"You're-um, you're early." I mumbled as I opened the door for Vic. He's been knocking on my door for the past five minutes and I took my time to compose sentences that I'd use to him. I mean, I barely had any sleep last night due to his irrational.. doings the day before. Because of that, Justin wouldn't stop teasing me about being gay. Which I'm not, just to clear that one up. The action just bugged me to no end because it was the most bizarre and alien thing that ever happened to me. Never have I ever imagined myself being kissed by a guy. And you might think that I am just making a huge deal out of this because yes, I really am making a massive deal out of this. What he did was uncalled for. And weird.
"You said that if I didn't arrive here before six, you'd leave me." He said with a chuckle. Well, I was kind of hoping that he'd arrive here a little later than six, in that way, I'd have a reasonable excuse as to why I wasn't here when he arrives. But I guess that mental plan flopped pathetically.
"Yeah, whatever." I mumbled and grabbed my bag from the foot of my bed. I let out a heavy breath and looked at him. "Ready?" I said in such a bored voice, my facial expression most probably mirroring my tone.
"Hey, what's up?" He asked, suddenly looking.. concerned. He took a few steps towards me and grabbed me by my arms which made me flinch a little, making him all the more curious and concerned.
"Just tired, is all." I mumbled, my gaze dropping down. I can't even look him in the eyes because, well, I'm disgusted. I am not disgusted of him, it was his action. It just really bothered me and I don't know how I'd convince myself to get used to it because obviously, I have to act like I am okay with all that weird hand holding, cheek kissing, hand-on-knee, couple-y kind of thing if I want this job and entire task to be a success.
"You sure? We could like, re-schedule our flight and move it tomorrow." He said and I made the mistake of looking up at his face because I was met by his worry-filled eyes which actually made me sick to my guts. I shook my way out from his grasp and walked a head of him, stopping at the frame of the door.
"Just a tad bit tired, I'll get some sleep on the way." I forced up a smile and only prayed that it would look convincing enough. Vic looked skeptical but flashed a smile, nonetheless, nodding and walking after me, closing the door once we were out.
--
Everything was fine and dandy when we arrived the airport but that was until Vic Fuentes decided to call up their personal pilot (yes, a personal freaking pilot) and instructed him to come to the airport and pick us up. Who freaking does that? Who has the power to just grab their phone, call a personal pilot and ask them to pick them up just like that? The Fuentes family, that's who. Damn, I think I underestimated this family's wealth. I didn't know that they are capable of doing that! Anyways, Vic pulled up this magnificent stunt claiming that he felt like I needed the peace and space of a private fricking jet. I told him a million times that I am really fine and that we should just go to our scheduled flight but this is Vic Fuentes that we are talking about here – the guy wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Are you feeling okay now?" He asked as he glanced on my side. The private jet thing looked down-right luxurious with the white leather seats and numerous bottles of champagnes here and there. We are accompanied by two gorgeous attendants and I honestly do not see the point in bringing in two attendants with us seeing as the jet isn't huge and I could literally just walk my way to the fridge or whatever to grab myself a drink. Nevertheless, I am not complaining at all. Sure, I am overwhelmed by the luxury and the pampering but I wouldn't pass down such an exquisite opportunity.
"Yeah, more than okay, actually." I replied truthfully, smiling at him genuinely this time. "You know, you didn't have to do all of this, I was really just sleep-deprived."
"But I wanted to." He said. "Anything for you." He added and sent me a wink. A freaking wink for Pete's sake! I am so tempted to just let out a scoff, or even gag for that matter, but I am not that much of an a-hole. I still know when to cut my reactions off in order to stop myself from hurting others' feelings to that extent. Then again, we all know he'll end up hurt anyways.
"Thanks?" I mumbled anyway. I have to get used to all of these; I have to suck it up because well, I chose to be in this situation, to start off. "Uh, anyways. So, you are going to be meeting my mom and my sister. My mom could get a tad bit.. overwhelming sometimes, I'm just warning you."
"That's no problem. Parents usually love me." He said with a boastful shrug which I laughed at. Literally, I just busted out into a loud laugh, earning the looks of the two attendants.
"Sorry." I mumbled and the two ladies just smiled at me. "Don't work your charms on my mom, Vic. I know you're old and all but just- leave my mom alone." I added, still laughing.
"What? No! Not in that way! I meant, like, when I was in high school and college, whenever my friends would introduce me to their parents, they usually warm up to me pretty quickly and they think that I am the good influence to their child." He said with a raise of his eyebrow. I just wanted to slap the smug grin on his face but since he did so much for me in a span of a few hours, I wouldn't do anything too harsh.
"You're so proud of yourself, aren't you Vic Fuentes?" I said with a smirk.
"Maybe a little, yeah but not too much." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, if it weren't because of my parents, I wouldn't have all of.. this." He said, looking around and although he didn't explain it thoroughly, I knew exactly what he meant. Actually, in the span of the three weeks that I've known Vic, I could say that he's pretty down-to-earth. Their family, actually is pretty down-to-earth, not like those snobby rich families that they show in our TVs. Despite all of these thoughts and Vic's statement, I couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. He still look at his parents like how any grateful kid should look at their parents little did he know, they are actually on to something against him.
"So, like, what's the deal with you and the family dinner thing?" I asked, sparking up a conversation. I mean, if I was going to make this plan successful, might as well get to know him and dig into his thoughts.
"I just hate those. I love my parents, no doubt, but they could get a little bit pushy sometimes and it's plainly irritating." He answered nonchalantly, as if tired to explain the same line over and over again.
"What- what particularly do they do? I mean, parents are parents, you know? I'm sure they aren't that horrible."
"Oh, you don't know what you're saying, Quinn. When it comes to who I date, ma's nose is basically under my skin. She's just so eager on me setting down and starting a new life with someone, it's- it's just too much, you know?" He explained, his eyebrows knitted together. Just by watching him, I could feel the frustration building up in his head and I didn't want to push the conversation further. Lucky for me, before I could even think of a new topic, he broke the silence once again. "Anyways, enough about me. Tell me about Michigan."
I smiled at that because he actually look like he was interested in what I was going to say. "Well, we live a very simple life in a small and very simple house – just a heads up." I said with a chuckle.
"I bet your house feels so homey."
"Yeah, you could say that." I nodded, already feeling the scent of my mom's cooking lingering through me. Imagining it just feels so nostalgic and I can't wait for this flight to be over. "Uh, my sister Kayla is in high school, very intelligent, nice and pretty." I smiled to myself.
"Just like her brother." He commented which I just rolled my eyes in to but a smile still etched on my face, not like before when I felt like punching him due to his unnecessary remarks. Again, I have to suck it up and get used to him.
"Anyways, there's not much to tell, really. Aside from the fact that we live in a very very simple place. Not like yours, basically." I ended my statement with a chuckle. Seriously, I've been feeling uneasy ever since I invited Vic to tag along. I mean, they are rich as frick, of course he would look at our entire lifestyle differently. Hell, I wouldn't blame him if he'd want to cut the trip short.
"Don't worry about me, Kells." He said with a sigh. "I've been looking forward to this trip, actually. I've been wanting to step out from all the chaos." He said, slumping further down in his seat. "People often look at us as some perfect family, living the perfect life and envying us and our lifestyle but they just couldn't see past all of.. these." He added, his eyes closing. I wanted to say something but I couldn't formulate the right words. I wanted to keep the conversation flowing because for once, Vic Fuentes managed to grasp my full attention and he did it with such minimal effort. I am so intrigued now but I didn't want to bother him since he looked so relaxed as he immediately fell into a peaceful slumber
But then it dawned in to me.
If Vic's parents are so keen on the idea of kicking him out and ridding him off of their hair, I'd do anything in my will to make him feel welcome in our home. This is going to be the most welcoming weekend that he'd ever feel.