Chapter 31
Even though Preston and I had been dating for over a year, minus the break we took during summer vacation, our parents had never formally met each other. We were going to wait until Preston's dad came home, but every time he did, he went on a business trip right away and when he was home, my dad wasn't free then.
Preston's mom knew it was probably going to be a while before they could actually meet, so she suggested that she just meet my parents without Preston's dad.
So, we were going to have dinner at his house tonight. Preston was excited, but that was only because his mom made some makowiec for dessert, and he was obsessed with it. I think he even loved it more than me, but I was honestly okay with that.
Kind of.
On the way to Preston's house, my dad said to my mom, "You know they live in a mansion, right. Literally, a mansion. I dropped Viera at his house one time and it was huge."
"Really?" Mom asked.
"Yes, really," Dad said. "Viera, is it even bigger inside than it is outside?"
"Honestly, yeah," I said. "It's really big."
"No wonder you like going there all the time," Dad said.
"Actually, Preston has come over to our house as much as I have gone over there," I said. Preston liked going over to my house a lot more. He said big houses may be cool to live in, but being an only child with his parents travelling all the time living in a house that big gets lonely, even with Emmy staying there.
Dad pulled into the driveway of the Tarnowski's house, and Mom looked as amazed as Dad did the first time he saw the house. "Wow, you really weren't kidding," Mom said. "What are his parents' jobs?"
"They're music producers," I said.
"Is that why you're dating him?" Dad asked.
"Dad, that's not funny," I said. Preston was used all the time, which was why he started shutting people out. I would never use Preston, nor could I imagine using him. Or anyone for that matter. I didn't care about materialistic things at all.
"I'm kidding," Dad said.
It still wasn't funny.
We got out of the car and headed to the front door of the Tarnowski's house. I rang the doorbell and it didn't take long before Beatrice opened the door, giving all of us a smile. "It's so nice to finally meet the parents of the girl that's making my son really happy," Beatrice said. "I'm Beatrice."
"I'm Colette, and this is my husband Richard," Mom said. "It's really nice to meet you too."
Beatrice stepped aside so we could walk inside, and my parents looked even more amazed at the interior. "You have a really nice home," Dad said.
Beatrice smiled. "Thank you," she said before going towards one of the intercoms and holding down the button so she could speak through it. "Preston, Viera and her parents are here. Please come to the foyer."
Preston's voice came over the intercom a few moments later. "In a moment," he said. "I'm in the middle of a very important game and I can't step away for even a second."
"Then how are you talking on the intercom right now?" Beatrice asked.
"Uh....Sorry....can't....I think....breaking....bye!" Preston said.
Beatrice chuckled before looking at my parents. "Sorry about him," she said. "Once he's playing a video game, it takes him a long time to get off of it."
"I can go get him," I offered. "Is he in the gaming room?"
Beatrice nodded. "Thank you, Viera."
I headed to the second floor of the house and went to the game room, where Preston was currently playing a video game. I stood there for a bit, not saying anything to see if he would even notice I was there.
He didn't.
"Are you going to keep playing the game and not come downstairs?" I asked, which made him jump a bit and pause the game.
"Don't scare me," Preston said. "Like I told my mom, I'm in the middle of a very important game and I can't step away from it."
I raised an eyebrow. "You literally just paused the game, and it didn't look like you were playing with anyone else."
"Ten more minutes," Preston said and he was about to continue the game, but I knew exactly how to make him come downstairs.
"You know, the longer you play the video game, the longer it will take us to start eating dinner," I said. "And the longer it takes us to start eating dinner, the longer it will take for us to get to dessert and eat makowiec."
Saying that one word made Preston put down the controller and get up before hurrying out of the gaming room and down the stairs. "Hurry up, Viera," he said.
I smiled softly before following Preston down the stairs and to the dining room.
"Wow, you actually left the gaming room," Beatrice said. "How did you do that, Viera?"
"I just had to remind him that there's makowiec for dessert," I said.
"Ah, of course, I should have thought of that," Beatrice said.
"Mom, come on, you know how obsessed I am with that delicious Polish pastry," Preston said. "It's a part of my life, my identity. I can't live without it."
"Can you go one day without being so dramatic?" Beatrice asked.
"Nope."