"I'm so nervous! What if I mess up? Or say something wrong? Or trip and fall straight onto my face? What if I talk too much? Or too little? What if they don't like me? Or I don't like them? WHAT IF A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE DECIDES TO TAKE PLACE RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT? OR EVEN AN ALIEN INVASION? I'LL BE DOOMED!"
"You read way too many fantasy books, Jas."
"You should be reassuring me that everything will be fine instead of mocking me like that!"
"That's what I've been doing for the past hour! You were just too busy creating awful scenarios in your head! You're killing me!" Taylor said in frustration as she plopped down on my bed.
"Don't give up on me!" I whined and jumped on the bed beside her.
"You give me no other choice..." with that, she closed her eyes, tilting her head to the side as her body became motionless.
"I hate you." I groaned and started hitting her with a pillow repeatedly. "Now stop acting because I need someone to do my makeup. Unless you're too busy playing pretend then I'll just have to do it myself."
At that, Taylor sat up almost instantly and shook her head quickly, "oh no, I'm not repeating the same mistake of leaving you alone with makeup. Do you even know what each product is used for?"
"Baby steps Taylor, baby steps. Now I'm going to get dressed. Think of a motivating speech to give me in the mean time. No pressure."
"I have one now. Wanna hear it?" I nodded my head yes.
"Don't fuck up. And I know that you will IF YOU KEEP STALLING! Go get dressed!"
I threw the pillow at her one last time before making a run for it into the bathroom and locking the door.
They say that if you're lucky enough to find a weirdo, never let them go. In this case, I'm either more than lucky or just cursed. Yah, just cursed it is.
***
After trying on every outfit in my closet and whining about how I have nothing to wear, I finally emerged out of the bathroom with the final result. I didn't want to wear something too revealing, of course, nor did I go for a very casual or sporty look. I kept it cute, comfortable and simple.
I was wearing white skinny jeans with rips on each knee. For the top, I chose a striped baby blue and white off the shoulder blouse. To add a pop of color to the outfit, I wore a pair of red wedges, accompanied with a matching red cross-body bag. Taylor then helped me curl my hair in a way to keep it looking natural and pretty. My makeup was very simple and barely noticeable, just how I liked it.
"Okay remember: do not fuck up. Your life depends on this moment! It's a do or die situation! Clear?"
"Taylor, you have two seconds to get out of my face before your situation becomes a do or die one!" She just laughed and pulled me into a hug.
"I'm just messing with you. You'll be great. I'm sure they will just fall in love with you. Mark my words."
I smiled and hugged her back before leaving once Elijah stopped by to pick me up.
***
I was squirming in my seat the whole ride, examining myself in the mirror, fixing my clothes, asking Elijah how I looked every once in a while and every time he would tell me something that would make my heart melt: "beautiful" , "as beautiful as you were two seconds ago" , "as beautiful as you were one minute ago" and so on.
When he finally parked in front of the house, that's when the panic hit its summit. Elijah must have noticed because he cradled my face in his hands and forced me to look at him.
"Don't be nervous, at all. I wasn't that nervous and I had to meet your dad. If I did it then so can you. They'll love you. Heck, they already do because of all I've told them about you. If I'm happy then they'll be happy for me. And Jasmine, I'm so very happy."
I blushed like mad as I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss as a reply to his sweet words. He should definitely teach Taylor how to give a motivational speech.
"Okay then, let's do this!" I grinned.
***
The minute I stepped into the house, I received the warmest welcome from each family member. His mother engulfed me in a bone crushing hug then his father did the same. The moment I pulled away, I felt soft tugging at the hem of my shirt. I looked down and found Elijah's 8 year old sister staring up at me with the same gorgeous crystal blue eyes. I smiled widely and leaned down to her height, pulling her in a hug. She was an exact replica of her brother which made me smile in awe.
"Hello princess. What's your name?" I asked her softly, tucking a strand of loose blonde hair behind her ear.
"Elsa. You're Jasmine right? Elijah never stops talking about you."
I slowly lifted my gaze up and settled it on a blushing Elijah. I smirked teasingly at him, though my heart was performing somersaults inside my rib cage at the adorable sight of the two siblings. I couldn't help but imagine what a great father he would make someday. I smiled to myself at the thought and earned a curious look I shrugged my shoulders to from Elijah.
We sat in the living room and had the usual conversation of the parents getting to know me and asking about how it all started with Elijah. He seemed to already have told them half of the story though. Even Elsa was asking me questions. I already was able to tell how mature she was for her age and how fun she is to be around. She now already owns part of my heart. I consider her like the sister I never had.
Once we were called for dinner, I got up and made my way to the table, Elijah hot on my heel. He pulled the chair out for me then took the seat to my right. Elsa seated to my left. I honestly felt like part of the family already.
Now let me tell you, Mrs. Sanders prepared A LOT for dinner: steak with garlic parmesan cream sauce, grilled chicken caesar cobb salad, fried rice and baked potato in a casserole. For dessert, we had a whole lot of options too: chocolate chip cookie skillet brownie, apple pie and some strawberry lemonade cake bites. Elijah told me his mother loved cooking, and after all the food I just saw, I believed him more than I already did. It all looked delicious and believe me, it tasted heavenly. I already had some of her cooking back on my picnic date with Elijah but this was on a totally different level of mouthwatering. I was more than full for she made me taste a little bit of every dish.
"Gosh Mrs.Sanders, your cooking is very appetizing. I think I found my mom some competition."
"Why thank you, dear. Elijah told me you were a fan of cooking as well."
I nodded my head yes, not surprised that Elijah spilled everything he knew about me. I actually found it cute and thoughtful of him.
"Yah, my mom taught me everything she knew and I continued from there. I learned more off cooking books and shows."
I received an approving nod from his mother and my insides started dancing happily.
"What do you see yourself doing in the future?" It was now his father talking.
"Well, I'm a huge fan of writing so I do wish to publish a book some day. If you ask me college wise, I wish to be a fashion or interior designer. I love anything and everything art related so it will be easy for me to choose my career."
Another approving nod, and more happy internal dancing.
"We always wanted our son to choose what's best for him. We wanted him to major in something that made him happy; a job he didn't feel like he was supposed to do but one he enjoyed doing. Music was his choice and he always excels in it. We couldn't have been more proud."
I took Elijah's hand in mine and smiled, rubbing his knuckles gently as I looked at him, "You should be. He is amazing."
I could swear I saw that blush on his cheeks again and it took everything in me to hold myself back from kissing all over his face.
"Now for the best part we've all been waiting for: photo album!"
I grinned widely at the mention of viewing baby pictures of my Elijah.
"Mom! No one was waiting for that part," he mumbled, pouting like the cute boyfriend he is.
I leaned over and pinched both his cheeks teasingly, "If you're so cute now, I wonder how you were as a baby."
"I'm not cute! I'm sexy, and you know it." He slapped my hands away from his cheeks but quickly kissed them better when I pouted sadly at him.
We went back to the living room. I sat on the big couch with Elsa in my lap and Elijah on one side, his parents on the other. I flipped through every page, pausing to examine every picture and listening to every story behind each. Some earned a frown from Elijah, others earned a laugh and the rest earned the silliest faces as he tried to recreate them. It was a fun night and to say I was still nervous would be a complete lie. I was more than comfortable, feeling as if I really belonged between these people and I couldn't have been happier.
When it was time to leave, no one was glad. They all didn't want me to go just as much as I wanted to stay.
"Come by whenever you want, love. Actually, I'll be more than happy to have dinner someday with your family. Do tell them."
I held my excitement back at her words and just nodded. Maybe we were moving too fast, but I didn't care. We've only been together for two and a half months but it was the best period in my life this year. You might call me desperate or inexperienced. You might say I'm just too happy for finally having a boyfriend that I wouldn't let go. But I would tell you none of these thoughts are the case. Yes, Elijah is my first boyfriend but I heard and read enough about relationships to know what's wrong and what's right. I have a family to guide me and friends to stand by my side so I'm not worried. I'm ready for whatever the future held for me. For us.
***
"You were perfect. Just like always, Jas." Elijah said as he walked me up to my front door, holding my hand in his own.
I smiled and stood in front of him, slowly sliding my hands up his chest to rest one around his neck and the other on his cheek. I started stroking his bottom lip gently with my thumb and looked him in the eyes.
"Your family is amazing, Elijah. Just like you. I never became comfortable with people so quickly until I met them. Your mom is truly the sweetest. Your dad is very thoughtful and smart. Your sister is simply the female version of you, maybe cuter and funnier but still, you get my point. And you Elijah, you're a mixture of all the things I just stated. You're a mixture of them all. Maybe that is why I ended up loving them so much, because they all reminded me of you in some kind of way."
"You're going to be the death of me, princess." He closed the distance between us and sealed the wonderful night with an even more wonderful kiss.
I never thought anyone would make me smile, laugh and capture my heart as fast as he has. The best thing I did was take a chance on him. I never imagined that I would be in a relationship this year. It never even bothered me that I was single for the past 17 years. But then he came out of nowhere and turned my life upside down, in a great way.
I got lost in him, and it was the kind of lost that is exactly like being found...
~~~
Hello wonderful people!
Finally back with chapter 19, the longest one I've ever written (2k+ words)! I'm trying to improve my writing by making my descriptions longer and more vivid so I hope it pays off.
Please tell me your honest feedback on how I can improve or maybe give me some ideas for the future. I'll take it all into consideration!
Thank you for sticking around for so long. I really love you all so much!
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Much love <3