Meu Amor

Chapter 17

"Rúben... Relax" I say, holding his hand.

"I am relaxed."

"No, you are not" I say, trying not to laugh. "You are so tense you may pull a muscle."

"She's right, sir" Paul says. While Rúben is in London, he keeps being the one who drives us around.

"Ok, fine. I'm tense. And nervous. But I'm about to meet your family, a family who happens to be Manchester United supporters. How do you want me to be?"

"I'm sorry" I say, moving to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Did that help?"

"A bit."

"What about doing some breathing exercises?"

"Like the ones women do during labor?" he asks, trying to hide a smile.

"Or when the only lose cobblestone in London attacks you and you twist your ankle. Lucky me, the strongest arms in Portugal caught me."

"What a night that was, uh?" Paul says.

"One I will never forget" Rúben says while kissing my hand, his body already starting to feel a bit more relaxed.

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"Mum? Dad?" I ask when we walk into their house.

"Oh, there you are!" my mum says, coming out of the kitchen and giving me a hug. "And you must be Rúben? Did I pronounce it right?"

"You did, ma'am" he says with a shy smile I had never seen before. Where has my confident Portuguese boy gone?

"Call me Helen, please. It's so nice to finally meet you in person" she says, giving him a hug. "And dear God, you are even bigger than I thought."

"Where is dad?" I ask before she starts drooling over him.

"He had to go out to your uncle's, he had a problem with his car. But come, I'll show you around the house. You can leave your suitcases there" she says, grabbing Rúben by the arm. As they start walking, she turns to look at me, mouthing an "oh my god" and making me roll my eyes.

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"I don't know how you two are gonna fit on your bed, honey" my mother says while we are at my old room.

"It's just one night, we'll manage." Tomorrow the four of us are flying to the south of France, where we will be meeting with my brother and his wife.

"I think your brother's bed is bigger. Let me go check" she says, leaving the room.

"She is... Touchy" Ruben chuckles.

"I told you she was obsessed with your arms."

"It must run in the family."

"Ha ha."

"His bed is as big as yours" my mother says, showing up less than a minute after she left. "So I guess you'll have to squeeze a bit. But I don't think that'll be a problem, uh?" she says with a wink. Who is this woman and where has my mother gone?

"Helen?" my father calls from downstairs.

"Coming!" she says, leaving my room smiling like an idiot. Another thing that must run in the family.

"Sorry about her. I've never seen her behave like that before."

"It's ok" Rúben says, sounding way too serious.

"Are you ok?" I ask, holding his hand.

"Nervous."

"Rúben, I told you it'll be fine. They all like you, my dad included." Is this how he feels when I say his dad doesn't like me?