You Know I'm Such a Fool for You

Chapter 24

“Why are you smiling?” Dad asked me. I haven’t even realized I was smiling!

“What?” I tried to gain some time.

“You’re grinning like an idiot Adrian,” he replied, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“I’m just happy to see you both,” I lied. Well, not that I wasn’t happy to see them, but the real reason was Vicky. Dad looked doubtful but didn’t say anything. Thank God for that.

“How was the trip anyway?” I changed the subject.

“Oh, Adrian, it was wonderful. It was so beautiful. You should’ve seen all those beaches,” Mom said cheerfully.

“It was really nice. Good food, good wine, beautiful places,” dad added.

 “Good to know you liked. You two sure needed some time off,” I told them honestly.

We talked about their trip for the rest of the drive. They told me everything about the places they’ve been and stuff like that. The cruise seemed to be fun, maybe I could go on a trip like that with Vicky some day.

“We’re here,” I announced as I parked the car in our driveway.

“Finally!” Mom exclaimed.

“Home sweet home,” dad laughed.

After dad and I got the luggage, we entered the house. Leah came running from the kitchen when she heard us.

“Mom!” She exclaimed and hugged our mom.

A few moments later Max and Vicky stepped into the living room, where we were all standing. She smiled at me and all I could do was smile back at her.

Leah hugged dad while Vicky greeted my mom. After that, Leah took Max’s hand.

“Mom, Dad, this is Max, my boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Max said while shaking my dad’s hand.

“Nice you meet you too,” dad replied politely. It was funny to see my dad’s reaction. I can tell he’s not entirely comfortable with the idea of Leah having a boyfriend.

Max extended his hand to my mom, but she hugged him instead. “It’s so nice to meet you, sweetie,” she said to him.

“It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am,” Max replied for the second time today. When he stepped away from my mom he was smiling, seeming relieved.

“I can’t believe my little girl has a boyfriend,” Mom said to Leah’s embarrassment. See, I’m not the only one who reacted like that. But I know she’s not that little girl anymore. She’ll always be my baby sister, but she’s all grown up now and I know I can trust her to take her own decisions.

“Mom, please!” Leah complained. “Can we eat now, please?”

“Sure, honey.” Mom replied and they all headed to the dining room. I noticed that Vicky stayed a little behind too, but I couldn’t kiss her, someone could see, so I just rested my hand on the small of her back while we walked out of the living room.

Everyone took their places. I managed to sit beside Vicky and held her hand beneath the table. A minute later Leah came with the rest of the food and we started to eat.

During the dinner we talked about everything. Mom and dad talked about the trip again and asked what happened here while they were gone. They asked about school, college, work, about the photography club and dad even interrogated Max a little.

It was actually pretty fun. I missed dinners like this one, with the whole family, and with Vicky’s here with me I felt complete. I was even getting used to Max presence. It didn’t bother me anymore, especially because he makes Leah happy, and I’m definitely grateful for that.