Finding You, Looking for Me: A Henry Cavill FanFic

Part 12: Meeting the Family

I sat curled up in the center of my sofa, Henry stretched out next to me, his head in my lap. His eyes were fluttering closed, his long lashes splaying out across his cheeks. I knew he was exhausted from his packed schedule in LA along with me keeping him awake during his downtime. I gently stroked his hair, while I caught up with my emails on my iPhone. Every so often, I'd steal a glance at his face—smiling inside at the sight of his perfect jaw and full lips, marked with one adorable little freckle in the center of his pout. I just wanted to kiss every part of him.

My front door swung open and I heard my son come barreling into the foyer. The sounds of my ex husband's voice joined him.

"I'll drop off your boots when I'm in the neighborhood tomorrow," I heard my ex respond, sounding irritated per usual.

"Mom," Max called out. He peeked in and out around the corner of the entrance. Suddenly, he walked into the room, with a quizzical look. "Mom?" he asked me, locking eyes with me, looking from my face to Henry's and back again.

Tom, my ex-husband followed Max into the room.  I shook Henry a bit, whispering to him, "Babe, he's here."  His eyes opened slowly, and he smiled, he began to sit up on the sofa.

"Hello," he said to the room, his voice sounding sleepy.

I stood up and quickly hugged my son, his eyes wide and a confused look across his face. "Hey," I said to Tom.

"Max, I want you to meet my friend Henry," I told him. Henry reached his hand out to my son. Max hesitated and then accepted his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Henry," Max muttered, looking confused.

"This is Max's father, Tom," I introduced. Henry reached his hand out to Tom, and he shook his hand, Tom's mouth hanging open.

Max and Tom both gaped at Henry, looking utterly confused at his presence.

Henry dazzled them with his smile and placed his hand on the small of my back. "I'm very happy to meet you, Max. Your mum talks about you a lot."

Max blinked rapidly.  "Are you Henry Cavill? Like...Superman?" Max asked him abruptly, ignoring Henry's last statement. Tom took a step closer, his eyes wide, and jaw still on the floor.

I quickly cut in, "Yes, Max. Henry is an actor." This was obviously the understatement of the century. He wasn't only an actor—he was an international movie star who was followed by paparazzi and throngs of adoring fans. I was trying to divert attention away from the obvious fact that Henry was a famous movie star who was just a moment ago napping on my sofa and I had no real way to explain our relationship other than supernatural kismet.

"Holy shit," Tom muttered under his breath.

Henry looked calm, but I was certain he was feeling awkward. I gestured to the room for everyone to sit down. I sat down on the sofa, beside Henry, and as I did, he took my hand and clasped it within his own, cradling it in his lap. Max and Tom both watched Henry's hand holding mine, their eyes growing wider.

"Mom, what's going on," Max said slowly.

"Max, chill," I said, nervously. I glanced at Henry, who looked at me with a reassuring smile. "We've become good friends," I began. Henry squeezed my hand, his blue eyes on me. I knew that Max was stunned by this display—he hadn't seen a man hold my hand since before his father and I had split up. I glanced at Tom, "I wasn't really planning on having this conversation with my ex-husband," I grumbled. 

"Are you a couple?" Max asked, furrowing his brow, clearly perplexed at the strange notion of his mother having boyfriend.

"Yes," Henry responded quickly for us both, recognizing my apprehension. "Max, I met your mum recently, and we've become extremely close. She's a gorgeous, wonderful woman..."

Max choked on the sound of Henry's sentence, coughing suddenly. I grimaced at my son, knowing that he was making fun of me.

"And...ah...yeah," Henry finished, trying to suppress a nervous smile. He glanced at me, then back to Max and then over to Tom.

"Are you serious right now?" Max asked, letting out a dry laugh.

"I should probably head out?" Tom finally said. He had already overstayed his welcome as far as I was concerned. I'm sure that the mystery of Henry's presence was too enticing for him to walk away from immediately. Tom stood up and looked nervously around the room. Henry stood and offered his hand to Tom again.

"It was nice meeting you," Henry said to him, sharing a polite smile.

Tom forced a tight smile, "Glad you found each other," he said, sounding disingenuous. They shook hands. Tom looked at me, "Let me know what's the plan for next weekend."

I smiled and nodded, staying quiet.

Tom bid Max goodbye, and was gone. The three of us remained alone in the room.

"So..?" Max began.

"I just wanted to introduce you to my...ah..." I started. Was Henry my boyfriend? We'd only known each other for about a week. Boyfriend sounded so...juvenile for what we were. "...friend."

"Boyfriend?" Max asked, trying to correct me. His eyes were wide and flicking back between Henry and I.

"Yes," Henry agreed, squeezing my hand again.

Max nodded, holding Henry's eye. "Where did you two meet?" Max asked him.

"At your mum's pub."

"When did you meet her?"

"Last Saturday."

"Were you with my mom in California this past week?"

"Yeah, I asked her to join me."

"What are your intentions?" Max said, saying each word slowly and distinctly, leaning forward with a serious look on his face.

Henry also leaned forward, letting go of my hand, and resting his forearms on his massive thighs. "I want you both to join me in London. I'm in love with your mum."

I sucked in a breath and it was my turn to choke on Henry's words.

Did he say he was in love with me?

"Which games do you play?" Max asked, his voice steady and serious.

Henry grinned widely at Max, his eyes twinkling. Max returned the grin. Immediately, the tension I didn't realize I was holding, melted away.