When Natalie stepped through the front door, her dad was already stood in the middle of the living room, dressed in his pyjamas. He looked tired, with bags lining his under eyes and wrinkles carved into his forehead.
Like that, he looked older. Natalie almost felt sorry for him.
But then she remembered why he was waiting for her, and the anger returned.
He looked up at the sound of the front door and Natalie shut it awkwardly behind her, her face turning hot.
"Hi," she muttered.
"Natalie," he said. "I was waiting for you."
"I know," she said. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of that tight feeling in her throat. The silence that followed was thick with tension, and she decided it was now or never. Sucking in a deep breath, she began. "I know you're mad at me, but I have to tell you. This is my life. It's my future—"
"Natalie—"
"No, Dad. It's my future and I get to decide what I want," she continued, her words quickly becoming a rant. "And I've decided. I decided that I can choose my friends and I can choose my degree, and you'll just have to accept it. I know you want me to be a doctor, but—"
"I don't."
Natalie blinked.
"What?"
"I don't want you to be a doctor," her dad said quickly, before she could interrupt him again. "Or, I do. If that's what you want to do. My point is, I'm sorry."
She blinked again. She didn't think she'd ever heard those two words in her dad's voice before. I'm sorry. She had to be dreaming.
"Natalie," her dad began, stepping around the coffee table to stand in front of her. "I'm sorry. I went about this all the wrong way. When you told me you wanted to be a doctor, I was so proud of you. Not because it was a doctor, but because you were so decisive. You knew what you wanted, and what you wanted was to help people. I felt so proud that I had raised such a selfless daughter."
A lump grew in her throat, and she tried to swallow it down, unable to help the burning in her eyes, the promise of tears.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint."
"No, Natalie, you're not—I'm not saying this properly." He took her hand into his and she suddenly felt very worried that her tears would slip. "I was proud, and I decided I'd do anything to make your dreams come through. Anything. And I took it too far. I was so focused on making sure you achieved your dream of being a doctor that I didn't realise along the way your dreams had changed. And of course, they did. You're still a kid. You're growing. You're learning who you are. And I realised that I never asked."
She blinked hard, trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall as his words processed. Words she'd never expected to hear.
"What is it that you want now?" her dad asked after a long pause.
The words burst out of her.
"Dad—" her voice was choked by the start of tears, and she paused, releasing a long breath— "I don't know what I want. I don't want to do medicine anymore. I'm squeamish. I hate blood and all that stuff. I hate science. It's just not what I imagined. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Oh, Natalie," her dad muttered, stepping forward and taking her into his arms. She felt her tears being to fall freely as her dad held her close, his arms cradling her head as she cried into his chest.
"Don't be sorry," he said, holding her tight. "I'm sorry for making you feel this way, darling. If you don't want to do medicine, that's okay. That's fine."
"I just—I still want to help people, but maybe, like physio? Occupational therapy? Psychology? Something else, you know. And if I change my mind, I can do medicine as a postgrad, or I can transfer," she rambled, attempting to justify her flurry of thoughts. "I'll figure it out."
"I know you will," her dad said. He pulled back to press a kiss to her forehead, wiping the wetness from beneath her eyes. "And I'll be here to help you. If you want me to. Okay? Me and your mother will support you. Properly this time."
"Really?" Natalie squeaked.
"Really," he said, pulling her in for another hug. "And if we overstep again, I want you to feel like you can tell us. Okay? We'll listen, this time, honey. I promise."
Natalie released a final cry and pressed her face against her dad's chest, feeling like a kid again who just needed a hug from her dad. He stroked the back of her head, waiting patiently as her shoulders stopped shaking and she childishly wiped her face on his shirt.
When they parted, he settled her with a teasing look. "But you really need to stop your grades from slipping any further. I'm still your dad, you know."
"I know," she said, letting out a chuckle that lived somewhere between a sob. "I will. Promise."
"Good." He pushed her hair back. "Now go clean up. I'll cut you some fruits."
Natalie laughed, nodding. She didn't feel like sliced apples, but she knew arguing with her dad over fruits was futile. Instead, she turned up the stairs and jogged to her bedroom.
It hadn't been the conversation she expected, but it was the one she always secretly wanted. A weight had been lifted from her chest.
Her bedroom door was already open when she reached the top of the stairs, her mum sitting on the end of her bed.
When she stepped in, her mum stood, smiling.
"You and your dad made up?" she asked. Natalie nodded. "Good."
She stepped forward, pulling Natalie into a brief hug.
"You know he can get a little too roped into things," her mum continued.
"Did you talk to him?" Natalie asked, already knowing the answer.
"No." Natalie settled her with a knowing look and her mum laughed. "So many times. He came around surprisingly quick, but you know your dad. He's not good with his words. He didn't know what to say to make it all better. Offered to buy you that chicken you like instead."
"From Nando's? I probably would have fallen for it, to be honest."
"I know you would have." Her mum stroked her hair and stepped towards the door. "And while we're at it, you should bring that boy around here sometime. Yeah?"
Natalie's face turned hot. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, Natalie. I was young once too," she said, grinning. "Besides, you think a boy like that can fit under a desk? His legs were sticking out all over the place."
"Oh, God, you saw that?" Natalie groaned. "You've known since then? Why didn't you say anything?"
She shrugged her smile only growing wider. "You know what, bring him for dinner tomorrow. That's an order."
"Mum!"
"An order, Natalie!"
Natalie groaned, watching as her mum waltzed out of the room, shutting the door behind herself.
Her head hurt from all these revelations. Her mum had seen her with Leon in her office that day! Had she known all along? And yet she never said anything! God, how embarrassing!
And this whole time Natalie thought she was being slick with their secret.
"I thought she'd never leave."
Natalie's heart almost shot out of her chest as she spun, finding Leon crawling through her window.
"Leon!" she exclaimed, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see how your talk went," he said. "Sounded like it went well."
She didn't realise it was possible for her to blush even more. "Were you out there the whole time?"
"Well, yeah. You're lucky I saw your mum there before I came inside. That could have been bad. I would've been uninvited from dinner."
"You are not coming over for dinner," Natalie said, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, I am so coming over for dinner. This is my chance, Natalie. Your parents will love me."
"No way." She shook her head, both metaphorically and physically putting her foot down. "It's not happening."
Leon didn't even look phased. He smiled at her, lifting a brow.
"Oh, Natalie," he said. "It's happening."
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
It was happening.
No matter how much Natalie whined and nagged, Leon refused to change his mind. He saw it as some weird way to prove himself—to finally get her parents on his side.
She knew it bothered him that her dad disapproved. She knew those words he'd said all those days ago still rung in his head.
So, as much as Natalie thought this night would go wrong, as awkward as she thought it would be, she agreed.
"You're outvoted anyway," Leon said as they walked towards her place. She'd met him around the corner to hide his motorbike and debrief.
"I know I am." She sighed, pausing. He turned to her, brows furrowing, and she reached up, smoothing his hair back. "Just don't mention the motorbike, okay? Or the sneaking out. Or the boxing—"
"Don't mention anything. Got it," Leon said, laughing. "Natalie, relax. I'm not an idiot. I'll only mention the parent-friendly sides of our relationship."
"Parent-friendly?"
"Yeah, you know. None of this—" he kissed her hard and suddenly. So suddenly that Natalie leapt back, pushing his chest.
"Leon!" she exclaimed. "My parents could be watching."
"From all the way there?" he asked, nodding at her house down the street. "Come on. I'll be hands-off for the next two hours."
She rolled her eyes but moved closer anyway, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He leaned forward, eyes on her lips, hoping for more, but she pulled back with a sly grin.
"Don't get used to it," she said, swiping her thumb across his lips. She pushed his hair back again, fixing the collar of his jacket. "Actually, the boxing is probably fine. Not the bar bit though, and—"
"Natalie," Leon interrupted, taking her face in his hands. "It's going to be fine. Parents actually love me, you know?"
"Oh, do they?" She raised a brow at him. He grinned, shrugging.
"What can I say? I'm just so loveable."
"Alright, alright. Just—be on your best behaviour. Okay?"
"Got it, boss."
She rolled her eyes and released a long breath. "Let's do this."
The pair took their final steps to her front door. On her second knock, the door was ripped open to reveal her mum's grinning face.
"Took you long enough," she said to Natalie before turning to Leon and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, Leon. I've heard so much about you."
"Not from me," Natalie muttered. Leon ignored her.
"Mrs Chen," he said, shaking her hand. "Thank you so much for inviting me over."
"My husband's just setting the table. Come in, please. Shoes off."
The dining room was set up with their nicest plates and glasses. Natalie blushed at the sight, embarrassed that her parents had gone all out.
"I hope you like Indonesian food," her mum said, leading the way. "We made Natalie's favourite."
"Coconut rice?" Leon asked, eyeing the table, and inhaling deeply.
Her mum's smile softened. "Exactly."
"Leon," her dad said, stepping out from the kitchen with a pitcher of water. "Nice to finally meet you."
Leon took his hand, his expression somewhere between serious and seriously nervous.
"Mr Chen," he said. "Thank you so much for having me. Your daughter—Natalie—she's so... She's very smart."
Natalie closed her eyes, trying desperately not to cringe at her dad's staring him down. Until he began to laugh.
"She is smart, isn't she?" he said. "Have a seat, please."
"How exactly did you two meet?" Natalie's mum asked as they took their seats. "Natalie's been depriving us from information."
"Well, I went to your office one day after school," Leon began carefully. "You know. Because I fell. I scraped my knee and needed a band-aid. And she was there."
"Right," her mum said, her eyes narrowing. "Well, I hope that knee healed up alright."
"It did, thank you," Leon said, unfazed by her sceptic look. "I can be pretty clumsy."
"Sierra Grammar, huh?" her dad added. "That's a serious school."
"It can be challenging," Leon said. His eyes stayed stony despite the sudden interrogation. "But I like it that way."
"Really? What subjects are you taking?"
"Physics, biology, chemistry, PDHPE, Advanced English and 3-unit maths," he replied easily.
"Wow," her dad replied, his eyes growing wide and brows shooting up. "Natalie, maybe he can tutor you."
"Dad!"
"You know, Leon, I knew I recognised you from somewhere," her mum began. "You won that award back in March, didn't you? The one for—What was it? Like a science thing."
"The Chemistry Olympiad," Leon filled in. He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, that was a bit dorky of me, wasn't it?"
Natalie's eyes widened a fraction. She knew she'd underestimated Leon's intelligence. They'd established that a long time ago. But she suddenly realised the full extent to which she had underestimated him.
She frowned at him, trying to see through his serious expression.
"Have you been a secret genius this whole time?" Natalie whispered.
Leon's lips twitched but his eyes stayed focused on her parents.
"Chemistry Olympiad," Natalie's dad muttered to himself. "That's impressive."
Leon shrugged. "I like chemistry. My dad was a bit advocate for my education."
"Right, so I'm assuming you want to go to university after graduation?"
"Dad," Natalie started, her voice full of warning.
"Of course, Sir," Leon said, not missing a beat. "I want to study exercise science. Maybe becoming a boxing coach one day."
"Boxing, huh?"
Natalie thought she might die. She might pass out and die and the earth would suck up her limp body. Except, her dad didn't seem quite as fazed as she'd expected.
Instead, his brows lifted, as if something had pieced together in his mind, and he nodded.
"I tried boxing when I was younger," he said. "Takes a lot of speed, doesn't it? It's a challenging sport."
"Yes, Sir," Leon replied. "Speed, and strategy, and lots of training."
"Please, call me Henry," her dad said absentmindedly before gesturing towards the spread of food across the centre of the table. "Help yourself. You must be hungry."
Natalie's eyes almost bulged out of her head. Who was this man and what had he done with her father?
"Maybe we should come watch you fight someday," Natalie's mum added.
"I would love that," Leon said, although both of them knew that would never be possible. She couldn't imagine her parents at the Golden Ring, watching Leon fight.
To be fair, she also wouldn't have imagined her parents sitting at her dining table, eating a meal with Leon. She supposed anything was possible these days.
"Please, eat," her dad said, sliding a bowl of vegetables towards him.
Leon smiled, sending a smug, sideways glance towards Natalie. "Thank you, Henry. It looks amazing."
She watched stunned as he filled his plate with food.
Her parents ate slowly, chatting with each other in short snippets, like this was the most normal meal to occur. Like it was any other dinner.
Leon's hand found its way to rest on her knee beneath the table.
She blinked slowly, pretending the feel of his fingertips on her bare knee, stretching towards the hem of her shorts didn't send her pulse skyrocketing.
She turned to him; her eyes still wide in disbelief.
He smirked at her, and she thought if her parents weren't across from them, he might have winked at her. Instead, he lifted one shoulder in a barely-there shrug and squeezed her knee.
"Told you parents love me," he whispered.
Natalie couldn't even deny it. Just like shewas, her parents were officially whipped.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Two more chapters! Lots of fluff to come!!! Thank you all for reading! <3