Friday evening is when we choose to drive out. I'm off now, Seren just got off and we figure it'll be nice to surprise mom and Dustin.
Packing the last of my stuff—toothbrush, deodorant, and extra underwear just in case—I zip my bag and take a seat on my bed. Seren will be over soon, something I'm waiting on since we hung up five minutes ago. Deciding to leave now was last minute, so she had to grab her bag.
Thirty minutes later, a knocking pulls me from my thoughts. Standing, I grab my bag and head to the door. I turn one last time to make sure all lights are off and I have everything. Once I'm positive I have everything and none of my light bulbs will go out over the weekend, I go open the door.
Seren stands on the other side, leaning against the doorframe, a smile on her face. I step out and lock the door behind me before lacing my hand with hers. Saying nothing, we walk away from my complex and to her car where we prepare for a four-hour trip.
"Ready for this?" she asks me once she starts the vehicle, though I should be asking her this.
"I know my mom will like you and so will Dustin. Dust is a great guy. Super nice," I say, smiling down as she grabs my hands and reverses out of the lot.
Our drive consists of bad singing and sweet-talking. They're playing throwbacks through the radio, which both Seren and I seem to love. And in between the talk shows where they blabber about meaningless stories, we share loving looks and words of adoration.
I can't help loving these brief moments between us. The ones where we don't have to say much because we just know. We can look at each other and break into thousand watt smiles that never seem to fade. Everything between us is magic and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
By the time we arrive in Crystalwood, it's dark and the old street lights blink from a lack of any juice being left. It's too late for Seren to see the town, so all I do is direct her to where my house is without explaining each building.
We come down a dirt road path where my house sits next to only one other. Seren drives with cautious speed over the rocks and pulls into the driveway. Dustin's old pickup sits in the driveway and so does my mom's beat up Honda.
"Alright, here we go," I say, unbuckling my seatbelt. I'm only happy to still have a key to the place for this surprise to work. "I'll grab the bags."
Once we grab the luggage, I struggle with handing Seren the key. She grabs it and shakes her head before seizing a bag from me. The walk to the front door feels weird. Leaves cover the path that my mom usually likes to brush away. There are more weeds than I last remember accompanying the overgrown grass.
The front porch still looks the same. Dim light just in case visitors come. A small table with a single small cactus on top. Mom still hasn't gotten around to buying decorative chairs, so there are only two lawn chairs around the table, which she always says is tacky.
The tree that used to push onto the porch has had its branches cut, so I'll no longer feel the leaves tickle my back. No matter.
Seren shoves the key into the door and pushes it open. The hinges squeak, making us wince. We shuffle in and set the bags down, then I close the door behind us. Already, cucumber melon assaults my nose. It's familiar. Grabbing Seren's hand, I pull her towards the living room where we can hear the tv playing lowly.
And there she sits. Frannie Anstein. Even though her back is to us, I'd still recognize my mom anywhere. Dropping Seren's hand, I stride to my mother and press a hand to her shoulder. As I suspected, she yelps and jumps up from the couch. And when she turns, she lifts her hands to cover her mouth.
"Hi, mom," I greet, smiling at her. Another yelp leaves her as she comes around the couch to me. "I missed you."
She wraps her arms around me and I can't help thinking she feels a lot lighter than before. "My baby is here!" Her voice sounds strained and water passes through my shirt.
"Don't cry." I laugh, but only hold her tighter. She smells like home, like my mom. She still has her motherly comfort, and I never realized just how much I've missed her and it feels great to be here. "I have someone for you to meet."
"Okay," she says, pulling back and wiping her eyes, "okay. Oh, I hope it's this lovely girlfriend of yours who you didn't tell me about until late."
Rubbing my arm after the light slap she gives me, I turn and hold my hand out for Seren. She steps towards me, her flip flops slapping against her heels. With her hand in mine, I pull her next to me and turn to my mother.
"Mom, this is Seren," I introduce, looking back and forth between the women. "Seren, this is Frannie, my mother."
My mom doesn't hesitate before reaching forward and pulling Seren into her arms. My girlfriend's eyes widen as they flick to me, but she hugs her back. I watch them for a moment, appreciating this wholesome event. I'd say this is running successfully so far.
"Baby brother?" The words leave through a deep and husky voice before a muscular arm comes across my shoulders.
The familiar scent of Old Spice shampoo envelopes me as Dustin spins me around. Standing somewhere around three inches taller than me is my older brother. His shaggy, dirty blonde hair is up in a man bun, something I thought I'd never see. His blue eyes shine—the same as our mother's—as he pulls me into a tight hug. He's bigger than I am, stronger than I am, and he's crushing me now. But I don't fret as I share this moment with my best friend.
"I completely forgot this was a surprise. Shit, I forgot you were even coming." He laughs, pulling away and taking me in. "Jesus, you're a whole man now. Is that even possible? It's not even been a full year yet and you look like a completely different person."
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head and give a light push to his shoulder. "Not true, but the same can't be said for you. Man bun? Beard?"
Dustin always used to mutter about how he'd never grow his facial hair out to become a full beard or mustache. The closest he'd go was a shadow which he never let grow anyway. Shaving was always his thing and now he's sporting blonde facial hair like there's no tomorrow.
My brother lifts a hand to his face and rubs the rough strands. "Yeah... well, what can I say? It suits me, don't you think?"
"You know what, yeah, it does." And it really does. He appears more mature than before, which is odd for my happy-go-lucky brother. It's weird to see him look like such a man, like he has responsibilities. Which he does, but the sight is a different one.
"Anyways, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or do I gotta do it myself?"
My cheeks redden as I step aside. We take the small steps towards Seren and mom who are both watching us. Seren's bottom lip is clutched between her teeth and it's causing a stir in my pants, which feels weird since we're with my family. Nevertheless, I ignore that part of me and introduce my brother to her. In typical Dustin fashion, he pulls her into his arms and swings her around.
My mother's protests don't go unheard, but all Seren does is laugh as she pats Dustin's back. "Great to meet you, too. I've heard so much about both of you from Sutton. Honestly, he talks nonstop about you guys and how much he loves you."
She's not lying. Being away from my family has made me realize how amazing they've been. Without a father in the house, Dustin always stepped up to fill that position for me as my older brother. He made sure I knew things and didn't feel as different from the other kids, as much as he could without the bullying I faced. Most times, it never felt like a father was missing. A lot of that has to do with our mom too. She tried her best to never make us feel like there was a hole in our family.
Now, I'm just happy to share this with the woman I love.
I am still for a moment, my heart fluttering in my chest and my stomach clenching. This is the first time I'm realizing... or admitting my deep feelings for Seren. I've always been true to myself about being trapped in her spell, the spell of The Little Mermaid, but this is the first time I've mentioned that four letter word. To myself, but still mentioned.
With it out and about, I feel a sense of peace. Even though Seren may not know what I feel for her, I'm much lighter knowing that I have this established. I can't picture life without her and I think when the time comes, I want to make her something more than just my girlfriend.
This feeling both provides me peace and tranquility and petrifies me. I never knew I could feel such deep feelings, and I never knew I was capable of being this happy.
"Are you guys hungry?" my mom asks, pulling me from my thoughts along with Seren's hand squeezing my own.
When I look at her, she gives me a concerned look, furrowing her eyebrows. All I do is smile down at her before bending a little to press a kiss to her forehead. Public displays of affection in front of my family? Never thought I'd do that, but here I am.
"Starving," I mumble, the dazed smile still on my face.