I Love that You're in My Life

Chapter Twelve: First Encounter

"Hello, sir," Gino said calmly.  He set Alana's luggage down and extended his hand out for a handshake.  He had to admit that he was a little intimidated by her father because of the stern look on his face.  In fact, even though the man was shorter than Gino, he was still well-built for his age, and looked like a well-dressed educated man.

"Gino, is it?  You're the boy dating my daughter, then?" her father asked casually as their hands met and grasped firmly.

He could have bristled, but Gino was determined to not let anything show.  Boy?  He guessed he could be seen as one compared to Daniel.

"Yes, sir.  For almost two months."

"Hmm."  Daniel pulled his hand away and turned to the car to open the trunk.  "Alana, you should start putting your stuff inside.  We don't want to get home too late."

"Okay."  Gino noticed that she looked rather tense and anxious.  He shot her a comforting smile before helping her father lift up the luggage and depositing it into the trunk.

After the suitcases were in the car and he had closed the trunk, Daniel turned to face the young blond, his jaw set as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Gino cleared his throat awkwardly as Alana's father stared at him with slightly narrowed eyes, as if the man was sizing him up.

"You're not Asian."

The statement was nothing he had expected, and had his heart leaping in his throat.  Does it matter?  I can't date her because I'm European?

"No, sir."

"Appa!"  Alana had appeared beside Gino and when he looked down at her, something warm blossomed within him: her frown was absolutely adorable.  "Does ethnicity matter in dating?"

Daniel grunted as his eyes drifted to his daughter.  "I never said that."

She crossed her arms and pouted her lips.  "You've seen his picture before."

Alana's father sighed and looked down for a moment before running a hand through his dark hair.  "I'm sorry if what I said offended you, young man.  Sometimes I just say the first thing that comes to my mind."

"It's fine.  Sir."  Gino chanced a smile that Daniel didn't quite return.

"Well, we need to get going.  My wife is making dinner now.  And I'm hoping to get back home before it gets cold.  Are you ready, Alana?" the man turned to his daughter, who was biting her lip.

"Can I say bye to Gino first?"

Her father stared at her for a moment before turning back to the car.  "Don't take too long."

Gino wanted to sigh in relief, but refrained from doing so in front of Alana.  He was not going to show how nervous he was.  He grinned as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.  He slipped his arms around her waist and gently pressed his fingers into the small of her back as he leaned down and buried his face in her neck, inhaling in her sweet scent.  He felt so much more relaxed now that her father wasn't here.

"I'm going to miss you."  Gino couldn't help but grin since her voice was muffled against his hooded jacket.

"Me too," he murmured against her soft warm skin, and he felt Alana quiver slightly.  Knowing how he affected her made his heart swell within his chest.

He pulled back and lightly trailed his lips against her smooth jawline, noting with pleasure how she gasped softly before he sealed his mouth over hers.

He groaned as she boldly kissed him back, her tongue stroking the inside of his mouth.  Gino felt his muscles tense beneath his clothes as goose bumps spread throughout him, relishing the warm sensations.  The fact that Alana was equally passionate about kissing him was arousing.

A loud honk disturbed the silent parking lot, and the two of them broke apart in surprise, their lips swollen and their faces pink.

Gino looked up at the car behind Alana and raised an eyebrow; he could almost imagine Alana's father smirking triumphantly at the rear view mirror in his direction.

"Oh God, I'm sorry..." Alana mumbled, rolling her eyes in the direction of the car.

He snickered before bending his head to hers once again, allowing the tips of their noses to brush against each other.  "Don't worry about it.  Tell your dad sorry if we took too long."

Another honk echoed around them.

"I know, dad!  I'm coming!" Alana scowled, her brows knitted together in frustration.

Gino burst out laughing as he wrapped his arms around her in a second hug.  "Alright, bye Alana.  See you soon."  He quickly turned his head to give her a swift kiss on her soft cheek before pushing away, a third honk coming from the car.

"Bye!"  He watched her retreating figure, snickering in amusement as he heard her speak loudly in Korean as she pulled the car door open.

~*~

"Don't take it personally, man."  Tyler said as he slapped Gino on the back.  "When I brought my girlfriend, who's Greek, back to see my parents, they were shocked too.  They were expecting me to bring back some Asian girl.  But they got over it.  It just takes some getting used to, especially for traditional Korean parents."

"But Alana told me her dad's Korean-American!" Gino said, exacerbated.  He clenched his hands in his thick blond hair.  "You'd think he'd be more accepting of me."

Tyler shrugged as he took a swig of water.  "It's only a big deal if you think it is.  We all go through shit like this.  But you asked for it when you decided to chase after Alana.  Didn't you think about this?"

Gino grunted.  "I didn't think it'd be a problem with her dad."

"Well, at least he said sorry.  Besides, isn't it better for the parents to have low expectations and then impress them later instead of the other way around?"

"Yeah, but still."

After a momentary pause, Gino asked, "So how did you do it?"

Tyler quirked an eyebrow.  "Do what?"

"I mean..." Gino sighed.  "How did things go with the Greek girl and your parents?"

"Oh, that?" Tyler leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.  "Well, the thing is that she met my parents before I met hers.  So, before that happened, I taught her a little on how Koreans do introductions because it's significant in our culture."  Tyler jerked his head in Gino's direction as he flashed him a grin.  "Make sure you remember that because you'll probably have to deal with it with the way things are going for you."

The young blond nodded.

"So..."  Tyler continued.  "In Korea, I would typically introduce my girlfriend to my parents if we were getting married in a few months.  Obviously, things are different because this isn't Korea but I still let my girlfriend know anyway.  And I taught her how she should introduce herself to my parents, because first impressions are important.  And guess what?  After she introduced herself, my parents loved her.  They loved how we would teach each other little bits of our cultures, and she knew the basics of Korean culture.  Yeah."

"Wow.  Didn't know this all happened to you man."

"Now you know."

"Hmm."  Gino paused before saying, "Well, Alana has taught me some Japanese and I've taught her some Italian."

"It's a start," Tyler nodded.  "I think you're worrying too much, though.  With the way I see things going between you two, everything looks like it'll work out."

"I hope you're right, man," Gino joked.  "If you're not, I'm going to have to hunt you down."