Hot and cold

Chapter 12 - The reunion

My parents look between themselves and then back to us. I look nervously at Damiano and he squeezs my hand back.

My mom looks happy, on the other hand my father looks surprised, but not that happy.

"I'm happy for you two!" - my mom says hugging me and Damiano at the same time.
I hug her back smiling. I breath in relief, and look back at my father that its looking at my boyfriend suspiciously.

My mom widens her eyes at him, basically telling my dad to quit his protective dad act. He seems to get the message:

"I just want you to be happy, Coraline" - My dad says with a soft smiling, pulling me into a hug and shaking hands with Damiano.

Okay, this is going better than what I expected...

"Well, let's go have dinner shall we?" - I say smiling brightly. My parents nod.
We get into the car, my parents on the back seats. Damiano pulls onto the main road and once again grabs my hand. I smile shyly at him.

"Is this you car Damiano?" - My dad suddenly asks from the back seat. 

My dad is a big car admirer and I bet he is drooling over damiano's car. My boyfriend looks at the rear mirror to look at my dad while answering:

"Yes sir, it's vintage. When I bought it was badly treated. I earned some money and invested into the car. It's one of things I'm very proud of" - Damiano says turning left with one hand.
That makes him look so sexy.

"It's impeccable son, I must say you have a very nice taste in cars" - My dad says and my heart swells at the "son" part.

Damiano smiles back at him.

We pull into the house and I quickly get out, I can't wait for the others to meet my family. Once we get in, Chili comes running right away to my mom, she still remembers her. My mom laughs, picking her up and kissing her little fluffy white head.

The others come out, greeting my parents in a loving way. Vic comes running and hugs them tightly, chatting right away with my dad about Italy.
Damiano wraps his arms around me from behind and I smile content with everything.

We sit down by the table and eat Ethans famous pasta that looks delicious. The band chats away with my parents, telling them how they got so famous in Italy. My dad gets to know Damiano a little bit better, talking to him about vintage cars. I just roll my eyes, I don't know a thing about cars so I sit between Vic and my mom, talking about Chili that's running around on the garden.

The night is hot.

After dinner, I tell my parents I want to show them around the house, I will take this opportunity to talk to them about my future plans.

We go upstairs and I show them the rooms that look completely clean, I show them Damiano's room and then mine. My mom sits on my bed and my dad stands next to her standing up.

"So, what do you think?" - I ask shyly, wanting to know their opinions on the band, Damiano and the house.

"Everything is pretty tidy and I can see you have a very close relationship with the band, I'm so happy for you Coraline. I haven't seen you smile like this for so long..I'm sure Damiano as helped a lot on that department too, he looks at you in such a loving way.." - My mom says taking my hand in hers.

"I agree, but Coraline, you know what type of life style he has right? Are ready for all of that? You are going to be hours away from each other and when he starts touring it will only get worse. And I bet he is always surrounded by girls." - My dad comments, looking at me seriously.

"Well, I don't think no one is ever sure if they are ready for anything. But, I wont change his lifestyle, he is a rockstar and I get that. I just want respect from him and we have already discussed all of that. When it comes to being far away from each other, I have to speak to you about that..." - I say quietly, looking into my moms eyes.

My mom knows me so well that her eyes water, she obviously knows what I'm about to say:

"You said you were thinking about moving to Italy, however you still have your jobs back home and you still have to go back to Portugal to get everything sorted. But I don't. I can freeze my tuition and stay here. I really want to stay here and not only because of Damiano. I want to stay here because I'm happy here, I feel like I'm truly living here. I know I need to get a job and a house for myself, but I need my independence. I will survive." - I say, my mom is crying by the end of my speech. She hugs me tightly and my father is looking out of my window.

"I understand completely Coraline, when I was your age I also wanted to make the best out of my life. I think those are the moments you remember afterwords. I will be happy for you" - My mom says kissing my cheek making me cry.

My dad turns around to look me in the eye, his eyes are moist, he is holding himself together to not cry:

"I want the best for you Coraline. I will be worried sick all of the time, but this is your life. You need to live it your way. Remember we love you and that, if anything goes wrong, you will still have your room waiting for you back home" - My dad finishes. I stand up and hug him, crying on his chest.

I'm so lucky.

"Thank you, you have no idea of how scared I was of all of this. I don't want to hurt in anyway, but I need to stay true to myself." - I say looking at both of them with a sad smile.
.....

Damiano parks in front of the hotel and I get out of the car. My parents mirror my moves and Damiano helps my mom getting out of the car like a true gentlemen. He says his goodbyes to them and talks quietly with my father. I don't know what they are saying, but I'm sure it's about me.

Damiano leans on his car, giving me a private moment with my parents.

I grab their hands and, with tears in my eyes, say goodbye to my parents. They are leaving in the early morning back to Portugal tomorrow. I wont be at the airport because it will only make things harder, so I will say my goodbyes now:

"Please call me once you get there, call anytime you need or want okay? I will call you everyday and will update you in everything in my life" - I say smiling
"Be careful Coraline, we love you so much" - My mom says hugging me. I hug her back and then my father.

We say our goodbyes and they walk into the hotel, leaving me there with tears in my eyes.
I go back to Damiano, who is waiting for me by the car and he opens his arms for me. I instantly hug him and cry on his chest. He rubs his hand on my back and kisses the top of my head making me feel loved.

I'm going to miss my parents so much, but I'm pursuing my happiness.
.......

We get home in silent. Me replaying the last moments with my parents in my head. The others are still talking outside by the pool.

"Are you okay bella?" - Vic asks, once I sit down beside her on the garden. She is holding Chili. Damiano went inside to grab a cigarette. Ethan and Thomas are sitting by the side of the pool with their feet in the water. The music is still playing softly.

"Yeah, I'm happy they were okay with my relationship with Damiano and with me staying here. I'm gonna miss them" - I reply smiling sadly.
"Relationship?" - Ethan asks, cutting into the conversation.
"Did he ask?!" - Vic asks with a tone of surprise in her voice.

Thomas is looking at me waiting for me to answer.

"Yap." - I say smiling and blushing.
"My god, he is a changed man" - Ethan whispers, looking at Vic.

We all laugh at his expression, but somehow that makes me feel special.

"I mean, I saw your instagram posts, which for me was very surprising. He usual keeps to himself, but he obviously wants to show you around." -Vic says, smiling brightly at me. I blush harder.

Damiano comes outside with two cigarettes in his hand. He comes closer and hands one to me. I thank him with a smile. He sits beside me with his cigarette between his lips. I light mine with his lighter and feel the nicotine entering my veins and calming myself. My boyfriend sits beside me, smoking his. We stand there, chatting with each other and laughing at chili.

It's two in the morning when we decide it's time to go inside. I sleep in Damiano's arms, feeling like I made the right choice, even if that means getting hurt once in awhile...

......
Hey! Did you like the chapter? Tell me what you think.

Bye!