You Are In Love ✓

Verse 4

You kiss on sidewalks, you fight then you talk
One night he wakes, strange look on his face
Pauses, then says, "You're my best friend"
And you knew what it was, he is in love

It's Christmas time in Seattle. Snow is falling and I'm sitting with a coffee in my bay window, watching it come down, turning the whole world into a winter wonderland. There's a knock on my door and I sigh as I set my mug down to go answer it.

"Hey you." I say when I see Andy on the other side and let him in. I smile as he kisses me. "I wasn't expecting you this early."

"Roads are getting back and they've upped to a white out so the office let us go early."

"Thank god for Mother Nature." I say with a smile. "And I get you all to myself, for the whole weekend? Whatever will we do?" I ask as I saunter over to him, placing my arms around his neck.

"How did you get so lucky?" He jokes before picking me up and carrying me to my room, where he made sure we staved away the winter cold.

🎄🎄🎄

"Why is it such a big deal?" I ask as I get ready for Christmas Eve dinner at my sister's. The whole family would be there and were expecting to meet the guy I had been seeing for most of the year.

"Meeting the family at Christmas Eve dinner? You don't see the panic there?"

"Of course I do. But you had already said you would come. If I show up, sans boyfriend, they're going to ask a bunch of questions."

He doesn't say anything and I grab the dessert and presents and leave my house in a huff. He had moved in at this point, both of us agreeing that my place was bigger and therefore the better option. I walk down the sidewalk, my breath coming out in puffs in the cold December air. I loved this man so much but if he couldn't handle something like meeting the family after 7 months of being together, what hope for a future was there.

I cross the two blocks from my front door to my sister's in reflective silence. I kick on the door, careful to keep everything from falling. "Hey!" Rose says. "Did you carry all that here by yourself?" She asks, looking around for Andy.

"You won't find him. My knight in shining armor chickened out, too scared to handle the mythical beast, our family." I mumble, rolling my eyes.

"What?"

"He refused to come, stating that this was bad for his anxiety. I mean, besides a select few they're harmless."

"Seriously?"

"Honestly, I get it." I say with a sigh. "I'm still pissed but you know his past. I wouldn't want to spend the night fielding questions either. Questions that could bring up painful memories."

Before Rose could respond more of our family showed up and she was successfully distracted by hostess mode. "So where's this man your mom has been telling us about?" My aunt Helen asks during cocktail hour.

I spotted Rose giving me a look from across the room. I ignored it and instead turned my full attention back to our aunt. "Oh, ummm, he wasn't feeling well. Didn't want to get everyone sick if it turned out to be something." I lie, lamely.

"Oh, that's a shame. Everyone was really looking forward to meeting him."

"So was he." Maybe I should have been an actor. This performance I was giving would've secured me at least an Oscar nomination, if not the whole award.

The rest of the hour passed by with me repeating the bull shit story 3 more times. Just as we were going to sit down for dinner, the door bell rang. "Essie, can you get it?" Rose asks, her hands full with the turkey she was carrying out.

I nod and move to the front door, opening it. "What're you doing here, Andy?" I ask, shutting the door behind myself as I joined him on the porch.

"You were right. I should've come."

"I don't want you to feel like you have to be here though."

"I love you Essie. I want that future we talk about. Part of that is meeting your family."

I smile up at him. "I love you too. Let's get inside before we freeze to death." We step back inside and I take his coat from him. "Look who was able to stop by after all." I say with a bright smile before sounding off with the family roll call.

I get pulled aside by my cousin, Amber. "How'd you manage to bag an Adonis like that?" She asks, practically drooling and undressing him with her eyes.

"Cool it! He's taken." Rose says as she steps in, protective big sister mode engaged.

"Doesn't seem to be too permanent to me." She says, pointing to my left hand.

"We haven't been together long enough to be engaged. Not all of us move at the speed of light. And if you value your eyes, you'll remove them from him."I say before pushing her to the side.

I go and sit beside Andy. "I'm not going to need to represent you in court, am I?" He asks, a smirk on his face as he kisses my cheek.

"She's not even worth it." I say, smiling as he grabs my hand under the table, squeezing it three times.