Allison and Connor sat in the airport. Alli had her head resting on his shoulder while she scrolled down Twitter on her phone. He was just watching everyone. He really didn't want to be noticed. He was just trying to go meet his girlfriend's family in peace.
They had a flight to Ottawa from Edmonton, then a stop in Halifax, and then to St. John's. Allison's family had covered the flights and Connor was so annoyed with that. He would be paying them back. Allison told him not to worry about it, that her aunts were always this generous. But he didn't listen. He hated having things paid for him.
"Babe." Allison spoke softly. Connor looked over at her. "Flight's boarding."
She pecked his lips as she stood up. He grabbed his carry-on and her hand.
Connor McDavid wasn't known for many of his weaknesses, but one of them was flying. Not the entire flight, just when they took off and landed, which they had to do a total of eight times. And it didn't help that he was anxious to meet her family. He didn't think they would tell her to leave him, but he didn't know if they would like him.
They found their seats. Connor didn't want the window seat whatsoever. Allison giggled as she slid past him to take it. He was so cute sometimes. He flushed as he sat down. He was embarrassed that Alli knew he was scared of flying.
After all the typical protocol, it was time to take off. Connor clenched the armrests as the plane began moving. Allison held back a laugh, wrapping her arms around his while she rested her head on him. That calmed him a bit, but not enough.
"Baby, it's okay." She rubbed his arm.
"Shhhh." He squeezed his eyes shut.
The flight had been in air for a while and Connor had calmed down. He didn't undo his seatbelt at all. Allison had and she had even gotten up to go to the bathroom, which was bizarre to him. She came back, smiling, and fell over him into her seat. She swung her legs around and sat up right.
She started looking for a movie on the TV. She was asking Connor which movies were good, but he was too out of it. He didn't know what she was saying at all. She looked over and saw his leg shaking. She rolled her eyes, grabbing his thigh. He looked over at her, wide eyed and worried.
"Nervous?" She leaned towards him, rubbing his hand while she rested her head on his shoulder.
He grabbed her hand, resting her head on his. "Very."
"They're gonna be reckless." She teased him. "What do you want your tombstone to say?"
"Hm," He thought. "'Here lies Connor McDavid: loving son, patient brother, decent hockey player, devoted boyfriend who adored Allison Rogers so much his heart exploded.'"
She laughed. "You're such a loser."
They had landed in Ottawa, flew to Halifax, and were now renting a car in Newfoundland. Allison drove since Connor didn't know his way around the city. She hummed along to the radio as she drove to her aunt Val's house. He just stared out the window, not saying anything.
"What if they don't like me?" He blurted out.
"Huh?"
"What if they hate me? What if they forbid you from seeing me?" He asked and ran his hands over his face, through his hair.
"Easy there, Romeo." She giggled. "Everyone likes you. You're, like, the human embodiment of sunshine. The patron saint of nice guys. Also, you've already met my parents, the people who actually had the power to forbid me from seeing you but never did, because my mom loves you."
He sighed. "I wasn't even this nervous meeting your parents."
"My family is really cool, baby. You'll be fine." She reassured him. "They'll love you just like I do."
He smiled a bit.
They pulled up to her aunt's house a short while later. They pulled up the long driveway to the back door which everyone was always expected to enter through. Connor swallowed hard when he saw the amount of cars parked. The garage was open and Alli knew her family was all sitting in there, drinking beers. She parked the car, turned it on and leaned over to Connor.
"You ready?" She purred.
"Yeah." He pecked her lips.
She climbed out of the car and he followed her lead. They grabbed their bags and went inside first. Her aunt Val was preparing things in the kitchen when they walked in. Allison was beaming. Her aunt's place hadn't changed one bit.
"Hello!" She called out as she lead Connor in.
Her aunt spun around, licking her fingers. "Allison!" She exclaimed, her east coast accent evident.
She pulled Alli into a tight hug.
"Aunt Val, this is my boyfriend, Connor." Alli introduced him, staring up at him.
Val hugged him and he suddenly felt a bit more comfortable. She told them all about what had been going on around the town. She led her up to the spare room they'd be staying in. Allison sat on the bed, listening to her aunt tell her everything. Connor smiled. Allison was really happy here.
"Do you two wanna go out and see the rest of the family?" Val suggested.
Allison looked at Connor. She bit her lip, waiting for a response from him. He smiled, grabbing her hand and nodding. It was the moment of truth for him.
