SITTING HERE, TOGETHER with my family and the love of my life feels a little strange and also so right. I was so happy about the thought of Ian officially meeting my parents and they getting a chance to know him that I forgot the reality that Ian isn't as perfect as I have painted him in my head. No one's perfect but with the way my mum's eyes are narrowed and lips set in a scowl, I just know she's gonna pick at everything and blow it out of proportion.

My palm starts to sweat, my leg bouncing slightly as I watch everyone stuff their plates. This can't go bad. The fear of my mum making Ian feel bad or trying to separate us is gradually about to drive me crazy. I almost bolt out the seat but then I feel the small warm hand resting on my thigh and my eyes move to Ellie sitting beside me.

She smiles at me and mouths "it's okay."

It has to be.

"So, Ian, when did you move to town?" Dad asks, spooning potatoes into his mouth.

Ian swallows what he was chewing. "Months back, around the time I joined the school and met Roxanna." We shared a look.

"Why?" Mum asks, fork moving around her plate.

"Ma'am?"

She looks up, not hiding her frown with a fake smile this time. "Why did your family move to Redwood, from where exactly?"

"The nest town." Ian replied, his hands moving until they were under the table and out of sight. "um, we moved after an accident."

Dad scrunched his brows. "What accident?"

I gulped. Oh good god.

"Arson." Was his short reply.

I studied both my parents expression and I could tell they did not expect to hear that. Dad was the first to speak. "Oh, wow. I'm so sorry, Ian. Is-- was everybody okay?"

I see Ian's hand move to run over the tattooed one, probably reliving the terrible memory again. He just nodded.

"Where are your parents now? Where do they work? And was the arsonist caught?" Mum fired without holding her breath, reminding me so much of Jamie.

"Mum!" I scold, giving her an eye that I hope tells her to chill.

She doesn't get it. "What, can't I ask questions to get to know my daughter's mysterious boyfriend?"

I narrow my eyes. "He's not mysterious." Lie

Mum smiles, not giving in. "Good then, he should have nothing to hide."

"Carol--" dad starts.

"Right, Ian?" Mum cuts in.

Ian looks at her, then at me. I give him a sympathetic- I'm sorry- smile. His eyes return to my mum. "Sure." He sighs. "No, the arsonist wasn't caught. My dad--" he inhales. "my dad's in prison for murder and my mum is held up in a psych ward."

The table falls silent like cold water has been poured on everyone. I wish I could reach out and hold Ian's hand from under the table but that's impossible unless I suddenly develop stretch skills.

"Did he do it?" Mom breaks the silence.

"Mom!" I scold again.

This time, Ian glares at her. "No, Mrs Richards. My father is innocent."

"I believe you." Ellie speaks up and it's like it's then we all realize she's still here.

Dad laughs. "Okay, the judge has spoken." He winks at Ellie and she giggles, lifting the table's atmosphere a little. "So, on to lighter topics then. Ian, Anna told me you're into photography."

For the first time he sat on his table, he smiles. "Yes, Dr Sam."

Mom and I share a look and she eyes my food. "Eat your food Anna. You'll need it for our talk later."

I gulp picking up my fork. I am not leaving Ian, not ever.

***

"That was... Okayish." I say, entiwining our fingers as we stepped off my porch.

"Yeah."

I look up at his face and he has his frown on, looking out the lawn. "Ian, I'm really sorry about my mother."

He looks at me and half smiles. "It's okay but she's definitely gonna tell you to stay away from me now. I just gave her more reasons to hate me."

"I'm not going to." I tell him firmly. "Nothing's gonna tear us apart Ian."

"I hope so."

Silence settles around us for minute. "You do know now that you've met my parents. I have to meet yours."

"You've already met mine."

"No," I shake my head. "Not the Howard's."

He stops the incredibly slow walk to his trunk. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, I want to meet your father and mother."

He glares at me. "Anna, my father's in prison."

"I know."

He shakes his head. "There's no way."

"Ian--"

"No." He almost shouts. "I'm saying no, Anna. Leave it."

I pout, trying to look less annoyed than I feel.

He sighs cupping my face. "This night has been enough already. The dinner was great and your dad was wonderful but I guess you were right when you called me a badboy, being so good is so damn tiring."

That made me smile and he did too, then glanced back at the house before turning to me. "At the risk of getting shot..." I didn't get the time to ask what he meant because next thing I know, his hand is going around my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body as our lips connect, tongues and moans getting involved in the fiery kiss.

"We'll talk later?"

I nod and watch him leave, getting into his truck and driving off before I start making my way back into the house. When I go in, Ellie's chatting animatedly with mum in the kitchen as they wash the dishes. I'm tempted to just leave them at it and sneak into my room to change and maybe I'd leave the horrors of this night but then Zoe barks at me and mum beckons me in.

"Bad girl, Zoe." I muttered as I walk past her and go into the kitchen. Ellie smiles at me.

"Did you and Ian kiss?"

My mouth hangs open at the question and mum splashes water on her. "Elizabeth."

"Mommy!" She calls back glaring as she wipes the water. "I didn't want to have to wash this dress."

Mum scoffs. "Like you're the one that washes your laundry."

Ellie sticks her tongue out to mum and then turns to me with a smile. "So did you?"

"Elizabeth--"

"It's Ellie and I'm old enough to ask Anna that, mom."

"Says who?"

Ellie rolls her eyes, "um, the world? Catch up mom."

A laugh escapes my lips and they both turn to me, mum raising a brow as Ellie laughs. Mom shakes her head and helps Ellie down the sink.

"Goodnight, Missy."

Ellie sticks her tongue out to Mom's head, waves at me and runs out the kitchen with Zoe right behind her. The kitchen falls silent with just me and Mom here and I wonder just what is wrong with me. Rachael use to get along so well with Mom and now Ellie does to. Why's mine so different?

"Won't join me get this dishes out of the way?" Mum asks breaking me out my thoughts and I sigh, walking to the sink and putting my hands into the rinsing water.

We worked for minutes until I couldn't take it anymore.

"You know, if you're going to tell me something. Then just get it out already." Mum paused her scrubbing to look at me and I looked right back.

She shook her head, "always the impatient one. Rushing into things head on, defiant, just like your dad." Her eyes returned back to the soapy water and for a minute second I catch myself wondering why again she never uses the washing machine. "That's what scares me the most about you."

I scoff, a bit disrespectfully but God knows I've been respectful and held back enough for one night. I can't deal with this. "Mom, cut the creepy talk, please."

She drops the last spoon into my rinsing water, washes her hand and wipes it. Addressing me only when the wipe was hanging back up. "His dad is in prison for murder."

I knew it.

"So?"

"So, you can't exactly expect me to trust a person like that with my daughter." She said like she was making sense. "A son to a murderer."

"His dad is innocent."

"So is everyone, Anna." She responded back without missing a bit, like she's been rehearsing it. "Who knows the kind of things that kid has been exposed to."

"You are not really saying this." I say, pulling my hand through my hair. "Ian's good."

"For all you know," Mom says, "what about that which you don't know? And even if he's good, he's father is in jail. Surely he has enemies, I don't want you being exposed to all that."

I laugh humorlessly, "Yes, because people avoid and befriend people all about the enemies they might or might not have."

"Roxan--"

"Mom, I love him." I exhale. "So nothing you can tell me now can change it. Even if you ground me, take away my car, my phone," I list off my finger, "lock me up, homeschool me, nothing mom. I would never leave him. And if he has enemies, then that's what I'm here for. We'll face them together because we love each other. It's not up to choose what I get exposed to, not this time. I'm no more Ellie's agemate, mom."

She just stared at me, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. I turned back to the dishes. "I can take good care of myself."

"You're not allowed to see him anymore, Anna." She finally says, then walks out.

I stare at the water for minutes after she's gone. Then I take in a deep breath and continue rinsing and drying until I'm done. I go to bed, changing into my pajamas and collapsing flat on my bed. I don't know how many minutes I spend staring up at the ceiling but soon I'm sitting up and opening my laptop.

I find Ian's Instagram page and when I click, the first thing I see is me. My pictures from the other day in the abandoned baseball court are all over. They look really really good, I don't even look like myself. I can't believe I look this good, like a model. His camera surely did something more to me. By the time I'd almost gone all the pictures, I was full blown bawling my eyes out.

There was this particular one where he was also in the picture, right in front of the camera with me standing behind him, blushing, laughing and covering half my face with my hand. I was so happy and he was too. I could see it in his spectacular eyes. Damn what anyone would say, could say or have said. I was the happiest with Ian. He made me love me more. I never feel the same without him, even when we fight, it's different. Everything is different. There's... there's no one like him.

Wiping at my tears, I go to write a comment. My fingers hover the keyboard for seconds before I hastily write and shut my computer close, burying my head in my pillow and beckoning on sleep before I do something more stupid.

It haunted my dreams though, the words I wrote, bringing a smile to my face.

"I love you."

----------------------------------------------------------

🤯🙈