Fire and Freedom - Book One of the Café Latte Trilogy

Chapter Nineteen - Jasper

Lucie was out of her uniform for the café and dressed in a pale blue dress with black leggings and wedges. Tom looked his usual self, which was a small comfort, and he sighed. "Mothers, enter the house, it's not going to kill you. You've been here before!"

"Anything you need us to do?" Lucie asked me kindly as Tom ushered them in. "Like anything specific we should or shouldn't do?"

Cyri grinned. "If you want his parents to like you, I wouldn't swear."

"Noted," Jenny sighed. "Cyri, are you staying tonight?"

"Nope," Cyri looked relieved at the thought of getting far away from this situation. "Me and my boyfriend are going out to dinner - but we'll have our phones on in case anyone needs a quick getaway. I can think of three ways out of the house that aren't the front door - Jasper, stop grinning every time I say he's my boyfriend, it's annoying."

I was grinning anyway. Rory and Cyri had been dating for a week or two now, and they were very sweet together. "Go on," I told her hurrying her out of the door. "Say hi to Rory for me."

She stuck up her middle finger at me, and rushed off to her car. I shut the door and took Jenny, Lucie, and Tom's coats, hanging them up on our coat-stand. They followed me into the living room. "I thought I heard voices!" Mum said, smiling up at us from the sofa. "Has Cyri left?"

"Yes," I smiled at my parents, dressed less casually than usual. I didn't think anyone's dress would outshine whatever Edward put on, but nonetheless it was nice to see them dressing up for the occasion.

"Mum, Dad," I said, trying not to sound tense or nervous, which of course I was. "You remember Tom, and his mothers Jenny and Lucie."

Jenny waved at both of them and said, "Thanks for having us for dinner - it smells great." She and Lucie sat opposite them on the other sofa, trying to not be as casually intimate as they usually were, but still sitting closely.

"And you," Mum replied, clearly trying not to stare at them. "I think we last saw you at-"

"-Pride," Lucie finished for her. "Yes, at the end – before Tom dragged us away. It was a lovely day, though, the weather really held out for us."

They continued chatting about Pride, with Tom and I hovering nearby. "I hope they both behave themselves," Tom said to me, putting his arm around my waist. I was glad that he hadn't altered his behaviour at all. The doorbell went again, and I nudged him towards the armchair. "Go on, sit down. I'll get it."

Tom grinned, eyeing the door. "Let's hope it's Edward; we could do with someone to take the focus off my mothers."

I laughed. "Oh, I'm going to need a lot of luck to get through this evening."

"You'll be fine," he grinned, kissing my cheek. "Go on."

I smiled, and watched him sit down on the armchair, effortlessly joining in the conversation with my parents. I turned back and opened the door to reveal Harper and Raven stood behind it, smiling expectantly when they saw me stood there.

"They're in the living room," I told them, after taking their jackets. "Ed isn't here yet."

"You nervous?" Raven asked me, and I nodded. She smiled a little and ruffled my hair. "Don't be - Harper's a conversational genius, Ed's all fun and show, and I promise only to offend one of them."

Raven looked great. Her hair was straightened, she had a great smokey eyeshadow look and her lipstick was a deep purple. She was in a simple black dress and heels, and I could see much more of a similarity between her and Ross. She hadn't contoured her face the way she usually did to make her features a bit softer, so her jaw looked more angular, and her cheekbones were sharp and high, similar to Ross'. "You look beautiful," I told her honestly.