I Love You (A Prodigy Story)

Chapter 21 - Welcome

Chapter 21

(Nicky/Nicks)

"Okay, Mum. I'll bring him over tonight. Yeah. Yup. See you soon, bye" just as I hung up, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, babe" he gave me a peck on the cheek and sauntered into my apartment.

"Hey, Superstar" I greeted whilst closing the door.

"So we have reservations at The Zetter for a candle lit meal-" he began.

"Yeah, there's been a change of plan" I sucked some air through my teeth.

"Work?" He inquired. Sadness rushed to his eyes.

"No, I think it's time you met The Supreme Court - my parents" I said. He ran his hand through his hair.

"Really? Oh. Well I don't think I'm dressed appropriately" he was dressed in dark casual trousers, a fitted blazer and a pair of chucks.

"You look fine!" I tossed my hand in a nonchalant way.

"And anyway my parents aren't that formal so they wouldn't care if you showed up in a pair of chucks" I started to put on my coat.

He ran his hand through his hair.

"Hmm I don't know Nicks..." He began.

"My parents are pretty cool people and it won't just be them, it'll be the whole family! You'll get to meet everyone!" I said cheerfully.

His face fell probably due to the daunting prospect of meeting the majority of my family in one night.

"Craig, you'll be fine, I promise!" I put one hand on my chest and the other on his arm to show my sincerity.

He loosened up a bit and sighed.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll let you drive" I rolled my eyes and a grin plastered his face.

"I finally have the chance to use my British License" he gushed.

"Don't get too carried away, Superstar. The same rules still apply: if you get arrested, it's not on my conscience and more importantly, if you get one scratch on my baby- " he cut me off.

"You will kill me and my career in a heartbeat. Yes, I remember Nicks" he laughed.

"Good. Now let's leave before it gets too late"

~

We reached the front door and he cleared his throat whilst again, running his hand through his hair again.

"Calm down, it'll be fine" I comforted him.

I pressed the door bell hoping it would be heard amongst the loud joyous chatter and bass heavy music coming from my old home. The door opened in one swift motion.

"Hey Ree!" I greeted my sister. She stood in the door way shocked to see that I had brought Prod along with me.

"Goodness! It's freezing out here! Ree, are you gonna let us in?" I asked her. Her jaw stayed open.

"Oh my god, yeah. Come in, come in" she quickly collected her thoughts.

"Ree, this is Craig and Craig, this is Renae" I introduced the two.

"It's nice to meet you" Prod said as he shook her hand.

"Same!" Said Ree.

"Who's at the door?" Jay and some of our cousins around her age came bouncing down the stairs.

"Oh my god!" Jay stood just as shocked as Renae.

"Jay, Craig. Craig, Jay" I laughed.

Before Craig could greet Janae, cousin Desirée took the stairs two steps at a time and pulled Prod into a tight embrace.

"Oh em gizzle! I can't believe it's really you!" Desirée squealed with excitement.

"Yes! It's really me!" Prod played along with Desi.

"And this is Desirée" I said hanging my coat by the door.

My mum came bustling out of the kitchen with my aunts and more cousins trailing behind her all wanting to find out what event was causing the large ruckus coming from the foyer of the house.

"Ma, meet Craig" I smiled and turned to face Craig.

"Craig, meet my mother, Cheryl"

He went to shake her hand but my mother refused and pulled him into a hug.

"To think she had her heart set on marrying you about 12 years ago and here you are today!" She laughed. He laughed along with her.

~

The family sat at the large dining table passing bowls and chattering to one another. The clanking of the forks on the dishes fit the rhythm of the soft jazz playing in the background. You could always trust my dad to have the perfect music to suit the occasion.

"What's this called?" Prod asked innocently. He was holding a bowl of orange rice.

"It's Jollof Rice" I laughed. I explained to him that it was simply a dish made from rice (basmati to be precise) and tomato stew.

"So, what do you think so far?" I whispered to him on my left.

"This rice is so good!" he replied shovelling some more into his mouth.

"I'm talking about my family not the rice, you numpty!"

"You're family is amazing, Nicky. They are just so kind, talkative and there are loads of them. They remind me of my family. I can't wait to know more about them" he said with a grin.


I let out a sigh of relief.


(Prodigy)

Dinner ended and all the females - roughly half of the table that seated over 20 - left to do the dishes and prepare dessert. Obviously, being the gentleman that I was, I rose from my seat and helped clear the table. I was about to follow Nicky into the kitchen when I was stopped by her sister Renae.

"I'll take those" she said attempting to take the empty dishes from my hands.

"No, it's alright-" I insisted.

"No, Craig, you're our guest, I insist" she said with a sincere smile.

I gave her the dishes and returned back to my seat at the dinner table. As I sat down, I had ten pairs of eyes watch me put my ass on the cushioned seat. It made me feel really uncomfortable to have a group of males ranging from the age 15 to 51 watch my every move.

"So, Craig, how are you?" Nicky's father asked.

I cleared my throat and replied.

"I'm good, thank you, Sir. How about yourself?"

"I'm very well. Thank you for asking" he replied.

I expected a bombardment of questions to come my way but it didn't happen as quickly as I thought it would. Instead, the men of Nicky's household stared at me. They were analysing me. Their eyes bore into my soul. The screaming silence was unbearable.

"I like your shoes" The youngest of the males said. I believe his name was Jaden and he was Nicky's cousin on her mother's side.

"Thanks, little man! The boys and I did a shoot with Converse a few months back and-" I grinned.

"I'm not little." Jaden replied sternly.

Wrong move, Craig. Wrong move.

I looked down and played with my hands. Again, I felt all eyes on me.

"So, I've heard you're in a band. Mindless Attitude is what you're called, right?" Her father spoke once again.

I was afraid to correct him but I felt the need to.

"Actually, it's Mindless Behavior, Sir" I mumbled down to the table.

"If you're going to speak, then I suggest you speak up, boy" Her father's voice scared me and caused me to slightly jump out of my seat.

I repeated our name.

"Mindless Behavior? What kind of name is that?! These are the so-called musicians tainting and corrupting the young minds of today" Nicky's Uncle Eddie from her father's side remarked.

Now, this comment made me mad and I was usually the first to defend our name however, I was not going to disrespect Nicky's relatives especially not in their own home. I sighed.

"Why are you sighing? Do you have trouble breathing or something?!" this time, it was Nicky's god brother - Nathan - who spoke.

Afraid to answer, I shook my head.

"Answer me!" his voice boomed and he rose up from his seat standing a good 6'4. Now, I was roughly 5'9 and I was seated so as you can imagine, I was terrified.

"No" I said in a whimper.

Nathan sat back down but never took his eyes off of me once. It was at this moment that all the questions in the world came rushing towards me.

"Do you love Nicky?" Was the first.

My answer was yes.

"How can you love her when you barely even know her?"

We had known each other for a good 6 months and had experienced some highs and lows in our relationship so I believed my love for Nicky was true.

More questions came my way. Some were random and some were confusing.

"What are your favourite colours?" Red and Black.

"What is your passion?" Music. Performing music.

"Are you male?" Yes...

"Does your occupation pay well?" I would say so, yes.

"Do you plan on getting married to Nicole?" Her father, John, asked.

I had never thought about marrying Nicky until now. Don't get me wrong, I really loved Nicky but at this point, marriage seemed like a big leap.

"Time will tell, Sir" I answered.

"That doesn't seem like a solid answer. Is that a yes or a no?" He asked further.

"It's more of a maybe" I replied.

"A maybe? But surely you must have some sort of plan regarding you and my daughter's future?"

Nicks and I, a future together. Mr and Mrs Crippen, one heart, one body, one soul.

"In all honesty Sir, I haven't put much thought into the idea of marrying Nicky. Though I do love your daughter very much, it is still early days and Nicky and I agree on the fact that we still need to find our footing in this relationship before thinking about spending the rest of our lives together"

"Let me tell you something" Mr Brookes came closer but still spoke loud enough so the rest of his clan could hear him.

"There is no point in doing anything if you don't think about how it'll affect your future" he said.

"With all due respect Sir, this is still a fresh relationship and we will never be sure on our plans for the future unless we run the course of the relationship and come to a decision further down the line" I retorted.

"I love Nicky and I'd like to think she loves me too and hopefully, one day, we will get married and start a family of our own but as of right now, our main focus is to build a solid foundation in order to ensure the growth of a fruitful, strong and beautiful relationship where both of us are content with our decision and have no regrets" I finished.

Mr Brookes sat back in his seat in awe of the answer I had just given. Even I was in awe of what I had just said!

"One last question Craig" he stated.

"Do you truly believe you can fulfil my daughter's needs and make her happy?" He asked.

I looked up and saw the hope brewing in his eyes.

"Yes, Sir. I truly believe I can make Nicole happy"

Mr Brookes cracked a smile and rose from his seat. I also did the same along with the rest of the males in the room.

"Welcome to the family, Craig" he shook my hand and gave me a pat on the back.

"Dessert is ready in the living room" Nicky poked her head through the door of the dining room. I looked at her and she gave me a smile almost identical to her father's.

"Thank you, Mr Brookes. It is truly an honour"

-------------------

You all hate me right now don't you? A whole month without updating?! Shiz! I think that's the longest I've ever gone! Well, there you have it: chapter 21!

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