One week later
I was nervous. Like literally nervous. Atlas didn't even think that it would be better to give me a heads up before taking such an important step without letting me in on it.
I was silently sulking as we cruised our way in his Mercedes convertible on the beautiful streets of Turkey's capital, Istanbul. It was already there in the airport hangar because Atlas told me that his mother makes frequent visits here.
He was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while I was biting my nails anxiously as I sat beside him on the passenger seat.
Atlas thought that it would be awesome to take me to meet his mother by bringing us here in Turkey. The worst thing was that I was completely unprepared. Well, let's just say that his idea of surprise didn't bode well with me.
The moment he'd put the bomb on me, my nerves skyrocketed to another level where I wanted nothing more than to hide inside my room under the forts of blankets back in America.
"A little heads up would have been really good, you know? I mean, you could have told me beforehand about this impromptu meeting with your mom," I said, running my hands through my hair.
"Calm down, Aria. She's my mom and I know that she's going to love you," he assured me by patting my arm.
"Yes, that's what I am trying to tell you. She's your 'mom' and it's really hard to impress your boyfriend's mother. I mean they usually search for "something" that I have no clue about. Like... I don't know but... you get me?" I ranted, all the while doing wild gestures with my hands.
"Not a single thing. By the way, I like it when you call me your boyfriend." He grinned and I glared at him playfully. "Plus you'd asked about my family last week, right? So voila here we go." He chuckled.
I gave him an incredulous look. It was like he enjoyed seeing me getting tortured. "Yeah I did but what I didn't expect was such a beautiful surprise," I grumbled sarcastically with a sigh and rolled my eyes.
"Aria," he began softly. I turned to him with furrowed brows to see him giving me a gentle smile. "She's an amazing person and I promise you that you guys will click real quick." His smile widened even more, revealing his dimples. He took my hand in his to rub soothing circles on my knuckles and continued driving.
"Okay... only if you say so," I muttered finally.
The entire ride he told me everything about his mother. I could tell that he admires her very much with the way he was animatedly talking about her.
After about fifteen minutes, we finally reached our destination at his mother's place. However I wasn't ready for the sight in front of me. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't impressed by the mansion in front of me. The house was huge with a perfectly mowed garden adorning the outside.
Atlas drove inside the garage doors and parked it amongst the other beautiful cars.
'Wow! Now I understand what Atlas meant when he said that his mother is a celebrity interior designer.' Guess, the entire family is a star.
As I was busy gawking everywhere, Atlas opened my door. He even extended his hand to offer me his comfort which I was glad for. His warm hand was enough to hush down my ADHD senses.
"Don't worry, Ari. I know that you're gonna like her," he whispered, caressing my cheeks and kissing my temple.
"Yeah, I take your word but what if your mom doesn't like me?" I asked, doing the jazz motions with my hands.
"Oh, come on, it wouldn't be that bad anyway. I know my mom and she wouldn't not like you. Now if you may, madame," he said the last sentence with a fake accent and a little bow.
I chuckled and shook my head in amusement. After hearing those words, I took a deep breath and nodded to myself.
Once we both reached the front door of the house, I crossed my arms across my chest. No matter how much I pretended to look unaffected, I was shaking from the insides. Atlas rang the doorbell before I felt his arm snake around my waist. I was startled but relaxed soon. "Stop worrying," he whispered in my ear and I shivered at our close proximity.
Before I could reply, the door swung open to reveal a beautiful woman in black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Her mop of dark brown hair was tied up in a messy bun while her face was free of any make-up.
"Atlas, baby, what a surprise! I did not know you were in Turkey!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Atlas.
'Oh, looks like I am not the only one to be left out of the loop.' Her accent was so thick and I found myself loving it. She was short, almost reaching my shoulders and her skin was porcelain, almost close to white.
"Yeah, mom. I wanted to surprise you like you just said," Atlas said, hugging back his mother.
They broke the hug when her big black eyes fell on me and her lips curved up into a huge smile. "And who is this lovely young lady I see here? Forgive my English, I don't really speak the language."
"No, it's fine, Mrs. Carter. Your English is perfect," I said and passed her an awkward smile.
"Oh, call me Eda." She waved her hand and rolled her eyes.
"Mom, she's Aria, my girlfriend," Atlas introduced me to her with a small blush. I would have cooed at him if we weren't standing in front of his mother.
Eda gasped and looked at me with admiration. "Oh, where are my manners? Come on in, you both," she said and gestured for us to follow her.
My eyes bulged out of their sockets as we walked through the foyer and inside the living room. I was stumped to say the least. The interior of the room was marvelous, reminding me of the wall paintings in Atlas's house. Perfectly immaculate.
"Atlas has been talking and gushing about you continuously since he moved to that town. It's high time you guys got together." Eda grinned and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back timidly.
"Uh... thank you," I told her once she broke the hug.
She didn't seem to hear it because she was talking to Atlas in a foreign language which I assumed was Turkish. Eda was smirking and seemed to tease Atlas because he seemed really flushed.
They both took a seat on the opposite couches while I just stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Sit down, Aria," Eda said in her comforting voice and I obliged by sitting beside Atlas. "Today is full of surprises. First your dad, then you and then this big surprise of finally meeting the girl who has wrapped you around her finger." She laughed, rounding her index finger as if to prove the point and her eyes crinkled cutely. She is a woman who could be called beautiful, pretty and cute altogether.
"Mom!" Atlas scolded and I smirked at him. "Please sto - wait, you said dad surprised you. How?"
"Oh, that. It has almost been a month or so since we last saw each other so he gave me a surprise visit and can you believe the coincidence? He arrived this morning too just before you guys did," she explained.
She was oblivious to my wide eyed look and I could feel my heart in my throat. As if on cue, I heard the footsteps and soon enough, a man in his early 50s stood at the doorway of the living room.
"Hey darl-" he stopped mid-sentence and looked at Atlas and I with raised brows. I had imagined meeting Atlas's dad in an expensive suit but here he was standing in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.
'Wow! My luck,' I thought sarcastically.
"Dad," Atlas greeted his dad before getting up from the couch and standing directly in front of him.
His dad patted him on the back affectionately. "Son, I didn't know you were here?" It was a question more than a statement.
"Actually I was here to meet mom with my girlfriend-" Atlas looked over his shoulder at me with a smile, "-Aria."
"Hello, Mr. Carter." I stood up as well and leaned against the couch shyly. It was hard enough to think about meeting Atlas's mother, let alone his father. 'Oh, the horror! I mean honor.'
"Call me George." He grinned and extended his arm for a handshake. Walking over to him, I shook his hand. "What a coincidence though! I love this reunion!" George exclaimed in his boisterous voice. Now that I looked at him closely, most of Atlas's features matched with his father, who I assumed used to be a heartthrob at some point in his life.
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I admit that I was a bit hesitant in the beginning before meeting Atlas's parents but they both welcomed me like I was already a family. I was more than grateful for their fresh hospitality.
During lunch, Eda talked about how she'd met George during an after-party of some event and how they instantly hit it off. She had been terrible in English and George didn't understand a single word she would speak in Turkish but they both took the effort to learn each other's native language.
"I had literally told him, 'Why should I be the only one to learn English? If I can learn English then I think you should at least make some efforts to learn Turkish as well.' I'm glad that I met him." She laughed heartily.
Their beautiful relationship taught me that being together with someone you love works from both sides and that both the partners should make the effort for each other.
After lunch, Atlas led me towards the backyard of the house. It was gorgeous to put it modestly because the sun rays made it look so ethereal.
"So... what do you think?" He asked me. We were both strolling on the perimeters while holding hands and looking around at the green, lush surroundings.
"It's beautiful."
"No." He shook his head with a short laugh. "I mean my parents. What do you think about them?" He seemed a bit nervous for some reason.
"To be honest here, I didn't believe when you said that I'd love your mom and then all of a sudden I had to meet your dad too. It was all so unexpected, yes but... I like them. They are amazing people." I squinted my eyes under the sun to look up at him. "And don't worry, I would have never left your side even if they didn't like me because I love you."
He snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me closer for a kiss. I ran my fingers through his soft brown locks and returned the kiss with equal passion. "Aria..." He breathed. "I love you too."
~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~
Honestly, I teared up the moment I finished editing this epilogue. I miss them characters :( Sadly, the book is officially over here hehe.