Summer Sanders is going through it. The pressures of school are mounting, and her home life is completely falling apart. Feeling bored and lonely on a Saturday night, she decides to get buzzed and surprise her hookup buddy with her best lingerie. Th...
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I'D BE LYING if I said I wasn't nervous walking into country line diner. I know meeting family is a huge part of serious relationships, but bringing Summer home just felt natural. Like a low pressure thing that just made sense. I didn't think about how my dad and stepmom would react nor did I think about other details like if they'd like her personality and think we were a good match. I didn't care what they might've thought. All that mattered was that I needed to go home and I wanted to bring my girlfriend to help make the experience easier.
Now that I'm walking alongside Summer, heading towards the corner booth where a young man who bears resemblance to her is scrolling through his phone, I find myself thinking over those details in relation to myself. Would her family like my personality? I mean, I barely have one to begin with. Would he think we're a good match?
Summer tells me Theo can be blunt and I can be as well, so I know he won't hesitate to give his honest opinion. I just wish our relationship was more secure and we hadn't gotten over a huge fight literally five minutes ago.
I'm trying to keep my cool, but I can't help worrying that her brother's possible disapproval could ruin what we've just rebuilt. As if sensing my nerves, Summer gives my hand a squeeze and reassures me with a warm smile.
Her brother rises up when we reach the booth, revealing his tall and slender body as he pulls her into a hug. "Still didn't wax that mustache, I see," he says into the nook of her shoulder.
Summer pulls apart from him and taps on the skin above his upper lip. "And you're still failing at growing yours, I see."
It's at this moment that he looks up and notices my presence. He's got the same big brown eyes as her and his hair is a more cropped version of her mop of curls. Unlike her high cheekbones, his most prominent facial feature is his sharp jawline. He's a good looking dude.
"Aren't you that basketball player?" He points to me, face searching for recognition the way some fans do when they sometimes see me in public.
Summer leans into me and Theo's eyes widen when even more dots begin to connect.
"Theo, this is Carter Reyes, my boyfriend," she says.
He looks from me back to her, then to me again, seemingly both excited and bewildered.
"Alright, then, let's sit down. Looks like there's a lot more to discuss than I thought," he says.
What I've noticed since getting into my first relationship is everyone always wants to hear how you met, when you met, who started crushing first, who made the first move. Theo is no exception, in fact, he asks with even more concentrated interest than anyone else we've encountered yet. When we tell him the short and pg version, he doesn't grin and compliment our union like others, he just continues to watch us with what looks like caution.
When I confirm how long we've been together, he cringes and looks away for a brief moment.
"Summer, do you want to talk privately for a second or do you want me to just do this here? I don't know how much you two have discussed in your relationship," he says, provoking my nerves even more.
