Anchor ⚓︎ Jake 'Hangman' Seresin

⚓︎ chapter six ⚓︎

Four Months Later

Eleanor's nervously looked out the airplane window.  The sun was barely beginning to rise because of their early flight.  Jake had been home for just under a month and they were now heading back to Texas for his older sister's wedding. To say Eleanor was nervous to meet his family was an understatement.

Did it feel like they were moving fast? Surprisingly no. Eleanor felt like they were still going at a steady pace in their relationship. The more time she and Jake spent together, the more solidified their relationship felt.  She was actually thinking more about the future with him in it..

Jake watched as she nervously fiddled with her hands as her eyes stayed glued to the outside view. He gently grabbed her hand, causing her eyes to break from looking outside to looking at him. His soft smile caused her turbulent stomach to somewhat settle.

"They are going to love you," he reiterated for the thousandth time since they had left for the airport that morning.

"I've just never gotten so far into a relationship to meet the guy I'm dating's parents," she told him, gently laying her head on his shoulder, "forgive me for being nervous."

"You're cute when you are nervous," he told her, gently kissing the top of her head.

Eleanor smiled before snuggling further into his side.  She let out a heavy sigh before closing her eyes.  They had gotten up quite early to make their flight and Eleanor had been too nervous to sleep the night before, so she decided to sleep the short flight.  According to both Bradley and Torie, Eleanor was prone to falling asleep on any and all flights.

Jake smiled as he watched her sleep before closing his own eyes as the pair fell asleep right there.

⚓︎

The flight was shorter than the couple had anticipated and they woke up as the plane had begun their descent.  Eleanor stretched out before the nerves returned as she realized, she was about to meet Jake's family.

"Hey," he said when he saw her fiddling with her hands again, "I'm right here with you, okay?"

She let out a shaky breath and then nodded, taking his outstretched hand for him to squeeze reassuringly. They grabbed their carry-ons before making their way toward the exit.

As they got closer, Jake pulled her into his side and put his arm around her, smiling down at her. Eleanor smiled back but her stomach was still doing flips. She had never been this nervous before.

"Jake!" An excited voice yelled, causing the couple to look over.

A woman with sandy blonde hair like Jake's was standing at the entrance and waving at the couple. Jake smiled and quickly ran over, engulfing the woman in his arms. Eleanor couldn't help but smile as she watched the interaction between them. It wasn't much different than how she was with Bradley.

"It's good to see you, Jules," Jake muttered as they still hugged.

They pulled away and the woman looked up at him. "You've gotten taller," she joked, her southern Texas accent showing, "must be from going so high up in those jets, huh?"

Jake shook his head before turning towards where Eleanor stood a few feet away, not wanting to interrupt the reunion. "Julie, this is Eleanor," he stated, his tone soft as he admired her.

Eleanor offered a smile before extending her hand. "Hi Julie," she greeted, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh sweetheart," Julie spoke with a warm smile, "In the Seresin family, we hug." She didn't give Eleanor a chance to respond as she quickly engulfed in her arms. Eleanor laughed but hugged her back, feeling her nerves lessen before they pulled away.