Given Time

♡35♡

Even though my inexperience is daunting compared to his colorful experience of sex, I know with my heart that he will treat me with affection and make sure that I am at ease throughout. I also spoke to Zara about it beforehand and her advice to me is to be open with Tanner about my worries so that he is able to know to take things slowly. She also recommended buying some condoms in case Tanner doesn't have any on him, and even though I felt mortified going to the shop and buying it, I'm now fully prepared to share this momentous experience with Tanner.

Tanner eventually rejoins me and sits back in his chair as the captain announces that we will be landing shortly. I buckle my seat early and bite on my fingernails anxiously at the thought of landing. My mind starts to go into overdrive depicting various ways our landing could go wrong. What if the plane's engines catch fire, or the landing gear fails to emerge. The more my traitorous brain conjures up horrible scenarios, the harder I bite down on my nails.

"Hey, enough of that. We're going to be fine, Le-Le," Tanner coos as he pries my hand away from my mouth.

"Sorry. I just hate flying so much. Taking off and landing is the worst part for me."

He kisses the back of my hand and keeps hold of it. "It'll all be over soon. And once we land, we'll grab our luggage and go find your parents so they can start interrogating us."

I groan and bury my head in his shoulder. "Ugh. Let's just get a cab. I'm in no mood to answer their barrage of questions about you."

He chuckles deeply and slides his hand over my hair. "I'm disappointed in you. I'd have thought my girlfriend would be more than happy to gush about me to her parents."

"Hmm. Maybe it's not so bad."

I'm grateful for Tanner distracting me for the remainder of the flight, even if it is him teasing me.

He carries on holding my hand as the plane makes its descent and heads towards the lights of the runway. I close my eyes just before the plane touches the ground, and the little bump from the landing causes me to yelp aloud and dig my nails into Tanner's hand. As soon as we're in the clear, I release my hand from Tanner's and watch him shake it to ease the pain away.

"Sorry," I lament.

"It's fine. Damn, your nails are sharp."

"Sorry, I'll cut them when I get home."

He winks at me and leans over to whisper in my ear. "No, you won't. I want these nails to claw down my back when I get you alone."

My eyes go wide, and I gulp as his eyes focus on my lips for a few seconds before shaking his head and grinning to himself.

The plane soon stops, and we get our hand luggage out of the overhead and wait in the aisle patiently to exit the plane. Once we make our way through the terminal, I look for my parents, and it doesn't take me long to spot them as my mom is holding up a sign with our names on as they lean against the bar separating visitors from fliers. We trundle our suitcases over to them and are met with warm embraces.

"Oh, it feels so good to hold you again," my mom sighs as she strokes my hair while she hugs me.

I hug her back and then withdraw from her hold so she can hug Tanner. I give my dad a quick hug, and he kindly takes my suitcase without asking and wheels it next to himself.

When my mom finally lets go of Tanner, he shakes my dad's hand. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Preston."

"Likewise. I was happily surprised when I found out you and Leah were traveling together. I hope her nervousness for flying didn't affect you too much," my dad jokes.

Tanner holds open up his palm, showing faint little fingernails marks. "Only a bit. But she's easily forgivable," he says as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

I blush profusely as both of my parents' eyes land on me with inquisitive expressions on their faces. I duck out of Tanner's hold and re-adjust the bag on my shoulder.

Tanner looks down at me with a questioning glance at my brush-off, so I subtly stroke my hand down the back of his hand to appease him while my parents discuss heading back to the car.

As I predicted, my parents are all over Tanner, engaging in conversation with him the entire way back to the car as I follow behind them, looking in from the outside. I catch a few things here and there, and it seems my mom is prying for information about our relationship. Tanner keeps his responses short, giving them the bare minimum of how close we really are.

I note that they were never like this when I was with Shawn. They were nice enough to him when we were together, but they never seemed to warm to him.

Maybe it's because they've known Tanner since he was little?

When we get to the car, Tanner helps my dad put the suitcases in the trunk, and then he slides into the seat in the back with me, leaving the middle seat free. I buckle up my seat belt and rest my hand in the middle, and Tanner does the same and hooks his pinkie finger around mine. I smile shyly at him as my dad starts the car and pulls out of the space.

My mom pulls down her visor as she talks to us on the journey home, and it doesn't take her long to see our hands entwined.

A smug expression crosses her face, and she raises her brows in the mirror as she stares right at me. I squirm in my seat and roll my eyes dramatically, silently telling her, 'yeah, yeah. I'm with him.'

Well, Leah did warn him she's not a good flyer ha ha. What do you think of her parents fawning over Tanner?

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