Ethan drove his motorcycle to Nina's apartment building, and parked in his usual spot out front. He fixed his hair as he took his helmet off, and shoved the keys into the front pocket of his jeans. Ethan walked up the front steps of the building, and went inside. He took the elevator up to Nina's floor, remembering it from when he was here helping her make resumes.
Ethan nervously adjusted his shirt, and wiped his hands on his jeans. He took a deep breath as he approached Nina's front door, and rang the door bell. A few moments later, and Nina swung open the door.
"Thanks for coming." She said with a small smile.
"Is he here?" Ethan asked. Nina nodded, and moved out of the way so he could walk inside.
Nina closed the door before yelling, "dad, he's here!" She led Ethan into the living room, where her dad was sitting on the couch. Ethan swallowed heavily as Tony stood up, and turned around.
"Ethan Dolan." He stated, a grin forming on his face.
"Hello, Tony." Ethan replied. A rush of relief waved over him as he realized that his boss wasn't as mad as Ethan assumed he'd be.
"You're not mad, are you dad?" Nina asked. She was standing beside Ethan, with a nervous expression on her face as Tony walked over to them.
"No, I wouldn't want anyone else to date my daughter. Mister Dolan here is the best they come." Tony smiled widely as he clapped ethan on the shoulder.
"Thank you." Ethan muttered as he smiled. He was still anxious, but had relaxed a bit.
"Now, shall we eat? Nina's been cooking up something all day, and it smells delicious." Tony said, and started leading Ethan into the dining room.
"Dad, it's only been an hour." Nina replied. Her father was too far away to hear her though. She sighed as she walked into the kitchen, thinking about how she should be used to all Tony's praising over the years, even when it wasn't necessary.
Nina pulled the meal out of the oven. It was lasagna, but it was made from her Grandma's infamous recipe that had been tucked into one of Nina's cookbooks on a scrap piece of paper. She found it while trying to figure out what to make for tonight's dinner. It was Tony's mother's recipe, so Nina knew he'd be happy to relive a common meal from his childhood.
After bringing three plates and sets of utensils to the dining room table, Nina carried out the lasagna. She had also gotten a baquette from the grocery store, and cut it up before bringing it out with some butter.
"Would anyone a drink? I have wine, and-" Nina started to say, but Ethan cut her off.
"I'll get it, you just sit and relax for once." Ethan offered, jumping up from his seat.
"Are you sure? I mean, I can get it."
"I've got it." Ethan said before rushing out of the dining room. He rummaged around in the kitchen for three glasses, and took three out of the cupboard. He looked in the fridge for a bottle of wine, and found one in the back. It was open, with only a small amount missing. There was also an unopened bottle of water in the fridge, and Ethan had a short lasting mental debate with himself.
Finally, he grabbed the water and headed back to the dining room. Ethan set everything down on the table, and sat back down in his seat.
"Thank you, Ethan." Nina said as she grabbed a glass, and filled it with the dark coloured wine. She gave the glass to her father, who smiled. Nina then filled up a second glass just as Ethan took the last glass, and went to fill it with water.
"Do you not drink, Ethan?" Tony asked. Ethan glanced up at Nina as he looked at Tony.
"No, I just...uh...have to work tomorrow." He replied, coming up with an excuse.
"Well so do I! Come on, have a drink with us." Tony picked up the bottle of wine, and went to pour it into Ethan's glass.
"Dad." Nina muttered, trying to get her father to stop.
"It's okay." Ethan replied in a hushed tone. Tony was oblivious to the short conversation that had just happened as he poured Ethan a glass of wine.
Ethan gave both Tony and Nina a small smile before lifting his glass up.
"Cheers, to all the good things in life." He said, his smile growing. Nina and Tony raised their glasses, all of them clinking together. Ethan and Nina remained eye contact as they both sipped their wine.
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So this was in the story awhile ago but in case some of you forgot; Ethan doesnt wanna drink because he spent so many nights at a bar. Now that he's talking to Grayson again, he wants to completely sober up for him and his family, especially since he has one (soon to be two) little kids.
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