by Eden Finley
Hunter:
Haven’t told Mum yet.
Garrett:
Oops. May’ve already texted her about it :P Ur welcome.
My phone vibrated in my hand. “Shit. Mum’s calling me.”
“And that’s bad because …?”
“Because Garrett just told her I have a girlfriend.”
“Again, why’s that a bad thing?”
“Because she’s been on Garrett’s and my case to settle down for ages.” I sat up and ran my hand over my face as I answered the phone. “Hi, Mum.”
“What’s this I hear about you having a girlfriend?” was the first thing she says.
“Miss you, too, Mum.”
“I have to find out from your brother?”
I sighed and climbed out of bed, struggling to pull on my sweatpants and hold the phone to my ear. “It’s new. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d get all clingy and want to meet her and—”
“Of course, I want to meet her.”
“Garrett’s coming up in three weeks, maybe you could meet then.”
Sara’s eyes bugged out of her head at that, and I winced. Maybe Mum wouldn’t be meeting Sara so soon.
“He’s what?” Mum asked.
“I gotta go, Mum. I’ll talk to you later.” I ended the call and met Sara’s freaked-out gaze. “Too soon to meet the parents?”
“Little bit. I’ve never met a boyfriend’s parents before. Well, Paul didn’t count because he was Paige’s dad, and high school boyfriends didn’t count because, well, we lived with our parents. It was a given.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never introduced a girl to my parents before.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better, no. Please tell me Garrett has a horrible ex-girlfriend who in comparison will make me look awesome?”
“Umm … Garrett’s never brought a girl home either.”
“No pressure or anything,” she mumbled.
“They’ll love you. Mum can be full on, but it’s only because she’s excited. Dad’s really laidback. And I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, so just say the word, and I’ll tell Mum you can’t come. It’s still a few weeks away anyway.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
My phone dinged.
Garrett:
U told Mum I was coming up? WHY?
Hunter:
U told her I had a girlfriend. Payback, bitch.
16
- SARA -
Paige and I knuckled down for a solid week preparing for our upcoming exams, which meant I rarely saw Ryan.
The doubts about him still crept in every now and then. I didn't want to feel insecure about him just because I hadn’t seen him in a while, but part of me was scared I was rushing into this with my whole heart and it was only going to get crushed.
Once exams were over and we had a mid-semester break, Ryan was spending every night at my apartment. Each time he’d go home to his own place, he’d be back an hour or so later because Paige and Cole were going at it like rabbits.
Not that we were much different. But we didn’t have sex every damn time he stayed over. We had some self-control.
I was cooking dinner for us one night when he came in from outside. He’d taken a call from his boss that apparently needed to be talked about in private. I told myself not to read into the secrecy.
“What did your boss want?”
“So, there was this job I turned down a few weeks ago, and the guy they got to replace me went and got himself into a motorcycle accident today.”
“Shit, is he okay?”
“He’ll live, but he’s got a broken leg. Like in three places.”
“Ouch.”
“My boss and the client really want me on this job.”
I stopped stirring dinner and wiped my hands on my pants. “Well, why did you turn it down in the first place?”
“Because of you.”
“What?”
“It’s kind of an arty shoot.”
“Naked?”
“With other models. I mean, it’s for a men’s fashion line, so I assume I will be clothed, but probably not the other models.”
“Girl models?”
“Uh … yeah.”
I tried to remain rational even though my stupid possessiveness wanted to write “mine” all over Ryan’s chest in lipstick. Totally rational. “I appreciate that you thought of me, but isn’t that your job? I mean, will I hate seeing the final product of you with a naked girl all over you? Yeah, I may want to crazy stalk the bitch on Facebook, but I also know it’ll be a professional set. Right? Or are photoshoots one big orgy?”
He laughed. “I’ve been on some that are pretty sketchy, but this one would be strictly professional.”
I shrugged, even though my heart was pounding hard. “I’m not going to stand in the way of your job. I’ll have to put my big girl panties on and deal with it.”
“What if you came with me? That way you can see how professional it is, and at the same time, give all the other models the stink-eye. The shoot’s in Brisbane the day after the dinner with my parents and Garrett. Maybe we could crash at their place and save us having to drive up there twice.”
“Stay? At your parent’s house?” I swallowed hard—so hard I think my throat bled. I didn’t know if I was ready to even meet Ryan’s parents, let alone spend an entire night with them. It was a big step.
“If you’re not ready, that’s cool. I just figured it’d be easier.”
I’d come so far over the last four years with my social awkwardness. Jokes were still my go-to defence mechanism, but I no longer felt nervous about social situations. This, though, I was going to be a nervous wreck.
What if his parents don’t like me?
I must’ve had a weird look on my face or something because when I met Ryan’s stare, he was trying not to laugh at me.
“What?” I snapped.
“You’re adorable when you’re nervous. It’s okay, I can go up and see my parents and Garrett on my own, stay overnight, and then go to the job the next day. You can meet my parents another time. If you’re sure it’s okay for me to do the shoot.”
“You should do the shoot. I don’t want to hold you back.”
“Cool. I’ll let Kim know.” He took out his phone and started texting.
***
We were returning from a morning run—something that had become routine seeing as we were both early risers—when Ryan put his hand out to stop me from entering my apartment complex. “Did you forget to lock the door?”
“No, why?” I dug my key out of my hidden pocket in my yoga pants. I looked up at my front door on the second storey but it was wide open.
“Wait here. I’ll check it out.” He left me out on the sidewalk and went into my apartment.
My stomach dropped and I was anxious for all of thirty seconds until I saw a familiar car on the street. “Shit!” I ran after him.
And sure enough, I entered my apartment in time to see Ryan throw a fist at my father and knock him to the ground. “Babe, call the cops,” Ryan said, holding my dad down.
“Ryan! That’s my dad.” I rushed over to Dad and bent down over him. “Are you okay? Shit, I’m sorry. We thought someone had broken in or something.”
My mum exited the bathroom at that point. “What is all the noise?” She looked at Dad. “Why are you on the floor?”
Ryan had taken a few steps back and was white as a sheet.
“Seems your new boyfriend has a nice right hook,” Dad said, climbing to his feet and rubbing his jaw. “I assume he’s the new boyfriend?”
“Uh, yeah. How did you know I was seeing someone?” I hadn’t told them yet.
“Facebook,” Mum said.
My mouth dropped open in shock. “I didn’t realise you knew how to check that.”
“Just because I don’t like or comment anything, doesn’t mean I’m not keeping tabs on you.” It sounded like she was joking, b
ut I couldn’t help wondering if there was some truth to it.
Note to self: Censor my posts on Facebook from now on.
I cleared my throat. “This is Ry … Hunter.” I figured he didn’t want my parents calling him Ryan considering his own parents didn’t call him that.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Shaw,” Ryan said sheepishly.
“I can’t really be pissed off if you’d protect my daughter like that from an intruder, right? Although, it might not kill you to ask questions first, punch later.”
That was not how I wanted my parents meeting him to go. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”
“We came to see if you wanted to go to breakfast,” Mum said.
“Why didn’t you call?”
“When have we ever had to call to come see our daughter?” Mum asked.
Since she’s been having sex with her boyfriend at all hours of the day and needs warning before visitors.
I wasn’t going to say that aloud.
“We’d love you both to come,” Dad said, eyeing Ryan. “Who knows, maybe by the end of the meal, I can find a reason to hit your boyfriend back.”
I knew Dad was joking, but Ryan seemed to pale even more.
“Umm …”
“It’s fine, Sara. We’ll go to breakfast,” Ryan said, sounding more confident than he looked.
“We’ll go get showered and changed.” I led Ryan to my bathroom.
“We’re not showering together with your parents out there,” he hissed quietly when I shut the door.
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay with this. I can tell them no.”
“Ooooh no. We are so doing this. And then next week, you’re coming with me to meet my parents. Seriously, you can’t screw up more than punching one of them, right?”
I laughed but he glared at me in return. “I’m sorry. But you gotta admit, you punching my dad is pretty hilarious.”
“There was a middle-aged guy standing in the middle of your living room, what was I meant to think?”
I laughed some more. “You punched my dad. In the face. You’re never going to live this down. You know that, right?”
He looked down at his feet and mumbled, “That’s what I was afraid of.”
***
“So, can you do me a favour?” Ryan asked as we pulled up to his parents’ house five days later.
I was holding up my end of the deal. He went to breakfast with my parents and sat through an hour and a half of torture where my Dad kept rubbing his jaw and vowing revenge. Ryan apologised profusely and kept glaring at me for giggling every time. What he didn’t know was Dad was winking at me every time he’d say a snarky comment.
Despite how they first met Ryan, Mum and Dad both approved of him.
Now, it was my turn.
“What’s the favour?” I asked.
“Can you walk in there and bitch-slap my mum? I wanna see you squirm until bed time.”
He’d also convinced me to stay the night … somehow. We were both going to his photoshoot the following day, so it didn’t make a lot of sense to drive back and forth.
Ryan grabbed my suitcase out of the boot of his car and whined again at how much luggage I had for one night.
“I already told you. If I’m going to be surrounded by models tomorrow, I need to bring my A game. Curling iron, makeup, a choice of outfits—they’re all necessities. I swear.”
“You know when I first fell in love with you?”
When he what? He didn’t even flinch at his words. He didn’t even give me a chance to ask him what the fuck he just said.
“It was when you showed me your real self. Jeans, tank top, chucks. That’s my girl.”
I was frozen, completely still in the middle of Ryan’s parents’ driveway.
“You may want to close your mouth, babe. I knew I loved you weeks ago. I don’t care that it’s fast, I don’t care if you’re not there yet. I’m in love with you, so deal with it.”
He interlaced his fingers with mine as he dragged me to his parents’ front door.
Still in shock, I was sure my eyes were the size of saucers when his mother greeted us.
He loved me? It was too soon. Wasn’t it? Deep down, I knew I felt exactly the same way. But saying it aloud? This soon?
“Sara?” Ryan’s mother said, getting my attention.
“Sorry, what?”
“Are you coming in?” she asked with a giggle.
It was only then I realised Ryan had let go of my hand and was already inside.
“Hunter, you can take your bag to the spare room,” Mrs Erikson said.
“And mine?” I asked. My parents were pretty cool about our relationship. They didn’t even question why Ryan was at my house so early in the morning or why he had a bag of his stuff at my place to change into after his shower. But I wasn’t sure how old-fashioned Ryan’s parents were. That was, until she laughed at me.
“Oh, honey, I’m under no false illusion that either of my boys are innocent. You can share his bed as I’m sure you do at home.”
“Uh …”
“Thanks for that, Mum. You can go back to making dinner now.” He turned to me and mouthed “Sorry.”
When we got to his room and he shut the door behind us, he was laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“So worth it.” He doubled over in laughter.
“What was?”
“You should’ve seen your face. You didn’t hear a word my mother said to you, did you?”
I caught on then. “Are you freaking kidding me?” I whisper-yelled. “You only told me you loved me so I’d look at your mother like a deer in the headlights?”
“Maybe. I mean, it’s true. I do love you. I wasn’t going to tell you because I thought it was too soon, but holy fuck, so worth it.”
I scowled. “At least I didn’t punch your dad.”
His laughter died, but then a split second later, we both burst out laughing.
There was a knock at the door before Garrett barged in. “Better be decent.” His smile dropped when he saw us. “Damn, you are.”
Garrett was slightly taller than Ryan and a little wider and musclier, but it was obvious they were brothers. They had the same jawline and straight nose. Garrett’s hair was a shade darker than Ryan’s, almost black like their mother’s.
“Don’t be creepy,” Ryan said and pushed his brother in the chest.
Garrett pushed back and they started wrestling, trying to tackle each other to the ground until I let out a tiny squeak and stumbled back when they got too close.
They pulled apart and Garrett grinned at me. “Hey, sis.” He surprised me by wrapping me in a bear hug. “I can call you sis, right? Little Ryan’s first girlfriend,” he taunted.
“Well, I beat you. You’ve never had a girlfriend,” Ryan growled.
“Nah, I had heaps of girlfriends when I was in school.”
“So did I. They don’t count,” Ryan said. “You’ve never had an adult relationship.”
“By choice.”
“I’m sure you just haven’t met the right girl yet,” I said, trying to be helpful.
“Pfft. I doubt any girl will ever have the goods to make me want to settle down.”
“And that’s my brother,” Ryan said, shoving Garrett out the door. He shut it in Garrett’s face, but then his voice travelled through the door.
“Mum sent me up to get you because dinner’s ready.”
“Ready to meet Dad?” Ryan asked me.
I involuntarily gulped loudly.
When we sat down for dinner, Ryan introduced me to the silver version of him and Garrett. It wasn’t hard to see where Ryan and Garrett got their charm from, and it gave me some relief to see how Ryan’s dad still looked at Ryan’s mum after years of being together.
Ryan’s mum was gorgeous with her black hair and youthful skin. She had to be at least in her fifties, but she could’ve easily passed for forty.
“So,” she said, “tell us how you two met.”
Straight into it, I guess.
“Through Cole’s new girlfriend,” Ryan answered.
“Naw, why you lyin’?” Garrett piped up and then turned to their mother. “Sara’s the girl you called a skank when you found out about Ryan’s tattoo four years ago. Because he got it for her. I introduced them at a bar.”
Oh, shit.
“You’re that Sara?” Ryan’s mother asked. I couldn’t decipher her tone. It was part surprise, part fascination, but mostly angry.
Way to impress them, Sara. Good job. Also, fuck Garrett.
“Mum, we went through this when I got the tattoo. It wasn’t for her, it was for me.”
“Because of her, and then she stood you up and—”
“Umm … you told your mum about that night?” I asked Ryan.
“Mum, there’s things you don’t know. Things I didn’t know until I ran into Sara two months ago.”
“Let’s hear it then,” she said.
I dug into my food. “This tastes really good,” I said with my mouth full. I didn’t even know what it was, some curry and rice thing, but I was trying to change the subject.
A singsong voice rang loud and clear in my head: Awkward.
Ryan embarrassingly explained everything that happened between us while I continued to stuff my face with curry.
“I see,” Ryan’s mother said.
Dinner went a bit quiet after that … Okay, I went quiet. The others talked, but I felt weird knowing the table knew our entire history.
Having him lay it out there for everyone to hear, it made it sound so much worse, and it brought up all the insecurities I had about dating him in the first place. The image of him lip-locked with that other girl still flashed through my mind whenever I thought about that night.
“All right,” Ryan’s mum said, standing. “I think you boys are on dish duty while Sara and I have tea out on the terrace.”
Ryan reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. My eyes found his and he nodded his reassurance. Not that I had a choice. I couldn’t exactly say “No thanks, I’d rather do the dishes than talk to you.”
But as soon as we were outside, Ryan’s mum threw her arms around me and hugged me tight.
“Umm … what was that for?”
