"Stop bouncing your leg up and down."
Heather walked by, glaring down at her jittery daughter. When she didn't comply, Heather held the leg down with her hand, further preventing Aurora from moving.
"You're going to throw all your wealth away," nagged Heather. It was a superstition that many believed— where if you bounced your leg up and down consistently, you would be shaking away all your prosperity.
Honestly, Aurora didn't get it, but complied with her mother's complaints. She knew that if she didn't, she was bound to get an earful.
Aurora sighed and glanced at the clock for the nth time. It seemed like time was ticking slower than usual today and she couldn't help but feel her anxiety build up.
"I don't know why you're so nervous," Connor glanced up from his phone with a carefree smile. "Dad and I will be nice."
"And that's exactly why I'm anxious," grumbled Aurora, turning her head to look at the clock again.
"Don't worry, sweetie," her mom said reassuringly while rubbing her hand on Aurora's knee in a soothing manner. She gave Connor a stern look. "They'll both be nice and welcoming."
"I sure hope so," Aurora muttered, glancing at the clock as it finally struck 6.
And at that exact moment, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," She yelled, jumping to her feet, not before turning to look at her brother.
"You better be on your best behavior," she gave her brother a serious look before running to get the door. Connor rolled his eyes and grunted with annoyance. Why did everyone have so little faith in him?
As soon as she opened the door, she threw herself onto Xavier, who caught her perfectly in his arms.
"Hey, sweetheart."
She took a deep breath, taking in his scent. It comforted her and immediately, her anxiousness disappeared. She felt him chuckle under her as he soothingly rubbed circles on her back.
"Hi, I missed you," she mumbled against his coat. He nuzzled into her neck, placing soft kisses on her bare shoulder, making his way towards her neck.
"I missed you too, love," He pulled away, gently setting her back down on the ground. "You look beautiful."
Her cheeks further flushed with his compliment before turning 360 degrees, so he could see. "Do I?"
His smile widened as he took in her appearance. She was wearing an off-shoulder sweater that showed off her slender shoulders and defined collar bone. She tucked her top into a pair of high waisted skinny jeans that made her legs look longer. And of course, she was barefoot.
She chose to go with a more natural look tonight, only filling her eyebrows in and coating her lashes with mascara.
Xavier couldn't help but stare at the beauty standing before him.
"Absolutely stunning," he answered, wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her close so she was pressed against his chest. Because she was barefoot, their height difference was even more apparent.
"Well, I think you look very handsome," she leaned up to kiss him on the lips. Pulling away, she gave him a once over. "My dad will think you're the perfect gentleman."
He had on a black coat over a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and tucked into a pair of fitted navy blue trousers.
He gave her a cheeky grin. "That's what I was going for."
She couldn't help but bite her lip as she stared at him. Groaning, he leaned down to place another kiss on her lips, moving down her jaw and then to her ear.
"You keep biting that lip, sweetheart, and I'll have no choice but to do something your dad will kill me for," he whispered, causing her to shiver. He bit back a smirk as he pulled away.
Her cheeks were now a bright red, making her look even more endearing. He cupped her cheek, gently pulling her lip from her teeth.
Realizing that they were still standing outside in the cold she quickly shook out of her trance and pulled him inside.
Before stepping inside, he reached over to grab a box of traditional tea, a bottle of red wine, and a bundle of a dozen red roses that he had placed on the bench on her front porch.
"Xavier," she looked at him in awe. "You didn't have to bring anything."
"I know, but I wanted to do this right," he said nonchalantly, following her into the house, leaving his shoes by the door. Apparently, it was custom to bring tea when you visit a Taiwanese household, and he figured since Aurora's mother was Taiwanese, it seemed fitting. "I did a bit of research."
She paused, bringing him down for another kiss. "You're so sweet. My mom will love this."
Before he could deepen the kiss, a throat cleared behind them, causing them to break apart. He looked up to find Connor staring at them with his arms crossed. Xavier immediately recognized him from his favorite team. But the man standing in front of him wasn't Connor Young, the hockey player— he was Connor, his girlfriend's older brother.
Aurora rolled her eyes at her brother's antics, grabbing the bottle of wine from Xavier's hand. "Xavier, this is my idiotic brother, Connor. Connor, this is my boyfriend, Xavier."
"Nice to meet you," Xavier held the box of tea and flowers in one arm while reaching his hand out to shake Connor's hand, which the latter took. He felt Connor grip his hand tightly, and returned the gesture, not backing down. "I'm a big fan."
"Thanks, man. Nice to meet you, too," Connor looked at the man standing in front of him up and down. He nodded in approval when he felt Xavier return the handshake with a firm grip.
Aurora looked at the two of them with confusion. She didn't understand why men felt the need to do whatever they just did in front of her.
"Anyways," interrupted Aurora, breaking their odd staring contest. This caused them to glance down at her. "Mom should be in the kitchen."
Holding his elbow, she led Xavier past her brother and towards the kitchen, where her mother and father stood, adding the finishing touches to dinner. Well, her mother was adding the finishing touches, while her father was trying to sneak food into his mouth—all while she scolded him. Aurora smiled as her parents bickered back and forth.
She gently set the bottle of wine on the kitchen island.
"Mom, dad," Aurora called out, causing the two to look up. Immediately, her dad's face turned stern as he glanced at the man next to his daughter.
"Dad, this is Xavier," she introduced, giving her father a sweet smile. "And this is my dad, Peter."
"It's nice to meet you, sir," As he did earlier, he reached forward to shake the older man's hand.
"Likewise," Peter said, analyzing the man in front of him. One thing's for sure, he liked that Xavier had a firm handshake.
Aurora rolled her eyes. She just didn't get it.
"Mrs. Young, these are for you," he greeted the petite woman, handing her the bouquet of roses. She quickly wiped her wet hands on her apron, before taking the bouquet. Her eyes crinkled with delight as she gave Xavier a big smile.
"Oh dear, you didn't have to bring anything—after all, you are our guest. And how many times do I have to remind you to call me Heather," She leaned forward to hug Xavier. "These are absolutely beautiful."
Heather looked down at the counter where the bottle of wine and box of traditional tea sat. She gasped in shock as she examined the familiarity of the intricately designed box of tea.
She looked at her husband before turning back to Xavier. "These are the ones I use to drink back in Taiwan. How'd you— they're almost impossible to find here."
Xavier had been worried that he had either gotten tea that Heather wouldn't like or even worse, he had offended her. Thankfully, it was none of the above.
"One of my good friend imports tea," He felt Aurora lace her fingers with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I wasn't sure what kind of tea you would enjoy, but I am glad you like it."
"I love this. Thank you, dear," Heather patted his arm adoringly, giving her husband a knowing look. "Dinner will be ready in around 20 minutes— why don't you two make yourselves comfortable in the living room?"
Aurora began to tug Xavier towards the living room but was stopped when Peter spoke up. "Actually, Xavier, can I have a word with you?"
Aurora's eyes widened. "But dad-"
"Of course, sir," Xavier looked down at her with a reassuring smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'll be back, love."
Peter was pleased to see the way Xavier looked at his daughter. So far, Xavier was proving to be perfect for his daughter, but before he would approve, he needed to speak to Xavier about a couple of things.
Peter made his way out of the kitchen with Xavier turning to follow after him.
As soon as Peter walked by Aurora, she gave her father a stern look—the same look she gave Connor earlier. "Please be nice, dad."
"I will, pumpkin."
He made his way into his study with both Xavier and Connor trailing in after him. All while Aurora stared at their backs worriedly.
"Xavier made a very good impression," her mother reassured, giving Aurora pat on the arm. "He'll be fine. Now, come help me set up dinner."
Giving one last brief look at the now-closed door, Aurora made her way to her mother's side. She began to plate the side dishes, all while glancing at the door every 2 minutes.
"You're going to burn a hole through the door at this rate," Heather joked, bringing Aurora's attention back to her. "Xavier can handle your dad and brother just fine."
"I know, mom," muttered Aurora, feeling embarrassed from being caught. "I can't help but to be worried."
"Your dad was impressed with his manners," Heather gave her daughter a small smile. "I'm still surprised by the tea. How did he know?"
"He said he did research," Aurora shook her head. Xavier was definitely full of surprises the more she spent time with him. "He said that it was proper etiquette to bring something when meeting parents for the first time."
"Well, he's doing an excellent job so far," Heather looked at the roses that were now sitting in a glass vase in the middle of the kitchen island. "I swear my heart swooned."
"Mom!" Aurora giggled. "Don't let dad hear you say that."
After another 10 minutes, the door swung opened revealing the three men who had disappeared. Even though it was less than 20 minutes, to Aurora, it felt like an hour. The atmosphere seemed to be calm, but that wasn't what shocked Aurora. The three men walked out of the study laughing.
Aurora froze in her spot, gaping at Xavier who was chuckling at something her dad said—most likely an awful dad joke. Even Connor was smiling, with his arm around Xavier's shoulders.
Aurora was confused. Very confused.
When Xavier reached Aurora, she immediately turned to look up at her boyfriend. There was an easygoing expression on his face.
"How'd it go?"
He chuckled, bringing his hand up to stroke her cheek. "I'd like to think it went well."
Peter wrapped his arm around his wife, kissing her on the crown of her head. He smiled as he watched his daughter fuss over Xavier. He had no doubt that Xavier was a good man who would treat his daughter like a queen.
"Alright, dinner's ready," chirped Heather, gesturing for everyone to make their way to the dining table.
"Finally!" Cheered Connor, taking his seat beside Heather and across from Xavier. Peter sat at the head of the table, while Aurora took her seat next to Xavier. "I've been waiting all day for this."
"I hope you don't mind Korean Barbecue," Heather said, as she began to place the meat onto the grill.
"Oh, this all looks lovely Heather," he said looking at all the food in front of him. There were so many dishes in front of them, he didn't know where to begin. "Although I do have to admit, we usually we do barbecue outside. I've never had it like this before."
"Bro, you're going to be dreaming about this all day tomorrow," Connor said, already starting with the side dishes. Aurora squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between Connor and Xavier. Since when were they already on a "bro" basis?
Heather chuckled with a glint in her eyes. "I'm sure you'll love it. Maddie fell in love with it right away. I've never seen a girl her size eat that much in one sitting!"
The marinated beef cooked quickly on the grill and as soon as it was ready, the beef immediately began to disappear onto their plates. Xavier put a few pieces in front of Aurora before placing some onto his plate.
As soon as the beef entered his mouth, he felt the juices explode and he wondered why they didn't do barbecue like this while he was growing up.
"How is it?" Asked Heather, as Peter made room on the grill for a different cut of beef.
"It's delicious," Xavier answered in complete awe. Aurora giggled as she watched her boyfriend's first Korean barbecue experience.
"The best thing about coming home, is all this food," moaned Connor, shoving as many pieces into his mouth as possible.
As the meat cooked, the conversation came naturally. It was like Xavier had known the Youngs for a long time. His cold exterior was completely shed as he chatted freely with her family.
Aurora grabbed a couple of pieces of leafy greens. In the middle, she added pieces of beef, kimchi, rice, a special sauce her mom made and wrapped it together. She brought it up to Xavier's lips, who took it with a bit of surprise. From her peripheral vision, she could see her mom feeding her dad.
It was as if a flavor bomb exploded in his mouth and surprisingly, it worked well. Aurora smiled as his eyes widened and his hands immediately went to grab the leafy greens, enjoying the combination. She was surprised he could take the kimchi, although she could see sweat starting to form on his forehead at the slight spiciness.
In the corner, Connor looked at them with an unimpressed expression on his face.
"Really? You guys are just going to do that in front of me?"
❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎
Xavier glared at the posters hanging on her wall. Aurora followed his stare and chuckled at his behavior. There were posters of famous male celebrities on her walls and Xavier was not happy with it at all.
"I went through a phase when I was in middle school," she explained, playing with his dark locks. They were on her bed as he laid his head on her lap with his long legs dangling off the bed. Deciding to tease him, she went on. "I called it my man wall."
Xavier scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I can name so many qualities where I am better than each and every one of them. Wouldn't you agree?"
His frown deepened when she didn't answer him immediately.
Aurora giggled and leaned down to give him a peck on the lips. "I guess."
"I guess?" He repeated, raising his eyebrows.
"I'm just kidding," she had a mischievous look on her face as she lightly poked his forehead. "I only have eyes for you now."
"You better," he grumbled as he continued to glare at the posters.
She looked at him with amusement as she went back to stroking his hair. "You did so well tonight."
"Did I?" He murmured quietly, loving the feel of her hands in his hair. He was sure that if he was a cat, he would be purring right now. "I wanted to leave a good impression."
"I think you left a great one. They really like you," she promised, halting her movements as she leaned down to capture his lips in another long kiss. She felt his tongue probe her lips, asking for entrance. When she didn't comply, he lightly pinched her thigh, causing her to let out a small shriek. Taking the opportunity, he slipped his tongue into her mouth. It seemed like time froze whenever they shared a kiss and he only let her pull away when she needed air.
Xavier smirked as he stared up at her. His eyes landed on her lips that were now plump from their kiss. Those boys on her wall could never compare. Taking her hand, he placed it back in his hair and urged her to continue playing with his hair.
"What did you guys talk about in dad's study?"
A small smirk appeared on his face. His answer had her pestering him for answers.
"Nothing for you to worry your pretty head about."
❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎
Longer chapter, but I hope you guys don't mind. I'm so excited to be back to updating 2 times a week. I've also been playing around with photoshop and I made a new banner because I have literally nothing to do stuck at home!
I just made a Netflix account (I originally just had Hulu) and I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations. Just a warning, I'm the type who watches the endings of series and movies first because I have no patience and I hate anticipation. Yes. I'm that person.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this update and let me know what you think! Thank you for reading, voting, and commenting! <3