Above & Beyond ✔

52. It's Time to Write a New Story

Blake and I stood in front of my mom's apartment door, a bouquet in his hand and a bottle of red wine in mine. I ran my fingers over my pleated blue skirt to make sure it wasn't crumpled from our trip. Blake gulped as he looked down at his attire, a grey dress shirt and black pants.

I leaned closer and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Ready?"

"When you are." He nodded but his eyes betrayed his words.

"They won't bite. I promise." I took my keys out of my bag and inserted one of them into the keyhole. Once unlocked, I pushed the door open. "We're here!" I announced.

As we stepped inside, a delicious aroma of grilled meat hit my nostrils, urging my stomach to growl shamelessly. Mom left the pendant lamps in the dining room on even though it was still light outside. Under the golden light, the table had been set for four, adorned with four decorative glass candles and red roses dressed in a golden vase. My mom's favorite porcelain plates were arranged neatly with a set of cutlery next to them. She was going all out tonight.

I heard a shuffling sound from the kitchen, followed by running water being turned off. In the next seconds, my mom emerged from the kitchen with a wide smile on her face. She was wearing a maroon sundress with a rectangle neckline. Her brown hair was pulled into a perfect bun and her lipstick color matched her dress. She looked stunning, as always.

"Welcome!"

"Hi, Mom," I greeted and gave her a peck. "As promised, I'm bringing the person you've been dying to meet." With that, I turned to Blake. "So, this is Blake, my boyfriend."

Blake took a few steps forward and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Whaler."

My mom subtly seized him up before shaking his hand, a firm smile tugged on her lips. "Please, call me Jane. And I'm pleased to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

I had finally told mom about Blake being my professor, but I skipped the part that he was my mentor when we met. I didn't lie though; I just didn't give away all the information. Sometimes, it was just a wise thing to do, right? Plus, at my age, I got to decide how far I wanted to share with others.

"I hope just the good things," Blake replied politely before handing the bouquet of white lilies in his hand to my mom. "And this is for you. I'm sorry I couldn't come up with a better idea."

"What are you talking about? This is beautiful!" Mom beamed and hugged her favorite flowers to her chest. "And what is better than bringing a woman perfect flowers?"

I scoffed. Stifling my voice with a fake cough. "Jewelry? A car? A house?"

My mom glared at me before focusing back on Blake. "Now, make yourself comfortable. I need to find a vase for this beauty."

As Blake headed back to the living room, I followed Mom to the kitchen to stick the wine bottle into the fridge. "I thought Dad was here already."

"He'll be here soon. Dinner is still thirty minutes away. So, shoo, shoo," she pushed me out of the kitchen. "I'm almost done here. I will be joining you two in ten minutes."

When I went back to the living room, Blake was standing stiffly in front of the wall by the balcony door, staring at our family photos. He hadn't been himself since we drove to my mom's place. Granted, he was nervous, more than he was willing to admit.

I linked my hand around his arm before leaning into him. He tore his blue eyes from the pictures to look down at me, and a smile rose on his lips, causing my heart to somersault. I tiptoed and pressed my lips on his, feeling his rigid posture gradually losing tension once we started kissing. Our kiss was gentle and sweet, the one that always gave me butterflies in my belly.