Exiting through the door of the last classroom I will ever be in, a huge weight is lifted off of my shoulders. I am done with all of my lectures and class forever. I will never have to sit through another hour and a half of a monotone teacher, I will never have to listen to another video that I get sidetracked watching. I will never have to do any homework assignments again. I am done. I am free. And after next week's finals, I will be on cloud 9.
As it turns out, my internship with the publishing house worked to my benefit. They offered me a full-time position last week which is a huge stress reliever. I will not have to look for any job any time soon as some of my fellow students. For once in my life, everything is looking up and there is nothing to stress about.
Well, almost nothing. Damon and Brandon's parents are coming over tomorrow afternoon and plan on staying for the whole weekend. I'm beyond nervous to meet them. What if they don't like me? What if they don't think I'm good enough for Damon? What if they lead the company's men right to use and Damon gets hurt? A million what-ifs go through my mind.
And then all of my thoughts are silent. Damon leans on his car like always with his arms crossed over his chest. Due to the warmer weather, he has been wearing t-shifts that hug his biceps like a second skin. I love running my fingers over them any chance I get.
"Hello, beautiful." Pulling me into his arms, Damon kisses my forehead.
"Hey, handsome. What's on the agenda for today?"
"We have a pretty long day ahead of us. Are you ready?"
"I was born ready."
Stepping out of his arms, immediately missing his warmth, I walk around the car and sit in the passenger seat.
"What's the first thing that we have to do?"
"Grocery shopping. I have a long list of all the foods they like to eat and all the ingredients for their favorite meals. I haven't seen them in a while, I hope their tastes haven't changed." His sentence trails off at the end, uncertainty gripping his mind.
Reaching out, I grab his hand and rest our intertwined fingers on my thigh. He briefly looks away from the road and at me. "They will love anything you make them. You know, they are just as nervous to see you again as you are to see them."
A flash of uncertainty shines in his eyes. My heart cracks. He did what he had to do to help his family and now he has to pay the price, on top of hiding out, of not seeing his family as frequently, if ever.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes, of course, they are nervous. You are their son who they have not seen in a long time. How could they not be worried about seeing you? They probably want everything to go perfectly this weekend, just like you."
The conversation ends there and we move onto lighter topics for the remainder of the ride.
As a team, we bang out grocery shopping and cleaning his apartment. We are both sweaty and delirious by the time we finally sit on the couch. It feels like three whole days just passed, instead of one.
"Thank you for helping me."
"You're welcome. I will always be here for you, no matter what."
Leaning over, he kisses me slowly, passionately.
"Are you ready for bed?"
Despite the fact that I am desperate for a shower, I think I would fall asleep under the warm water. I can barely stand on my own two feet and keep my eyes open.
"Yes, I thought you would never ask." It was meant to sound enthusiastic, but it came out garbled and groggy.
Standing up, Damon reaches out his hand and pulls me to my feet. I don't complain or protest when he brings me to his room. We both collapse, exhausted on his bed. Sleep takes me as soon as my head takes the pillow.
I wake up as the bed dips, a soft feminine voice reaches my ears. I turn over, hoping to push all the distractions away. I'm still tired and I just want to sleep!
A big hand covers my shoulder, even partly asleep I know it's Damon's. I moan and move my shoulder, willing his hand to get off me.
Just a few more minutes. I just need a couple of more minutes. Please.
My thoughts aren't answered. Instead, I hear Damon speaking to someone saying that we had a long night. Whoever he is talking to laughs. It's a dainty laugh fit for a real lady, one with a lot of priming in her life.
My mind reels with what I'm thinking. If that's a girl's voice and she is here today that must mean it's his --
I shoot out of bed, falling onto the floor with the blanket tangled around me. Looking around, my cheeks flame bright red as his whole family stares at me.
They must think I'm a dunce.
"Hello, dear," his mother kindly says, a soft smile on her face.
"H-" clearing my throat, I try again. "Hi."
Damon kneels next to me, untangling my legs from the demon blanket. I quickly stand up when I'm free, adjusting my clothes and patting down my hair to try and look presentable.
Extending my hand to his mother, I smile and attempt to re-introduce myself for the third time.
"Hi. My name is Rose. I'm a-" I pause, unsure whether he told her about us, or if he wants her to know about us.
"-my girlfriend."
"Right, I'm your son's girlfriend. It is great to finally meet you, I have heard so much about you."
She yanks my hand towards her and I stumble into her arms. She squeezes me into her body. Just like Damon. Wrapping my arms around her, I can't help but think about how nice it is to be in a mother's arms. It's one of the things I miss the most.
Stepping back, she looks me in the eyes. "Shaking hands is for acquaintances. We are family, dear, and families always embrace."
I'm taken aback. This woman has met me for no more than seven minutes, half the time I was making a fool of myself, and she considers me family? I smile and nod, allowing her to pull me back into her hung, but my mind is running a mile a minute. How could she treat me like a family member? Why?
I hear Damon's footsteps as he walks around his mother and me. He looks at me, a smile on his face. It turns into a frown when he sees my confused expression. Mouthing "are you okay?" I smile and give a slight nod.
His mother, Carol, removes her arms from around me and I straighten out my back. Her husband, Dave, comes up to me next. His hug is much shorter and I am grateful. I'm not used to having people touch me for such a long period of time. No one ever touched me before I met Amelia and Damon after my parents' passed and, even before they did, it was rare and quick. This is a nice change, but one I am definitely not used to.
Dave walks to Carol then, taking her hand in his. They look up at each other with tender smiles on their faces.
We listen as their voices trail off as they leave the room.
"Are you okay?" Damon pulls my attention away from his smitten parents and back to us.
"Yes, I- it's just- your mom is really nice. She- why wouldn't she shake my hand?"
"She told you, only acquaintances shake hands. To my mom, dad, Brandon, and I, you are not an acquaintance, you are a part of our family."
"Why? The only one who really knows me is you."
"For now."
"For now? What do you mean?"
"It's pretty obvious. I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon. You will have plenty of time to meet and learn about my family, and they will have plenty of time to learn about you. I love you and you are important in my life. They know that and that's why you are important to them. You make me happy, you make them happy."
"Oh. I- I didn't realize."
That's the response you give? That's so lame! Say something else!
"What- what I meant to say was, I am just a little overwhelmed. It's a long time since someone considered me as a part of their family. I mean, I have my own family, but I haven't talked to them in years. I was never really close with them to begin with.
"Anyways, it was nice, having your mom say that and hug me for so long. I was surprised but happy at the same time. Thank you for letting me meet them. I can't wait to spend the weekend with them."
"I want you to meet them, and they wanted to meet you. That's one reason they came down so quickly. We have a lot of plans for the weekend so be prepared."
Before either of us have any time to say something, Carol calls us from the kitchen saying that breakfast is ready. Taking my hand, Damon and I walk into the kitchen, small smiles on our faces.
All of a sudden, something I was uncertain about, is now something I am looking forward to. This is going to be a great weekend.