Page 74 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
"I'm serious," Hands turn him more fully, bringing him closer. "Cher and I made sense on paper, but there was always something missing. With you... Everything clicks. It's like finding a piece of myself I didn't know was missing."
Ethan's expression softens, the wall coming down. "You're going to make me blush in public if you keep talking like that."
"Making you blush is one of my favourite activities," I grin, leaning in to kiss him softly.
When we part, I'm struck by a sudden thought. "Speaking of exes and awkward situations... my parents are coming to visit this weekend."
"Oh?" Ethan raises an eyebrow. "That's nice. You haven't seen them in a while, right?"
"Not since the semester started," I nod. "They want to take me to dinner on Saturday. I was hoping you might join us."
Ethan's eyes widen, and he shifts nervously. "Meeting the parents? Isn't that kind of a big step? We've only been together for a little while."
"It's not a formal meet-the-parents thing," I assure him quickly. "They're just in town, we're getting dinner, and I want you to be there. It'll be totally casual."
He looks skeptical. "I don't know, Ty. I'm not exactly great with parents."
"My dad is pretty cool," I tell him, which is true. "And my mom... well, she can be a bit traditional, but she'll come around." That part is less certain, but I'm hoping for thebest. "Besides, you've already won over a house full of frat brothers. My parents will be easy in comparison."
Ethan still looks hesitant, so I pull out my secret weapon, the smile he can't resist. "Please? I'll owe you one. A big one. Like, doing-your-laundry-for-a-month big."
He laughs, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "You don't know how to separate whites from colours. You'd destroy all my clothes."
"Then I'll find some other way to make it up to you," The eyebrow waggle is deliberately ridiculous, earning another laugh.
"Fine," he relents. "But if it gets weird, you have to promise I can leave."
"Deal," I agree, relieved. "It'll be fine, I promise. Just dinner at Marcello's, good food, casual conversation. No big deal."
As I kiss him again, I push away the nagging worry that I might be overpromising. My mom's initial reaction to my "I might be bisexual" phone call wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but she's had time to process. It'll be fine.
It has to be.
Saturday evening arrives too quickly. I'm pacing my room, checking my reflection in the mirror for the third time, when there's a soft knock on my door.
"It's open,"
Gavin pokes his head in. "Ethan's here. He's downstairs talking to Drew about some nursing thing." He tosses his car keys onto my bed. "All gassed up and ready to go."
"Thanks again for lending me your car.” The keys disappear into my pocket with a quick swipe. "I owe you one."
Gavin waves dismissively. "No problem. My truck's a hell of a lot more parent-friendly than your death machine."
The accusation pulls a laugh from me. "My motorcycle isn't a death machine. But yeah, Mom would have a conniption if I showed up with Ethan on the back of it. Don't need to give her more ammunition tonight."
"Your mom still giving you a hard time about the bike?" Gavin asks, leaning against the doorframe with his massive arms crossed.
"The bike, my major, my haircut last semester, take your pick," A sigh escapes as my hands straighten my collar once more. "Adding 'dating a guy' to the list isn't helping."
"You look nervous," Gavin observes. "It's just dinner with the parents, right? Not a firing squad."
My laugh comes out strained. “Yeah, but the jury's still out on how my mom is going to be.”
Gavin's expression softens. "That bad, huh?"
"When I called to tell them I was bringing someone special, Mom immediately got excited, thinking it was Cher. Started calling for Dad to come hear the good news about us getting back together."
"Oof." Gavin winces. "And then you dropped the boyfriend bomb?"
