Road Trip

XVI

 Turns out that because the town is so tiny, it took us maybe ten minutes to get there- and that's just because we went so slow so as to not miss where the GPS was telling us where to go. 

 I took a minute in the car before getting out to walk to the door. My palms were sweaty and I was super nervous. It probably would've made more sense for Jensen to be the nervous one because he'd be meeting more of my family, isn't that usually intimidating? But it was like he had met them a million times before- he was so calm it was almost pissing me off! 

 "How are you so cool and relaxed about this? They're my family and I'm still freaking the fuck out!" I said, exasperated.

 He turned to look at me as he lifted my hands in his much larger ones. "They're just your family, trust me, there's no need for you to be worried." 

 I knew he was right but it did nothing to calm my nerves. Either way, I knew I wanted to visit them even though I didn't really know them. Jensen stuck with me in the car until my nerves had calmed and we began our walk up the narrow concrete pathway to the door. 

 I knocked on the door, my hand a little jittery as I did so. We heard what I assume was my aunts voice calling that she'd just be a second. I took that 'second' to scan the front yard and other surroundings. The house almost looked like it should be a lakefront house rather than a tiny town house. Deep ocean blue for the paneling that ran across the whole building with a white trim boarder around the windows and door; it was beautiful. 

 What I assumed to be her garden looked like it was full of a variety of vegetables ready to be pulled from the earth. Small trees lined the fence on either side as a small fence ran across the front, lined with a pattern of different flowers. 

 The noise of the door handle moving snapped me out of my thoughts and a sweet looking middle-aged woman stood at the doors opening. 

 "Hi, Diane?" I asked. 

 I could see the slight confusion that spread across her features. "Yeah, that's me. And you are?" 

"Right, uh this is Jensen and I'm Kait, your niece." 

 The moment realization struck she was ushering me and I grabbed ahold of Jensens hand so as to not get tugged away. 

 "Dan!" She called as we got closer to the back sliding glass door. "Daniel! Kait and her boyfriend are here!" My aunt turned back to me before I could correct her, "He's going to be so happy to see you. We haven't seen you since just before you were two. Oh, how much you've grown to look like your mother!" She exclaimed, joy and excitement evident in her voice. 

 Just passed my aunt, through the glass door, I could see my uncle with his almost shoulder length, curly sandy-blonde hair. He looks just like he does in every photo I've ever seen, even going as far back as twenty years ago. He looks like the typical tropical traveler I've been told about. 

 He set down the surfboard from across his lap on a wooden table of sorts. Not knowing him made me unsure if he was just a naturally fast paced walker or if he purposefully sped his way into the house. 

 I turned back to Jensen who was standing leant against the kitchen wall behind him. He gave me a warm smile just as my uncle walked in from outside and beelined it straight for me. I was wrapped in a tight hug surrounded by the scent of wood and something tropical. 

 The hug felt like two whole minutes, not that I minded. When he released me he took a step or so back to be able to get a good look at me before looking right at Jensen, still with the same warm expression. "So you're the boyfriend."

 "Yea- well no. I mean yes, I am a boy that is a friend but not the boy-friend. Space between the words, a boy who is a friend," Jensen jumbled his words and I'm sure it could've gone on much longer and worse if I didn't step back and place my hand on his shoulder. "He's was the first friend I made after moving to a new school a while ago before I graduated." 

 They seem to have gotten the idea. 

_

 For the majority of the time Jensen and I spent there, it was the four of us getting to know each other. Jensen and I talked about school and how we met and all that jazz and they talked about the exotic trips and vacations and adventures they'd taken over the years. Some of my favourites  stories are from my uncles trips to various locations to swim with sharks. It's really cool to hear about someone having done a bucket list item of yours. 

 We'd ordered pizza and continued to get to know each other until it began getting dark out. Neither Jensen or myself were familiar with this town yet so we figured it would be safer for us to leave while we still had a little daylight left. 

 Saying goodbye was a bittersweet moment. I knew that from then on, I'd stay in contact with the pair of them. It still sucked to leave after only a short period of time. 

_

 Back at our hotel room I pulled out a pair of shorts and a black t-shirt before walking into the bathroom for a quick shower. By the time I was out, Jensen already had food and movie snacks ready that we'd picked up on our way back to the hotel, and a movie- 'Resident Evil: Afterlife'- set and ready to go for the night. 

 Jensen and I discussed the events of the day while we ate before both crawling under the covers  with bags and bowls of snacks in hand ready for our movie of the night.