It Was True. Dina Still Wasn't Happy That Her Mother Was Dating Don Lothario. His Last Name Felt Like

It was true. Dina still wasn't happy that her mother was dating Don Lothario. His last name felt like the biggest red flag in the world. But, Dina also felt like maybe it was important to be happy for her mother. ` "That's not true, Mama. I am happy for you.", Dina said softly as she stared down at the floor. "I just don't know if he is right for you."

Katrina paused, unsure of how to proceed to answer her daughter's concerns. She could understand where Dina was coming from, but she just wanted to believe that Don was different. He had already proven that he wouldn't blink at eye at her wanting to wait to have a sexual relationship. Didn't that already prove that he might be worth it? She wasn't sure, but she hated the tension between her and her daughters and she wanted to do something to mend that.

"Tell you what, Mija. It's Sunday. Why don't we go to the flea market with Don? So that you girls can get to know him. "

Dina tried to hide the annoyance on her face as her mother suggested spending more time with her mother's lover, but she knew she was just trying to keep the peace between them.

"Fine, but if he says anything I don't like...", Dina's voice trailed off as Katrina moved to throw her arms around Dina and said shakily, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mama. Anything for you."

I'll take things that never happened for 500, Alex

Katrina brought Don back to her place to find that neither one of the girls seemed to be home. She checked her phone to find messages from both saying that they would be spending the night with friends. Katrina was slightly relieved by this, as she wasn't exactly ready to have the conversation that she needed to have with them about Don.

"Look like we have the house to ourselves.", Katrina said softly, as she reached for Don's hand. "Why don't I go change in to something a little more comfortable?"

Katrina's nerves skyrocketed once she got in the bedroom. Her eyes roamed over her figure, scrutinizing every detail about it. She hadn't been with anyone in so long, and she was sure that someone as young as Don was wouldn't be happy with her cellulite and wrinkles.

After a few more agonizing moments, she heard a soft knock at her bedroom door.

"Mi amor, are you alright?", she heard his voice as she took a deep breath and opened it. She saw his eyes scrap over her body hungrily, but then stopped when he looked at her face.

"I'm not ready.", she told him, and found that she didn't need to go into more detail about the conversation than that as he swept her into his arms again.

"I understand.", he said, as he rubbed the small of her back. "I'm pretty exhausted, actually. School is taking a lot out of me. Do you want to just....call it a night?"

Katrina leaned up to kiss him softly on the cheek. "Yes, I would like that."

She held his hand as she lead him back to her bed. The two of them crawled in and cuddled up in each other's arms. It wasn't long before Don was asleep, but Katrina laid awake for a bit, memorizing every detail of her beau's face, before she drifted off to sleep.

"She seems like a very nice girl, Mr. Goth. I enjoyed talking to her", Dina said softly, doing her best to turn on the praise in front of him.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. You can call me Morty.", Mortimer said with a chuckle. "Dina, Cassie has always been very shy and this arrangement was not her idea. She might be defensive at first, but I promise, she could use a friend like you in her life."

"Like me? Why do you say that?". Dina asked, titling her head as she tried to figure out exactly what it was that he was trying to say.

"I just meant that you seem very outgoing, and sure of yourself. Cassie has always been too focused on her music to really try to talk to other people and get to know them. She's also always been a very well....sad child. I fear some of that might be my doing. She gets her creativity from me. But, I just....I wish she could see that there's more to life than being stuck in her room working on writing music. It's her senior year! She should be out with friends enjoying herself before..."

Mortimer's voice suddenly trailed off as he realized what he was saying. It was as though he was about to unravel some big secret to Dina; one that he wasn't supposed to talk about. He chuckled nervously, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry for going on like that. It's just that...you seem very easy to talk to.", Mortimer said, as he stood up off the couch he had been sitting at.

"No apologies necessary, Mr.....Morty.", Dina said, as she stood as well, as she heard her mother calling for her up the stairs. "It was nice listening to you. I'm glad you care about your daughter this much."

Dina couldn't imagine what it was like to have a father that cared this much about her wellbeing. She hadn't spoken to hers in years.

"Tell Cassie that we will be waiting for her at Pin Alley Lounge tonight at 7pm.", she said as she reached out to offer Mortimer her hand to shake, which he accepted. "It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Goth."

"It was nice to meet you as well, Miss Caliente."

"Dina."

Mortimer smirked as his hand lingered in his for a bit longer than he should have. Dina noticed out of the corner of her eye that they were being watched, but she wasn't sure that Mortimer had. She ignored Bella Goth; and she ignored the look of anger on her face as she finally released her hand and began to move away from Mortimer.

"Coming, Mama.", she called finally, as she heard her mother began to try and walk down the stairs to come and find her.

Everything was coming together for Dina and nothing could stop her.

Dina let out a frustrated sigh, watching her friend pick at her food. Ever since Luna's mother died, she had been different, and her father seemed to have total control over her and her whereabouts. She was sure that her father had something to do with Luna's absence, but she knew there wasn't much that could be done about it.

"Okay, well....I will just fill you in on all the details.", Dina said as she went about unloading the events of the day to her friend. Dina gave her a blow by blow of the entire situation, and Luna listened with intent. Dina might not have had very many friends, but she knew that she had Luna, and that was more than enough for her.

"So...she brought home some guy that she met at a bar?", Luna asked, titling her head as a puzzled look came across her face. "That's not like your mother. She always seemed so...level headed."

"That's exactly my point! She's not the type to make decision based off of lust.", Dina said, gripping her fingertips together as the anger washed back over her again. "I don't know what kind of magic this Don weaved over her, but she's positively enamoured!"

Luna pursed her lips together as she pondered, hesitating on what she wanted to say next. "Maybe she just really likes him?"

Dina scoffed, laughing it off at the idea. "No, somethings up, and I'm going to figure it out. She obviously isn't in her right mind. This guy has to have something on her. I'm sure of it."

The two girls spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about Prom and the rest of their high school days. Dina was eager for it all to be over with. Her 18th birthday was quickly approaching and, if things continued the way they were going now, Dina would move off to Brichester as soon as the school season was over. She wasn't about to watch her mother make a foolish mistake with a man...again.

After work, Katrina met up with Don at the local gym. They spent hours there enjoying each other's company. Katrina couldn't remember the last time that she had laughed this hard, or that she had felt this carefree. She didn't even tell the girls where she was because, for the first time, she didn't feel the need to update her children about her whereabouts.

They were grown. They could take care of themselves.

By the end of the date, while they were both drifting in the pool after a heated make out session, Don looked deeply into her eyes, and said something that she was not expecting.

"I know this is sudden, but I feel as though we have known each other forever.", he started, smiling from ear to ear as he asked Katrina "Would you like to be my girlfriend, mi amor?"

Katrina could feel her heart beating in her ears, but she grinned and began to enthusiastically nod her head.

"Of course I would!", she said as she flung her arms around Don, snuggling into his chest.

It was all perfect, like it was out of one of the romance novels. Maybe this is how love was always supposed to be? She had built it up in her head as this thing that was supposed to be hard, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was as simple as two people discovering that they liked each other and they wanted to continue seeing each other.

"I had hoped you would say yes. I'm so happy.", he said, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"So am I.", she said, sighing contently as they drifted in the pool. "So am I."