Remember the Time || Bruno Mars

[8] headed home

"Cass," I say, looking up from my phone which I had checked for the enth time. December was coming up and one of the last few stops I had on tour was my hometown, Hawaii.

"Hm?" she hummed not glancing at me, her nose buried at a Dan Brown book she was reading.

"I uh—" I rubbed the side of my face wearily before plopping down on the tour bus couch next to her, "—was just about to give you a heads up about meeting my family in Hawaii."

And as the words rolled off my tongue, she finally lifted her gaze from the novel and settled it on me. "You want me to meet your family?"

She nervously bit her lip, closing the book and gently placing it on the small table next to her at an arm's reach.

"Yeah," I answered, my lips curling into a smile and folded my hands behind me as I rested the back of my head on them. I watched her with curiosity, noticing her body tense up next to mine, "Baby, you don't have to be scared."

I chuckled to ease up the tension a little, scooting closer to her slim frame and draped an arm around her small shoulder. "They won't swallow you," I lowered my head to peer over at her whose eyes were affixed on the ground, "Okay...Maybe they'll chew you first."

A small giggle escaped her lips as she locked her eyes with mine, shoving me lightly on my clad chest. "It's not funny."

"Come on, love," I said, pressing her tighter to my side. "Why are you so fidgety all of a sudden?"

"I've never been introduced by a guy to his family before," she explains, resting her temple on the crook of my neck, "This is such a huge step for me. I don't really know what to do."

"As cliché as this may sound, just be yourself," I suggested with a grin, kissing the top of her head, "And everything will be alright."

.

"Shit," I curse under my breath as a swarm of photographers encased us once we stepped down Honolulu International Airport. I tighten my hand around Cassie's as security finally arrived and shooed them away, their questions ringing in my head as they threw them all at the same time.

"Bruno, welcome back to Hawaii!"

"Bruno, who's this beautiful lady with you? Bringing her here to meet the folks?"

"Bruno, is it true you're coming out with a fragrance this summer?"

"Bruno, are you really going to be the new judge in American Idol's upcoming season?"

At long last, we escaped from the confines of the paparazzi and their wrath. I wiped the beads of sweat, with a handkerchief I fished out of my pocket, that were starting to form on my forehead.

"I have never felt so claustrophobic in my whole life," Cassie says, sighing exaggeratingly as she keeps up with my quick strides and walk next to me.

"Eh, it's tough the first time around," I admit with a small chuckle, letting go of her hand to grab some of our luggage, "But I'm honestly not used to it yet."

She flashed me another one of those smiles that could melt my heart within seconds and told me she needed to use the bathroom. I nodded and stayed situated on my place while I waited for everything and everyone to be loaded out, shifting all my weight into my hand gripping on the baggage's handle to support me.

"UNCLE BRUNOOOO!!!" Just then, I heard childrens' voices yell from afar and a smile creeps up to my face knowing exactly who they were. Tahiti's little boys Zyah and Nyjah come sprinting towards me with eyes glimmering with excitement and enthusiastic grins on their faces.