TEST DRIVE: A Night of Forbidden Desire

Max was nervous. He looked at Vonda, but she seemed just as confused. So, Max had no choice. He sat back in his chair and answered the video call in front of Heidi and Vonda.

Max and Vonda immediately tensed. Ready for any eventuality. Max glanced at Heidi, hoping the middle-aged woman would walk away. But he was wrong. It seemed that Heidi was really proving the phrase ‘I understand’.

Ah, forget it.

Max took a quick breath and answered the call. He started to say hello, but on the other side Riley’s eyes widened and she almost snapped at him.

“Oh. Not answering my call, huh? Why not? Aren’t you with Vonda? Aren’t you going to ask Vonda’s parents about the engagement?”

Max really was not prepared for Riley’s attack. He was flustered, but things had not gotten so chaotic that Heidi was about to explode.

“Dear God, Max, are you going to propose to Vonda?”

Oh-My-God!

Both Max and Vonda froze at Heidi’s words. The middle-aged woman was staring at them. Confused as to how to respond, Max heard Riley’s voice in the next few seconds.

“I seem to be hearing a strange voice, Max. Who is it? Vonda’s mom, right?”

Max looked at the phone screen again. “It’s…”

“Yes! It’s Vonda’s mom!”

Vonda looked at Heidi who quickly took a seat next to Max. She sat down and immediately said hello to Riley.

Oh God! Vonda really wanted to bury herself in the garden. And if she really wanted to do it, she should think about bringing Max with her. After all, his face looked just as helpless as hers.

“Oh, God. Vonda’s mom?” Riley asked from the other side, covering her mouth with one hand.

Heidi nodded. “Yes. I’m Vonda’s mom, Heidi.”

“I’m Max’s mom. I’m Riley.”

Forget it! As this back-and-forth conversation began, both Max and Vonda were resigned to the course of fate. They both stayed quiet and watched as Max’s phone finally found its way into Heidi’s hands, and the two middle-aged women began chatting like long lost friends.

“Um… actually, I asked Max to come over to ask a few questions. Well… it may not sound very formal, but it’s just to get an idea first. Because it was kind of sudden. My husband and I were supposed to come with him tonight.”

“That’s okay. They haven’t been together very long. So, you can come as a family when you have time.”

“How about we come to your house next Sunday?”

Max’s eyes widened and Riley’s question shocked him to the core. “Mom! Isn’t next Sunday Edeline’s engagement?”

Riley and Heidi both looked at Max. Riley let out a sigh.

“Oh, right! We have a plan for next Sunday. My friend’s daughter is getting engaged.”

Heidi nodded in understanding. “That’s fine. Maybe the following Sundays will work too.”

“Or how about before next Sunday? How about Wednesday? Thursday?”

Max really could not believe how casually Riley was offering Heidi dates. Max became more and more confused.

Th-they’re picking the day? Huh? What? Why is this happening? Seriously!

“Um… Thursday? Tomorrow?” Heidi suggested.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Yes. So, we can talk quickly about the engagement and everything. How Vonda wants the engagement to be or if there are any special requests.”

Heidi’s face turned slightly red. “Vonda’s special request is probably just a pair of shoes. She really likes shoes.”

“Oh, right! When we went shopping together, she bought shoes like that.”

Heidi’s eyes widened. “You’ve been shopping with Vonda before?”

Riley nodded enthusiastically. “We went shopping, then to the salon and basically just hung out.”

Riley’s answer caused Heidi to turn her face to Vonda and give her a meaningful look.

Oh! Your relationship with Max has come this far, but you haven’t told your mom, huh?

*

As Max’s car pulled up to the side of Vonda’s apartment building, they both felt a sense of relief. They had not expected to make it out of the night unscathed. Considering how things had gone beyond their plans, it was not an exaggeration.

Max had not expected Riley to call him right when Heidi was around. Meanwhile, Vonda had to come up with a cover story involving office meetings, financial reports, and all sorts of things to avoid Heidi’s insistence that they stay the night.

No need to ask what would have happened if Vonda and Max had ended up staying the night. Just one word would sum it up: disaster.

“Tonight…” Max started, his voice breaking the silence. “… was completely unexpected.”

Vonda let out a long breath, reflexively unfastening her seatbelt. It made her chest feel more open.

Max also unbuckled his seatbelt and took a deep breath.

“This is all because of my mom. If she hadn’t called right then…”

“Yeah, if my mom hadn’t grabbed your phone so fast, none of this would have happened.”

A moment later, they both sighed in unison, synchronized in their exhalation. And then they simultaneously uttered a rather magical phrase.

“We have amazing moms.”

They burst out laughing at the synchronicity of their thoughts.

“But at least I’m really grateful to you, Max.”

After a satisfied laugh, Vonda said what she had been meaning to say. Max, wiping away tears of laughter, turned to her.

“My mom didn’t pester me with all kinds of questions because of you.”

Max looked at Vonda. “No problem. Besides, I’m glad I got to eat for free tonight. Where else am I going to see such a rare spectacle that I’ve never seen before in my life? Middle-aged women arguing at an engagement party.”

Vonda laughed again. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll see more when Kania gets married. It’ll be even more chaotic. You’re going to be even more shocked, Max. Why isn’t the party at home? Why didn’t they rent a place? Ah! Everything is just a dilemma.'”

They both shared another laugh, relieved that they had managed to navigate the unexpected twists and turns of the evening.

Max could picture this scenario in his mind. But strangely enough, there was something else that made him ask spontaneously.

“Does that mean I’ll be accompanying you to Kania’s wedding again next year?”

Thud!

This question left Vonda stunned for a moment. Next year? Speaking of next year, Vonda remembered Max’s status as temporary acting department head. In other words, the end of the year marked the end of Max’s tenure at Greatech.

How is that even possible?

Unlike Vonda, Max’s thoughts were in a different direction. The idea of joining Vonda for the next year felt right. There was a sense of joy in finding this thought floating around in his mind.

Max lost consciousness. His mind suddenly went blank, filled with a euphoric imagination he could not control.

“Max.”

Vonda’s eyes blinked as she softly called his name. Her expression was one of surprise and anticipation. She was puzzled when she noticed that Max’s hand spontaneously reached for his neck.

Max’s consciousness returned. It left him equally confused. He did not understand why his body had moved on its own, as if reacting instinctively.

But it did not seem to be a problem. For Max found that Vonda could not resist the touch of his lips on hers.

Vonda closed her eyes as Max’s kiss landed on her lips. The touch was incredibly soft, as if filled with emotion.

Vonda’s hand moved up to rest on Max’s chest. She returned the kiss with equal tenderness.

Time passed without words or laughter. All that remained was a series of heart-pounding kisses.

*