Miniminter7
Miniminter7 "I'm just resting my eyes." - Olivia Lenney 2k19 @SweetOlive
FreyaNightingale: Simon! Wake her up! That's so dangerous
WillNE: plz don't kill my sister in your car, my parents wouldn't approve
^Miniminter7: shite aye I want Bonnie and Mark to like me
SweetOlive: wtf is it with you lot and taking creepy stalker photos of me sleeping in cars? Also @Miniminter7 Bonnie and Mark? Don't call them by their first names 🤦🏻♀️
^GeeNelly: you're just that cute
^Wroe2Shore: we also have some of Simon and you together
LukeL: @Miniminter7 @SweetOlive Mam told me to tell you two to stop fucking about in the car and to hurry up.
^SweetOlive: language Lucas! We'll be there soon
-.-.-.-.-
Simon was beyond nervous. Yes he'd met Will and Luke who were obviously ok with him dating their sister, but now meeting her dad and her mother along with the rest of their family- he was terrified.
No cars had been on the drive but still Simon parked down the street in a little alcove where Luke normally parked Liv's old car so he wasn't inconveniencing the family or their neighbours. He gazed upon the Lenney family home with a nervous smile playing at his lips.
The house was simple and rustic with it's spacious two car driveway and old wooden, traditional red-wood door and window seals. He spotted the extended spare bedroom over the garage conversion that Liv had told him her dad had done a few years into her last year at Sixthform.
Liv held his hand tightly in hers as they crossed the street and stood outside of her front door. Knocking on the door of her childhood home, sent w strange feeling into the pit of her stomach as she rested her still weak hand, in it's splint, on her suitcase's handle gently. She took a breath and stepped back listening for the indoor porch door opening and footsteps approaching.
The sound of Darcy barking inside and Simon's nervous breaths as he stood behind her clutching his suitcase handle tight were all she could hear over that relative suburban silence of the Cul-de-sac
"You'll be fine, they'll love you." She mumbled to him reassuringly as she reached back and held his hand tighter in her good hand in a comforting gesture. "Says you.....Josh said when he first met Freya's dad he almost shat himself."
"And did he?" She asked sarcastically back. "Well no..."
"Then you'll be fine." She repeated before the front door finally opened and they were greeted by Sophie at the door.
Sophie, as Simon instantly spotted, was extremely short in comparison to her elder brothers and sister. Clearly she had someone else in the family's height.
But she had the exact same freckles as her older sister and the same dark eyes. But her hair was a more auburn-brown compared to the dark charcoal brown of her sisters and the chocolate of her brothers.
She was the double of her sister though. Her smile upon seeing them made his heart warm. Simon had always been the youngest in his family. But here and now, he craved the protective, proud stance his girlfriend took upon seeing her baby sister.
"You're here!" Sophie exclaimed before she jumped down the front steps and enveloped Liv into a tight squeeze. The two sisters giggled into each other's arms before they pulled apart and Liv kissed her much shorter sister's head affectionately.
"Hey Soph." Simon heard Liv giggle before the two pulled away. "And you brought Simon!" Sophie instantly noticed the blonde boy stood behind her sister and as if her sister had suddenly evaporated into thin air, she barrelled at the tall boy and squeezed his middle too.
"Oh! Hello." He exclaimed in surprise as he awkwardly stood holding the small girl. "When Liv said you were coming I kept telling mum how excited I was- off course I had to shut up in front of dad but-." The small girl ranted her strong Geordie accent somewhat muddling her words for Simon who stumbled to sound out her sentence and noticed the blinding similarities to the girl and her elder sister when he first met her in 2012.
"Nice to meet you too Sophie....now mind letting me breath?" He asked and the small girl sheepishly pulled away, "sorry." She mumbled and he chuckled gently, "it's alright. It's wonderful to meet you." He patted her shoulder and she grinned looking to Liv to give her approval.
The taller girl smiled down at her sister before she waved her hand at the door, "Come on then, let's go inside......where's Mam and dad?" Liv asked her sister ushering her into the house while Simon offered to grab both of their suitcases.
"Mam's getting Luke from footy and picking up the cake and Dad's out with granda......gran said she would stop by later on before the party so she can ride with us to the club........now what happened to your hand? Will said you were in the hospital." Sophie demanded. "Oh you know- clumsy me.....tripping down the stairs."
Liv seemed so suspicious to Simon when she answered with that lie but naively oblivious Sophie seemed to fall for it so she just shrugged. "Well that's as stupid..:::when's Will getting home?" Sophie then turned on the older sister and Liv shrugged awkwardly, "don't know, he said he had to drop off his car with Chip and Gee before he went to the station."
"I did offer him a ride up." Simon interjected and liv shrugged. "Simon he can't stand to stay in a room with us as a couple for longer then an hour, let alone in a car for seven." She shuck her head, "fair point." He nodded and Sophie laughed. "Gosh! Olivia Lenney with a boyfriend....items weird."
"Cheers Soph." Liv grumbled and Simon laughed as Sophie led them further into the house and into the sitting room where Liv shrugged off her jacket and Sophie offered to put the two of their jackets in the downstairs cupboard.
"Mam asked if she could put you two in my room cause gran and granda are taking the spare tonight and aunty Val and uncle Dave are taking the den so will's on the sofa and I'm in with Luke." Sophie grumbled as she ran over the sleeping arrangements and the two nodded. "Full house eh?" Liv asked jokingly and Sophie scowled, "at least you get to share with your fella, I'm in with bloody Luke."
"Will can go in with Luke and I'll take the sofa if you want to be in with Liv?" Simon offered and Sophie's face instantly brightened, "really?!"
"Sure thing short stack." He nodded patting her head and she grinned even wider making Liv smile.
"Damn it, that means I'm stuck with the kicker."
"Piss of Olivia!" Sophie pouted.
"So when does dad's do start?"
"Mam said half seven for when people should arrive at the club, then dad's coming for eight with grandad." Sophie recited the plan and the two adults smiled. "Well let's get settled then.....wait for Mam."
-.-.-.-
It was about half an hour before the front door opened once again and Darcy ran to greet the new arrival.
"Oh! Bloody dog!....Sophie love! It's nana!" Came the voice of the girls' grandmother who was yelling through the house.
The two sisters both grinned while Simon stiffened. Another family member for him to meet- great.
"Hi gran!" Sophie yelled jumping up to go greet the women as the two young adults slowly followed.
"Alright love?" Dorothy greeted the girl with a hug as Darcy jumped up at their legs to lick the older woman's hand 'hello'. "Yeah Nan, and you?"
"Fine thank you dear.....what time are your sister and brother supposed to-."
"Hi gran." Liv made herself known in the doorway to the living room and the woman instantly broke her face into a smile. "Oh Olivia-Louise as I live and breath." The short woman moved faster then either girl had ever seen her and tugged the girl into a warm hug, pulling her down to fold her height to her own.
"Nice to have you home love."
"Nice to be home Nan.....I only saw you four months ago though."
"Aye I know love but it feels so long these days- too long." Dorothy patted the young woman's shoulder.
"Now where's this young man of yours?"
"Right there Nan." Sophie pointed at Simon who was stood, flushed in the doorway.
"Oh hello!" The woman grinned at the young man who was stood nervously under her gaze. "Hello Ma'am." He greeted bashfully and the older woman started to laugh. "Ma'am? Who do I look like the queen?" She joked and he flushed in embarrassment making Liv internally awe. "Sorry." He mumbled sheepishly.
Even for someone so tall, next to the tinny, but boisterous, northern woman he seemed to shrink. "Leave him be gran, you'll scare him off." Sophie patted the woman's shoulder. "Just sizing up if he's the right lad for your sister, love." The woman raised her hands in an 'I surrender' position and the two girls smiled.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Olivia's Nana Dorothy." She put a hand out and the boy instantly relaxed, extending his own- not expecting to be tugged in for a hug. "Oh! It's nice to meet you too Dorothy.....I'm Simon....Simon Minter."
"Aye Liv, you've picked a goodun. I like him. he's polite....if a bit posh.......but never mind, Simon- you can call me dotty." She gave Simon a wink as she pulled away from him and he stumbled back into Liv who smiled and she gave Liv a thumbs up.
"Now......let's get the kettle on shall we?" She rubbed her hands together, "I'm just gonna pop my bags in the spare room-."
"It's alright gran, Simon can pop them up for you." Liv interjected, sending her boyfriend a look that said 'thankyou' and he nodded back a 'yeah yeah.'
"Yeah off course I can." He immediately sprung to grab the woman's bags for her. "Cheers love.....how do you take your tea?"
"Any way you make it dotty." He smiles at her and she grinned. "Oh I think I like this boy Olivia."
-.-.-.-.-
Liv's PoV
"I like him." Gran repeated herself in a low mumble to me as she placed the teas on the table and leaned down over my shoulder. I looked up, giving her a subtle smile in thanks. "You've picked a goodun."
"Cheers gran." I repeated and she patted my head affectionately. Dotty slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs at the small dining room table and gazed at her granddaughter. "What did you do to your hand?" She inquired noticing the splint on the girl's hand.
"Took a fall down some stairs." The girl quickly told her the lie she'd told Sophie. "Oh well dear.....at least it was your hand and not your neck- you've gotta be more careful."
"I know Nan.....I am."
"Sophie showed me the photo of you and William in the hospital.....nice of him to stay with you.....and she said that Simon stayed too.....which was also nice." Dotty told her and she smiled softly. "It was nice of him." Liv agreed.
"So how serious is this then, between you two?" Dotty pried.
"We'll we've been together a good five months now." Liv sighed with a dreamy look on her face, "and he's just so sweet and so good to me.....he was so excited to come up and meet the family and-."
"You're happy dear.....that's good."
-.-.-.-.-
The next people to arrive at the house were Liv's mother and Luke.
Just as he had been in December, Luke was tall, like his brother and sister. With sandy brown hair- apparently a much closer colour to their father's who was fair haired like the younger two of his children. And deep hazel eyes.
He was caked in mud head to toe and still wearing his football kit and a massive smile. "Man of the match." He told Liv who patted his arm in a 'hello, don't get me dirty' kind of way and he smiled. "Well done Lu."
"Congrats lad." Simon nodded and Luke nodded back fist bumping the older boy as he came in, ran passed them all and headed to take a shower before the party. Dotty was already upstairs taking her party outfit out and laying it out on her bed while Sophie was faffing about upstairs getting dolled up.
Once they'd greeted Luke the young couple moved into the entrance hall were they watched Liv's mum Bonnie entering the house. She looked stressed out and tired from a day of hard work and errand running.
In her arms she was balancing a giant cake over her wrists while her work bag hung loosely off of her shoulder and her car keys dangled precariously off of her finger.
"Sophie love we're home have you heard from your brother or sist-."
"Hi Mam." Liv was once again stood in the doorway to the sitting room.
"Livvy!" Her mum's face instantly morphed into a grin as she spotted the brunette in the doorway. "Give me a minute love then I'll get a hug."
"Here Mam I'm help." Liv went to take the cake but her mum moved back, "it's fine dear.....lick them car for me though would you." Bonnie asked and Liv instantly took the keys from her and went to lock the car door.
When's he came back she found her mum stood over the kitchen table with her work bag discarded on a chair and the cake placed safely down.
"Hi love.....sorry about the-."
"It's fine Mam.....I've missed you. Work been alright?" Liv asked her exhausted-looking mother.
"It's alright, and yours?"
"Fine thanks." Then liv realised she hadn't introduced Simon who had just awkwardly appeared in the doorway beside her.
"Oh! Mam this is Simon......Simon this is my mam, Bonnie."
"Hello Mrs Lenney.....it's a pleasure." Simon nodded at the older brunette who's face softened even more.
"Alright love? It's lovely to finally meet the boy who's been making this one so smiley." She teased extending her hand to shake his. "And you can call me Bonnie......Mrs Lenney is my mother-in-law."
"You have a lovely home." He said and she smiled further. "Please son, it's a mess."
"Yeah I think that's on leaving Sophie home alone." Liv joked and her mum chuckled.
"So Simon......how is it you and my daughter met?" Bonnie asked and Liv groaned "Mam!"
"What? I'm just asking."
"More like prying!" Liv groaned and Bonnie just laughed.
"No harm love, no harm......now......let's get ready to get to your dad's do."
Bonnie Lenney was a bright woman. With long dark hair like her two eldest children. Her deep seeder-green eyes that had blended perfectly with her husbands in creating their eldest daughter's. She had a stretching smile that lit up the room with a warm, motherly glow and a kind face that welcomed anyone and everyone.
Bonnie had taken over her mother-in-law's old bakery where she had met her husband working shifts there in their teenage years and had full bought and done up the business.
As a full time small business owner and mother to four kids she was run off of her feet her whole adult life having had kids young with her teenage sweetheart. The years of endless stresses were told of by the lines scored into her cheeks and forehead, but they were hidden by her bright and bubbly personality.
Her husband, Marcus Lenney was a successful man himself. A fire sergeant for their local station, having been lifted through the ranks over the years. He was a decorated, heroic man with a tough exterior but a blindingly kind interior. Simon, having yet to have met the man was nervous but relieved by the way his daughters and sons had described him in the past. Making it not such a feared subject.
Maybe this week would go well for the couple.