"Let me help you un-complicate it." He touches my hand and I jump as the spark shoots straight down my spine. My entire face burns now; I must look like a tomato. Why is he so kind to me? Should I just tell him? Explain the rules to him?
More importantly, why? Why does this man break the rules but at the same time have an effect on me I can't figure out?
I pull my hand away, unable to think straight when his skin touches mine. "My mother has these dating rules..."
~K~
"Dating rules?What in the hell are dating rules?" I ask. Her mother has dating rules for her? What kind of crazy bullshit is that?
Maybe she's religious or maybe her parents are very old school. Hear her out, man.
"It sounds fucked up, right? I know. Everyone tells me it is." She shrugs her shoulders and holds out her hands, palms face up. "But, it's how I was raised. It's ingrained in me to think about these rules and base decisions on them."
I nod my head. She has a good point. It's almost like a cultural tradition someone is brought up with. Dating rules, though? I don't know. Love isn't meant to follow rules.
There are arranged marriages and families putting pressure to date similar to yourself, but from what I can gather so far, Emma's mother and sister go overboard. I'm still in disbelief of her sister spying on her. Who does that? Apparently, they do.
"Okay, I have to know—what are the rules?"
Emma goes on to explain them and as I listen I try to hold in my disagreements. I bite my tongue when she explains the ones about race, money, education. How presumptuous of her mother.
Times are different. Those issues shouldn't matter. Besides, love is blind half the time. How can you help who you fall in love with?
"Knox?" Emma interrupts my thoughts.
"I'm trying to absorb it all. Some things I can understand." I go on to explain. "A lot of older generations don't believe in sex before marriage or living together. The ones I don't understand are dating within your race or class, education and money wise."
Emma's eyes dart around and she fidgets with her hands. "I'm not sure about those either. I'm an open person; I accept everyone for who they are regardless of their skin color. It wasn't easy to have those types of beliefs when my father, mother, and sister didn't. I would push the thoughts away and appease my mother. I couldn't wait to escape her house. As soon as I hit college, I never returned home to live."
Her voice draws me in as does her story. I'm fascinated by the way she speaks, how she's animated with her hands, and how her hair is swept back from her face, a few small wisps loose. I'm entranced by her words, her memories.
I can't pull my eyes away from her lips... that mouth... that kiss...
The waitress fills our glasses and clears our plates, breaking my stare. "Do you follow these rules when you date?" I sip my water as I wait for her answer.
I'm intrigued to find out more, to dig inside her mind and find out all her secrets. A flame burns inside me and suddenly, I want to know everything about her.
"Yeah, for the most part. I'm beginning to wonder... oh, never mind." She waves her hand before she sips her drink.
"What? If they're bullshit?"
Emma's face jerks up, her eyes flash. Oh no, I pissed her off. Too much too soon, Knox.
I wait for a tongue lashing, but all I hear is her laughter. She's giggling into her drink like a little schoolgirl. "I'm glad I amuse you." I say.
She shakes her head as her giggles calm down. "You just hit the nail right on the head, don't you?"
"Well, someone has to, right?"
"I don't know if the rules are bullshit or not. All I know is, so far, they don't work for me."
"Shouldn't that tell you something?"
Emma's lips curl around her straw. Her lipstick coats the straw and her tongue peeks out. My cock twitches as I watch her. Her mouth is sexy as hell and I want to feel it again. All over me, all over my cock.
Down boy. She's not a good idea. Especially with all of those rules.
"Tell me about you."