Conflicted

Chapter 46

I even confirm my thoughts as Greg closes the door shut behind him but then frowns to himself when he sees the lack of keys in his hand.

I wonder how he thinks I got into his car? Some things are a complete mystery when it comes to this man.

Dangling the keys and rattling them loudly to catch his attention, the man pauses in his steps to go back and sends me a breathtaking smile which I eagerly return. The simplest things make this man beam with delight and I am pretty sure that's one of the things that made me fall in love with him so quick and easily.

The car ride is filled with Gregory's silly antics which I pretend to get annoyed with but honestly, who wouldn't want to erupt into childlike antics the way he messes about and manages to lighten up any situation. I already know he's doing it for my sake and to lessen the raging nerves I've got going on in my stomach even though my brain is telling me I have nothing to logically worry about.

If I don't like the people just cut them out of your life. It's not like anything will change. That's what one part of my brain tells me while my gut responds with a twisting pang that makes me want to run to the nearest toilet.

The address leads us to a nice typical suburban locality that looks like something out of a movie with kids playing around with each other on the garden and adults lounging around on chairs with a beer in hand and trying to get a tan. The sight makes me snort since I think of my own dingy building that has barely any sort of lights unless you count the half working fluorescent ones. The only one you'll catch trying to get a tan underneath those ugly lights are the cockroaches coming out for their nightly scavenges.

"This is it." Gregory says as we both slowly make our way out of the car once it's parked in the driveway. The house more of a bungalow with creepers running up it and various flowers giving a colourful few to the already cutely decorated garden. The bungalow reminding me that of Marjorie and how maybe my aunt has a green thumb just like my boyfriend's grandmother.

Knocking on the glass paned door, it feels like my aunt has been hovering around the area every few moments since not even three seconds go by before the door is swung open and the woman stands in front of me with a lively smile donned in a light blue dress with her hair nicely curled. The sight brings a smile to my face and when she pulls me into a hug, I reciprocate it easily and mirror the toothy grin she gives me before pulling Greg into a tight hug as well.

"Oh I'm so glad you both could make it." She says eagerly, side stepping out of the way so that we can enter while calling out to her fiancé.

"I wouldn't have missed such an opportunity." I say with a pleasant smile although it's sort of a white lie but I can't tell that to her. She'd probably break down into tears.

"You have a lovely home Jane." Greg says politely to which my aunt gushes out a 'thank you' just as a stumbling Peter makes his way towards us.

"Hello you two! It's great to see you. Please, this way." I can't help but to feel rather warm and comforted inside. My aunt, and well by extension, my uncle, seem like genuinely nice people which I managed to deduce from the get go and even though I chided myself and said I wouldn't trust anyone so easily, I'm feeling my walls cracking bit by bit with each sip of tea and each topic of conversation as Jane smiles at me in between words and countless cookies and cakes being fed to Greg and I.

It's mainly small talk that continues on from our previous meeting which was cut short but it feels like a safe space nonetheless. Our conversations go from how Greg and I are doing together to how we work together and then to what my aunt and uncle do etc. Each little tidbit giving me a world of information into the character that my maternal aunt is.