Love-Love || OLD DRAFT

EXTRA : Family Dinner (Part 1)

A/n

HAPPY PRIDE!!!

I had to divide this chapter into two because it got too long, so don't forget to check out the second part!!

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I gripped the bouquet tighter. “I’m scared.”

Aspen chuckled. “Calm down, she’s nice. She likes you.”

“Yeah?” I turned to glare at him. “Even the mass murderer bit?”

Aspen had his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “Can you not?”

“Why? ‘Cause it reminds you how you’re not doing your job well, Super Storm?” I said, then regretted it immediately as I noticed Aspen’s hands tighten around the steering wheel.

“Shut up,” was all he said, the smile vanishing from his face.

I gritted my teeth and said nothing. I looked out of the window at the houses and trees swooshing past. My hands were shaking slightly and it was fucking ridiculous why I was so nervous. “We should go back,” I said quietly.

Aspen didn’t reply.

I turned to him. “This is a bad idea.”

He seemed unimpressed. “If you want to keep seeing me, you’ll have to get my mother’s approval.”

It took me all my strength to not smack him in the head with the bouquet. “Are you a fucking five year old?” I cried.

“Don’t be silly. If I were five, she wouldn’t let me out of the house, let alone bring a guy home for dinner.”

“Aspen, I’m serious. Just drop me off here and you go eat dinner with your mom.”

He turned to pout at me. “But we’re already here.”

“No, please!” I whined as he pulled into the driveway of a small duplex house.

Aspen laughed at my misery. “You’ll be fine,” he said, turning off the engine. “Come on.”

I didn’t move a muscle. My heart was thundering against my chest.

“Ridge?” All mirth vanished from his voice and he reached out to place a hand over my fingers that were clutching onto the bouquet like my life depended on it. “What’s wrong?”

“I –” I saw the house with a wide lawn and a swing on the porch. I could imagine Aspen growing up here, playing with his friends, his mother sitting on the porch to keep an eye on him. I could imagine them sitting on the lawn, eating home-made sandwiches, his mother peeling apples for the kids. I could imagine a tiny Aspen flying around the house.

“Ridge, look at me.” Aspen cupped my face with his hands and made me turn to him. “What’s wrong?”

“I –” How could I tell him? How would he possibly understand? “I haven’t spoken to a parent-figure in… in over fifteen years. I can’t – I can’t do this, Aspen. I’m sorry.”

He gave me a small, kind smile. “What are you afraid of? There is no complicated bow that you need to practice beforehand. Just be you, talk the way you talk to other human beings.”

I shook my head. “You can’t bring the most-wanted criminal to your mother, Aspen. It’s not allowed.”

His smile widened. “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not the most-wanted criminal in the city right now.” He ran his hand through my hair as if fixing it. “More importantly, stop bringing that up. It’s in the past. What matters is how you’re trying to do better now. And trust me, you are doing better; I can see it.”