She

Dad

*The next day*
"I can't believe this is happening," I sighed, "he said he'd never speak to me again. I wish he'd stuck to that."
"Don't worry about it," Erin squeezed my hand, "I'll be here. And Finn'll be here. It's not like you have to face him alone."
"I know, I know... but you don't know what he's like. He's just horrible. They both hate me, why have they suddenly decided I'm important again?" I looked at my watch, "he's late. That'll be Finn, dad's never been late a day in his life."
"Babe, stop pacing, you're even getting me worked up. It's going to be fine, I promise," she rubbed my shoulder.
The machine suddenly buzzed, and I pressed the button to answer it, my finger shaking as I did it.
"It's us," Finn's voice said.
I took a deep breath, "okay, come on up." I looked over at Erin, trembling, "I can't do this. I should have said no. Oh my god-"
"Shhh," she wrapped her arms tightly around me, "it's gonna be okay. It's just a conversation. He can't hurt you or yell at you. Especially not while I'm here."
I nodded, sniffing, "you're right, I guess. I just have to... breathe," I laughed nervously.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I looked at Erin and she smiled encouragingly. I went to answer it.
Dad hadn't changed a bit. Well he looked a bit greyer, but he still had the same severe expression and cold eyes. Finn looked as worked up as I felt.
"Dear god, what have you done to yourself," dad was looking me up and down, his face distorted in disapproval.
"They're just tattoos..." I looked at the floor, "that's... that's my job, I'm a tattoo artist."
"You're a what? Oh for heaven's sake, I can't imagine how that puts food on the table," he scowled, "you're going to regret putting those frivolous designs all over your body."
Finn's face appeared over his shoulder, "don't argue," he mouthed silently.
I nodded, "...maybe."
Dad looked at Erin, "is this your friend?"
"... no," I bit my lip, "Erin's my girlfriend."
"Oh. Finn told me about your little relationship. Your mom wants to meet her too."
I frowned, "why?"
"No idea. She's quite disorientated."
"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be nice to meet your mom," Erin smiled. I smiled back, grateful that she was trying to make this as easy as possible.
Finn spoke then, "dad, you know that you're going to have to make some compromises too, right?"
"What do you mean son?" He raised his eyebrows.
I saw Finn cringe at being called son. He shrugged, "well, we're not going to come just so you and mom can lecture us. We're just coming to say goodbye to mom. So... you can't expect Kristen and Erin to come if you're just going to make fun of their relationship and make Erin uncomfortable."
I nodded.
Dad sighed, "I'm not going to pretend I'm okay with it. But... for your mother's sake, we can overlook it." Then he looked at me, "but when you're in front of me or your mother, I don't want to see any... kissing, or holding hands, or any kind of touching. You keep things modest and respectful, okay?"
I looked at Erin. She shrugged, nodding.
"Okay," I sighed, "I guess that's fair."