Chapter Five
“Selena?” Tom asked the moment he saw her walk into the coffee shop.
She plopped into the seat next to his, crossed her arms over the table and buried her face down, “Fuck.”
Tom took a sip from his cappuccino, “It was that bad, huh?”
“The whole thing started with them asking how old I was. The moment they found out I was over twenty-one they kind of looked at me like I was a freak or something. Like Jesus, what were they expecting? They want someone with experience but they want someone young enough to be their daughter. It’s disgusting.”
He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a pat on the shoulder, “It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll be able to find something else for you. Donut?”
“My rent is due in a week,” she replied with a depressing tone in her voice. She took one of the glazed donuts he had and bit off a large chunk. “I’m fucked. Like, totally fucked. I just had my car up for maintenance and the last of my savings is going to that.”
“You can always borrow from me,” Tom told her as he took another sip. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Selena finally looked up and gave him a frustrated stare, “No way. I’m dating you, not turning you into my financer or anything. I don’t need a sugar daddy.”
“I’m just saying,” he responded and then gave her that wicked smile she had started to grow fond of. “So we really are dating now?”
Selena rolled her eyes and chuckled before she gave him a nod and said, “Okay, fine, yes we are dating. Don’t get any funny ideas though. Don’t think you can turn this around just because we slept together before dating or anything.”
“I can be serious,” he told her as he drank his coffee. “Just because the tabloids say I’m a rich playboy doesn’t mean I’m all bad. Bruce Wayne’s a rich playboy and he saves lives.”
“Bruce Wayne?”
“Batman,” he answered. “You know, from the comic books and movies?”
Selena dipped the rest of her donut in his cup of coffee then continued, “You’re not a superhero in disguise.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said, “but I wouldn’t mind it though. What I mean is you shouldn’t just take me for what the public says I am.”
Selena nodded, “That’s why I agreed to letting you take me out. I want to get to know you, Tom. I just have to tell you that I also don’t want to get hurt.”
“This is a unique situation we’re in, isn’t it?” he asked in response. “Usually people get drunk, sleep together, then go their separate ways or people date, stay together and then start sleeping with one another. We’re kind of in a weird gray area in between.”
“Weird because I’m not your fuck-buddy but also not your girlfriend?”
Tom nodded and finished off his coffee, “So, let’s head off?”
“To the park?” she asked.
He nodded back.
“Sure,” she then answered and they headed out of the shop and back to his car.
On their way they stopped over for a few cans of root beer and hotdogs. Selena had hers in a bun, layered with hot sauce, cheese and ketchup. Tom had his on a stick, topped with just cheese. They ate a bit while on the road and Tom let her play her music from her phone. For the most part, it was the most fun Selena had in a while and the best thing was how unfiltered it was. There was no beer, no sex, no partying and nothing broken about it.
Tom had to park a long way from the park entrance because there was no parking area. Neither of them really minded it though and it gave them a chance to continue talking while walking.
He took her arm and they walked side-by-side, closely, as they went down from the parking lot and towards the park. He then asked, “You got any family here?”
“Hmm? No, I just live by myself,” she answered. “My parents split and they both live out of state. I have a younger sister; she lives all the way in Salt Lake. What about you?”
“Didn’t find that in your research?” he sarcastically shot back.
Selena laughed and shook her head, “Didn’t think to look it up.”
“Well, I have a younger brother who’s in Seattle,” he said. “He’s med-tech and works in a big hospital our uncle owns. As for our parents, well you and I are kind of in the same boat. My mom lives in Boston and she runs pretty much most of our family business. My dad is in Thailand. He retired there.”
Selena looked at him with a grin, “Now I understand where you come from.”
Tom shrugged in reply and then pointed out ahead of them, “Those the swings you were talking about?”
“Yup,” she answered. “I love just sitting there and thinking. They face the see-saws and slides so I get to lose myself watching kids play around.”
They headed over and fortunately enough there were swings still available. The snow had begun to fall but it wasn’t the middle of winter yet so the ground wasn’t fully covered. There were still a few kids running about, with their parents chasing them from behind. Selena pointed to a little girl trying to maneuver a bicycle around the sidewalks and marveled at how young she was to be playing with that kind of ride.
“She must be like four or five,” Selena said.
“That seems right to me though,” Tom told her. “I learned how to ride a bike when I was five.”
Selena gave a sigh then said, “I didn’t learn until I was like twelve or thirteen.”
“I hope it won’t take you that long to trust me,” Tom said.
“I hope so too,” she answered. “It depends on you, actually. I fall in love easily but trust doesn’t come as quickly for me. I’ve been fucked over too many times to be a fool, especially with guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
Selena nodded as she began to swing a little, “Rich guys who think they own the world and can do whatever they want.”
“What if I’m actually bankrupt and everything you saw in my home is a lie? What if all that’s due to go?”
Selena shrugged, “If you went poor today it wouldn’t change who you were for the past few decades. We are who we are based on our experiences, memories and mistakes.”
“That’s deep,” he commented. “But I do guess you’re right. What does all this mean for me?”
“The short answer?” she said. “Don’t screw me over.”
“I think we already tackled that,” he pointed out as he began to swing as well, following her pace. “I mean, for us, what’s our status now? You said it yourself: I’m not really your boyfriend yet and we’re not friends with benefits.”
Selena gave him a solemn look and answered, “Let’s just not put a label on it and go with the flow, eh?”
“The flow is telling me to give you a kiss,” he said. He kept his gaze solely glued to hers and Selena could feel sparks beginning to fly between them, in a good way.
“You’re really evil, Tom Sellick,” she replied as she leaned a little to his side and planted a kiss on his lips.
“Well, it is like you said,” Tom said, “guys like me think we can get away with whatever. We can demand anything.”
Selena laughed a little then asked, “So what are you demanding now?”
“You,” he quickly shot an answer back.
“Those lines don’t work on me,” she said as she bit her lip, “but I do have to admit I kind of set myself up for that.”
“You walked right into it,” Tom told her and got off his swing. He walked towards her and hugged her from behind. “Now I’m not going to let you walk out of it, not as easily as you’d think. I like you Selena, I honestly, deeply do.”
She felt a warm tingle in her chest and without saying anything back she snuggled into his arms. It was cozy, comforting and for a moment she felt like everything in the world was right. She knew it was wrong to trust him, given how open he was about his past behavior around women, but Selena had this strange feeling that maybe things could go right if they both played their cards right.
“I don’t think the parents appreciate us snuggling like this in front of their kids,” Tom whispered into her ear.
Selena laughed and nodded. “It is getting a little too cold for comfort.”
“Want to head back to the car?”
“Sure,” she answered. “What do you think of this place though?”
Tom tightened his hug a little, “I love it. Maybe because my first time here was with someone I care about. It’ll sprout good memories.”
“You’re getting cheesy,” she told him as she sprung up to her feet and began walking back to the car. “Come on, let’s go before you start getting a boom-box radio and serenade me while fist-pumping the air.”
“Oh, hey I know that movie,” Tom commented as he gave chase.