It All Started With A Tweet

Chapter Twenty Two

This was it, I was getting off the plane in Justin's hometown. I had talked to Katie and Marie for an hour the night before preparing for this moment.

"Don't try too hard," Katie said.

"But try to make a good impression." Marie suggested. "Be polite, dress appropriately."

"Are you ready?" He said, bringing me back to the present. I nodded and took his hand. Justin's mom, Patti was meeting us at the airport, she had flown in the day before.

"Mum!" He called, after we walked through the airport.

She turned and smiled at us, "Hi guys!" Justin dropped my hand and hugged his mother, then turned to me.

"Mum, this is Elena. Elena, this is my mum."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Mallette." I said, holding out my hand.

"Please, call me Patti, Elena, and I'm a hugger," she walked towards me and I was surprised a moment before gently hugging her back. "It's great to finally meet you! Justin has told me so much about you," she said, grinning at me and her son. There was an awkward pause where we were all just smiling at each other.

"Yeah...so let's go," Justin said, grabbing our bags.

"I can get that..." I said, but it was a lost cause. He grabbed both of them and slung them over his shoulder. "Where are we staying?" I asked.

"My grandparents house, if you don't mind," Justin said, taking me hand.

"

I don't mind at all! I was just wondering."

"It's just a short drive, and then we planned to have dinner tonight as a family. Do you like burgers?" Patti asked me, I felt bad telling her I was a vegetarian, so I nodded my head yes. I just decided to be a vegetarian last summer, with the exception that I would eat fish. If they were going to be accepting, I wasn't going to make it an issue for now.

This was clearly a mistake. As soon as we arrived, dinner was ready and we were sat down at the table. A big fat burger was plopped down in front of me and it made me queasy just to look at it. I took a few deep breaths through my mouth and took a small bite, washing it down with half a glass of milk.

"So, Elena, what are your interests outside of school?" Patti asked me, and I silently thanked her, it would give me an excuse not to eat for a minute.

"Right now I'm in the school play, and opening night is in about two weeks. Other then that I like to run, long distance."

"What play?"

"Cinderella, I got a main role," I explained, blushing slightly. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Elena, it is a big deal. Stop being so modest," Justin laughed, I could tell he was trying to get me to relax. He steered the conversation away from me, and started talking about people living in Stratford.

"I'll help you," I said, jumping up when dinner was over. I started taking plates and carrying them into the kitchen with Patti, even though she insisted I didn't need to help.

"Elena?" She said, as she washed and I dried.

"Yes?"

"I can tell my son has real feelings for you, but do you have real feelings for him? I know his a big celebrity, but you see more then that, right?"

"Of course Patti, I was a big fan of his before we met, but it's not all about the fame for me. I genuinely... love your son. He makes me laugh and comforts me and makes everything okay when I think my word is crashing in."