"Listen, man. I need to talk to you about something."
"Let's hear it."
"I don't know how to put this, so I'll just say it—Sophia tried to come onto me."
Drew gives me a look that's full of bewilderment, amusement, and pity, all at once. "And you stopped her?"
"Wha— of course I stopped her, Drew, she's fourteen!"
"Well sure, but you know she's had a crush on you since she was a little girl, right?" There's that look again—the one my father gave me on prom night during my senior year of high school. A look that shamed me for my lack of a date and implied the reason I still hadn't had a girlfriend at eighteen was because I was gay. Drew too, seems to think that the only reason any man would refuse the advances of his young daughter is homosexuality.
"She's still a little girl!"
Drew sighs. "Have you seen this generation of 'men'?" The emphasis he places on the word makes it quite clear what my friend and colleague thinks of today's youth. "Do you think I want any of those pansy faggots anywhere near my Sophia? She's at the age where she's starting to get interested in boys, and I'll be damned if I let them treat her like some common whore before leaving her with nothing but a broken heart."
I can't believe what I'm hearing, has Drew gone mad? He is seriously proposing that I make a move on his underage daughter! Before I can formulate any kind of response, Drew speaks again, interrupting my thoughts.
"Listen, Mark. I know this all sounds crazy, but Sophia really likes you—she always has. We've known each other for almost twenty years, so I know you'll treat her the way she deserves. I'd rather have someone I know and trust with my daughter than one of those horny hooligans I've seen at her school. As long as you don't get her pregnant anytime soon or break her heart, you have my blessing."
"Even if I was considering this—which I'm not—what makes you think I'd be interested in dating a kid?"
"Oh come on, Mark. You're unmarried, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you with a woman in all the time I've known you. You're certainly not gay, which leaves only one alternative."
I start to protest, but barely open my mouth before Drew cuts me off again.
"It's alright, really. I know you've never done anything to her even though I've left her with you hundreds of times. That's why I trust you, Mark. Please take good care of Sophia." With that, Drew stands up and leaves the room, leaving me sitting in a daze, alone to try and process what the hell just happened.
***
It's been a week since my conversation with Drew, and I've done my best to avoid him at work, exchanging nothing but the usual pleasantries and keeping away from him outside our professional lives. He hasn't tried to push me to meet up with Sophia—I suppose he wants to give me some time to think his offer over. But today's the end of that thinking; in a few minutes I'll be forced to see her. Months ago I'd promised Sophia I'd take her to New York during a scheduled trip to one of my clients—the tickets have already been booked and our plans made. I could see the hurt in Sophia's eyes when I pushed her off me last week; cancelling this trip now would crush her, and I can't bear to see that look on her face again.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I pull up into Drew's driveway and make my way over to the front door where my trip partner awaits me. I barely get a single knock in before the door is flung open to reveal my darling Sophia, dressed in a pretty little blue summer dress.
"Mark!" It's all I can do just to keep my balance when the teen jumps into my arms, throwing her arms around my neck and resting her cheek against mine. "I missed you," she whispers.
"I missed you too," I manage to respond through the tightness in my throat. Has she always smelled this good? Must be a new shampoo; it smells faintly of fruit—oranges maybe? Our embrace continues far longer than it should, neither of us wanting to be the one to end the reunion.
"I was afraid you were mad at me."
"Why would I be mad at you, honey?"
"Y'know, 'cause of what happened last time..." From this distance, I can clearly see the blush rising to Sophia's cheeks at the memory of our near-kiss experience. "You haven't come by since then. Dad said not to bother you and that you'd come over after you thought about some stuff." Sophia fidgets in my arms before pulling away and taking a step back to gaze up into my eyes. "So?"
"So, what?"
"Have you thought about the stuff?"
She's not fooling anyone with these vague allusions to and dancing around the subject—we both know Sophia's talking about our almost-kiss last week. "Yeah. I don't want to force anything. Let's just have fun on this trip and go from there, okay?"
I let out an involuntary grunt when Sophia flings herself at me once more, planting a kiss on my cheek. "'Kay! I'll be a good girl, I promise!" Something about those eyes tells me that my young charge is not being entirely truthful, but I'm too happy to be spending the weekend with her to pay the thought more than a moment's attention.
***
"That museum was so cool!"
"It was, wasn't it? What do you want to do next, Soph?"