Sun Kissed ✓

twelve

IT wasn't until almost two weeks later that Austin finally ended up at the country club with Tanner and— not really but technically— his family. Thankfully, he'd had the opportunity to meet them multiple times before Tanner spoke to his dad about bringing him along as a guest.

The Mellors were pretty much exactly what Austin had expected them to be; a pretty, smiling nuclear family who he hated straight away because the love that they had for each other was so indescribable and genuine that it made him feel a little dizzy. Each member of the family seemed to have inside jokes with every other and there was a constant casual affection of hair ruffling and hands on shoulders and sharing snacks and hugs for which there seemed to be no reason other than fondness.

Any night that they all happened to be home, they ate dinner together and watched movies together and never failed to say goodnight. His parents teased each other playfully and cooked dinner together and listened attentively and patiently when the other shared meaningless gossip or a 'you-had-to-be-there' anecdote from work. With the childhood artwork still clipped to the fridge and all of the pictures from vacations, graduations, birthdays, on hikes or at the country club hung in the hallways and framed in the living rooms, it didn't take a genius to guess that they wholly and unconditionally adored their children, of which there were three.

Tanner's elder brother was already in college and was away on vacation with his friends at some expensive resort on some tropical beach on one of those islands where only the rich and the young get to go. Austin had been informed that he probably wouldn't get to meet his brother, an ambitious and accomplished college football player, for a while yet, though he knew that the brother had heard of him over the family phone calls that took place every couple of nights. Still, without even meeting him, Austin knew that Tanner looked like him to an almost frightening extent. In a couple of years of time, he was convinced that they could pass for twins, despite their four year age gap.

His brother was tall and handsome and beaming in every picture he was in; with his football team after winning games, with his parents at graduation, with Tanner stood beside him and their younger sister on his back, her face bright and her arms thrown up to the sky. Similarly, she— who Austin had the pleasure of meeting on various occasions— was gleeful everywhere she went.

Margot Mellor was nearing fourteen and always had her straw-coloured hair thrown up or back with spare bobbles on her wrist. She never seemed to not be wearing sliders or some kind of converse, despite the designer trainers that her mom claimed her to be in possession of, and she laughed a lot and skipped a little when she walked and constantly fiddled with the silver necklace that spelled her name. Their father seemed to adore her especially, which he insisted was only fair since his wife idolised their boys so much.

So, Austin hated the Mellors, and he hated them because he actually really liked them a lot. There was something inside of him that told him he should be filled with bitter jealousy or a sneering displeasure at how happy they were and at how well they functioned together and how they never functioned as well when they were apart, but he nearly made himself sick by even contemplating any feelings of disdain towards them. They were probably the kindest people he'd ever met and his original concern that he would feel out of place was eradicated almost as soon as they'd arrived home to meet him for the first time. A humorous and sociable Mr Mellor engaged him in conversation about current events while bubbly Mrs Mellor chimed in and swiftly moved the subject along to his personal life.

He'd joined them for family dinners multiple times now and was even invited to play a board-game with them, in which he came second only to Mrs Mellor— who was apparently the undefeated champion. After the game was over, she invited him back for another chance to win which was an invitation that he graciously accepted, among all of the other invitations that he'd graciously accepted. Whenever he voiced concern of intrusion, he was shut down before he could even finish his sentence and the acceptance they offered him made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.