piece: #3,913 | SOPHOMORE
"STOP SHAKING."
"I-I'm not shaking."
"Come on Megs, you've met my parents multiple times before. What's the problem now?"
"Well... I met them before we were... well, you know. Dating." Bennett slipped his hand into mine, his calloused fingers lacing with my slender ones.
"Don't worry, they really like you and have already approved of the relationship."
"I know," I mumbled, staring at the concrete sidewalk. "I guess I'm just nervous I'll slip up in front of your parents. Plus, this is the first Thanksgiving I've spent without my family. Ever."
"Next year I will visit your family for a holiday, okay?
"Promise?" He grinned cheekily and winked.
"You know my answer."
Once we knocked on the Layne's front door, we were quickly met by Mr. and Mrs. Layne with open arms.
"Meghan!" Karen Layne wore a grin that stretched eye-to-eye. She tightly hugged me, then grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes.
"You look beautiful, hun. You've changed so much!"
"Thank you, Kar-- I mean, Mrs. Layne." She frowned and corrected,
"Please keep calling me Karen. Mrs. Layne makes me feel like a old lady stranger." I laughed heartily and rephrased my earlier statement,
"Thank you, Karen."
"Meghan." Ian Layne, Bennett's father, smiled and shook my hand. I didn't know Mr. Ian very well, but he seemed pretty nice.
After Bennett embraced his parents, we stepped inside, only to be hit by the lovely aroma of Karen's home cooked dinner.
"Do I smell pepperoni, sausage, and bacon pizza?" I closed my eyes and inhaled the heavenly smell through my nose.
"With extra cheese!" Karen chirped, leading the way to the dining room. The blessed food on the table made me squeal and clap excitedly. Bennett chuckled and softly rested his large hand on my back.
"I remember the days when you two were kids." Karen smiled at Bennett and I, who were both having flashbacks to our younger days. "You two loved your Meat Lover's pizza."
"I still do." I grinned and sat in a seat next to my boyfriend. We ate in silence. We were too busy stuffing ourselves, not minding the tomato sauce all over our faces.
"So," Karen's kind and motherly voice sliced through the silence. "I hear you are in the process of earning the same degree as Benny." I nodded.
"As much as I would have liked Bennett to become a doctor or lawyer," Ian started, making Bennett's eyes widened with fear. "I want the best for him. And you too, Meghan. I think you are good for my boy." Ian managed a small smile, something rare for him, and he gave me a reassuring nod. I blushed and thanked him.
"I think she's good for me too." Bennett spoke for the first time in a while, startling me. "Too good."
