I had to tell my parents. I had to, because of the bouquet of roses on the kitchen table and the half-eaten box of chocolate. And I guessed tonight was as good as any nights. Besides, my parents were most likely in a good mood after their dinner. I was right.

"Hi, honey. Did you have a good time?" mom chirped. Then she looked around and scratched her head. "Where's Keesha?"

"She couldn't come. Her grandmother's in the hospital. I think she had a stroke or something."

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed with a worried frown. "I hope it wasn't too severe. Didn't she have one earlier this year, too?"

I nodded.

"Yeah. In February. But that was a big one. This was just minor. At least that's what Keesha said."

I barely finished the sentence, before mom's eyes fell on the flowers. Then she gasped, suddenly exited.

"Skylar? Is that what I think it is?"

I pursed my lips and blushed, and I think that was answer enough.

"Finally! What's his name?"

Her smile threatened to reach all the way around her head, and I giggled a bit. Then I wondered if I should tell her that I was breaking up with him as soon as our double date with Keesha and Brad was over. She'd be so disappointed in me, and maybe even think that I was being a brat for turning down someone who appeared to be a gentleman. It was probably best to tell her afterwards and make it sound like I was actually giving him a chance. Then it would be easier to explain why we simply didn't fit together.

"Kemar Whitland," I said reluctantly, and she immediately came over and gave me a hug like I'd won something.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you! How long have you been seeing him?"

Hm. Good question. We actually hadn't talked at all after what happened on our date. Not until tonight. And before that date...

"A couple of weeks," I answered, not quite sure if I was lying or not.

"Oh, gosh. You need to invite him over so we can meet him."

Then, in the same breath, she called for my dad.

"Skylar has a boyfriend!"

"Really?" he said and raised his eyebrows, and I actually found their reaction to my social status amusing. Was I really that antisocial? However, dad's reaction was a bit more skeptical than mom's, which was why she instantly elbowed him and mumbled something under her breath.

"Oh. That's great," he said with fake enthusiasm. "How old is he?"

I immediately felt my heart rate fly through the roof, and I was blushing so hard that even my ears were glowing red.

"He's... Uhm. He's a little older than me."

I swallowed and stared intently at the floor and found that I probably should offer to vacuum tomorrow. Dad cleared his throat and I half expected him to start lecturing me.

"How much older?"

"Eleven," I whispered, after hesitating a little too long.

"I'm sorry? Could you please repeat that?" dad asked, and I heard he started to get angry. Mom was just quiet, which probably was worse.

"He's thirty-two."

"THIRTY-TWO!" dad yelled, and mom placed her hand on his arm to calm him.

"Rick, it's no big deal. He might be a really nice guy, and I trust Skylar..."

"No big deal? He's an adult, Tracy! She's a child!" he continued, and I instantly protested.

"I'm not a child anymore, dad! I'm twenty-one!"

I was surprised that mom actually defended me. Dad's wrath was tough to face alone.

"She's right. You can't baby her forever. She needs to start standing on her own two feet, and you should be supportive."

"Of course I support her! But not when the guy is that much older! What's wrong with him since he has to go after young girls like Skylar to get... Dammit! Did he try anything, Skylar? I swear to God that I'll knock him unconscious or worse, if..."

"Rick! Stop!" mom yelled way more persistent this time, and he actually listened. "I dated Corey, remember? Right before we met. He was twelve years older than me, and he was a good man."

"Please don't remind me," dad mumbled. "Besides this is totally different."

"How is that different?"

"I... He... What if he's a rapist? Or a serial killer?"

"Dad! That's ridiculous," I bit back. I couldn't believe how delusional he was. At the same time I wasn't quite sure why I even defended Kemar. It was more like a principle to show him that I could make adult decisions too.

"He's just a normal guy working at the library," I reasoned, but tears were fighting to overcome my anger, which wasn't very adult-like at all. And since dad was yelling directly into my face, it was hard to stand my ground.

"I'm your dad, Skylar! I only want what's best for you, and he's not it. Please, listen to me!"

"But you haven't even met him!" I yelled back and threw my arms out in the air.

"No, but... This is just..."

Mom suddenly clasped her hands together and stepped in between us.

"Let's drop this now, guys. We can discuss it tomorrow when everybody's calm and a bit more sensible."

"But there's nothing to discuss," I protested, but mom just wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug.

"I know. I'll talk to him," she whispered into my ear. Then she released me with a sympathetic smile. "Go get some sleep, dear. It's been a long week."

I nodded and gave her a tiny smile in return and wiped away a couple of defiant tears that had escaped. Then I said good night to the both of them and walked to my room. There I dumped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling until my eyes got sore before I forced them to close. Everything would feel better after a good night's sleep.

Everything.

*****

"Can you hand me a teaspoon? I need to taste the gravy."

The night was finally here. The double date where I would end whatever relationship Kemar thought we had, and to avoid any public drama we decided to arrange dinner at my parent's house while they visited some relatives in Denver. I'd realized that Kemar was unpredictable, but I was pretty sure he wouldn't cause any trouble when I had Brad and Keesha there. And when Kemar was out of the picture, dad would be relieved that he didn't have to murder anyone, and me? I would be relieved as well.

Keesha handed me a spoon and took one for herself. And after a moment or two where we let the taste sink in, we stared at each other and announced the conclusion in unison.

"More thyme."

Then we laughed like goofs.

"What time is it?"

"Relax, Sky. It's over ten minutes until they should be here. The table is set, and the food is almost done. There're literally no worries. But you need to tell me how you managed to talk your parents into having the dinner here. Did your dad put up surveillance cameras and hide a police squad in your backyard, or something?"

I laughed. I had told Keesha how it all went down, both when I told my parents about Kemar and when he came with the flowers. I left out the part with his shifting mood and the awkwardness, though. I still wasn't sure if I made a whole lot of drama out of nothing. He was just a little different than me. That was probably all. Besides he'd had wine both then and on the first date. It could be the alcohol talking. So tonight there wasn't going to be any of that at all, and to make sure, I'd hidden everything remotely close to alcohol in a box in the attic. Even my dad's aftershave and the hand disinfectant in the kitchen. I just hoped he didn't bring any along himself.

"No, he didn't, because..." I mumbled the rest. Then I thought about the knife and the gun dad had instructed me to use after I first told them about Kemar, and I giggled. I know he meant well and all, but he could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

"Noo... You didn't tell them? Skylar!" she exclaimed, before she shoved my shoulder. "You're such a bad girl, and I'm totally gonna rat you out."

"Don't you dare," I threatened. Then we got interrupted by the sound of a motor and a car pulling up our driveway, and I ran to the window. There it was. Kemar's deep red Mustang with white graphic details and racing stripes.

"He's here," I said, and I couldn't hide the nervousness in my voice. "Remember to stick to the plan, okay?"

Keesha rolled her eyes in a way that said she'd decapitate whoever tried to stop her.

"How do I look?" I asked, and quickly adjusted my skirt and halter top. The exact same outfit Kemar didn't like on our first date, which I chose just to make a statement.

"Schmexy!"

I laughed out loud.

"You're so silly."

"What? It's a thing! It's when you look both smashing and sexy at the same time."

"Right."

"No, but seriously. You look spectacular for someone who's gonna dump a guy within the next couple of hours. But I still don't get why you can't tell him before dinner. Then there would be more food for us, and..."

She snorted when I elbowed her. Then she groaned in fake pain.

"It's because I'm returning what he gave to me, and then he can't claim that I've used him, which is what he tried to make it look like."'

"For real?"

"Mhm."

"Well, that's bullshit," Keesha commented, still unimpressed. "He should suck it up and take it as a man. And Skylar, sometimes you're so kind to everybody that you make yourself look stup..."

"Shh! He's coming!" I whisper-yelled and brushed imaginary crumbs off from my clothes. Then the doorbell rang, and I was about to open when Keesha stopped me.

"Don't open right away! Make him wait so he sees that you have other things to do than being at his service twenty-four seven. It's the same thing when you're answering the phone. You always wait a little until you answer. Unless it's me, of course. Then you have to pick up right away."

She cackled so loudly that I seriously considered stuffing a sock into her mouth instead of opening the door. But then Kemar rang the doorbell again.

"Okay, is there anything else I need to know from Keesha's school of know-how-to-act-around-people?" I asked sarcastically and squinted at her, but both of us ended up laughing instead. And while Keesha went back into the kitchen to check on the food, I opened the door and looked straight into Kemar's mysterious, gray eyes and another large bouquet of flowers. It was lilies this time, and they were most likely not from a gas station like the previous one. Damn it. I would've felt better if he didn't bring any.

"Hi there, sweetheart," he said cockily and leaned in for a kiss, which I gallantly dodged and gave him a peck on the cheek instead. Then I invited him in.

"I'm glad you could come," I lied and tried to ignore his cautious gaze. He obviously didn't like that I refused to kiss him. "So, uhh... I hope you like lamb chops. It's my mom's recipe, and I promise it tastes amazing. At least when she's making them, but still. I'm sure it's edible anyway. And oops, now I'm ranting again, which you don't like, so... Keesha?" I yelled to save myself. And as soon as she popped her head out of the kitchen, I took a deep breath to compose myself.

"So, Kemar. I'd like you to meet my best friend, Keesha. Keesha, this is Kemar."

I knew he expected me to present him as my boyfriend, but I just couldn't, and he'd learn the reason soon enough. But the gasp I heard from my best friend and her wide-open eyes gave me other things to worry about.

"You!" she exclaimed, and my eyes darted back at Kemar who looked like a question mark. A bit reluctant, he reached out his hand to greet her, and she squinted at it for a couple of seconds before she shook it.

"Kemar Whitland. Nice to meet you," he said politely, but seemed hesitant because of the way Keesha reacted. She'd obviously seen him before. Or seen someone like him and thought it was him, and it was all some sort of mix-up. Yeah. That must be it.

Keesha answered with a slow hum and was cold as an iceberg, and I had no idea why she acted that way. So to avoid making things more awkward than they already were, I guided Kemar into the living room and told him that we had to make the final preparations of the food, which wasn't entirely a lie. Nonetheless, I really needed to have a few words with Keesha, who kept squinting in his direction until he was out of sight.

"That wasn't very nice, Keesha! You looked at him like he was some sort of a monster. What's..."

"I've seen him before!" she whispered as loud as she dared and gave me a stare so serious that my stomach churned.

"Well, obviously," I started, but my words were bolder than how I felt.

"I've seen him, and he was forcing himself onto some girl behind Burt's Bar!"

I eyeballed her to tell her to lower her voice, but her face was still dead serious.

"I'm sure it was someone else. When was this?" I asked calmly and tried to tone things down.

"Two days ago. Do you remember I told you we were out this Thursday? But since we had to get up early, we left around midnight, and before you ask: Yes, I was 100% sober."

I felt both hot and cold at the same time, and I felt nervous on a whole new level. My palms were sweaty, and I felt dizzy while my mind raced with possible explanations that would make sense.

"That's just absurd, Keesha. If it was him, then why doesn't he recognize you?"

"I don't know, but I swear it was him. Just wait until Brad gets here. He'll recognize him, too. Brad actually saved the girl, because he shouted at him and kept him distracted enough for the girl to escape. I'm telling you, Skylar, this man is bad news."

My mind was like a sandstorm, suffocating and chaotic, and I wrapped my arms around my torso and felt helpless.

"Please, break up with him now," she begged. "I can't sit around a table with someone like him and pretend like nothing. And what's the difference between breaking up now or in one hour?"

"There's a huge difference!" I objected. "I want to split in a friendly way, not make him my enemy."

"But he can be dangerous, Sky!"

"And that's exactly my point. I'm trying to let him down in a nice way because I don't want to give him a reason to interfere with my life ever again. Having him butthurt and wanting revenge is not it."

I rubbed my temples to figure out a way that would save the situation but found only one. So eventually I took a deep breath and begged Keesha with my eyes.

"Can you and Brad please act like normal tonight? Just pretend like you've never seen him before, and let's get through this dinner once and for all. And I'll figure out a way to end... Whatever this is."

"You better. He can't be very serious about you when he's trying to fuck other girls in a..."

"Okay! Enough!" I yelled as loud as I dared. I felt so upset that my hands were trembling, but it surprised me that I wasn't especially sad. I was more scared. What if he was dangerous? He'd already tried to force me into having sex with him. Twice. But he listened. Eventually. But would he do that the next time?

"Keesha? Promise you won't leave before he does. I don't want to be alone with him."

She hurried to give me a hug.

"Of course. I can stay the night too."

"No, that's not necessary. Just until I get him out of the house."

Keesha pulled away and held my shoulders while she checked my makeup. And in the same second, the doorbell rang again. Brad was here, and Keesha and I looked at each other with determination and nodded.

It was time to bring our plan into life.