Moving In With The Enemy

Chapter 46 ~ "What Are You Doing Here?"

"Yeah, he's great." I assure her and she furrows her eyebrows, as if to say, 'then what's this about?'. "I don't want this break to ruin what's barely started, I don't know what's wrong with me, I just miss him and I shouldn't because we only just started seeing each other-"

"Honey, you've known him for months." She sighs, pressing her lips to the top of my head. "You've probably liked him that long, that's all."

"This is just so hard, our roommates are pissed and I don't even want to think about what the rest of our friends will say."

"Sometimes it's hard to date people." She sighs. "When I met your father he lived in Chicago, I was living in Philly going to U Penn. He transferred down to do some research in one of our labs but he wasn't going to stay-"

"Mom you've told me this story, but he did stay and you fell in love." I sigh and she shakes her head.

"We broke up for a while actually." She whispers. "I couldn't handle the fact that he was always so far away all the time, he told me his life was in Chicago and he couldn't stay while I finished my degree. It broke my heart and I realized that not being with him was worse than having a complicated relationship."

I contemplate what she's saying, I know she's right and that's exactly how I feel about him. 

"And here we are, almost thirty years later, married with two kids." She beams, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. "If Walker's the one, then you two will figure out the rest. That's all."

"But we come from such different backgrounds, his family's nothing like ours. I don't know if I'll fit in with that and I know he doesn't have a perfect relationship with his parents either."

"If people couldn't find a way to accept each others' families, no one would ever fall in love." She tells me and I snort a bit. "If he likes you, that's what matters. You two have us, we'll always love you."

I love my mother. She always makes me feel better.

"When did the two of you......start seeing each other?" She asks.

"After New York."

"Ah." She smiles. "Romantic setting to figure yourselves out, hmm?"

"It didn't suck." I whisper and she chuckles. "I don't know, he just makes me laugh. He makes me feel like myself, he likes me the way I am."

"Then what a good reason to feel the way you do about him." She sighs. "Cheer up, this time apart is only for a few weeks. You're going to see each other before your trip to Northwestern, which by the way, is incredible and you should be proud of yourself for."

"I am proud of myself." I nod. "Just.....this feels like such complicated timing. Why couldn't this happen earlier or-"

"That's not how it works." She tells me, putting her hand on my knee. "Relationships in your life will come in so many ways, but the ones that mean the most......they're always when you least expect them."

"You should write greeting cards." I mumble and she laughs, dragging me into her side and giving me a big squeeze. 

"Don't be so hard on yourself, it's only another five days and then the two of you will be back at school." She reminds me and I nod, knowing she's right. "Your Abuela goes home in three." She adds and I chuckle.

Oh Abuela, my mom's about to lose it having her here. I love her personally, but she does get to be a lot. She's an amazing cook, but follows mom around in the kitchen doing everything she does, but her way. She's a little badass though, and I love her.

"Sick of having her cook over you?"

"No, I'm just.....I'm her child when she's here." She whispers. "But that's what I mean, my family's insane and your father still insists Abuela and your grandfather come down for the holidays every year."