Cup of Roasted Coffee

28; meet the parents

a/n: we're nearing the end of this. i think.  i'm writing this at 4am though, so who knows what level of messy this is. props to my lovely gf for helping me develop these new cute characters. enjoy!

Paul had plans. Oh, he had big plans.

He and Emma had been together for a while now and he was figuring it was about time they, you know. Do the thing. The thing most couples do.

Move-in together.

That being said, getting the question out wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. Whenever he got the nerve to, Emma was distracted or attempting to initiate a whole other conversation. He couldn't seem to just get it out. The only logical answer to this was that he was missing something. That's when it hit him. Emma hadn't even met his parents.

That was a whole other conversation though. If he could barely ask the intended question, how would this one go? It would take months to work up the courage for that one.

Luckily enough for him though, Emma just asked herself. Something about how weird it was that she knew about his parents but had never met them. He didn't really care, he was just glad he didn't have to ask her about it.

The big day arrived sooner than Paul would've liked. He didn't hate his parents. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They just tended to be a little overwhelming, is all. He knew they'd shower Emma in affection and what not. His only concern was that it'd overwhelm her.

Knocking twice on the door, Paul held onto Emma's hand, holding her close. "If you wanna leave at any time, please let me know."

Emma laughed softly. "Uh-huh. Don't stress, hot stuff."

As the front door opened, the couple was greeted by two women, both very much excited to see them. "Paul! We've been waiting for you two, please, come in, come in."

The shorter one, Debby, ushered them in and shut the door behind them. She quickly whispered something to her wife before rushing off. The wife in question, Samantha, didn't waste any time in placing all of her focus on Paul and Emma.

"It's so nice to finally get to meet you, Emma. We've heard a lot about you from Paul." The two shook hands while Paul gave his mom the look to not mention any of said conversations.

Emma smiled softly, glancing towards Paul for a second. She was fully prepared to put all the formalities out on display. "Oh, Paul talks about you two all the time, too. The pleasure's all mine."

Samantha laughed lightly as she led them into the living room. "There's no need to be so formal, but thank you." She watched as the couple sat down on the couch. "What've you two been up to, hm?"

Emma went to hold onto Paul's hand. "Well, uh, Paul and I drove up to Clivesdale to see the high school do Legally Blonde last week. That's about the most exciting thing I can think of."

Samantha raised an eyebrow at her son. "Legally Blonde? You've must be some kind of miracle worker, I can't imagine what it took to convince Paul to go see a musical." She sat down across from them. "How'd you do it? Was it a bribe?"

Emma laughed a bit. "Oh no, just—" she paused. Maybe she shouldn't tell Paul's mom what she bribed her son with. "Just a free coffee card." Smooth.

Samantha's face lit up. "Oh, that's right! Paul mentioned you were a barista. I'll say, that really was a match made in heaven. Paul snuck a cup of coffee when he was eight and hasn't stopped since."

Paul's face went red with embarrassment. "Okay, mom, we don't need to tell her that kind of stuff—" He was cut off as Emma set a hand on his chest.