‘Hope we didn’t startle you too much!’ The girl from UC Davis came up beside me and just stared. Belatedly, I covered myself with both hands, r...alizing I was exposing myself not just to the couple but to the girl I was with as well. ‘Hey, don’t be shy,’ the woman said, ‘Isn’t it a beautiful night?’ Californians, I thought to myself. What a bunch. I turned back, figuring if they weren’t embarrassed, I wasn’t. They were in their thirties, kind of athletic and wholesome-looking, and both. We’re just friends, and we don’t hug. That’s weird.”“You can’t even get a hug?” Katie’s eyes went wide. “Wow, I knew you were an embarrassment, but… wow.”“Mom, I can hit her for that, right?”“Yes, honey,” her mother sighed, rolling her eyes as a smack sounded out, followed by an aggrieved Ow, sheesh. “Has he ever said anything about his home life? Or his parents?”Emily paused in uncertainty as she racked her memory. He… really hasn’t, has he?• • •“So… when’re we ever gonna hang out at your. "As we opened the door to where May was staying, it was obvious that nobody was home so, making her way to the kitchen, she asked, "Would you like something to eat, Bill? I'm quite hungry." O.K." I replied quickly, "Show me where everything is and I'll make us a snack while you go change."Having done that, May left me to get on with it and, by the time she returned, I had almost finished."God," I groaned as I looked at May, "Have you any idea just what you do to a boy?" I asked softly.Looking. It wasn’t until the last year or two that I realized how incredibly beautiful his mom was. I arrived at Adam’s house one afternoon after school to help him with his math homework and even though I’d been told to just walk in, I rang the doorbell.“Alex, you know you can walk right on in.” his mom answered the door in shorts and a tank top.I swallowed hard before replying.“I’m just trying to be respectful Mrs. G.”She smiled and tilted her head slightly, “Adam isn’t home yet, baseball practice I.