Dear Darling

51

Josephine

I had not ever met a boy's parents before. There were boys that I liked in the past, sure, and I had even dated a few for a short time. But there was never a point when they felt the need to introduce me to their mothers or fathers.

The more I thought about having dinner with Amelia, and having to talk with her and have her get to know me the entire night, the more anxious I felt. I was excited, of course, but mostly I felt like running and hiding somewhere.

I stood in front of the mirror in my hotel room, staring at myself. Dylan had said that dinner would be completely casual, so I went for a maroon sweater and a pair  of jeans. My hair was down, but I had pulled the front sections back so they were out of my face.

My stomach felt like I had swallowed the Atlantic Ocean while it was housing a typhoon — I knew that I had already technically met Dylan's mom, but I wanted her to like me. I wanted to make a good impression and get to know the woman who raised the most wonderful man I had ever met.

I puffed a sigh out of my mouth, turning away from my reflection and walking over to my bed, sitting down on the end. I fiddled with my fingers, looking around the room while I waited for Dylan to get here to pick me up.

I was alone in the room, Jeremy had taken Megan to lunch and she wasn't back yet, and I felt small in the wake of my nervousness. My foot tapped restlessly, and the more I thought about the impending dinner, the more I found myself laughing.

Ever since I was a kid, I had been a nervous laugher. In tense situations or serious moments, my mouth would involuntarily curve upwards, never ceasing to embarrass me. I hated the uncontrollable action; anytime I was being lectured by parents or having a serious conversation, I would smile and then I would be accused of not caring about the situation.

I was broken out of my thoughts when a knock sounded through the room. I jumped a little, startled. Pushing myself up so I was standing, I walked over to the door and opened it with a nervous smile.

"Hey," Dylan smiled at me from outside the threshold.

"Hey," I replied, trying to keep my voice light.

I stepped to the side to let him in, before turning to grab my coat and shoes. Dylan caught my arm as I spun away from him, turning my body back to his.

"I don't get a kiss?" He pouted playfully. I laughed lightly before placing my lips on his, kissing him sweetly.

"Sorry," I said when we pulled away. "I'm just nervous, I think,"

"Don't be," He said as we walked out of the room, closing the door behind us. "Mom's gonna love you,"

He gave me a bright smile, and I felt my heart lighten a little bit. I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the nerves that were tightly coiled all over my body.

~

Dylan and I walked up to his mother's house that was about fifteen minutes outside of the city; the houses that lined the street were squat, like wide teacups set along the pavement.

"This is where I grew up," Dylan said. We were in his car, a navy colored skylark, something he didn't drive often when he was in the city.

He had told me that he bought the car cheap when he was seventeen and had spent almost two years fixing it up. I didn't know that he was interested in cars, and I suppose a lot of men were, but I liked the way his eyes lit up when he talked about the vehicle.

"It's cozy," I replied, looking out of the window at the surroundings passing by.

We were nearing the end of the street, only a few more houses were left before the pavement ended in a cul-de-sac. Dylan turned into the drive way of the house with the numbers 1306 in white lettering.