jumped up and turned off the lights before sitting down and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Rachelle saw it and pointed so Brad could see without drawing attention.

"Oh, okay. They're outdoing us. Got it!" he whispered as he put his arm around her, and that made her laugh as she laid her head on his shoulder, too.

Three and a half hours later, the marathon-movie ended, and even though it was very dark, it was obvious that both of the women had teared up enough to have mascara running down their cheeks.

"I forgot how much I love that movie," Megan said as she got up to turn on the lights after grabbing a tissue on the way.

"Can I get one of those, too, please?" Rachelle asked, pointing to the box on the coffee table.

Brad handed her one and smiled when he saw her.

"I know. I'm...hopeless!"

He told her that wasn't true and said, "You're even more beautiful when you're emotional."

Rachelle believed what he said, and for a moment it was as though they were the only two people in the room as Brad looked at her as she finished dabbing her eyes. But when he softly kissed her, it was painfully obvious they weren't alone as the 'ahem' from Megan made them stop.

"We've probably overstayed our welcome, huh?" Brad said as he turned to Tom.

"Yeah. It's getting late," he replied as he looked at his wristwatch.

"It's not late!" Megan said as she slid back in beside him. "Is it?"

Not sure how to respond to that he looked at Brad who felt Rachelle sliding her arm through his.

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed a while longer."

"See? My mom wants you to stay, too!"

"I'm game," Tom told her.

"Come on. Let's go find someplace where we can talk," Megan told Tom as she again got up and drug him along.

He turned to Brad and shrugged and got a little laugh.

"Don't bore her to death with something like existentialism," Brad warned with a laugh.

"Existentialism turns me on!" Megan said as she kept walking and pulling.

"Megan likes Tom," Rachelle said once her daughter disappeared, as though that wasn't obvious.

"Is that too weird?" Brad asked.

"No. Why would it be?"

"Because he's my roommate, and I like Megan's mom."

"You do?" she asked, a happy smile on her pretty face.

"Very much."

"Oh," Rachelle whispered as their eyes met and locked.

"Is that okay?"

"Yes. Very."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh," Rachelle said as Brad's lips pressed against hers causing her to moan softly, unaware that she had.

"I like you, too, Brad. Very much," she whispered as their lips briefly parted before another longer, much more passionate kiss.

"May I ask you something?" Brad also whispered.

"Anything."

He brushed her back then said, "Is there a modern-day equivalent of...going steady?"

Rachelle smiled and told him she was probably the one to ask.

"Being as old as I am."

Brad laughed then said, "Ha, ha. But my question still stands."

"Maybe it would help to know why it matters," Rachelle quietly said as her heart began beating faster.

"I guess I was asking because...well, if I knew the word or term for it, I'd ask you to..."

"Go steady?"

"How corny is that?" Brad asked as he played with her hair, wrapping it around his index finger.

"It doesn't sound corny at all. At least not to me."

"Then...would you? Go steady with me?" Brad asked, his own heart beating faster as a part of him began to react.

"I would love to go steady with you, Brad Kyser," Rachelle said very sweetly as she leaned in and kissed him.

When she moved back, Brad said, "I think I might be falling for you, Rachelle Mosby."

She finally looked away then said, "I can't for the life of me understand why, but I do know that hearing you say that makes me happier than I can remember being in...many years."

Brad reached out and gently turned her face his way again, smiled at her then said, "Being with you makes me happy, Rachelle. Happier than I've been in..."

He paused for effect then quietly said, "Ever," before kissing her the way she'd just kissed him.

Rachelle sighed as the kiss ended then said, "I wish you didn't have to leave."

"Beautiful and a mind reader," he said with a quiet laugh.

"So it isn't just me?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh-uh. No way."

"Megan will be going back to school tomorrow. I'm sure we could find some time to, you know..."

"Be alone?" Brad suggested with a smile.

"I was going to say 'get better acquainted' but that works."

"I would love that."

"Me, too," his new steady whispered before kissing him with even more passion and enthusiasm.

Brad's hand brushed her breast as he went to put it behind her, and Rachelle softly stopped it and placed it directly where she wanted it.

"We really are going steady, aren't we?" Brad teased as he felt the soft mound under his hand.

"Mmmm. Yes, we are," Rachelle said back as he gently squeezed, causing another soft moan as she pulled him down on top of herself.

"I'm afraid that if we don't stop, we might get...caught," Brad whispered.

"Now that would be embarrassing!" Rachelle quietly replied with a little laugh.

Brad kissed her one more time, sat up, then helped her do the same. But he never let go of her hand once they were back in the upright position.

"I want to know more about you," Rachelle said as she snuggled up closer.

"Sure. What would you like to know?"

"Everything?"

Brad took a deep breath then said, "I was born in a log cabin in the backwoods of east Tennessee. We killed bears for breakfast and mountain lions for dinner."

Rachelle gave him a playful shove and told him he knew that wasn't what she meant.

Both of them lost track of time as they talked, taking turns telling the other person about themselves and asking questions. Neither had any idea how long they'd been there when Tom and Megan came in, laughing and holding hands.

"I had no idea Marines were so funny!" Megan said as she looked at Tom.

"You've never met one before this," her mom reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. Silly me."

Brad and Rachelle sat there watching them, and both had the feeling they were the parents watching their grown children oohing and cooing.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then," Tom said as he held both of Megan's hands.

"You better!"

Without looking at 'Mom and Dad' he kissed Megan who smiled happily and said, "Nite, Tom!"

"I believe that's my cue," Brad said as he stood up then helped Rachelle stand, too.

Suddenly, they both felt a little self conscious and ended up hugging in a rather awkward way.

"I'll call you, too," Brad said once he let her go.

"I had a wonderful time tonight."

"Me, too."

"You ready, bro?" Tom asked once it looked like his roommate was done.

"Yeah. We need to let them get some sleep."

"Sleep is overrated!" Megan blurted out, surprising everyone else as her mom's eyes opened wide.

"What? I'm just stating an opinion!" her daughter said.

Rachelle smiled at Brad who winked at her, causing a shiver.

Once the guys were gone, Rachelle said, "Well, well. Did someone's stereotype about the military get blown up tonight?"

"Maybe," Megan said with a smile that told her mom it had.

"Tom's a very nice guy."

"And so is Brad. He's too quiet for me, but I see why you like him."

Megan smiled then said, "He's...yummy!"

"He is...attractive," her mom agreed.

"Attractive? Tom is attractive. Very attractive. But Brad is...hot!"

"So you like Tom?"

"Yeah. I really do. He's...sweet. And kind. And he's also really smart."

"You just described Brad," her mom said with a sigh.

"You really like him, don't you, Mom?"

"I do. I really do."

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Is this like the weirdest thing ever?"

Her mom laughed then told her daughter she didn't know.

"But it has to be right up there."

"You know what?" Megan asked almost rhetorically.

Her mom waited for Megan to tell her rather than answer.